I cheated on my ten day pre-op diet...

I don't plan on doing it again, but last night was two days in to the 'full liquid' portion of the ten day diet required by my physician.  I know that she requires it because she wants us to shrink our livers as much as possible so the surgery is easier...makes complete sense.  But in practice?  It's pure torture.  

The end of day one and all of day two was pretty dreadful.  I'd been sticking to the plan, getting as much protein in as possible, and keepin to the requisite foods, but as I lay there trying to go to sleep, I felt absolutely tormented with the need for something more substantial.  I felt weak, was alternating between laughing and crying, and couldn't settle myself enough to get some much needed sleep before work today.  So I had a scrambled egg sandwich.  Not the best thing I could have had (should have just had eggs) but also not the worst.  And it helped tremendously, I'm not going to lie.

I hope that this doesn't say a lot about how I will be after the surgery.  I'd like to think that the post-op liquid diet will be a bit more forced as I'll be getting used to my new stomach, on pain meds, and dealing with nausea.  But I did have higher hopes in my ability to stick with this ten day pre-op diet...or at least go longer than two days without caving.  But I guess all I can do now is make sure it doesn't happen again...

Anyone else have as much problem with their pre-op diet?

Congrats on making the decision!  

Honestly, I had issues too, and deviated before and after the surgery.  One of the things that I had to learn throughout this process was to forgive myself for my mistakes, even deliberate deviations.  Dust yourself off and get right back on.  You are going to screw up sometimes.  It happens.  But what you do from here on is entirely up to you.  You can do it. Its worth it. 

Also, when the nausea got to be too much (BEFORE the surgery) I had diet ginger ale. It helped too.

Thank you for the pep-talk, skylark2011, I appreciate it!

This is definitely the worst part of the whole process. Fortunately my surgeon only required 7 days and not 10 because I probably would have lost it. I also spent many of yhose days depressed and teary eyed so you are not alone. Just get back on track and try to suffer through it, it will be over soon. You can have as many protein shakes and broth as you want so sip on those all day, pretend it's steak. Lol

Thakns, Kyzze, it's good to know that I'm not the only one who has struggled.

Yes, it DOES say a lot about your behavior after the surgery. Even after the diet restrictions immediately post-op, it is 100% your choice what you put in your mouth. If you can't follow your plan NOW, when motivation is high, what's to say you'll follow it soon after surgery, much less years down the line after the honeymoon is over?

It's entirely possible that a surgeon will refuse to perform the procedure on a patient who's been non-compliant if the liver hasn't shrunk. It's also possible that you can have life-threatening complications if you're not following the rules immediately post-op.

Plenty of people have survived a pre-op diet, much less without cheating. Get your head in the game NOW.

That's very true, Sparklekitty, and I appreciate your honesty.  I do need to get my head in the game to make sure my surgery goes as well as possible...I completely agree.  On my lunch break today, I went to the store and purchased a few more options to mix things up, and I've been throwing myself into my work today to give my brain something else to focus on.  So far, so good!

I can say, however, that what I know about myself and how I will be after the surgery should be based more on the previous efforts I have made to lose weight.  While, obviously, they did not provide lasting success, I was able to stick to diet and exercise changes for quite some time (I lost 98 lbs over two and a half years) despite the difficulty in losing the weight.  So thank you for reminding me that I do have what it takes.  One moment of weakness does not define me :)

There is a good chance you won't have any post op issues.. so counting on them to "force" you to stick with your plan seems like a really big risk.  The first 3-4 days are the worst.. try to get at least 4 ounces of protein every 4 hours to help curb hunger.. lots of warm liquids will help. If you find yourself slipping again, call your surgeon and tell him.. he might want to reschedule.  Good Luck

Thanks for the reply.  I'm doing much better today, trying to keep myself busy, hydrated, and 'proteined' and it's certainly making a difference.

I had a 2 week ore-op diet ( or maybe it was one week, I forget), and I cheated once.  I had a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit.  You're not alone.  I wasn't perfect either.  But after surgery, even one slip up can be dangerous to your healing stomach, so be especially careful to follow directions to the letter post op.