2 week liquid diet postop? huh

Why ? I didn't have to do this my last surgery.

I am supposed to have only liquids before my surgery- is there a medical reasoning behind this or is it a way to torment us :) lol.

I heard tell an all liquid diet shrinks the liver (huh) I dont get that one.

I could see that they want the patient to be used to the post op diet before surgery.

Last time I had surgery I ate at every restaurant I loved and enjoyed my only non-guilty eating for the 1st tiem in my life.

My surgeon said it was because the first place that you lose weight (and gain weight) is you liver.  The liquid diet allows your liver to shrink making laproscopic surgery safer and easier.

Aloha- Do you mean pre op? Your title says post op....
If pre op....Revisions are usually trickier surgical procedures than initial "virgin" abdominal because of adhesions from prior operations, so I can see why your surgeon wants your liver shrunk as much as possible. It makes it mush easier to see and manipulate around an enlarged liver to get to your stomach ( we usually have enlarged fatty livers as obese patients, these types of livers are also more friable or fragile). Liquid diets tend to be protein focused and very low carb- the rapid loss seen with this format results in using up the stored glycogen in your liver, plus the associated water that goes with it, and results in a smaller liver.
If post op....Not sure what you are revising from or to, but if it involves stomach stapling, the post op liquids are to protect your healing stomach staples/sutures. You do not want material getting caught in your stoma*****ision and delaying healing or causing a leak.
Hope this helps- Good luck! XOLori

Lori...

What is the difference in a low carb liquid diet over a low carb solid food diet?  If the max carbs are from 20-30 or so, what difference does it make if those carbs are protein shakes or lettuce with chicken ?

I have yet to find a study that shows liquid low carb is superior to low carb solids.  People are more likely to follow low carb solids over low carb liquids anyway.

Aloha MWG-
I thinbk I was focused on answering the fatty liver shrinkage aspect and not on whether it was liquid or solid hi prot/lo carb, sorry! And I couldn't figure out if she was referring to 2 week pre op or post op liquids - her title says liquid so I focused on that. I probably assumed it was an Optifast or Medifast liquid diet- not directed at liquid vs solid. XOLori

I see all these doctors making people do liquid low carb for a couple of weeks before surgery and after surgery it's not a big deal but before surgery many can't do it.  I couldn't have done it before banding, I tried.  I wasn't required to do liquids before surgery but I had tried on my own previously in dieting.

Today I can do liquids for a month and it's no big deal... not that I want to. ;o)  But I could.  Before surgery there is no way.  I didn't have the will power or whatever you want to call it.

I have been trying to find someone to explain to me how low carb liquids is superior to low carb solids.  Since so many doctors do it there must be a reason but I can't figure out what it is.

Now, if someone is having intestinal rerouting I can see a few days before surgery of liquids.  But for a sleeve or band, what's the value?

And since you are a doctor... ;o)  Can you tell me?  Do you put your critters on liquid diets before surgery? HA!

Our patoients are NPO for elective surgeries- and those needing intestinal surgery are almost always NPO for several days as they are usually puking from obstructions! And only cats get fatty liver syndrome- they get it from being anorexic, not from overeating though. XOLori

 I was referring to pre-op. I am having surgery tomorrow. I have been as liquid as possible (snuck in my mornng special K cereal tho, have trouble starting my day without it)

 So it is a liver issue after all- odd. I hope mine is slim and slender enough to make it go easy for the laproscopic tools.

Thanks for all replies...