Question:
How true is it if u gain weight your surgeon
will not do the surgery? havent heard this one and people that are smokers a higher risk why? — bage09 (posted on January 3, 2010)
January 3, 2010
Surgeons are different. I wasn't required to lose weight before surgery,
but I know another surgeon in the area will require his patients to lose
weight. As for the smoking, the nicotine does something to the body and
makes the healing process closer. I have heard of several surgeons who
won't do the surgery until the patient has quit smoking for at least 4
months. If you smoke and haven't had the surgery, do yourself a favor and
stop smoking. It will only help you. Good Luck!
— Dawn A.
January 3, 2010
My clinic encouraged pre-op weight loss, it didn't have to be significant
but they wanted me to be able to demonstrate a willingness and readiness to
change. Having this surgery is a huge lifestyle change and you have to be
emotionally ready for it in order to succeed. By starting your lifestyle
change pre-surgery it makes it so much easier to be successful afterwards.
Kicking habits ahead of time will be a blessing to you afterwards. You can
do this, one day at a time. It will get easier each day. Good luck to you.
— Sa-ruh
January 3, 2010
Thanks guys :) for taking ur time to answer
— bage09
January 3, 2010
I think it's a ridiculous requirement; until I learned it helps make the
liver a bit smaller and makes the surgery easier and safer for the surgeon.
But the smoking, STOP! It will just make everything more risky,
— Rebecca T.
January 3, 2010
Hi! I know that my clinic will cancel the surgery. They have so many
people wanting it these days that they fill a spot without a problem. They
want to know you are commited to the after surgery eating habits and want
to shrink the liver before surgery. Any weight loss is beneficial for so
many reasons...And the smoking thing is a biggy too. If you don't smoke the
risk of clots lessons, the breathing is easier, its unhealthy...take your
pick..lol I was a smoker for 23 years and used the patch to quit. It took
me 12 weeks but I did it and that was 8 years ago. you can do it too!
Best of luck to all! hugs, kim
— gpcmist
January 3, 2010
I am non smoker and I was asked if I live in a home where there is another
smoker. Apparently even 2nd hand smoke can affect the outcome of healing
time. Lucky for me my Hubby quit a year ago and the people coming to our
home have to smoke outdoors. I to asked the same questions that you have
asked, of my doctor and he said that it would slow down the healing,causing
the new tissue not to grow enough to heal fast enough.
Now as far as weight GAIN... I know that it is a problem as the doctors
have great difficulty getting under your liver to do the operation. You see
you need to shrink the fat cells that have attached themselves to your
liver so that it will not be so slippery to maneouver. It certainly is in
your best interest to do so. Now I have a question for you to think about.
Why would you not want to try and loose as much weight to impress your
doctor to prove to him and yourself of your dedication to the program and
the respect for the work that he/she is about to do. Giving you a second
chance at a healthy life??? My doctor did ask that I do a liquid diet for 3
days pre surgery and to continue to do my Weight Watcher's program that I
am currently on but to lower my points by 10.(Currently I am at 35points
and he( th Doctor) would like me to go to 25. By the way it worked. The
weight started to drop off)However I have allowed myself a treat of
something from my favorite foods once a week (in a very small portion). You
need to understand that binging right now WILL hurt you. Have a list of
your favorite foods forbidden wish list and make one very small portion to
satisfy your craving. If you feel that you can't control that portion
control for that certain item. Don't let it pass your lips. You will have
to be doing this after the surgery anyway so why not pratice now??? Have
no worries that your doctor will not do the surgery that you have been
approved for just because(you will have less to loose later)BUt the surgeon
is wise to the fact that we know how to loose weight but we all that need
this surgery gain back what we looseand extra on the top of it. So having
said that ... No worries! If you don't attempt these changes you will never
know how successful you are.
Keep strong and remember food is not your friend it is fuel for your body's
engine. I am in the process of continueing to reminding this to myself with
every bite I take. It is a struggle but you can do it!
— OntarioSilk
January 4, 2010
The safety of your surgery is the reason for both. Following the proper
diet before surgery shrinks the liver, which lies right over your stomach,
and gets it back out of the way. That allows for faster, easier surgery
with no risk of nicking the liver. Smokers have a higher risk of respitory
problems during surgery. These rules are for your safety and benefit. It
is in your best interest to follow the rules. Good luck!
— Bonnie H.
January 4, 2010
My surgeon says they won't do the surgery if you don't lose weight. I was
a smoker and gained a LOT of weight when they made me quit. Fortunately,
with the pre-op liquid diet, I lost enough to make them happy (10 lbs). As
the other posters have said, my dr said it's to make the liver shrink. As
for the smoking, they did the blood gas test on me (not fun)to make sure I
wasn't smoking and told me that even 2nd hand people would not pass the
test, so everybody had to go outside. They said they'd test me again at
the hosp, but they didn't. Now I've been a non-smoker since Oct 19 and am
SO glad that I'm still not smoking. I am a hard-core smoker and ONLY did
this so I could get qualified, but now I'm thinking I'm kinda liking being
able to breathe and not spending so much money on cigarettes. I can't
promise I'll always be a non-smoker, but for today anyway, I am happy and
plan on continuing on this path. Every day is a struggle, and this is
probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do, but I'm so glad that I've
done it now. My dr says that smokers don't heal as quickly. I want this
all to be right and don't want risk complications. I hope this helps!
Kristin
12 days post-op RNY
— taylork25
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