Question:
Why have to lose certain amount prior to surgery
People say they their doctor is having them lose a certain amount of weight before their surgery..6 lb 10 lb etc. What's this all about. I know surgery risks are lower the less you weigh but how much different can 5-10-15 lbs make. — Kathleen F. (posted on March 25, 2009)
March 25, 2009
Hi,
I was told you lose first closest to your liver?? and this makes surgery
easier. I did as my Dr requested and all went well. Best of luck in your
journey.
— tootsie52
March 25, 2009
I believe it is to shrink your liver so the doctor can easily move it out
of his way to do your surgery. Best of Luck to you.
— [Deactivated Member]
March 25, 2009
You lose the weight so your liver shrinks. When you are overweight the
liver gets fatty also. The smaller the liver the less chance of it getting
nicked during surgery.
— Dawn A.
March 25, 2009
Besides shrinking the liver, some surgeons use it to guage a patients
willingness to be compliant with post op dietary guidelines. There are many
people who had their surgery cancelled due to non compliance of the pre-op
diet.
— [Deactivated Member]
March 25, 2009
My dr. makes everyone lose 5% of their weight when they have their first
appt. I also think it is to see how serious they are about changing their
lifestyle. Its no sure cure (either surgery) it is an ongoing lifestyle
change.!!!!!!! I am glad I had to, else I would have eaten myself to
death.
— kentuckygirl_36
March 26, 2009
Before you start dieting your liver (in an obese patient) is extremely
fatty which also makes it extremely large. When you first start to lose
weight your liver begins to shrink because you are adding very little fat
to your diet. Surgeons are much less likely to knick your liver (which is
extremely dangerous and can extend your hospital stay to weeks instead of
days) if your liver has shrunk. They are also less likely to have to turn
your laproscopic surgery into a fully open surgery if the liver has shrunk
enough to be out of there way. Good luck and follow your doctors plan for
you, he/she knows what they are doing to protect you.
— brindledanes
March 26, 2009
As everyone else said, it shrinks the fat on your liver, which makes the
operation easier and safer because they can see it better. In addition, the
surgeon wants to see that you can really make a change and adjust to the
lifestyle. Following their instructions and losing the weight is proof of
that.
— snickersblk
March 26, 2009
It's because they want to torture you one last time. No Not Really. It
really does serve a purpose. Like many have said it's to make sure there
is less fat around your liver. I was required to lose 20lbs. I followed
the rules because I didn't want to chance having my liver damaged during
the operation.
— Corina C
March 28, 2009
You know, if I'm completely honest, I was a little aggravated that this WL
surgeon asked me to lose weight prior to surgery. I told him "if I
could have, I would have and not needed this surgery". He then
explained the rationale and I was on board. It is important that you get
your body in the best pre-op shape possible, to shrink the liver and to
learn to be compliant and be willing to begin to make the changes it takes
to be successful with WLS. I didn't have to lose that much really as I was
a self pay and things went very quickly after my first visit, but I did
what I was told because I was sick and tired of being sick and tired and
committed to the process. Best of luck. You can do this- it is hard.
Dawn
— DawnVic
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