Question:
LIFE AFTER SURGERY, OF PERSON WHO HAS/HAD COMPLICATIONS.

I am soon to have the procedure done in a week and ahalf, and I got some blood work done, and my liver emynes were up, so I believe I have fatty liver, after some research, and in one article, they do not recommend rapid weight loss, so my concerns are, if anyone knew they had this, and still did the procedure, and how are they know doing.    — mendozadelia (posted on April 29, 2005)

April 29, 2005
Delia, I had pretty bad fatty liver (stage 3) at the time of my Open BPD/DS with Dr. Aniceto Baltasar in Alcoy, Spain. (I was a self-pay patient, and was blessed enough to have the fabulous and extremely skilled Dr. Baltasar for my surgeon.) My surgery was short - 80 minutes, it included the full BPD/DS, liver biopsy, appendix and gallbladder removal. (Less time under anesthesia, the better for the liver!) By about 3 hours after surgery, I had walked to the toilet, and sat up in a char for about 30 minutes. My recovery was amazingly smooth. I only needed one shot for pain after surgery, and even though I was in a wheelchair for about 2 years prior to my DS - I was able to walk more than I had in quite some time. It's now 2 years 9 months later. I have no more fatty liver disease. My liver labs are perfect. My diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, congestive heart failure, GERD, stress incontinence, wheelchair and canes are gone. (To name a few.) I think it's really important to carefully consider which form of weight loss surgery (of the 6 available) you want to pursue - make sure that it's appropriate to your current health issues, and to choose a surgeon who handles the types of issues that you have concerns over without getting stressed out. For me - with degenerative joint disease and bilateral grade 4 degeneration of the knees, I knew that pain medication will always be a part of my future, not to mention the fact that strenuous exercise never will be. That's why I chose a surgeon who was willing to tailor my surgery to me - and why I chose a surgery that lifelong use of pain medications would not be a counterindication in. If you have any questions, let me know, okay? Blessings, dina
   — Dina McBride

April 29, 2005
I believe that there is medication they can give you as well for that condition. My liver enzymes were a little high when I went into surgery. I had lost alomst 20lbs before hand and went on medication afterwards and now everything is fine.
   — davesband1

April 29, 2005
I had an enlarged fatty liver prior to surgery. I was concerned but I was told that almost every morbidly obese person has an enlarged fatty liver. Watch your carbs as best you can until your surgery.
   — patgels

April 30, 2005
My surgeon told me to lose weight to shrink my fatty liver before wls so I did. 24 lbs to be exact. I was not put on meds and did fine. My liver was so fat it was pressing my gallbladder up against my ribs and causing me lots of pain. I had gone to the ER several times before wls and they told me they found nothing wrong with me except my liver was so large and covered with fat that it would be best if I just lost some weight to lessen the pain. My gallbladder was fine.
   — mspisces

April 30, 2005
After true disease being ruled out, I do not know of ONE person who did not have fatty liver pre-op. Many docs require a short period of dieting or a small amount of wt loss prior to surgery to help shrink the liver, but it has not always been that way.
   — vitalady