Question:
Does an enlarged/fatty liver ever shrink after weight loss, or does it stay enlarged

for life? Just wondering because I had open RNY (distal) almost 5 weeks ago (5/21/01) and my doc sayed that my liver was very large and fatty. Would I be in any risk of serious liver probems in the future?    — lalasmommy (posted on June 23, 2001)

June 23, 2001
Hi there! My doctor says that weigh loss definately shrinks the liver! That is why he makes us lose weight first, so he has more room to work in there.
   — sgeisendorff

June 23, 2001
My surgeon asked me to lose at least one pound right before surgery because as he explained, the first place the fat comes off is from the liver. The liver sits in front of the stomach and by losing even as little as one pound pre-op, it's easier for him to get past the liver to the stomach to do the Lap RNY procedure. He explained that it is common for people who are overweight to have fatty livers but as soon as they lose weight the liver is the first place the fat comes off. You seem to be within the norm but for peace of mind you probably should ask your surgeon about this next time you see him. Good luck.
   — [Anonymous]

June 23, 2001
Hi Alexandra: I had my surgery on May 15 and my surgeon told me the same thing as the previous post from anonymous. As ypu lose the weight so will the fat come out of the liver. It's been almost six weeks since surgery and as of this morning I'm down 44 lbs. Good luck, Lorraine
   — Lorraine L.

June 23, 2001
Several of the levels they will be checking in your blood work are those connected with fatty liver. Mine came down significantly by my three month check-up, and even lower by the one year. I am in the normal range for two of the three, and the third one is almost there - so a dramatic decrease in the fatty liver as a result of the weight loss. - Kate -
   — kateseidel