I asked my doctor today about my theory of the all-liquid diet. I estimate that the all-liquid pre-op diet shrinks your liver and with a smaller liver, the doctor does not have shift and root to do what he needs to. Less gas in the abdomen so there is less gas the days following. So I asked if it is a direct correlation between quicker recovery and the all-liquid diet? He responded "that is a possibility" but that the effect is unintended. The smaller liver makes everything go much safer.
So, seeing as how I originally started this blog to help pre-op readers, I am asking that all of you post a comment to this post that answers the questions - A) Did you have a severely limiting pre-op diet? B)On a scale of 1-10, what was the most amount of pain you experienced during your first week of post-op? 3) At what point did you a)quit taking pain meds b)start driving again c)go back to work
Had the doctor have said something like "You're exactly right, I have always known that with such a strict pre-op diet you will certainly recover quicker" I had planned to draft a heavy endorsement in defense of the hellish all-liquid diet and suggest that if their docs will give them the option, to definitely do it. Answering the above questions may really help someone out.
PRE-OP readers- Remember, I am not a doctor, the furthest thing from it. I actually majored in English. I am happy to share my experience with you, but you should certainly consult with your doctor before taking any action on anything this Fat Bastard has to say. Therefore, please do not start an all-liquid diet, or do anything outside of what your doctor instructed before speaking with him/her first.
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Interesting idea.
ReplyDeleteA) Did you have a severely limiting pre-op diet Yes, all liquid for 2 weeks, clear only for the last couple.
B)On a scale of 1-10, what was the most amount of pain you experienced during your first week of post-op? 3
3) At what point did you a)quit taking pain meds b)start driving again c)go back to work?
3a) Day two, 3b) Day four but only cuz I had no need to, 3c) Day five.
Good luck on smashers, smushes, mush mush, goopies, schmooshes, what was it?
A) Did you have a severely limiting pre-op diet? No, basically a low-carb, Atkins type diet for two weeks. B)On a scale of 1-10, what was the most amount of pain you experienced during your first week of post-op? Ever? 7. Commonly, 3. 3) At what point did you a)quit taking pain meds b)start driving again c)go back to work? I had surgery on Wednesday. Friday was the last day of pain meds. Drove on Saturday. Went back to work on Monday.
ReplyDeleteMy pre-op diet was clear liquids after noon on the day before surgery and nothing after midnight.
ReplyDeleteThe max on pain for me was about a 6 on the second day. But I was trying to go off meds... too early!
I was off oxycodone and on tylenol only on day 4, nothing on day 5 and driving on day five too.
Good point....
ReplyDeleteA) Did you have a severely limiting pre-op diet ..NO...I was not subjected to a liquid diet at all.
B) On a scale of 1-10, what was the most amount of pain you experienced during your first week of post-op? 5-6 immediately after the op. this was limited to 1 day only...
3) At what point did you a) quit taking pain meds b) start driving again c) go back to work?
3a) Day 4
3b) Day 5
3c) Day 5
On the 6th day I took an another day off work..I did not have any pain , but was constantly feeling sick...This was immediately resolved by taking suitable meds......
Andrew
A) Did you have a severely limiting pre-op diet?
ReplyDeleteI was on Optislim diet (3 shakes and 2 cups of vegies) for two weeks to help defat the liver.
B)On a scale of 1-10, what was the most amount of pain you experienced during your first week of post-op? Maybe a 3...I didn't feel much pain at all surprisingly.
3) At what point did you a)quit taking pain meds - day 2or 3 b)start driving again - 1 week c)go back to work - 1 week
A) Did you have a severely limiting pre-op diet? Yes yes yes yes freaking bloody yes!!!!! Vegies and opti fast only sometimes I ditched the opti and had low fat protein instead like chicken breast but this was THE hardest time diet wise throughout the whole process a definite baptism of fire at no point has it ever been harder than those 2 weeks.
ReplyDeleteB)On a scale of 1-10, what was the most amount of pain you experienced during your first week of post-op? 30 out 10 Pain as soon as I woke up after op then a 20 out of 10 I thought I was going to die but the intensity wore off within the first 2 hours but the pain and discomfort was constant over next 12 hours and brought me to tears several times (I also had period at the same time so I think the swelling there didnt help the whole internal agony thing)
3) At what point did you
a)quit taking pain meds - when prescription wore off after about 5 - 7 days I was taking everything I could get my hands on and nothing less!
b)start driving again - about 5 days to a week after
c)go back to work - I'm a mother I was back at it in full swing after about 2 days
Having painted this horrid picture i must say that at no point ever did I or have I EVER regretted getting this done and I'd do it all again ten times over if I had to. I would NEVER be without a band again - I love who my band makes me.
Thanks for the great post Fat Bastard and keep on keeping on - you're going great guns!
A) Did you have a severely limiting pre-op diet No, not really. I bought my providers soups and protein shakes, I had 2 soups a day and 4 shakes with a limited amount of fruit/veg. It was much easier than I thought it would be but I was only on it for 5 days.
ReplyDeleteB)On a scale of 1-10, what was the most amount of pain you experienced during your first week of post-op?
4, the pain wasn't mad at all, the nausea was awful though, I had no gas pains.
3) At what point did you
a)quit taking pain meds - 2 days after
b)start driving again - about a week but that was because my husband went away with the car!
c)go back to work? - I don't work but was looking after my kids full time a week later
A) Did you have a severely limiting pre-op diet No. I had a BMI of 33 and my doctor only required the liquid pre-op if your BMI was 40+.
ReplyDeleteB)On a scale of 1-10, what was the most amount of pain you experienced during your first week of post-op?
4. I had very little gas pain and zero nausea.
3) At what point did you
a)quit taking pain meds - 2 days after
b)start driving again: 2 days after surgery
c)go back to work? 5 days
1) Yes - pre-op was 2 weeks of 3 protein shakes per day. Clear liquids only the day before surgery.
ReplyDelete2) Highest pain was 3. My gall bladder and c-section were both 10x worse. Honestly.
3) No pain meds after recovery, so 2 hours or so after surgery, I quit taking them.
I don't remember when I drove - 2 days later, probably.
Surgery was on Wed, back to work Mon with no problems.
I like the theory! ;)
1) No pre-op diet (my Doc said he's never had a problem with anyone's fatty liver during surgery and they were surprised that some docs do when I asked).
ReplyDelete2) Pain, Probably a 6 just after surgery.
3) a- I can't remember, but about Day 5
b- Drove, same day I was off pain meds
c- I'm a SAHM
Great post!
ReplyDeleteA.) I did not have a pre-op diet - just the normal liquids two days before surgery. I really wish now that I had done it. I see a few bloggers who had surgery the same week as me and they are 20 lbs ahead of me because they had the two week pre-op diet. Although, I am not really sure I could have handled it! My doctor had me on two weeks of clear liquids and two weeks of mushies, ooopppss sorry, smashed foods ;) That was really tough, I was so hungry and grouchy I am surprised I am still married!
B.) I would have to say that my pain was pretty minimal. I don't really remember what it would have rated at - so I guess it couldn't have been too bad, right! Let's say a 4. I do remember having more pain at night because I normally sleep flat on my stomach. Which I still managed to do but on top of a pillow. I would wake up in the middle of the night in pain because I would not be gentle with myself.
C.) * I quite taking pains meds within two days, didn't really need it. I did take some at nigh to help me sleep when I was having trouble.
* I live in the city so I don't really drive on a regular basis. But I do take the trains, which means stairs. For the second week, when I went back to work, I took the bus for a couple of days. But, that is a pain in the ass, so I just manned up and started taking the train.
* I had my surgery on a Tuesday and was back at work the following Monday.
My biggest piece of advice is getting back to a normal routine. I suffered from a little depression the first couple of weeks and going back to work and focusing on work really helped keep me sane. <3
A) Did you have a severely limiting pre-op diet?
ReplyDeleteNo, it was not required but it was requested that we limit our caloric intake and up our protein count to what we were supposed to be at post-op. I was only required to be on a total liquid diet (protein shakes, broth, jello) for the 48 hours prior to surgery).
B)On a scale of 1-10, what was the most amount of pain you experienced during your first week of post-op?
Pain from the gas, which was more annoying than painful, I'd rate at a 4, just because of the radiating pain into my shoulder, but doing things like walking would help. Pain from the surgery? No more than a 2, if that. Pain from the weird heartburn that I got (tightening in the esophagus) was around a 3 since I was annoyed that it limited me sleeping prone for about 4-5 days.
3) At what point did you:
a)quit taking pain meds
I'm a lover of the high that pain meds give you, so knowing that I was going to be limited to Tylenol from here on out for the rest of my life made me take everything that I had, but only because I wanted to, not because I was in agonizing pain or anything.
b)start driving again
Because I liked taking the pain meds, I stayed away from driving for the 5 days that I was on them. But I was driving after that.
c)go back to work
One week, although there was a point around Friday (I had surgery on early Tuesday morning) when I felt like I was going insane and wanted to go back to work. I felt well enough to, but I knew it was best that I just do the time I requested more for my peace of mind because of the line of work that I'm in.
As a prebander- thank you, thank you, thank you for the original post and all the answers! Very interesting results. I think Fat Bastard might be right...
ReplyDeleteA) Did you have a severely limiting pre-op diet-14 days of liquid meal replacement drinks plus all I could eat of low carb veges (no oil or butter). I had been diagnosed with fatty liver and my blood sugar was up.
ReplyDeleteB) On a scale of 1-10, Maybe 2 but the pain pills worked at night.
3) At what point did you a) quit taking pain meds b) start driving again c) go back to work?
3a) Day 2-then went to Tylenol
3b) Day 3
3c) Ha Ha-I had 4 weeks off! Because I asked. I actually asked for 6 and the surgeon said two so we compromised--I have paid sick leave. Probably would have been able to go back the 3rd week but I was really tired.
hi--here are my answers.
ReplyDeleteDid you have a severely limiting pre-op diet.
No-nothing by mouth after midnight the night before surgery only.
B)On a scale of 1-10, what was the most amount of pain you experienced during your first week of post-op? on day two there was a few minutes of 4 because i did not take my pain meds as soon as I should have.
3) At what point did you a)quit taking pain meds-Day 3 during the day. Day four at night. b)start driving again -5 days or so (had to make sure the drugs were out of my system).c)go back to work? I work from home so immediately :)
A) I had no pre-op diet. I ate normally up until 9:00 PM the night before surgery AND had a cup of coffee on the morning of surgery.
ReplyDeleteB) I'd say my pain was at its worst somewhere between a 3 and a 5 on the pain scale during week 1.
C) 1) No pain meds after day three. 2) Drove on day four (I could have driven before that). 3) Back to work day five.
A) Did you have a severely limiting pre-op diet?
ReplyDeleteYes, I was supposed to be on a 4 week diet. With the last 2 weeks mostly liquid diet with some veggies/fruits only. But found the diet quite easy!
B) On a scale of 1-10, what was the most amount of pain you experienced during your first week of post-op?
About a 3, but that was probably due to the fact that my DH was home with me and refused to let me NOT take the drugs!! So I took them for practically the full week. I am retired so I didn't have to worry about going back to work. I drove myself at about a week, when I went off the drugs.
C) I lost 17.6 lbs in about 3 weeks prior to Surgery!
D) I had zero GAS and zero Nausea!! So I only had the pain from the Port!
i had no pre op diet. did not lose anything during my 6 month pre op diet, in fact gained weight. after surgery i was in no pain at all and barely took any pain medication. was able to walk plenty which helped with the gas. even though i hardly had any gas. my surgery was as easy as could possibly be.
ReplyDeletesorry i didnt follow the format. i'm not the average bear as you can tell by my surgery experience.
ReplyDeleteGreat question. I haven't been banded yet, but my pre-surgery requirements are minimal. Low carb diet 2 weeks prior to surgery. Clear liquids 24 hours to surgery. Will let you know how it works out, but I'm feeling confident.
ReplyDeleteGreat questions;
ReplyDeleteA) Did you have a severely limiting pre-op diet?
Yes, two week low carb/low fat diet. Found it tough but stuck with it.
B) On a scale of 1-10, what was the most amount of pain you experienced during your first week of post-op?
When I woke up post surgery I felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest, it was more discomfort though than pain. Second day post was probably a 3 to 4.
3) At what point did you a)quit taking pain meds b)start driving again c)go back to work
a) I didn't use of any of the prescribed pain meds. Had a couple of crushed tylenols on days 2 & 3 didn't feel like I needed anything stronger.
b) & c) Had surgery on Thursday morning, drove on Monday (my first day back at work.)
Okay, I just can't see any correlation between pre-op diet and recovery. What would be the connection? I would think starting out at a lower BMI might help, but that does not necessarily mean you had a liquid pre-op diet.
ReplyDeleteI had only 3 days of pre-op dieting, but they were very strict. Clear liquids only. No protein at all, not protein shakes, not Isopure, nothing. Only chicken broth, sf jello, sf drinks. I lost 8 lbs. It sucked, but it was over soon.
As for pain meds - I don't really remember. I have NO problem taking pain meds when needed, so I just took em until I did not need them! Not a big deal at all to me...Thank you Lortab!
I recently had gallbladder surgery, which is similar to lap-band in some ways. Naturally, I had no pre-op diet for that surgery, but the recovery was easier. Why? The lack of gas pains -- because they pumped my abdomen full of fluids to flush out the gas that normally lodges there. This had a much bigger effect than what I ate ahead of time!
IMHO, it has to do with whether you are a slow/fast healer, what kind of surgery you got (single incision or 5 incisions), how much gas you were pumped full of and whether there was saline used to flush the gas out, and finally how much pain tolerance you have. I have read every band book out there and never saw any connection between pre-op diet and recovery. But who knows?
I had a recommended 2 week liquid diet and started it a week early. I lost 20 pounds which was great. My surgery went easy and took my surgeon less than an hour. I left the hospital 3 hours later and took 2 Lortabs total. One the first night and one the second night. I had very little gas pain and recovered quickly.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I'm awaiting approval so this info is so helpful. Thanks somuch.
ReplyDeleteA) Did you have a severely limiting pre-op diet No, I was only asked to eat lightly the day before surgery.
ReplyDeleteB)On a scale of 1-10, what was the most amount of pain you experienced during your first week of post-op?
probably a 4, and that gas pain in the sternum and shoulder, the worst was on day 3
3) At what point did you
a)quit taking pain meds - I took a pain pill the day of the surgery and went to Tylenol after tht for maybe 3 days.
b)start driving again - day 2
c)go back to work? - Day 4
A) Did you have a severely limiting pre-op diet?
ReplyDeleteI had to follow an Atkins diet for two weeks.
B)On a scale of 1-10, what was the most amount of pain you experienced during your first week of post-op? 4 and that was due to shoulder pain
3) At what point did you
a)quit taking pain meds, I switched to liquid tylenol on my 2nd full day post op and used the prescription pain medication just as bedtime for only two other nights. I haven't needed pain meds at all since my 5th post op day.
b)start driving again, 5th post op day
c)go back to work, 3rd post op day but only for a few hours. By my 6th post op day I was working my regular hours.