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No, your liver is not overweight

dianeseattle

dianeseattle

Member
I have noticed a trend here where the pre-surgery diet is now described as a liver shrink. That is not what it is. The doctor wants you to lose weight before the surgery, and not just in your liver.

Also this is the doctor's way of letting you know how differently you will have to eat after the surgery. Although I've never heard of anyone doing this, I know that when I cut back on my food before surgery, I really had a lot of doubt about whether or not I could do it for life. I only lost a few pounds before surgery because back in those days it wasn't commonplace for a doctor to ask you to cut back on food.

But the diet was not designed to shrink any particular organ, which is really hard to do in in any case, but impossible to do in just a short time before you have surgery. The purpose of the diet is to change your way of thinking about how and what you eat.
 
dianeseattle said:
I have noticed a trend here where the pre-surgery diet is now described as a liver shrink. That is not what it is. The doctor wants you to lose weight before the surgery, and not just in your liver.

Also this is the doctor's way of letting you know how differently you will have to eat after the surgery. Although I've never heard of anyone doing this, I know that when I cut back on my food before surgery, I really had a lot of doubt about whether or not I could do it for life. I only lost a few pounds before surgery because back in those days it wasn't commonplace for a doctor to ask you to cut back on food.

But the diet was not designed to shrink any particular organ, which is really hard to do in in any case, but impossible to do in just a short time before you have surgery. The purpose of the diet is to change your way of thinking about how and what you eat.
Click to expand...
My consultation (VA) LITERALLY showed before and after images of a liver and said the point if the 2 week liquid presurgical diet was to shrink my liver to more easily access my stomach.

Is this not true? Attached photo.
 
I'm sure there is some truth in that. And it is hard to navigate around big organs, especially laparoscopically.

But I had hepatitis A in 1980 and my liver grew HUGE. it took years for it to go back to its normal size.

These are also things I believe:
  • if your liver is big, so are all your other organs, so why pick on the liver?
  • the liver is on your body's right side and your gallbladder is attached to it. The gallbladder is often removed at the same time. So there must be easy access to the liver.
  • since things aren't attached to each other, the liver can be pushed out of the way during and open procedure and avoided in a laparoscopic procedure. Surgeons face much more difficult challenges than that every day.
  • i was never told i needed to eat less for the sake of my liver, only to get things started.
  • the pre-op is about more than that. it's how we learn how it's going to feel afterward, when we start eating sanely.
  • surgeons often base their decision to allow you to have the surgery on your ability to comply before the surgery.
  • the liquid diet, high in protein, is designed to stimulate healthy growth of muscles and skin-tone.
  • there are many reasons to start eating correctly before the surgery, but shrinking a single organ isn't one of them.
  • no disrespect, but how do you know the photo was of the same liver?
  • I don't want to split hairs, but i never heard the term "liver-shrink," which sounds really gross to me and makes me gag, until a few months ago, in this group. I had my surgery 12 years ago, after I had hepatitis, and my liver was never mentioned.
  • there were no additional liver tests or measurements in the university study that I was in for 7 or 8 years following surgery.
  • a liver is the size it is because of its very important functions. alcoholic livers grow hard and big, and die from it. Your healthy liver has a lot of stuff to filter.
But people are still going to be using that term, whether it's accurate or not. I know because of my research that it's extremely hard to stretch the stomach permanently and equally hard to shrink an organ like the liver. If this were possible, no one would need surgery. we'd all just be shrinking our livers and stomachs and it would be easy.

There are many physical myths obese people espouse, because they have to, in order to have any sense of worth. But once you reach a healthy weight, you realize these statements were just lies you told yourself.

i believe in our society there is an incurable need for groups of people, like bariatric specialists, to jump on the bandwagon so they'll be like everyone else, even in the face of no evidence. And again, i could certainly be wrong about this, but I have a tendency to believe this is a way doctor's get you to start eating right without suggesting a lifestyle change. We resist diets, but who would resist shrinking a liver if the doctor said you couldn't have surgery until it's done? How do they measure your liver size? how does the liver compare befoe and after?

You're entitled to disagree with me, and I'm entitled not to believe in the ability to shrink an organ in such a short time. I respect your beliefs. However, i would appreciate a controlled scientific study more and I have yet to see one.

I'd love to be educated if I'm wrong, but the proof has to come from an endocrynogical source.
 
dianeseattle said:
I'm sure there is some truth in that. And it is hard to navigate around big organs, especially laparoscopically.

But I had hepatitis A in 1980 and my liver grew HUGE. it took years for it to go back to its normal size.

These are also things I believe:
  • if your liver is big, so are all your other organs, so why pick on the liver?
  • the liver is on your body's right side and your gallbladder is attached to it. The gallbladder is often removed at the same time. So there must be easy access to the liver.
  • since things aren't attached to each other, the liver can be pushed out of the way during and open procedure and avoided in a laparoscopic procedure. Surgeons face much more difficult challenges than that every day.
  • i was never told i needed to eat less for the sake of my liver, only to get things started.
  • the pre-op is about more than that. it's how we learn how it's going to feel afterward, when we start eating sanely.
  • surgeons often base their decision to allow you to have the surgery on your ability to comply before the surgery.
  • the liquid diet, high in protein, is designed to stimulate healthy growth of muscles and skin-tone.
  • there are many reasons to start eating correctly before the surgery, but shrinking a single organ isn't one of them.
  • no disrespect, but how do you know the photo was of the same liver?
  • I don't want to split hairs, but i never heard the term "liver-shrink," which sounds really gross to me and makes me gag, until a few months ago, in this group. I had my surgery 12 years ago, after I had hepatitis, and my liver was never mentioned.
  • there were no additional liver tests or measurements in the university study that I was in for 7 or 8 years following surgery.
  • a liver is the size it is because of its very important functions. alcoholic livers grow hard and big, and die from it. Your healthy liver has a lot of stuff to filter.
But people are still going to be using that term, whether it's accurate or not. I know because of my research that it's extremely hard to stretch the stomach permanently and equally hard to shrink an organ like the liver. If this were possible, no one would need surgery. we'd all just be shrinking our livers and stomachs and it would be easy.

There are many physical myths obese people espouse, because they have to, in order to have any sense of worth. But once you reach a healthy weight, you realize these statements were just lies you told yourself.

i believe in our society there is an incurable need for groups of people, like bariatric specialists, to jump on the bandwagon so they'll be like everyone else, even in the face of no evidence. And again, i could certainly be wrong about this, but I have a tendency to believe this is a way doctor's get you to start eating right without suggesting a lifestyle change. We resist diets, but who would resist shrinking a liver if the doctor said you couldn't have surgery until it's done? How do they measure your liver size? how does the liver compare befoe and after?

You're entitled to disagree with me, and I'm entitled not to believe in the ability to shrink an organ in such a short time. I respect your beliefs. However, i would appreciate a controlled scientific study more and I have yet to see one.

I'd love to be educated if I'm wrong, but the proof has to come from an endocrynogical source.
Click to expand...
I'm not saying you're wrong or right, I'm just concerned why we are being told something if it's not true.
 
Badgy said:
I would definitely like to set the record straight at my bariatric clinic if they are fabricating medical information.
Click to expand...

if i were having bariatric surgery soon, i would ask the surgeon why i had to go on a diet BEFORE the surgery. My surgeon in 2007 just said, "oh, and try to lose some weight before surgery because that makes it easier to make the incision." I only lost a few pounds, but I did go from 247 to 241. I think my belly was just as big because it was always my problem area.

I actually looked at two other bariatric clinics before choosing the third one. He was the best surgeon in Seattle, and after I was his patient, I began to see stories about him on Good Morning America and other network shows. They said he was the best in America. And the reason they did this was because he said RYGB surgery actually cured diabetes.

But the first place i went would have placed a band, which we now know is rife with problems & rarely a permanent tool. The second place was a hospital but i was taking prescriptions that excluded me from their program & studies.

If you do ask someone about the presurgical diet, I'd be very interested to hear the answer, especially if that requirement is based on a scientific experiment I can read about.

But don't let my opinion change your course. It's a thing I have relating to knowledge. I am never satisfied until some claim is proven medically, or legally, or artistically, etc. You see like someone who would ask questions and make sure everything's kosher. That's GOOD.
 
I'm not sure if it was mentioned here, however, it's called Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (you can research that term on wiki - p), they are trying to shrink the fat in and around your liver, not the organ itself. If you look it up in the link below it will explain what they are trying to do with the strict 2 week pre-op diet. It is very common that people with a BMI to qualify for surgery have some level of this prior to surgery.

The ultrasound that your doctor should make you get prior to surgery should be able to identify if you have the condition. However, in general the less fat in your abdomen and smaller the smaller the area around in and in your liver is, the easier it is to navigate and do the surgery laparoscopically.
 
definitely there are so many questions before surgery, and I come up with new ones every week it seems. Obviously I'm not a doctor, so I just have to go by the research I've done on my own, but I do have several friends who are surgeons and I trust my doctor. Of course with any of this everyone should feel super comfortable and not be afraid to question why the doctor is asking you to do something and to feel comfortable with it. It's a big decision and can be overwhelming. I hope everyone gets the info they need to feel good about what's happening! Good luck to everyone on the path!
 
I
dianeseattle said:
I'm sure there is some truth in that. And it is hard to navigate around big organs, especially laparoscopically.

But I had hepatitis A in 1980 and my liver grew HUGE. it took years for it to go back to its normal size.

These are also things I believe:
  • if your liver is big, so are all your other organs, so why pick on the liver?
  • the liver is on your body's right side and your gallbladder is attached to it. The gallbladder is often removed at the same time. So there must be easy access to the liver.
  • since things aren't attached to each other, the liver can be pushed out of the way during and open procedure and avoided in a laparoscopic procedure. Surgeons face much more difficult challenges than that every day.
  • i was never told i needed to eat less for the sake of my liver, only to get things started.
  • the pre-op is about more than that. it's how we learn how it's going to feel afterward, when we start eating sanely.
  • surgeons often base their decision to allow you to have the surgery on your ability to comply before the surgery.
  • the liquid diet, high in protein, is designed to stimulate healthy growth of muscles and skin-tone.
  • there are many reasons to start eating correctly before the surgery, but shrinking a single organ isn't one of them.
  • no disrespect, but how do you know the photo was of the same liver?
  • I don't want to split hairs, but i never heard the term "liver-shrink," which sounds really gross to me and makes me gag, until a few months ago, in this group. I had my surgery 12 years ago, after I had hepatitis, and my liver was never mentioned.
  • there were no additional liver tests or measurements in the university study that I was in for 7 or 8 years following surgery.
  • a liver is the size it is because of its very important functions. alcoholic livers grow hard and big, and die from it. Your healthy liver has a lot of stuff to filter.
But people are still going to be using that term, whether it's accurate or not. I know because of my research that it's extremely hard to stretch the stomach permanently and equally hard to shrink an organ like the liver. If this were possible, no one would need surgery. we'd all just be shrinking our livers and stomachs and it would be easy.

There are many physical myths obese people espouse, because they have to, in order to have any sense of worth. But once you reach a healthy weight, you realize these statements were just lies you told yourself.

i believe in our society there is an incurable need for groups of people, like bariatric specialists, to jump on the bandwagon so they'll be like everyone else, even in the face of no evidence. And again, i could certainly be wrong about this, but I have a tendency to believe this is a way doctor's get you to start eating right without suggesting a lifestyle change. We resist diets, but who would resist shrinking a liver if the doctor said you couldn't have surgery until it's done? How do they measure your liver size? how does the liver compare befoe and after?

You're entitled to disagree with me, and I'm entitled not to believe in the ability to shrink an organ in such a short time. I respect your beliefs. However, i would appreciate a controlled scientific study more and I have yet to see one.

I'd love to be educated if I'm wrong, but the proof has to come from an endocrynogical source.
Click to expand...
I have a question about what you posted but not about the liver. You said the gallbladder is removed? I have been having gallbladder problems for 16 years, and I was kind of afraid to ask my dr if removing it is something he could do during the surgery. Is that something that’s done? I’d be very happy to be rid of it.
 
The majority of stories i've read, by far, indicate the gallbladder is removed at the same time. i wasn't asked if i wanted mine out. they just told me they'd take it & not even why, though later i read they'd found four gallstones in it. it seems to be an organ you can live without and since you've had trouble, sounds like it will be a good thing for you. Do ask.
 
My surgeon took mine out. I had one 3cm gallstone that had never given me trouble, but would have during the weight loss process (this is what the Dr said). I don't notice any difference really. I have eaten bacon and cheese since having it removed and no bad effects from either. I think it's why my surgery was more painful than I expected however
 
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