open vs. lap RNY

So i saw my surgeon for my preop visit before my surgery on 6/6 and he said that my liver is enlarged. so he put me on a 1000 calorie diet/ well im supposed to start it 2 weeks prior. he told me that this diet is supposed to shrink the liver up to 15%. I am so scared that its not gonna shrink it enough and im going to have to have it open instead of lap. Im completely petrified, has anyone had this happen to them, plz help!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If he has put you on this than it has worked for him in the past, I would imagine.

My surgeon puts everyone on a  diet 2 weeks before surgery to help to shrink the liver.   It was 2 weeks of protein shakes.   Up to 5/day, I think.

But if it concerns you that much why don't you start cutting back before the 2 week prior mark?  Like down to 1,200 calories a day 4 weeks out and then down to the 1,000/day 2 weeks out?

I was on the liquid diet for 4 weeks it is amazing how much you liver will shrink I would not worry to much about it , stick to the drinks and whatever he tells you to do and it will all be ok

cheryl- does your sugeon require all his patients to be a liquid diet for 4 weeks or was that just for you? he didnt put me on a liquid diet, its 1000 calories and very low fat.

As far as I know I knew 3 other people doing 4 weeks of optifast, which is what I did, it is a meal replacemt thing with all the right vitamins and stuff you need....

My surgeon planned a lap but old scar tissue required an open.  It really isn't any big deal, in the long run.  It just takes a bit longer to recover.  chances are, if you are focused on the pre-op diet, your liver will shrink enough.

MANY people are put on a low fat pre-op diet specifically designed to shrink the liver.  I'm not sure why you would wait until 2 weeks ahead of time, though, to start it if you are that worried about having to have open surgery.... why not start it NOW to maximize the "shrinkage"?

Open surgery is not the end of the world.   I knew goign into aurgery that mine would be open.  It mostly just means one large incision (very nicely, and symmetrically, placed along the midline, LOL) instead of 5 ot 6 scattered (haphazardly/asymmetrically, LOL) across your belly and some extra healing time up front.  There is also the possibility of developing in incisional hernia (but the advantage to that is that people can sometimes get their insurance to pay for a tummy tuck at the same time the hernia repair is done.  (Mine wouldn't, but some will.)

Lora

lora- I plan on starting the diet on monday. its not liquid though its 1000 calories and very low fat. about how big would you say ur incision is??

My incision was initially 8-inches long (because so much of my weight was in my belly and therefore my belly was so big).  It shrank as my tummy did.  It was from the breastbone to about an inch above my waist.  Now, it is covered over by the scar from my tummy tuck (and the necrosis that followed).  Some surgeons do much smaller "open" incisions than others, though.

There is a pic of my fresh incision on my profile.  (The tube coming out of me is a gastric-tube to the remnant stomach that was in there for the first 2.5 weeks... it is NOT standard.... but is WAS an easy way to get protein shakes in during the first couple of difficult weeks,LOL!)

Lora

In ref to the open vs lap. I did not have to do the liver shrinkage preop. But I was given the choice of open or lap. I was told I would have 5 or maybe 7 half inch to 1 inch scars. I an a little on the fair side SOOOOOOOO, I went with the open and was left with a gorgeous scar only about 5 in ches long. I didnt want all those little scars to be left and I look like I had been in a knife fight. Good luck to you.