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Your dietician may recommend a strict calorie-controlled diet for two weeks before weight loss surgery. The diet aids in shrinking the liver so that your surgeon can easily push it to the side in order to access the stomach. This is required for a minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. Reducing a moderate amount of weight before surgery can also decrease surgical complications.
The pre-operative diet includes:
If you are diabetic, you need to reduce your medication as suggested by your doctor. Your surgeon will also give you clear instructions as to the medications that you can/should take and those you should avoid.
Once you and your doctor decide that surgery is required, you’ll need to prepare mentally and physically for surgery. Understanding the process and your role in it will help you recover more quickly and have fewer problems.
Before surgery, you should have discussed with your surgeon any medical conditions you have now or have had in the past that could interfere with the surgery or anaesthetic or its outcome. Routine tests, such as blood tests and x-rays, may need to be prior to the surgery. You should speak with your surgeon about this.
Discuss any medications you are taking with your surgeon and/or your general practitioner to see which ones you should stop taking before surgery.
Discuss with your doctor options for preparing for potential blood replacement, medical interventions and other treatments, prior to surgery.
If you are overweight, losing weight is advisable. However, you should not excessively diet in the month before your surgery. If you are undergoing bariatric surgery, you may need to have a special meal replacement diet in the few weeks before your surgery but you should speak with your surgeon about this.
If you are taking anti-inflammatory medication or any other blood thinning medications, you may need to stop taking them in the week prior to surgery to minimize bleeding, but you should speak to your surgeon about this.
If you smoke, you should aim to stop smoking 6 weeks prior to surgery, or at least try to cut down on your smoking to reduce your surgery risks and improve your recovery.
Eat a well-balanced diet, supplemented by a daily multivitamin with iron.
Report any infections to your doctor. Surgery should not be performed until all infections have cleared up.
Take your pain medicine as directed. Begin the pain medicine as you start getting uncomfortable, but before you are in severe pain. If you wait to take your pain medication until the pain is severe, you will have more difficulty controlling the pain. Also be aware if you are taking some stronger pain medications you should not drive.
Following a strict pre-operative diet is very essential for patients undergoing weight-loss surgery in order to decrease the size of your liver and facilitate minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, which is associated with less post-operative pain and faster recovery. This diet is also necessary to prepare your body for the surgery, protect your muscle tissue and help in a faster recovery.
Your pre-op diet should be low in carbohydrates and fats, and include moderate amounts of protein as well as multivitamin and mineral supplements. It is advisable to avoid fried food, fatty meat, sweets, whole milk products, smoking, alcohol and binge eating. Your surgeon may also design a specific pre-operative diet specifically for you, based on your body type and the type of surgery you’ve opted for. Your pre-op diet for weight-loss surgery should start 2 to 3 weeks prior to your surgery.
You will be instructed on the continuation of your regular medication and which ones will be stopped before the surgery. If you are diabetic, your insulin and medication will be adjusted.
You may elect to commence psychological support prior to surgery to prepare you psychologically for the events ahead. Common issues addressed at this point in time might be managing anxiety, clarifying commitment to change and life goals, and broadening coping and self-care strategies.
Dr. Qiuye Cheng offers quality services like Surgery for Obesity, Upper GI Surgery & more. He helps patients from all over New South Wales. Visit him in his practice locations in South Sydney, Sydney CBD and Tamworth.
