Your surgery provider should ensure you have all the information you need to get you through the surgery and understand all about it. Everywhere has different guidelines and different ways of doing this but ideally:
- You should meet your surgeon beforehand to ensure you know exactly what your surgery entails
- You should have a nurse based pre – operative appointment to discuss the medical side of things
- You should have a dietetic based pre – op appointment to discuss the diet side of things
These may be done over the phone as this can be easier to organise and save you going back to the clinic.
Again everywhere does things differently but information that may be covered by the dietitian might include:
- What diets you have tried before and why they didn’t work
- What your overall goals are – weight, dress size....
- Realistic weight loss following surgery
- Realistic expectations – surgery is not a magic wand just a very helpful tool
- What issues you may have with food – never feeling full, comfort eating, lots of snacking, big portions.......
- The pre – operative diet you will need to follow in order to shrink the liver ready for surgery
- The early post – operative diet – usually liquids, possibly puree, then a soft diet
- Advice on vitamin supplements
- A little about eating longer term – eating technique – 20 + rule and textured foods
- Advise on meeting protein requirements early after surgery
And off course you should be given the opportunity to ask as many questions as you need to and not feel rushed.
