Has anyone needed non-robotic surgery after being scheduled for robotic?

**chrissue** · 02-09-2017 10:00 AM

My surgery is scheduled for 2/14/17 and one of my greatest fears is them having to switch to traditional surgery while I'm under. I was told if I didn't follow my 1-week liquid pre-op diet, that my liver might not shrink enough for them to have access to the stomach portion using the robotic tool. How can one week of liquid shrink my liver that much? Was curious if anyone else had this issue? Thank you so much.

**Tamera2** · 02-09-2017 10:26 AM

Good morning, My surgeon didn't use the robotic arm but if your liver didn't shrink because you didn't follow the preop diet my doctor may not be able to perform it using laparoscopy and have to open you all the way up. Making the recovery that much longer and harder with much bigger risk of complications.I don't know how they know how long it takes to shrink the liver but they seem to, plus it helps you to prepare for your post-op diet. Also if they go in and the liver is to large the surgeon might not even be able to perform the surgery. Did you not follow your pre-op diet your doctor required? if not why?

**RehabNurse** · 02-09-2017 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by chrissue

How can one week of liquid shrink my liver that much?

Many surgeons do not even require preoperative liver-shrinking diets. Other surgeons only require a three-day pre-op diet. It does not really take that long for a liver to shrink once you cut the carbs and crap out of your diet.

My surgeon required a two-week pre-op diet. I was only able to adhere to it for six days. After the surgery, the surgeon commented, "You did well on your pre-op diet. Your liver was nice and small."

**chrissue** · 02-09-2017 02:29 PM

I'm currently on the diet right now, started on Tuesday as my surgery is next Tuesday. I was just amazed that my liver could shrink in a week...seems crazy! Excited for the surgery and praying I have no complications. Thanks for your input

**Ann2** · 02-09-2017 05:49 PM

You asked several questions.

First, when your liver is depleted of all the glycogen (readily accessible source of energy) and the water your liver uses to store all that glycogen, it totals up to 8 pounds of weight. Imagine 2 gallons of water. Yes. That much. EDIT: I was on a liver-shrinking diet for two weeks. I lost (gasp! not!) 8 pounds.

Second, I didn't have robotic surgery. Here was my surgical experience and decision-making process re that aspect of WLS:

I wanted non-robotic surgery because I wanted my very experienced, very successful bariatric surgeon who had done thousands of sleeves and even more thousands of gastric bypasses prior to doing mine to be the one doing the cutting. If something my body or situation was unexpected went haywire during surgery I wanted my surgeon there making ALL the cutting decisions in real time.

Pre-op I asked lots of tough questions of him, his staff, and some of his other patients.

**Tamera2** · 02-09-2017 08:37 PM

I forgot to wish you Good luck and hope everything goes well for you and you get the surgery you want. Take care

**Christie13** · 02-10-2017 10:22 PM

I have heard of one person on this forum whose liver did not shrink enough and her surgeon (in the US) nicked her liver. My surgeon specifically told me that if my liver was too large he would not perform the surgery as it can pose more risks. I did not even know robotic surgery was an option. LOL. I just knew my surgery would be laparoscopic unless there were complications.

**Donald G** · 02-14-2017 12:46 PM

Fatty liver disease is what a lot of obese people have my surgeon said mine was pretty large from my ultra sound images. He told me after my surgery he estimated my liver shrank about 35% from the 2 week preop diet he requires. He stated Fatty liver responds quickly to the liquid diet and tends to save him a lot of time doing the surgery. My surgery only took about a hour.