Part of it is because there is no set "standard" for the prep for this surgery. I think a lot of it is surgeon's preference. My clinic didn't start a 2 week fast until about a month before my surgery, so I was one of the first patients to have it. It's to shrink your liver as much as possible and to prepare your body for surgery in general. I don't think that there is any detriment to not doing it although they say that every pound you can drop preop is just that much better for your body during surgery. I personally would have passed given the oppurtunity.
I'd say just do what your surgeon says to do and you'll be fine. Be thankful you don't have 2 weeks of shakes because it really wasn't fun and by the end of like 5 weeks of not chewing (between preop and postop) I was ready to grab my mom's dog's rawhide just to put something solid in my mouth.
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