[quote]LHT wrote:
Actually, I did read all the post and all its replies, and one of the reasons I opted to make my own contribution to the thread was to counter misinformation on fish oil. Every doctor I’ve known has said to avoid NSAIDs, and I have yet to find one that has said ‘avoid omega-3’s/fish oil.’
And in case you were going to ask, yes I have gone out of my way to both ask practicing physicians about this matter as well as read any med journal article I could find on the topic, both because I like to be informed on something that’s part of my daily diet and out of general curiosity on health matters.
Read any study on fish oil…it doesn’t inhibit clotting to anywhere near the degree of NSAIDs. Unless you’re a hemophiliac, some small degree of anti-coagulation of the blood is a good idea because having a clot form then break off into some critical system (such as a pulmonary embolism) is one of the more common post-surgery causes of morbidity and mortality. Omega-3’s are not the same as ibuprofen, and offer plenty of recovery benefits.
You don’t want extreme platelet aggregation after surgery – clot formations is one of the main causes of post-surgical death, and this risk increases exponentially as people age. This plus the inflammation reduction weigh heavily in favor of omega-3 supplementation before and after a surgery. Yes you don’t want the extreme anti-coagulating effects of NSAIDs, but comparing the relative effects of the NSAIDs and fish oil is like comparing a summer drizzle to a monsoon.
Of course, I’m amenable to new information, and not too proud to be proven wrong. Feel free to cite any studies that indicate omega-3’s are a significant risk factor in surgery.
example sources –
http://www.omega-research.com/researchview.php?ID=203&catid=1
http://www.omega-research.com/researchview.php?ID=410&RETURN=/searchlist.php?howsearch=site&keyword=blood+clot&Submit=Search&return=
http://www.omega-research.com/researchview.php?ID=954&RETURN=/searchlist.php?howsearch=site&keyword=blood+clot&Submit=Search&return=
[/quote]
That is not a theoretical discussion.
Surgeons usually ask you not to take them and then, in real life, while you are under anesthesia, take a very sharp knife and cut you open.
I do not know about you, but when my surgeon expects me do to something before he takes a knife to me I do it.
Because there are situations when I do not trust my interwebz study skills but the one who is doing the job and who does not want to live with any interesting complications in the midst of surgery.
So, to the OP, ask your surgeon and go with his advice.