chele367

Yes they will test you. Wait until you are post op and have had the surgery. I I use a vape pen at night but also you will have to watch getting the munchies because your brain does not realize your stomach will be much, much smaller. By the way I live in Napa Valley and am a Kaiser patient they do not play around with THC, Nicotine or any other substances that will be deemed addictive. In fact I picked up my pain meds day before my surgery in 2016. I had to withdraw from Suboxone a week prior due to chronic pain. So my back pain flared so I took a couple swigs of liquid Norco meant for post op. I was so scared at check in when they tested me that it would show but it was okay. They are looking for Nicotine, alcohol, THC and street drugs. Good luck!

Kaiser explained to us that it can cause ulcers in the stomach or your new pouch. That said, I am one year 4 months post op and drink coffee daily. Let me tell you the worst pain I felt before surgery was the fact I did not taper caffeine use. So after I get admitted for surgery a few hours go by then I have surgery the headache from no caffeine was worse than the surgery pain and the heavy painkillers did nothing for the headache. I was lucky that the nurse brought in regular tea w my tray. As hard as it was I sipped that tea and boom headache gone. That is my story. I am not sure how my pouch is holding up because I drink alcohol and coffee. I have lost nearly 150lbs feel great! This just proves if we do not overcome our addictions they stay and manifest in other ways than just eating too much. GO TO SUPPORT GROUPS!!! Our group disbanded and I have to drive 3 hrs to get to a support group in person. Attending really kept me on the straight and narrow. A reason why I am coming back to this site to not forget the journey, its not over. I still weigh everyday follow eating plan mostly but little by little the past sneaks back in like drinking from straws, drinking & eating wrong things. I was hardcore rule follower going into this accept for the giving up caffeine. Anyway that is a long response lol. Good luck! Feel free to ask anything my journey is an open book!

Its the gas from the surgery its not your actual weight. Give yourself a week to stabilize and get the surgical gas out of your system. Walk every two hours to help eliminate it. At least this is the directive from Kaiser where I was sleeved. Just keep sticking to the program you'll be just fine and will be blown away at your new numbers in just a few weeks.

Sorry for the typo's sneaking replying at work!

I vape now but they will test you for nicotine they don't care how you are getting it into your system chew, smoke, vape so if you really want the surgery you have to stop and they tell you not to do it after either. I use my vape for medicinal but waiting post op several months but they do not like it at all. This is suppose to help us all rid ourselves of addictions. I was hard core strick per op and I have lost 150lbs then lightened up on my self after the 100 pound mark but its like playing chicken and it is still dancing with the addiction demons. But if you want the surgery make up your mind that you are and anything that stands in your way kick its ass! Then post you will figure out what you want as your life changes from the weight loss, emotionally, physically anyway. Good luck!

Good! You have the right attitude! It feels like a race in the beginning but it is a journey. In some respects the pre weight loss is harder than the post and you are held more accountable in the beginning because of the weigh in's. I was so scared even on surgery morning because until you are laying on that operating table you think that your chance could be snatched away for any reason. I took some of my liquid pain medication the day before surgery cause I had been tapered off my pain medication and we could not take any OTC because of risk of bleeding. Anyway I took a water pill and some of the liquid Norco my tail bone was hurting so bad not sure why. Oh and I did not give up caffeine either let me tell you the headache from not having caffeine hurt worse than the surgery. Anyway they test you right away when you get admitted for surgery and weigh you. My saving grace was the nurse brought regular tea on my tray rather than herbal lol it was hard but I kept sipping that nasty Lipton tea poof the headache was gone. Not even the high powered pain killers were touching the withdraw headache. In 2007 I tried to get gastric bypass but failed to pass everything, it was way harder then to get accepted. Then the sleeve became a thing so happy I waited. Anyway I am trying to get strict again, slowly being able to eat more and its scary. I still eat 1/2 cup no more than a cup of food per serving. Need to get back to chewing 30xs not drinking, get rid of carbs. Still fight the sugar & carbs. Caught myself drinking from straws, drinking alcohol. So yeah the work continues!!!! Let me know how you are doing. Good luck!

Kaiser Bariatrics will weight you at each and every appointment and they do not play, even surgery morning you get weighed in. So get use to it and make the scale your friend. Kaiser Richmond will not let you take your shoes off to weigh without socks on, so I kept a pair of footie socks like you wear to try shoes on in my purse, or had them on already so I could remove my shoes. Now they used two different scales one in the Bariatric office and one in the surgeon office, the one in the Bariatric office ran two pounds high, the one in the surgery dept ran 2 lbs lower. So when you are working hard to lose weight those two pounds matter. I tried to get my home scale in tune w theirs so there were never any surprises. I still weigh myself every morning. I have lost 145 pounds and jump up two to three pounds then fall back. I am no longer in rapid weight loss so getting that last 10lbs seems harder than the first 20 pounds! Good luck you can do it!!!!! Best thing I ever did.

I had hernia repair too. Trust me you will be fine. I used to pop 13 Norco a day so for me to tell you you will be alright, just do what is asked. We can Tylenol but not Ibuprofen at least not Kaiser. And I take all my vitamins and had perfect levels a year out when they did our blood work. A lot of the fear is in our minds, not physical honestly was shocked how fast I was back up and at it.

your pain receptors are blocked by Suboxone so you have to be in active withdrawal in order for the medication in the hospital to work. Then you have to be back in active withdraw to resume Suboxone. Suboxone has saved my life and I am a big supporter of it. You will be okay just get off the pain meds post off as soon as you are able. My addict brain wanted to ask for more pain med's post but my body didn't need them then I was back on Suboxone. All good.

EVERYTHING! I was super strict pre/post op and lost 45lbs on my own but did not give up caffeine. And I did give up soda, have had a few sips here and there but it really does not taste good. I was a Diet Coke addict so for me to say that. I am fighting again to lose my last 15 lbs. I eat protein first try not to drink w meals, keep my servings to 1/2 cup no more than a cup of whatever I am eating. Shocked that I can eat popcorn but it sort of hurts like my pouch was tumbling rocks. You will find your zone but just remember your brain is not having surgery and it will be the same brain that helped you get fat in the first place. In the beginning you will not be able to cheat much cause you will not feel like it. But remember you can gain your weight back have to remind myself daily of that. Good luck and I am still happy I had VSG! Just got asked out for the first time since losing 145lbs.

I do not think so the most pain is right after surgery and they will keep giving you pain meds until you are comfortable. honestly the headache I had from not giving up caffeine beforehand like I was suppose to do was way worse. Luckily post surgery the nurse messed up brought reg black tea so I sipped on that got rid of it. But you will be just fine. You are right the receptors have changed. Just watch out for alcohol down the road if you struggle with addiction and go to support meetings for bariatrics. I still have to watch sugar, alcohol and as a over a year out can eat more and that is scary. Going to put myself back on soft diet to shrink pouch.

Hi, Yes, I was on and still am taking Suboxone. Two weeks before surgery they tapered me, I am not going to lie my tailbone hurt so bad as I was in a pain flare. And I was scared of taking pain meds again. Anyway I had the pain meds in hospital and liquid Norco for home. They gave me a weeks worth and I took it as directed and never asked for a refill resumed Suboxone after a fews days off from the Norco. I was fine and I used to be a big ol pill popper. Think all the years of Suboxone changed my receptors so it worked. Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. Post surgery sometimes the Suboxone will make my pouch upset for a few moments then I am fine. Good luck!

As a person a year out from the sleeve which I had at Kaiser, if we gained even an ounce before surgery they would not do it. I built my cheating in and around the dates I knew I had to weight in to provide a cushion to step up the workouts, dial back on calories. Kaiser never recommends the food funeral concept as it means that we have not dealt w our addictions. That said, many of us have been overweight for years that's years of doing it our way. My way never worked. I had to have a VGS to lose my weight. AND after you have surgery go through the rapid weight loss phase, then you begin eating more again you will and can gain weight back. I was 280 now 140 fighting to stay there because now I can eat more. So the more strict you are now the better you will do post op. In fact I ate a chocolate chip cookie today and feel really bad about it. After the first six months of surgery that cookie would have sent me into dumping syndrome so you can retrain yourself to eat like your overweight self. Go to as many support groups as possible, stay close to sites like this where you can talk it out with people who are going through or have had WLS. I still struggle w sugary foods, head hunger. I am getting recommitted to lose this last 10lbs swear it feels harder that the 100lbs. Hang in there, be strong, still the best choice I ever made. You can do it! And you are not alone!

As a person a year out from the sleeve which I had at Kaiser, if we gained even an ounce before surgery they would not do it. I built my cheating in and around the dates I knew I had to weight in to provide a cushion to step up the workouts, dial back on calories. Kaiser never recommends the food funeral concept as it means that we have not dealt w our addictions. That said, many of us have been overweight for years that's years of doing it our way. My way never worked. I had to have a VGS to lose my weight. AND after you have surgery go through the rapid weight loss phase, then you begin eating more again you will and can gain weight back. I was 280 now 140 fighting to stay there because now I can eat more. So the more strict you are now the better you will do post op. In fact I ate a chocolate chip cookie today and feel really bad about it. After the first six months of surgery that cookie would have sent me into dumping syndrome so you can retrain yourself to eat like your overweight self. Go to as many support groups as possible, stay close to sites like this where you can talk it out with people who are going through or have had WLS. I still struggle w sugary foods, head hunger. I am getting recommitted to lose this last 10lbs swear it feels harder that the 100lbs. Hang in there, be strong, still the best choice I ever made. You can do it! And you are not alone!

Hi, I was sleeved June 8th 2016, have lost 140lbs, so far I can drink sliver rum and do okay whereas sparkling wine, wine have a harder time the sugar dumps into system to quickly. Anyway no one anywhere endorses drinking alcohol post surgery but just be smart and for me I waited until I hit major goals to partake. I am on a bocce team plus work in the wine industry so its hard to not be tempted. Now I weigh exactly 140lbs lost 1/2 of my body weight, now maintaining. Again, be smart they do not want us to hurt our new pouches and to get alcohol poisoning or have transfer of addictions. Good luck