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My program recommends no alcohol for 1st year. Be careful of sugars in the alcohol and how you react now to liquor will be much quicker HW 242, SW 236- (Bypass 12/20/17) GW#1- 199 [emoji736] (2/11/18) GW#2- 180 [emoji736] (4/2/18) GW#3- 160 CW 173 5’6”

I had my gastric bypass on 4/16 as well. My roughest obstacle has been the muscle stitch and trying to get out of bed or a deep chair. Coughing was agony! But today, 4/21 is much much better. I walked and walked and walked and I think that it helped me progress. I did not take any prescribed pain medication either. I am a recovering alcoholic (3yrs[emoji5]) and in rehab they caution against any addictive substances so I declined. I did take adult liquid Tylenol when I got home Wednesday night and Thursday through the day. Yesterday I walked through the pain and feel so great today I have not had any issues with getting liquids down, it just takes forever[emoji13]. I have had lots of (TMI ALERT) watery dark bowel movements. The Dr. office said to call if they look like tar. They don’t so I’m not worried about it. One last comment, I have experienced a huge change in my energy. I was always so tired every morning before I had surgery, and was expecting to be very tired while recovering. The opposite is true. I find that I have lots of energy! This is good and bad....... we are getting possession of another home we purchased tomorrow and there are sooooo many things that need to be done, and I cannot do any of it. I want to, and feel like I can, but I know I am asking for a surgery if I start lifting or moving. We had our procedures done on the same day and I will look for your posts to see how you are coming along and cheer on your successes. Good luck! My weight day before surgery was 245. I am 5’7. I am not going to weigh myself until Monday. 1 week out. I know I could get crazy watching the scale and a don’t want to get fixated on numbers.

I have a birthday party that I have to go to tonight. Anyway I don’t wanna drink alcohol as I’m only one month out, I can’t drink juice due to sugar, and I’m worried anything with bubbles will hurt. I don’t want a bunch of questions and why I’m only drinking Water. What can I drink that looks like a normal drink that I will be able to tolerate. I was hoping for a non-alcohol, non frizzy, non sugar drink. Does a drink like this even exist? Please help guys I have no one else to turn too? [emoji20] I’m so anxious about tonight.

I thought alcohol was forbidden for a year?! [emoji15]. I’m afraid to even think about it during this rapid wl phase HW 242, SW 236- (Bypass 12/20/17) GW#1- 199 [emoji736] (2/11/18) GW#2- 180 [emoji736] (4/2/18) GW#3- 160 CW 174 5’6”

I have 1 drink a night usually about 5 nights a week. It is usually Fireball Whiskey, Peppermint Schnapps, Coconut Rum or Wine. I don't get drunk, just a little tipsy. I am aware of the empty calories and the sugar content but I have never had an alcohol problem and never have more than 1.

Carry around a water with a lime in it and tell them it’s a gin and tonic. If rumbled, tell them you just read the huge article in Mother Jones about the links between alcohol and breast cancer and are abstaining. Then stare at them with a haunted expression.

1. I can't speak for seniors and recovery time. My experience wasn't without complications. I was in the hospital 5 days post op RNY. My bowels did not wake up right away and I developed Shingles for the first time. 2. I was a full on diabetic. I was on 2 different types of insulin and oral medications. I took 2 different statins for my cholesterol, a medication for neuropathy, tramadol for lower back pain, and a muscle relaxer. All of these medications stopped after surgery. My blood sugar completely resolved. My cholesterol is coming down, not completely resolved, but no need for medication at this time. My BP was never high, so I can't speak to that. But if you talk to most people they were able to get off 90% of daily medication. 3. I found that my energy levels came back at about 6 weeks. By 4 weeks, I was exercising lightly. But it wasn't until my diet wasn't restricted and my calories were able to increase that I felt myself. 4. I found that things were different....When I would go out to a restaurant with friends or family, at first, I would get inpatient waiting for everyone to finish their meals. I would feel awkward and uncomfortable with people watching me eat. This changed quickly. It became second nature to me. Friends and family still struggle with understanding my restrictions. My girlfriend asks me if I want a glass of wine, every time I come over! Even my husband still offers me bites of his dessert. My taste buds have changed a lot. I don't crave things like I did before, and when I am hungry (I do get hungry) I am satisfied very easily. I still enjoy food, but not like before. 5. I haven't tried alcohol yet.

How long ago did you have your surgery? My program doesn’t have any restrictions on alcohol (which I don’t know that I agree with). Anyway, you do want to be careful - your new tummy is sensitive, you’ll feel tipsy or drunk a lot quicker, there are a lot of empty calories and (most disturbing to me) there are certain studies that have shown post WLS patients can have a higher tendency for alcohol dependence. Addiction runs in my extended family, so that is something I’m going to be careful and mindful of. I’d give it at least a couple months and then start with something easier on the stomach. I don’t even know what that would be - red wine ?

I Just filled out questionnaire and was approved for self pay sleeve in Mexico with Dr. Illian sometime this summer. Would like some valuable input from those who can help me decide to pull the trigger or not. 1- I'm a 67 year old male who is 5 ft 7 in and weighs 240. I now live full time in an rv and enjoy the travel lifestyle very much. I'm not overly obese but enough to make me think about it way too much with both the way I perceive myself and somewhat how others perceive me. I put most of the lbs on in the last 20 years. According to what I've read about seniors having the surgery is that they will not shed as many lbs as a younger patient. For those seniors reading this please let me know how it worked out for you. Also, did it take you longer to recuperate? I can continue to live my life as is but would certainly like to live out the rest of it feeling better both physically and mentally. 2- I have borderline high BP and slightly elevated levels of cholesterol for which I take daily medications. For any of you in a similar situation were you able to eventually stop the meds due to the weight loss? 3- when fully recuperated from surgery did you find yourselves with an increased energy and activity level or the opposite effect? 4-As far as the mental aspect did you adjust to the severely diminished food intake? Do you still enjoy food in the limited diet or do you now perceive eating as simply fuel intake? I would think one of the reasons for surgery is that we overly enjoyed food to begin with so this must be one of the hardest obstacles to deal with post surgery. How much do you get cravings and are they hard or easily dealt with? Please give examples. 5-For those who enjoy an alcoholic beverage once in a while (3-4 times per week) how has this affected you? Thank you for those who have read this entry and I look forward to hearing from any and all who can help me in this serious decision making process......................

One month out I had a few sips of wine when I went on vacation.. but I didn’t go overboard. I definitely felt the alcohol faster than usual... then I had my first full glass of prosecco at 4 months and felt tipsy but was sober in an hour...😂

Sooooooooooooooooo when did you have your first drink after surgery?

Also having alcohol in my present state of mind would not be a good thing at all. Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

I used to LOVE the children's cherry cough syrup. Then again, it was the early 70's and the children's cough syrup had alcohol back then. I think we also had lawn darts... That was also when we learned I was allergic to alcohol. I'd have a cough and take the cough syrup. Then I'd stop coughing but I'd start sneezing. That never stopped me from drinking as an adult, I just don't drink much, and just as I'll be doing with food after my sleeve, I go for quality over quantity. When you can only have two beers, you don't waste your time with Budweiser...

@ J San one of my even better tales is the one about,the day I ran the size 10.5 knitting needle through my foot, even beats the evening RD deliberately kicked her foot through a glass storm window or when she kicked backward, she claimed reflexively, and broke,my nose. As the old comedian said once "I've got a MILLION stories" One of the even more recent ones. I was sitting outside of Wal-Mart waiting for Public Transportation bus, She was out shopping with her MIL, who she doesn't realize "has her number" also. we are about the same age and chat often, she doesn't know that either. Anywhoo she runs up to Tomkitten and I , throws her arms around each of us and gives a big hug. "Hmnn" I said "and what is This For?", literally had not seen her for,months. Oh , she announces, I've got Early Onset Dementia and I thought I'd hug you before I forgot who you were! Sometimes being around her is like being in the presence of a coral snake, attractive but keep an eye on them because they are poisonous. one thing we don't share is the Alcohol addiction it does run in Daddy's side of the family. How devout were they? My great grandpa Priest had a keg , big honking one from what I hear, out in his barn of Hard Cider. Christmas morning he and the male relatives went marching out to said barn. Drew off,what didn't freeze and took turns drinking it. It does get cold in Ohio so,imagine what proof it must have been! Only,had drank,3-5 times in the my,live. Blended drinks make me sleepy, if I'm going to be taken advantage of, I want to be awake and enjoy it. In your checkered imbibing career have you ever tasted White Lightening? Well,i have, the dreaded corn-based moonshine liquor. Shoot Daddy's side of the family had stills,not all of them but a high%. Ever heard Joan Baez song about it? I'll give you the lyrics at the end, okay? I had a jelly glassful once and it only took once! Warm going down, well they did pride themselves on the smoothness, hits the bottom of your stomach,with a thud and within 15 minutes at least for me, the migraine from Hades arrived. Sat down on the tree stump, both eyes and nose running, and tried to shake my head. Bad maneuver, only made it worse. Did I throw up? Nope wished I had, but I was too much a lady to do it in front of relatives and I didn't want to find out what it does to clothing and shoes. So I sat there an hour or 2 until my eyes stopped streaming, the world stopped spinning and I could trust my legs again. Okay the lyrics I promised. Get you a copper kettle Get you a copper coil Cover with new-made corn mash And never more you'll toil Just lay there by the juniper When the moon is high Watch them jugs a-fillin' in the pale moonlight (verse) My daddy,he made whiskey My grand'daddy did too We ain't paid no Whiskey Tax Since 1792 We just lay there by the Juniper When the moon is high Watching them jugs a'fillin' In the pale moonlight. Yeah you're welcome, I come from a long line of. Buckeye Small Business Men, don't I?😝👍

Omgosh! I had the sleeve in 2011, and I turned into a sugar addict after I stopped alcohol in 2015. I still love sugar but, it’s so funny you say that. Also, my platelets have been low since 2012. I have a heavy feeling on my left side, enlarged spleen only slightly, and I also have been doing accuputure for a year faithfully 1-2 a week. i am a worry wort and why i am stressed it’s 10x worse. My spleen didn’t start until after I stopped drinking. I didn’t follow my diet after surgery:(((

Thanx all for the responses so quickly. So great to hear from others. I did not know the hernia could be corrected at the same time. For some reason I just assumed it would be done later. For those that had it done was it in you belly button? From what doc explained the reason he said it may reopen was because my gut is so damn big, he used the analogy of a full bag stretched out and ripped. Sew it back up but it still as full as it was and highly likely it will rip again. Does the belly go down that fast? As per my alcohol issues, i've never been to AA or been involved with any support groups. I just decided to stop. I'm guessing this process varies from state to state or insurance to insurance. I've already done my visit with the shrink and she said she was going to send her approval. Is 1 visit norm and for them to let you know yes or no on the spot? Next, liquid diet. I knew about post op for some time but don't remember anyone mentioning pre op. They probably did but everything seems to be moving so quickly I may have just not registered it. How long before does that take place? Again MUCH THANX and Best in your Journies J

Here's the nutrition... I mean...not terrible. Not great either. Here's the thing, I have a program that I'm following but if there is something that is going to make my life a little better, more enjoyable... like a wonton wrapper, I'm going to do it. I don't think these nutritional facts are going to break the bank for me. I don't make these exceptions for sugar, pasta, processed foods, bread (exception of whole grain, once in a blue moon), alcohol, or simple carbs in general. My exception is a wonton wrapper. It's crazy about all the conflicting info. Even on here, I find people are ALWAYS saying things that go against my program rules. But such as life. There is a 1,000 fad diets for a reason. Every person, doctor, or tom, d**k, or harry thinks their way is the best way.

Welcome to the forum! Mobility issues and pain may be improved with weight loss surgery. You will see a few patients that are disabled that are in wheelchairs. They still have success with weight loss. "Speaking of which I am an "alcoholic". On the wagon and have it under control but still might as well mention it. Damn I am one F***ed up specimen." Not fucked up - you are human. We all have things to overcome in life. You are on or off the wagon? Make a plan to have counseling/therapy/support for alcoholism in place before your psych eval. It may help your approval for surgery. The psych eval is mostly for liability for the surgeons. It also is in your best interest to be in a good mindset to make this surgery successful long term. I can relate to addictive personality. I changed the behaviors over to healthier addictions. Working out. This has developed into distance running. Worse addictions to have in life. best of luck to you, Jenn

Welcome to the forums! I am currently 2 weeks pre-op but have found the experiences and knowledge shared on this forum over the past month to be hugely helpful to me in my planning and preparations. There are a great many discussions new and old about so many dimensions to bariatric surgery and how it intersects with our varying experiences. I have seen mention of some people having worsening depression for a few months post surgery (possibly because of medications behaving differently and major hormonal changes with the rapid weight loss, however long term depression symptoms tend to greatly improve with the weight loss. Be alert to changes in your mental health and keep your primary physician in the loop, especially if you get suicidal feelings or anything similarly alarming. Also talk with your support team about your addictive nature and any tools they can put in place to make sure you don't move into other harmful addictions post surgery. Some people who have been using an addiction to food or eating behaviours can fall into other harmful addictive behaviours such as drug or alcohol abuse once their ability to medicate their feelings when food is taken away by surgical restriction. Keep being involved with your alcoholics anonymous support groups. I think there were some recent posts on here regarding alcoholism that may be useful, or at least put you in contact with other sleeve patients dealing with alcoholism. That's about all I can think of that might be relevant. But thank you for putting yourself out there with this posting and coming to these forums as they can be really helpful to pre and post op sleevers.

1st let me say I am glad to have found this Forum. I found it yesterday after google 'ing bariatric support groups at the suggestion of my nutritionist. Along with a list of "what to start doing to get used to it" items she said I should find a support group for obvious reasons. I have very little knowledge on the subject bariatric surgery other than what I have learned from my visits with my surgeon and his group so far and what very little i learned from my brother having lap-band several years ago. Well gotta figure no better way to learn than to ask those that have gone through or are going through what I plan to. I've been reading topics here since yesterday and have come across some things I didn't know or even think about. So I figured I'd give details of my current situation and see if others have anything in common and if they could give me some ideas of what to expect. It's been just over a month since I first saw my surgeon and came to the decision to go through with the sleeve surgery. I did not initially go to see him for it though. His name was on a list I received from my primary care doc after she told me the lump on my belly button was an umbilical hernia. When I went to see him he said he could repair the hernia but there was a high chance of either it reopening or another opening somewhere else due to my weight and big ass gut (not his words). After his, what I 1st felt was a sales pitch, He showed me some videos gave me some info to read and suggested I take some time to think about it and talk it over with my wife. We read, I showed her the video, we talked about it and decided it was probably the smart thing to do. Over the past few years I've put on a significant amount of weight and it seems every time I try to diet it off, I pack more on. A little bit of medical history for ya...... According the old trusty BMI system I've been heavy since my late teens early 20's but that is because of my height. I was pretty fit and muscular back then. Stayed pretty fit but did gain weight heading into my 30's and put on more the older I got. I've had back issues since my late teens due to a vehicle accident but it was never anything more than a good cracking my back couldn't relieve. My line of work has always been very physical, so along with getting older and the weight gain my back issues became worse. Now about to hit my mid 40s I've been out of work for going on 3 years due to osteoarthritis, slipped/herniated disks and sciatica. I have very limited movement and seem to be stuck in my "snowball". Also because of the weight I am on blood pressure, cholesterol and get happy meds. I do not take pain killers other than occasional 800mg ibuprofen. I have an addictive nature and am terrified of getting hooked. Speaking of which I am an "alcoholic". On the wagon and have it under control but still might as well mention it. Damn I am one F***ed up specimen. Well, I'll leave it at that and hope for any feedback, experience or suggestions/advice that any of you care to give. Thanks so much in advance for reading and feedback. Sorry this turned out so LONG. J

You’re not ready for this surgery. Seek some counseling for your other issues and the stressors first. Address your relationship with food. If you can’t follow a diet for two weeks I just don’t think now is a great time for a huge lifestyle changing surgery requiring a vitamin regimen, alcohol abstinence, social support, and coping mechanisms that don’t involve food. Maybe you could revisit this in a few years when you have matured and are more stable.

My sister had gastric bypass 10 years ago her recovery was much different than my lap band in recovery....I know she eats a lot less at a setting, She has dumping syndrome with sweets & can not drink alcohol at all. I didn’t have any of those issues with my Band in. So whether it’s sleeve or gastric bypass I know it will change my life more significantly even the band. I hope those have gone through it already can give you more insight after June 5 I’ll be able to tell you more :-) I hope the best for you!

Now I don’t want to make anyone else jealous, but I just finished my psychiatric evaluation over the phone and it took all of 15 minutes. That’s it. No paperwork. No questionnaires. Done over the phone. No sweat. Granted, this did cost me $400 and it is not covered by my PPO. There was also the option of doing it via skype but since I'd have to do it during work hours and i can't use my company laptop for personal use, so I opted for phone. We arranged for a time for me to call her last week so I called her right on time as planned. She first asked why I was pursuing the surgery. I explained that while my eating has not gotten out of control, my various ailments including a bad back that may require surgery, arthritis in my shoulders and bone spurs in both big toes have made it difficult if not impossible to exercise without pain. I have not been increasing my portion sizes over the last few years as my weight climbed, but without the ability to burn off the excess calories I just kept getting bigger. Next, she asked some medical history questions (I never drink to excess because I’m allergic to alcohol and I’ve never smoked or taken illegal drugs) then asked if I was an emotional eater, a binge eater, a habitual eater or a miscellaneous eater, i.e. problems like portion control, which we’d already covered and I’d already identified myself as being. We went into a little detail about my current eating habits and previous weight loss attempts, which had mostly been successful when I could exercise freely. She asked about the kind of support I’ll have for the surgery and during my recovery at home. I explained that my daughter (who graduates from college this Friday with a BS in psych and a 3.7 GPA, thank you very much) will be taking me to and from the surgery. That’s because when I have it in late May/early June, my wife will still be recovering from knee replacement surgery. So, my kids (my freshman son was nominated by a professor for membership in an honors society that only admits 15 kids from each graduating class at his school, again, thank you very much) will be taking care of both of us. We consider it only a tiny portion of the payback they owe us for putting them through a private college. Finally, she went into a little detail about the required post-surgical changes in habits, such as measuring and logging food and sticking to the prescribed post-surgical plans, and asked if I thought I’d be able to handle. Having read through this board, some FB groups and all the literature I got from the surgeon’s office at my initial consult, I repeated everything back to her chapter and verse to confirm I know exactly what’s expected of me. I also told her that I’m far too cheap to spend all the money on the surgery only to throw it all away with bad habits. She asked if I knew about the types of complications that could arise, so again I referenced this board and the FB groups, explaining I’ve learned a lot about the types of problems that come up most frequently. She asked if I had any fear of the surgery and I said I’ve had many surgeries in my life, so I’m not afraid of it, plus I know that for each person who complains about a post-surgical ailment, there are probably fifty who do not have that problem so the odds are clearly in favor of not having complications. That was pretty much it. She said the approval will be on its way to my surgeon by the end of the day. I gave her my email address so she could send me some literature she likes to send all of her patients and her contact information in case I had any further questions. I am not kidding when I say it took me twice as long to write this as the phone call itself. With this and my endoscopy both out of the way, all I’ve got left before submitting for approval is my final visit with the nutritionist and the pre-op visit with my PCP who’ll also take care of my chest x-ray and EKG. The only real problem between now and the surgery is avoiding the temptation of pigging out at my daughter's graduation party...

There are worse things than having an A1c of 10. 1. eating and drinking things like pizza, huge meals, drinking alcohol days after the weight loss surgery. 2. Binge eating and drinking right after surgery. These things can keep a person from healing properly too. We hear a lot about these things but not about A1c.

I was researching vitamin patches and what I thought was true. Vitamin patches can not be absorbed by the skin. This is what I found. When we heard about ‘multivitamin patches’ that were being marketed to bariatric patients, we were skeptical because we remember the ‘spray vitamins’ similarly targeting us a few years back that turned out to be bogus – the FDA and Attorney General of several states thought so too. We consulted with experts regarding ‘patch multivitamins’, all of whom emphatically said that none of the claims made by the patch company were true. Not a single word. They even underscored that what these companies are proposing is biochemically impossible, as the skin is a very good seal against water soluble organics, which is why you can’t get drunk on alcohol through your skin. It’s also a good barrier against ion transfer, or else a few hours in the ocean would dehydrate and kill you. Think of all the things you come in contact with during your day – if these materials passed through the skin, it could in many instances mean death. Most vitamins and minerals fall into these two categories and anybody claiming nutrient absorption through a known protective barrier had better produce studies to back it up – burden of proof is upon the patch companies, as their claims go against widely accepted and well known medical facts. One pharmacological expert went further to say that the people responsible for the bariatric vitamin patches ‘are either willfully fraudulent or just plain stupid, but either way are a second away from an FDA Warning Letter or FTC action’. Use your judgement and please be careful of this kind of stuff. You cannot fit the entire world of nutrition in a single pill. It does not make sense that you could tape a packet of pulverized vitamins to your arm and have all that material magically move through your skin and into your body. You cannot absorb the amount of minerals needed after bariatric surgery through a ‘sticker’. People who have had bariatric surgery are often looking for something easy and defend this product because they want to believe. People cite nicotine, birth control and other medications used as prescribed treatments via patch dose – the difference is that the highly specialized transdermal medication patches available via prescription, are for tiny amount of drugs, not several teaspoons of organic minerals. There is no comparison. If you’d like to be compliant, there is no easy way out, you must swallow capsules or chew tablets. There is no magic pill and certainly no magic spray or sticker.