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My husband and I just went to Seattle and took a cruise ship to Canada .. I made the mistake of thinking I would not get sea sick and guess what I did .. At first I was just feeling a little crappy but as we spent more time on the bus ride after the cruise it got worse .. I tried to throw up but also so afraid of the slippage .. Of course nothing came up .. I felt so bad .. We ended up going to a pharmacy and I got done stuff called gravol .. Which helped so much .. Got back ok .. But I gotta tell you .. My tummy still isn't feeling great ! I also feel so restricted can't seem to eat anything but a few bites of anything !! So I guess alcohol or just getting sick it's all so scary about slippage and what do you do ???

So I had a weekend of being BAD in New Orleans. ???? I have lost 51 pounds since pre-op and ahead of goal. Last Wed. I flew into NO with hubs and OMG. I didn't eat as bad as I would pre-surgery by no means. BUT I didn't make the best choices either. Bloody Mary's, butter laden crab claws, and a 1/2 a beignet. I know, I'm going to hell right?? Lol No, would just love to hear from some of the vets that might have had the same lapse and was able to get right back on goal. Oh and for the pre-ops that want to know about eating post-op. Yes, for some you'll be able to eat what you want without getting sick. But no where near as much and alcohol doesn't have any different effect on me than before. I skipped the sugary mixes and drank straight liquor.

The surgery was good, I didn't have any issues afterwards, which I was surprised with. I often felt a 'failure' that I didn't really have to try very hard or fight for the weight loss. It just happened. Now when I look back I just think that I was very blessed. What was I disappointed with? My transferance to alcohol for a few months in 2016. A very slippery slope and now I don't drink at all. It was a very dark place for me and I felt I couldnt tell people here because I'd be judged harshly and at that time I wouldn't have been able to cope with that. The funny thing is, even in those dark days, I never broke the 'food' rules and some weeks I continued to lose weight. How has it changed my life? In EVER single area. Best thing I ever did

The addiction has different way. There are lot of persons are addicted to drugs, alcohol etc. The addiction is now a major problem among them. The peoples are choosing this bad habit to relieve their mind from tension. There are lots of treatment centers are treat the people very well. This kind treatment will give the person to stop this habit. The people's body is really so weak and their parts are affected badly. So leave this habit to live a pleasant life... ================ Lee --------------------- Addiction Recovery Alabama

Most in here have answered your questions very well. From my personal experience I love the weight loss my band has provided but at the same time it can be a pain in the ass. The constant tweaking to get to a good restriction almost always tempts people to get too tight with disastrous results. Let me list some things that annoy me about the band. 1) I can't drink liquids quickly. I can't tell you how much I would love to down a bottle of Water in a couple of gulps right now! Lol. 2) Can't go straight to bed after eating or it's very uncomfortable. 3) Veggies can go down slow and hurt sometimes. 4) Daily heartburn if I don't take Prilosec. 5) TIGHT DAYS...out of nowhere my band can tighten up like crazy...causes can be drinking alcohol, stress, exercise, dehydration, early in the morning. 6) LOOSE DAYS...sometimes I'm just loose and can eat more than normal and then I'm hungry. 7) Hunger. Yes. I get hungry. No I don't need a fill. If I get a fill I will be too tight and bad things will happen. 8) Fills can be annoying...I had to get over 20 adjustments to get good restriction. I currently have over 14cc in a 14cc band. 9) I can't sleep on my stomach. If I sleep on my stomach I get reflux. No I do not have a dilated pouch. 10) Sinus drainage wakes me up at night because the nasty Fluid pools in the back of my throat. Gross! This can wake me up choking and is quite disgusting. I'm sure operations like the sleeve has its own bag of nasty tricks but those are some that annoy me about this particular surgery and applies to me. Your mileage may vary. If I had the choice to make over again I would SERIOUSLY consider the sleeve. Would I get the band again? Yes. If I didn't think the sleeve was all people make it out to be after research then I'd get banded again. Getting lapband surgery because you think it is a 'gentle' surgery is a mistake. To anyone that thinks they don't want to get the sleeve or bypass because it's too invasive and they want a gentle surgery then you need to diet and exercise and stay away from a doctor with a knife completley. Surgery is surgery and there's no 'easy' way about it even with the lap band. Look at what a band does to a stomach after 5 years and it's not all daises and sunshine. Don't even get me started on erosion or a slip. Lapband surgery is SURGERY and alters your body. Don't choose it because you're scared of something else. That's not a good reason to make a decision in my opinion. Good reasons to choose lap band are that it's adjustable and you can control, to a point, the speed at which you lose weight. You can usually opt for sleeve or bypass if your band fails which is a plus. Anyway, I've listed reasons why it's a pain in the ass above, but you can still lose weight with it and that's what matters. Is it better than the sleeve? I don't know. All I can tell you is what I do know. Good luck with your choice.

I have lost interest in alcoholic beverages. I use to drink a lot every weekend before surgery im so glad i dont even have the urge to do it now

So much easier to not tell everyone. I don't want to really talk about it all the time and have people watching my weight loss etc. I'm telling people that I've stopped drinking alcohol for a while and that I'm following a Paleo diet, high protein etc. I'm feeling much like my old self again now at the 5 weeks post-op. Playing netball again, and trying to fit in a few walks etc. I will really need to focus on fluid intake though as this warmer weather is a bit taxing if you feel dehydrated. Best of luck for a great day everyone.

I'm curious about the gin and tonic (as that was one of my main pre-op drinks.) I would think the tonic Water would have a ton of carbonation? Glad to hear it doesn't affect you that much. I hope it's the same for me. A month out and just experimented with alcohol for the first time this past weekend. We had a tailgate event with a bunch of friends. Over a period of 5 hours, I had 3 drinks. I had a glass of red wine with dinner, a screwdriver, and a Moscow Mule after. I was a little worried about the Moscow Mule since there is a little Ginger Beer in there. However, it went down fine. I drank all of the drinks very slow compared to how I drank pre-op. I might have had a little buzz after the screwdriver, but, nothing major. Overall, I was very glad to see that I could socialize like normal and not have the alcohol majorily affect me. However, I will say that I had been losing around 1.5 lbs every other day prior to drinking. And I was same weight for 2 days after. It definitely affects the weight-loss part.

Universal health care is not free health care. The cost is covered in the tax structure. It is simply cheaper because big business is edited out of the equation and it does allow medical personnel more options when treating their patients as they are not constrained by the dollar and cents factor which the business enviroment will inevitably impose. It seems to me that the poor are covered by free clinics paid for by your tax system and the rich can pay for whatever they want with respect to their medical treatment. It is the middle class and the working class who are vulnerable to the high costs of private medical coverage and to being dropped by these same insurers when the costs of treating their illnesses become unattractive for their insurers. This is what we read about your system of health care. I am inclined to agree with you that we do live in a society of entitlement; these days it certainly seems that everyone likes to think of themselves as a victim. This is quite different from the attitude of my parents, people who survived the Second World War and who believed in standing up on your own hind two feet and dealing with the world with dignity and humour. Nevertheless, I am one of those people who do find the results of research and, yes, even anecdotal evidence to be of value when attempting to gain a better understanding of a situation. I wonder whether you have become hardened because of the people whom you see daily in your free clinic. I suspect that you are seeing the very poor and these people are much less likely or even capable of taking the same care of themselves in the same way that the better educated and more affluent folks are. For one thing it takes a certain amount of stability, cash, and education to eat healthily, to cut out those carbs and eat fresh vegetables and quality protein, to feel hopeful enough about yourself and your life to want to give up alcohol, drugs, and smokes, to join a gym, take up jogging, to have any sort of motivation or interest at all in fact. If this is the case, then you are seeing people at less than their best and this is bound to leave you feeling cynical. I have met cops who suffer from much the same thing; they spend much of their waking lives dealing with people who are behaving badly....

I plan to get more details when I have my post-op appointment tomorrow. It's hard to watch the game with no beer! Not to mention going out with friends who LOVE to drink. Wife and I are going to cut the sodas (plenty other beverage options). I haven't touched any alcohol yet. Too soon..only 1 week post-op!! Again, I had the surgery to change my life and get healthy. That having been said, I'm not trying to be miserable either! I think less frequency & consuming in moderation is the key!

Hey everyone I was wondering when is it ok to go out for drinks like beers or liquor I'm 2 months out I know I sound stupid but it's gonna be 4th of July and I want to Celebrate Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Well, went out for a bit on Saturday and did a little bit of bar hopping, live music, etc. Started pretty light at a winery, and the first sip of wine burned down my throat and into my stomach like a shot of whiskey. Didn't think I would be down for a full night of "fire belly" but I guess it was only the first few sips. Was able to have my wine and a few Crown & Cokes. This is by NO MEANS a scientific or medical assumption, just how I felt, but it seemed that the alcohol was metabolizing in my system much faster than it used to, thus, giving me a buzz much quicker....but....it seemed to be more short lived than normal, if that makes any sense. Felt great that night and even better the next morning. No hangover, upset stomach, etc. Much better than I thought it was going to be, to be honest.

My doctors written instructions say "No alcohol for one month". That seems a bit strange to me and I plan to hold off longer than that as I'm not sure I'll be ready but to each their own.

This reply is after the fact, I would have asked your surgeon. The preop diet, in part, helps shrink the liver. I don't see how alcohol consumption prior to surgery could have no effect on the liver (maybe very small amounts of alcohol wouldn't, but why risk it without asking your surgeon's team?)

I have never heard of Splenda giving you gas. The Sugar Alcohols like sorbitol, manitol, etc. can give you terrible gas. A lot of things that say they have Splenda in them on the front of the package actually have a lot of sugar alcohols. These are not low calorie, but do not digest like sugar and do not cause a spike in blood sugar, so they are used by diabetics. Most of the sugar free candies have this in them, even though they say "Made with Splenda".

I was told it has empty calories, no nutritional value and can be a gateway to other foods/bad habits. It just isn't worth drinking. Before surgery, I wasn't a big pop/soda drinker, but I would get a craving for Coke. It is the only thing I've ever truly craved. I know for me, it was one of the things that factored into my originally gaining weight. I had no idea how many calories were in it, and I was drinking it daily. That hasn't been true for me for many years. When I started on my weight loss journey, one of the first things I did was stop drinking pop. In reviewing my bad eating habits before surgery, I've found that I drank more pop when I was eating more on the run. It seems to be a gateway to bad habits for me. And I figure I can only have so many bad habits. I plan to resume drinking alcohol in the future, so I am willing to give up pop.

I can't conceive of the idea of someone being approved for this surgery if they were not well informed, committed, and ready to make a lifestyle change. No alcohol means NO ALCOHOL. You can't have this surgery and expect to go back to your old lifestyle. Why would you go through all this (I'm still waiting for my date) and risk it all on a hamburger or a cocktail?? I'm so concerned about making sure I get all my Protein and Water in, keep up with exercise, and loose skin that I can't even think about what can I eat when. It's a little nerve racking to read some of the questions, but for the most part it is good to see that others have the same questions and concerns that I have. I have found this forum to be informative and heartwarming. But I 'gotta' tell you guys...I'm hearing conflicting stories about loose skin. Some say you will definitely have lots of it - others say it depends on your start weight and your goal weight. I'm 255 lbs @ 5/4" and my goal weight is 170. Will I have a lot of loose skin?? I'm also afraid of lots of face wrinkling and turkey double chin and neck. I'm not to concerned about how I will heal because I intend to follow doctor's orders, dietician's orders, and rheumatologist's orders. Ay ay ay - the vanity!

I'm surprised at some of the questions I see here and on other WLS boards from new VSG patients, like ... * I just had VSG surgery. What am I supposed to eat now? * My surgeon says not to drink alcohol until X months out. Can I drink now anyway? * When can I start eating ice cream? * I'm four days out and just had chicken McNuggets. Have I damaged my sleeve? * If you plan to drink heavily, first take a Percocet to calm your stomach. I totally get that, even pre-op, this surgery can sometimes be overwhelming. But some patients' questions suggest that even though they've just undergone major surgery they haven't read their post-op instructions, understood their instructions, don't believe what could happen to them if they don't follow instructions, or maybe they just never received any instructions at all. Weird!

I feel compelled to respond to this because I see this situation a little differently. I had my sleeve 3 years ago and my insurance did require a psychological evaluation. I was tod the purpose was to assess if I could comply with post op instructions,not screening for addictive behavior. Addiction transference is real and it happens to people who were not addicted to alcohol,gambling etc. Pre weight loss. I lost over 160, and am still maintaining under goal but I say the reason people regain is because over time, it's really really hard. It's hard to fathom this when you are in that amazing first 6-18 months, but at 3 years out I need to eat really small. I have to work out (plagued by injuries). I have to face a social world were as the "trim" chick, food is often pushed at me. I do sometimes stress eat but my main issue with food is that I have to eat pretty low calorie, low carbohydrate to maintain and yet I get hungry. No psychological evaluation helps with that. Anyway, just a different perspective. I do feel that the outstanding education and support provided by my surgeon and staff has been critical to my success. I advise anyone to shop for a surgeon with great follow up if at all possible. Several of the staff, one of the surgeons and anothersurgeons wife were sleeved so they are believers!

I'm back on track and really feel the only thing I had that was questionable was alcohol and a couple of fries. Everything else was on my plan. I brought a ton of Protein mix, bars and stuff with me but only used the bars, with out nuts, seeds or lumps and they are on my plan. No regrets about what I did and not making a habit out of any of it, was just scared to go, but glad i did and thought I'd share that it was a survivable experience. m

Yeah I'm afraid of bubbles in my stomach, I don't want to sabotage anything on my new weight-loss journey, but mama wants to sit by the pool with an alcoholic beverage! But I do want to be smart about it! Thanks guys!

Victoriana, thank you for the kind words. I like the fact that you have sons too. Yes, he did dabble with alcohol and marijuana. He is only 14 so I am concerned for him. I am trying to get him into the Psychiatrist I see to make sure he isn't depressed. Thanks for the insite.

I got banded on 9 December 2005, so in the Christmas season. I did wait until Christmas Eve to have a drink, and I took it very easy, since it was champagne! I had one or two on Christmas day and perhaps another one or two on New Years Eve. I'm not a heavy drinker, but I do drink moderate amounts of white wine, sometimes red, three or four times a week - just a glass with dinner usually. Its actually good for you. For the most part I'm waaaaay past needing alcohol to loosen up or actually wanting to get drunk at the ripe old age of 39, but I do love good wine. I dont get tipsy any quicker, but I dont really drink a lot either, I do notice though that my intake is curbed by my band because anymore than a glass or two and it starts to really burn my stomach, gives me heartburn. And for ages I drank a sip or two of wine whilst eating but now it really burns to do that too, although I'm fine to drink the wine slowly after my dinner - yes, I know you shouldnt drink so soon but I've never taken any notice of that rule, it doesnt seem to make a difference to me.

I used to be a 'gourmet' beer drinker...stouts, dark ales, etc. My surgeon/nutritionists strongly recommend that I avoid beer (or any carbonated or alcoholic beverage) due to the empty calories adding up fast and the carbonation possibly stretching the pouch. They've shown that bypass patients are more sensitive to the effects of alcohol, because of the 're-routing' of the small intestine and because they actually have a much smaller stomach post-surgery. Maybe for banders it would be because of the lower body mass once you've lost weight...the same amount of alcohol would produce a higher level in the bloodstream?? (just guessing) I'm guessing that beer for me will be an extremely occasional thing...maybe when I get to goal I'll have some more often. Even in the past, I drank beer for the rich flavor...rarely had more than two in an evening, and that was usually once or twice a week. I'm paranoid about drinking and driving, so if I'm at a picnic or evening function, I never drink. My dad was an alcoholic and drove drunk all the time.

Amen, Kacee. I'm so happy to hear this. Before I heard "NO alcohol with the band!Ever!" .....And frankly...I'm a bit of a wine snot/slut. The idea of not being able to wind down with a nice glass of Pinot Noir or Reisling makes me want to weep.