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Hi guys, As a newly registered user I like to say hi to everyone who uses this forum. I am a newbie to this forum. I am NYK from Canada. I am glad to join your wonderful forum. Thanks NYK alcoholism treatment

To answer your questions... 1. I am a lap band to r n y on the 26th. Not doing well on pre diet need to know drastic measure to shrink liver by Thursday. You really need to get back to the pre-op diet your surgeon/bariatric center put you on and stick to it. It's the best you can do. The whole idea of the pre-op diet is to help shrink your liver for the safety of you during the surgery and it makes it easier for your surgeon. The easier the better...the smaller your liver the better and easier it is for your surgeon to hold it aside while working on your stomach. They have to push and hold the liver out of the way so as not to nick it and to have the best possibly access. Buckle down and stick to your pre-op diet...it's the best thing you can do for yourself. There are no drastic measures you can take....liquid diets are tough period. The liver is the first to gain fat weight and fortunately the first to lose it according to my surgeon. Stick STRICTLY to the pre-op diet. 2. Any successful converters? I had the lapband. It was removed in Jan/Feb of 2010 but, my surgeon said it was still a revision because the stomach still has the flap in it that held the lapband in place. She did say that they remove that flap and that will sometimes cause them to have to make the RNY pouch a bit bigger than they would for someone who hasn't had the lapband because of scarring. In my case she did make it slightly bigger but, I feel great and I'm losing weight. Also all well if u take Vitamins? Vitamins are ABSOLUTELY necessary because of the malabsorption our bodies go through after RNY. We have to take a higher dose of vitamins in order to get the right amount in our bodies because of this. Definitely buy those vitamins and try them prior to your surgery. Your surgery is close so hopefully you've gotten them already or have tried some. If not I highly recommend picking some up. My surgeon didn't require me to take them for 2-3 weeks after my surgery because she said our bodies have them stored and they can sometimes upset the pouch early after surgery for some folks. I had no issues taking mine at the 3-4 week mark and I take them daily. The hardest one to remember though is the Calcium because I can't take them in the morning with everything else. The Iron and calcium fight for absorption so you have to take one or the other two or more hours. With Calcium your body won't absorb more than 600 mg at a time so having to take 1500 mg once again...I have to wait in between. So it's a bit harder to get all that in but, I get some calcium from milk and cheese too. Also 1.5 weeks off of work? Need to be clear headed for work. Ok expectation My surgeon recommended 3 weeks out with a revision surgery because of the added work done to accomplish it. I ended up being out 6 weeks because I had an infection in the main incision site. Going back was still difficult because you're body is getting used to less calories and if your job is stressful...well...that doesn't help. Mine is stressful so it took a while for me to get back into the swing of things but, all set now. Everyone is different so all times back are different. Take the cues from your body and listen to them though. This is the time to take care of YOU...work will be there! 3. Worried about long term complications. Thoughts? Most people fine? There are complications for some folks just as there are for any surgery. I looked at it as...I was having more complications with being overweight at the moment and they weren't going to get any better..if anything it would get worse and a shorter life. For me the surgery was worth it. Most folks are fine. There are some postings within this board from DLCoggin that are great to read. The postings are from studies he's read about and tell of the percentage of issues etc. Worth a peek. (Sorry I can't point you to the exact postings at the moment...DL if you see this can you post the link to the thread.) 4. Really no beer ever - Go with what your surgeon/Bariatric center recommends. Mine says no carbonation. That means soda, beer anything with carbination bubbles. They say after a year out from surgeon an occassional, stressing occassional, glass of wine is ok but again that's after a year. Alcohol can and has become an issue for many RNY patients because they've replaced the comfort food with alcohol. It's really important to work on the issues of why the choice of comfort foods in the first place. Just like any habit.....they are tough to break and takes lot of mind work to accomplish conquering....but always remain a work in progress. I do know a few folks who do drink a beer here and there and have no issues. Fortunately for me, I only occassionally had a drink maybe 4 a year so I'm just choosing to not bother. Everyone is different and reacts differently to alcohol though so be careful if you choose to have it. Good luck with your surgery!

Does anyone have a glass of wine or a drink on a daily basis?

I tried the alcohol and vinegar mix and WOW, I feel waaaaaaaaay better! Thanks so much for telling me about the alcohol!

Hello all; this web site was very informative and supportive in my Gastric sleeve journey. So I am sharing here some information that would be helpful to all: Gender: Male Age: 40 Height: 173 CM (5.6 feet) Weight at day of Surgery: 259 Pounds (117.5 Kg) Weight today August 8th 2013: 207.4 Pounds ( 94.1 Kg) Surgery date: 15-5-2013 Surgent: Dr. Hekmat Mattar - Abu Dhabi - Highly recommended - an amazing doctor food intake: between 400 and 1000 cal's depending if am excising or not that day. I am practically eating everything except sweets, sugar, and bread). I am still eating them, but quantities are close to nothing on a weekly basis. Water intake: 1 to 2 liters per day. That is a problem, I should increase Fluid intake as I noticed in the weeks I drink more water, I loose more weight even with less training. Main exercise activity so far: brisk walking 2-3 times a week. between 4 and 8 km per walk. No weight lifting yet... did some scuba diving two weeks ago which helped a lot continue the weight loss. Planning to start going to the gem next week to continue the weight loss. Medicine and Vitamins intake : in my last visit to the doctor he was not happy at all that I am not taking my medicine and vitamins as he prescribed. He scheduled me for 3 shots of Calcium. Also he stressed on quiting smoking taking Pariet 20 mg to protect the stomach from acidity and Centrum every two days as Vitamin supplement. The Good: no major complication so far, losing weight incredibly fast, eating everything (much smaller portions). fully functional at work after 5 days of the surgery. exercising (though not regularly) The Bad: water intake not enough, not recording food any more, not getting used yet to chew enough. When I don't chew the food enough, I will definitely be vomiting. I am drinking alcohol again, but only once a week, one or two glasses of wine of blended whisky. Just trying to feel normal The Ugly: I am back to smoking cigarettes two weeks ago this is really ugly. I am feeling its effect on my stomach and its making my energy low again. I am working on quitting. Hopefully more intense exercising will help... Below image has my weight progress over the last 84 days. GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU

There's lots of hospitals who put their informational booklets online. Here's one that I found very helpful: https://www.hsc.missouri.edu/documents/bariatric/Bariatric%20Booklet%20VSG.pdf I know Kaiser put together a good one too, but I can't find it... maybe someone else has the link... As far as beer, I didn't drink it pre-op so I didn't ask or pay attention to the specifics on that. I know carbonated drinks can give you painful gas after surgery, but that eventually it's tolerable (after a few months). My surgeon said absolutely no alcohol for the first 6 months minimum. Most surgeons say no alcohol for a year... so you don't replace a food addiction with an alcohol addiction and also because it's empty calories/carbs. I do plan to enjoy a glass of wine again one day, but I've never been much of a drinker so these restrictions don't bother me at all. Good luck!

Well I used to not believe in the "honeymoon period" but I am a big believer now. Not in a bad way, but here is what happened for me personally. This is *just my* experience, yours maybe different I lost about -46lbs during the first 3 months post-op. Then I hit a wall. Month 4 I lost -2lbs for the whole month and it has been somewhat of a struggle ever since. I say struggle just because you might secretly be thinking that at 4 months post-op I changed something (downed MCD's or ate ice cream or quit working out) but quite the opposite was true. I worked my sleeve diligently every day, ate the right foods, weighed and measured, and tracked my food, and got to the point at about 8 months post-op that I was working out every single day. So it's not like I fell off the wagon and then bellyached about why I couldn't lose weight. I finally accepted that the honeymoon (again for ME) was over and I was just going to have to ride this out with diligence and patience. I'm closing in on 17 months post-op and guess what? I still exercise (not daily anymore...went back to work full-time and found myself with a whole lot less free time) I still weigh my food, still track it, still eat on my surgeon's plan about 90% of the time. I also didn't have any (ZERO, ZIP, NADA) alcohol until I was 1 year post-op (1 year and 1 week to be exact, Halloween party woo hoo, I had some wine...such a boozer, lol!) So I guess you could say I was a rule-follower and it is still taking me a looooooong time to lose the weight. So take it for what it's worth. I think the more you can lose right after surgery the better off you are cuz at some point it's going to slow down. WHEN is really hard to say, because it's obviously different for everyone. As far out as I am, I'm still losing...just very very slowly.

Seems a little early for solids, especially the ones you have eaten. I havent been banded yet, but my plan from my Dr is liquids week one, then alternating liquids and mushies week 2, then after that I believe it is full mushies...then week 4 is creeping back into solid foods...I know it is the holidays (or was) but try to keep in mind that your body is healing, and probably will be for some time. That being said, I have had instances where alcohol has given me some of the symptoms you listed (even without being banded), so maybe it was that...no alcohol for at least 6 months after surgery is what my doc recommends

a couple of ideas - some people become lactose intolerant after surgery (sometimes it's temporary, sometimes it's not...). Also, certain artificial sweeteners can also have that effect on some people - esp sugar alcohols (those with names that end in -itol (xylitol, maltitol, etc)). So could it be something like that? You may have to experiment with giving something up for a few days to see if it makes a difference.

Hi there Congrats on your surgery firstly... the big step is over and done with. Secondly did you not get info from a nutritionist at all? You're 10 days out from surgery I think, so far too soon to be on solids. If you do a search on the board you'll find several dietary guidelines which might help. As a rough idea I had to do: First 10 days post op - clear liquids (which included skimmed milk, no added sugar fruit juice but not citrus ones), clear soups and Optifast shakes. Days 10 to 20 - Full liquids - soups with no lumps in yoghurts and all of the above. The next 7 days - Mushies and all of the above Day 28 for the next 7 days - Soft foods - chicken, fish, eggs, and all of the above. Day 35 onwards - normal foods but still no alcohol until 2nd month, and no gassy liquids or caffeine. I hope this helps - it is just a guide and you'll see various different ones on the forum, but at least you'll get an idea of roughly where you are. Don't over do your sleeve, you've worked hard to get where you are and don't want to risk a leak or anything getting caught in it and infection setting in. Good luck.

Hello, I will quickly tell you my story and then about my son... I am a surgery success story of 20+ years. At age 18 I had a stomach stapling procedure. I was cut from the left rib to the right and a band of surgical plastic was put around my upper stomach and five rows of staples partitioned off my lower stomach to create a small pouch with the ring working much like the lapband. It has worked wonderfully and I have been able to keep the weight off, fluctuating 20lb on and off, all these years. Nothing was bypassed or cut out and it is totally reversible. Reading the posts sounds just like the experiences that I have had with my post-surgery life as to the slimming, occasional vomiting and learning what foods never work. My oldest son is now 17 and has a bmi of 51. Last year we discovered that he has high blood pressure and is on medication to control it. We have tried all the diets and nutritionist, lifestyle changes ect... since he was about 5. My other two children do not seem to have the same desire to eat, but it is heart breaking to watch my oldest suffer with his weight just like I did. Now that he is almost 18, we have begun the steps to obtain the lapband surgery. We have not even considered the bypass. My sister had the bypass two years ago and it has terrified me. She is loosing her teeth and has become an alcoholic from not eating like she should and trading addictions. I am absolutely against my son having this irreversible life after bypass. I am thankful that the lapband is now approved by Kaiser insurance. Kaiser has a very extensive pre-op program and we have about 6 more months of work to go. He is anxiously waiting and has to loose 50lbs before surgery. The hardest thing for him right now is the thought of no more soda and not drinking with meals. We are practicing that now, but he is not convinced that he can ever get used to it. The hospital that we have to go to is about 160 miles away and we have two same day apt every month plus the yearly visits for life at this facility. It is a big commitment, but I know that it will be worth it. One of the works in progress that our doctor recommended was to join a support group, so here we are. I am also looking for a local face to face group that we can go to. I think it will be helpful to be around others who are in his same situation. I am having trouble finding an adolescent group though. It is a little different to be 18 and have this procedure because Mom and Dad are there to help you keep on track, cook your meals and shop for you. A support group could make or break his commitment in the long term. It would help me to know that he has a group that he can learn from and share with. If there are any 17, 18, or 19 year olds in this forum who would like to share their experiences either pre-op or post-op we would love to hear from you. Thanx Mom

I maintained for 3 years before finding out I would have to unfill my band completely for an abdominal surgery. That scared the whatsit's out of me, I was positive I'd pack on the weight again. Now, I'd been ticking along nicely with maintaining with a band, basically, I ate whatever, whenever, to my heart's desire. Portion control was assured, the fact that I generally like and choose healthy foods was a given, but I had plenty of sugary or high fat stuff and a glass of wine a day in there too. I decided I'd better start practicing counting and logging calories and being VERY careful in preparation for what I hoped would only be a few weeks unfilled. What do you know, the weight started falling off! I lost 10lb very quickly and easily, which when you're already at a BMI of 21, is quite a lot of weight. So yes, anytime you get back on that bike, your band is in there willing to help you. But you have to do the hard stuff - the calorie counting, the saying no to high calorie foods, cutting back on the alcohol etc. Its a pain in the behind, but nobody can eat just whatever they want and lose weight, although with a band you can pretty easily do that and maintain.

I was wondering if sugar alcohol has caused anyone to get sick? I was thinking about getting some sugar free candy but was scared to try it. I'm 2.5 weeks post-op. Jess...Surgiversary 9/19/12

When you're in the full eating stage it would work but, sugar alcohols can make you...umm.. well have to go to the bathroom if you take too much in. Laxative effect for some folks. For me if I have too much that does happen. Definitely wait until you're in the right eating stage though.

Sugar Alcohol made me dump...and I'm Not a 'dumper'...ate some Carb smart ice cream, about 1/2 c....made me sick within minutes.

Thanks for this thread. I have noticed a lot of sugar free stuff have sugar alcohols and I have no idea if that's ok. Surgery 7/25/12

My surgeon says " no alcohol ever" But, sorry- that's not going to happen. How soon after sleeve surgery did you have a glass of wine? Is there anything else you drink?

My surgery was yesterday, May 21st. It was a long day, but I think it went well. I also posted this in Post-Op, but I wanted to share with all the other MayFlowers/Shrinko De Mayos. We were supposed to get there at 7 a.m. for a 10 a.m. surgery slot. DH was worried about being late, so we got there at 6:30 a.m. We checked in, and were taken to a small walled-in room where the nurse went over my vitals with me. I changed into the ultra-fashionable gown, opening to the back, as well as the socks with the tread design. Once I laid down on the gurney, they put the massaging things on my legs, and connected the air. A scopolamine patch was placed behind my ear for possible nausea. It's supposed to last three days. The IV of saline was started, and we waited. Julie, Dr. Clark's Physician's Asst, came in to check on not long before 9, and said that they were getting ready to do a bypass, and that I was next after that. She also gave me a goody bag. The goody bag had several items from On-Q, a pain moderating apparatus. I had it when I had my last intestinal surgery, and wondered if I would have it for this, since this was going to be laproscopic. She said no, it was just some goodies she wanted to give me. On-Q is an IV type set-up where thin lines are run on each side of an incision to deliver morphine right to the incision, instead of having the morphine affect the whole body. I really liked it how it worked, but I'm glad I didn't get it for this surgery, and I don't think I needed it at all. The items in the goody bag were a pedometer/FM radio combination and a set of pens, all embossed with "On-Q". The nurse gave me a shot of Heparin in the leg. That stuff burns going in! It's not unbearable, but it does sting. The IV was turned up pretty high to really pump in the saline, and I got up at about 9:30 to pee. The nurse said that they do this so that the patients will void their bladders, since they want empty bladders for surgery. After I got up, they turned the drip rate down. Dr. Wong, the anesthesiologist came in, introduced himself to me, and he told me what would happen once we got to the ER. I've been operated on before, so I wasn't worried about that part. I ended up getting wheeled into surgery at 10:52 a.m. Dr. Wong put a strap over my forehead that held monitors for my sleep rate, and my arm was stretched out to the side. An injection was made in the IV, and I could smell the taste (if that makes sense). He said that most people just comment that they can taste something in their mouths once they get that injection, but I could actually smell what it tasted like since the taste seemed to be right up at the top front of my mouth. The oxygen mask went on, I was instructed to take deep breaths, and the next thing I knew I was back in my little walled cubicle. I think I recall being in a recovery room, and getting my mouth swabbed, but I couldn't swear to anything that happened there. After I was more awake, but still groggy, I was taken down to radiology for the barium swallow so they could check the placement of the band. Once we got there, I sat up on the edge of the gurney, and sat there for a while because I was light-headed and felt nauseated. The nurse waved an alcohol swab under my nose to help with the nausea. I finally felt ready to go in for the swallow, and they handed me a large glass full of thin barium. I almost dropped the cup, but was able to warn them before hand, so they took it from me, and gave me another minute to stand there. I finally managed to get a few drinks down, and they decided that it would be better to by-pass the standing x-rays. They put the x-ray bed down, and I laid down on it. Then the meanie doctor made me roll over a couple times. I told him that I was going to moon him for revenge for making me roll, and he just laughed. The rolling was uncomfortable, but I managed. Everything looked good, and I even got to see the screen to see what the band looked like on an x-ray. I was then taken back to the cubicle, and could definitely feel every bump when we crossed the elevator threshold or any doorway thresholds. I didn't feel them on the way down. My throat was really dry, so I was able to have ice chips and a popsicle, and that really helped. I was also given a dose of the liquid lortab, and was really happy to have that popsicle as a chaser to get rid of the taste. I was given my choice of what I wanted to try to eat. Out of the cream-of-wheat, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, cream of chicken Soup, mashed potatoes, and pudding, I chose the eggs and potatoes. No problem getting that down. I was finally let go at about 4:30. As I was getting into the wheelchair, I told DH that I thought he should drive home. The nurse looked startled for a minute, and then she realized I was joking! We're looking for a car for our daughter, and since we were in Indy where there are several car dealerships within a few miles of the hospital, we decided (I insisted) that we not waste the opportunity. DH stopped and got me a bottle of Fiji Water to sip on for the drive. He drove through several lots so we could see what was available. If we saw anything that looked like a possibility, he got the details from the salesman, but no test drives. We just wanted to see what kind of prices are being asked. Anyway, I slept most of the way home. We stopped to fill my prescriptions on the way home. I was given liquid lortab, Ursodiol (to prevent gall stones), and Protonix (for acid reflux). The pharmacy had to make the liquid lortab, so that took a little while. Not that I really noticed, because I was asleep in the car. Once I got home, I took another dose of lortab, and then rested a while. I went to bed at 11, and had to make a wedge to recline on using my pillows, since lying flat was not comfortable. I woke up at about 9:30 this morning. I'm still sore, coughing hurts even with a pillow against my abdomen, and it's a bit painful to take deep breaths. It's definitely bearable though. I am planning on wearing my binder for at least one week, since it feels good to have that support. Good luck to everyone else!

Thanks for the replies! I like the alcohol wipe suggestion, I forgot I used to use that all the time to get permanent marker off of my hands! I won't have an issue getting it into my incisions by accident because my sani strips are still on. It's been 9 days sinch surgery...I wonder if that's an issue that they haven't fallen off yet. They told me not to pull them off, so I've just been ignoring it but not that I think about it...the book said they would stay on for about 7 days. Hmmm...

hi everyone, i just wanted to know if alcohol effects the band in anyway other than the calories does it harm the band?

----Wow@steak 15 days out -- only a dream for me My NUT told me that the sleeve really isn't healed for minimum of 4-6 weeks (she mentioned Peanut Butter (my fave) really gets stuck and shouldn't be tried until 6 weeks) I'm also instructed to avoid breads, rice, Pasta, red meats, fried foods and baked goods for minimum 6-12 months Not sure how long for alcohol but I assume at least 6 months too I'm afraid all these restrictions will force a really fast weightloss leading to to low a weight for my large frame --- I'll revisit some restrictions with her as time goes on I've already lost 15 pounds (currently 220-221) and I'm only 10 days out and on full liquids

Easy answer. Transfer addiction. Basically exchanging one addiction (food) to another (alcohol). You being aware you may be at risk is a good start.

i had my doubts last week but i cant believe that i actually went through with it. the first day i felt great i didnt have to take any pain medications. i didnt get any sleep in the hospital though because my roomate had alot of care needed and i couldnt sleep. the next day the doctor came in and said that my surgery went perfect but i have a fatty liver and if i dont lose weight in ten years i will have a liver like an alcoholic . i went home tuesday night after eating some chicken salad. i went home with oxycodin but it gave me shortness of breathe so i couldnt take it so i am now not taking anything for pain but i am doing ok considering. i have no problems with gas but during the day every time i move i have some discomfort. as far as eating i am on a soft protein diet for two weeks. i had a boiled egg yesterday and i ate it like i usually do and i had pains in my chest that passed shortly after. that wasnt fun. emotionally i am in shock that i had surgery and i cant believe what i got myself into. i know that this is normal at first. well its thanksgiving today and i cant eat with everyone but that ok. my family wanted me to come out to there house but i didnt tell them that i had surgery so i decided to go to my friends house next door seeming how she knows about my surgery. i didnt write on here until now because i have been really tired. talk to you soon andrea

Good Morning All. Still pre-RnY but have something else to share. I'm yodellng my yodel, honking my horn, ring my bell, whatever. I discovered something new to add to the vitamin lineup. It is called Wellesse Calcium and Vitamin D and is a,liquid. Shake it up and it tastes like a melted orange push-up treat. Containes calcium citrate our form of choice for calcium 500 units, Vitamin D 500 units and Magnesium 20 mg, color is from fruit/vegetable,so no artificial, no sugar, less than 1gr sugar alcohols and 125 mcg Boron. Cost me less than $10 at WalMart, so I imagine Meijier and Target might have it also. I've been a looking for Calcium Citrate pills every since my,preoprative lab results came back and I did have some vitamin/mineral deficiencies. Happened across this and so far I'm liking it. Like I said in another posting I'm now,on prenatal vitamins for the Fe(iron for you non- chemists) content. Wow, I got a few raised up eyebrows for that, I'm 72, not a typical prenatal,vitamins ingester! Doing pretty good,withbthat and my itty,bitty Vitamin A pills as long as they don't get lost,in the rug pile bouncing away. Yes it is the 2000s but my rug is still a " flower child" poor old thing!

Does anyone know how much sugar alcohol you are allowed a day? I know regular sugar is 8 grams.