Search the Community

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I tried some cream of mushroom soup yesterday and it was actually really good and I seemed to have tolerated it well. I wonder if I can eat Grits for breakfast? They can be made pretty runny and my list for this week says watered down hot cereals. They are tiny pieces though so I may have to double check with my surgeon before trying on my own. I have done some reading on sugar alcohols and I think I may have found the culprit for at least the bloaty gassy type feeling I still have in my gut. I was reading the guide from my nutritionist and there was one short line about sugar alcohols and how they can cause gas/bloating, diarrhea, etc. I have been eating a lot of sugar free jello and Popsicles but had no idea that watching the amount of sugar free sugar alcohols I am consuming, is important! I learned, possibly the hard way, that reading each food label carefully, is super important! I wish I had caught that days ago because today will be a restart for me in order to try to reduce my overall discomfort which I am cautiously sure, may have been caused by sugar alcohols! I'm not a sweets person by any stretch of the imagination so it's just not something I have typically had to look a lot for. Crazy how surgery like this can make us smarter. Haha! I can see this journey will also be an incredible learning opportunity which is good for me because I love learning about all kinds of things. Thank you again! I appreciate all of the wonderful advice and experience I have already received since joining this forum just yesterday! ❤️

OA does not have a therapist. It is a peer therapy group based on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. I was there for 3 years about 15 years ago, before any thought of bariatruc surgery. It was a nice place to meet people and they were very supportive, but the group I attended was very judgemental. Im Not sure someone going through surgery would be very welcome.

Dessert and alcohol 😂

I was sleeved 12 years ago, and never had dumping. I still am sensitive to high fats, lactose or fake sugar (sugar alcohols like xylitol) where I poop my brains out if I eat or drink those things.

Hi there! I'm in the same boat as you, with similar stats as well. Highest weight was around 300, but I'm down to around 276 after over a YEAR of jumping through hoops to get insurance approval (I started the process in February of 2021!). The weight loss I've experienced so far can be attributed to giving up soda (even diet) and alcohol, which I did last summer. My surgery is June 24th, so today is the first day of my two week liquid diet, and someone at work has already offered me candy...uuuuuuugh. I've only told my closest colleagues about my surgery (I work at a school and today is the last day for students, so my surgery will be over summer break when I don't work anyway) but I might end up telling more of my co-workers at the end-of-year faculty luncheon later today, because some people might wonder why I'm sipping a protein shake staring longingly at everyone else's plates. How has your pre-op diet been going? What is your surgery date? Edit: Oh derp, I just saw you said your surgery is on the 20th. >_<

6.75 months post op and I eat 1000ish calories on weekdays and 1200ish at weekends (alcohol). I still track every bite that goes into my mouth I know lots of people don't or don't have to. I have lost approximately 2lbs per week since my surgery, give or take.

To answer a few of your questions, no one answer fits everybody as @Arabesque say. Will your hair fall out ?? who knows, Has mine? OMG yes but I can feel the new hair sprouting. Will you wrinkle ?? who knows, Have I ? OMG yes but I was a very overweight soon to be 63 years old. Do I care ? nope because I wear pants and 3/4 sleeve tops that hide it all. My face is fine yet. I might have plastics in a few years if it bothers me then. I am saving just in case. I only told my friend of 57 years, my husband and my son. I don't want judgement or other peoples opinion, its irrelevant. I was a weekend drinker in my early years but I like to be fairly sober these days as it messes with my medication. I have had a few drinks since surgery, I am quite partial to a Bloody Mary. I can probably count the drinks I have had in 6 months on one hand. I get a buzz off one. Will I become alcoholic ? No thanks Keep doing your research, keep asking questions because in the end you are the only one who knows if its for you

I’d look into surgery in a neighbouring country. There are a few Europeans on the forum who may be able to make some recommendations. There are always negative stories & a friend of a friend stories. You can find them about anything. I recently read a story about the prevalence of fungal infections in people who to go to the large nail salons so … People who have good experiences don’t always shout it from the roof tops. We do here though. 🙂 Sure, there can be hiccups & things may not go perfectly to begin but generally everything settles & works out in the end or can be remedied rather easily. Some issues arise because of complications from pre existing conditions too. Talk to people who actually had the surgery (like on here) if you can. You also get negativity from people who think the surgery is an easy way out. It is so NOT easy. They think if you just diet harder & be more committed to exercising you’ll lose weight. If it was as easy as just dieting & exercising you’d be thin now. We all would have been. The negative comments from family &/or friends are why some of us don’t tell people we’ve had the surgery. The potential for developing a drinking addiction arises in response to people not being able to satisfy their food addiction anymore so they turn to alcohol (or sex apparently). I’ve seen stats of 16% after bypass in the first year of which 6% had existing issues with alcohol. Stating a 60% statistic would only benefit the woman in the article’s business by scaring people. If you deal with the issues behind your food addiction your chance for any addiction transfer is negated. It is important to do the ‘head work’ to understand, manage & deal with the issues behind your eating habits, behaviours, cravings, etc. Many people seek the support of a therapist after surgery which benefits their weight loss success & maintenance. The hair loss lasts about three months. Your natural hair loss cycle accelerates in response to the shock of the surgery & your change & reduced diet. So the hair you shed is hair you would be losing anyway - just not as quickly. Your new hair is still growing but just at its usual rate. How many wrinkles you have is much like how much loose skin you will have. It will depend on your age, gender, skin elasticity, genetics, how long you carried your weight, etc. Yes, you likely will look more drawn & have a few additional wrinkles at first but a lot of this reduces in maintenance as your body resettles & you’re eating more & a more nutritious & balanced diet. My uncle told my mother I looked like death when I was near my lowest weight. Now, he tells me I look fabulous. I had a lot of fine lines that developed under my chin while I was losing but they almost totally disappeared in my second year. Sure my marionette lines are deeper & that’s from the skin that stretched from having a fat face. I have the face that is mine now. I have a jawline, a longer neck, cheek bones, & my eyes aren’t as hooded. A few wrinkles are nothing. I’d rather have a few wrinkles or loose skin than be obese & be compromising my health. Besides a little Botox or filler can always help with the wrinkles 😉. Ultimately it is your decision. Keep asking questions so you’re as well informed as you can be. All the best whatever path you choose.

Also, after this discussion with my friend, I came home, opened the website of a local newspaper, and at the top of the "most read" articles today, there was an interview with a woman who runs a food addiction clinic, the only one of its kind in the country. The headline was that up to 60% of those who had gastric sleeve ended up with an alcohol addiction instead. She didn't give a citation for her claim, so I don't know how accurate that is or if it has any basis in reality at all. She said that alcohol goes into the blood stream faster when you have a smaller stomach and so people developed an alcohol problem, swapping food addiction for another addiction. IDK, I drink alcohol maybe five or six times a year, and most often it's just a glass of wine at dinner. I googled this a bit and found a US study that said that around 20% of all people who underwent bariatric surgery in several centers in the US during a certain time period had developed problematic drinking. That correlation was strongest for people who had gastric bypass, where 20% of people had, according to the study, developed a full blown alcohol addiction. So, it looks like she exaggerated the risk. The headline shocked me a bit, but diving into the studies risk factors included being male (not me), younger (nope), smoking (nope) and drinking regularly (I don't know if a few times a year can be called regular) and having less social support (less than what?). Have you heard of or considered this risk factor? One of the articles I read said you should avoid alcohol altogether for the first year after surgery, is that something you have done or heard of?

other sugar alcohols (in addition to malitol, which seems to be the worst offender) can cause those issues, too. Sugar alcohols all have names that end in -itol (for example, xylitol). So maybe it's some other type of sugar alcohol ? (as in not malitol - but one of the other ones??)

Back from vacay (where 90% of my intake consisted of over easy eggs and alcohol) and i finally get to enjoy a decent bowl of food: Smoked salmon, seaweed salad, horseradish aioli and a bit of Gorgonzola. #yum 320 calories, ate it all. P.S. I’ve always disliked the food served at All-Inclusive resorts down south, so I had very low expectations, which were met, lol. I actually packed 3 bags of those salad kits from Costco (to deal with my salad addiction), which were total life-savers! P.S.S Side-note NSV…i am the same weight I was when I left…BUT I haven’t pooped yet so i’m gonna guess once I get these 12 days 😳 of food out of my intestines, i may drop a few pounds. P.S.S.S I asked Mr. to make me a steak tonight cuz i miss meaty meat 🥩🤤

It's not possible to eliminate carbs completely if you want to be able to eat "normally" in a sustained manner. However, I am 3.5 years out and still keep carbs as low as possible. (I also have refined sugar, zero alcohol, and as fat in moderation.)

Years ago, pre-wls, long long time ago, I used to experience something similar with red colored alcoholic drinks. I have no idea what caused it or why but it wasn't fun. I'd be achy and sore almost like a fever or flu - but then it would pass.

My very good friend that had gastric sleeve had transfer of addiction. Thank god she is sober now but she lost 100lbs and within 6 months from first drink post op she was diagnosed with alcohol abuse disorder. I doubt it would disqualify you but I imagine there will be more than the standard questions in your psych eval for you because of that history. Honesty is always best for your safety.

The concern for them was that the food addiction would be lost and that the addiction would then move on to something else (alcohol). i was questioned about my alcohol use when I did the psych evaluation. But I didn’t really drink prior to surgery and I can’t drink at all after surgery (the alcohol of a heavily juiced mimosa… with very little alcohol in it…. Can get me buzzed ).. The interview was really interesting, she tried to trio me up a few times. Her:“when was your last drink?” Me: “two years ago? I don’t really know it’s been that long” (she was disbelieving that I hadn’t touched alcohol in years which sent up red flags for her). so then she asked me things about holidays and what kind of get togethers we have and if food it an integral part of the celebration…. Which led into what drinks are available …. (I told her honestly that my family does buffet off to the side where everyone grabs their own food, we eat wherever during these celebrations but mainly just socialize. Soda Drinks are available and alcoholic drinks are available but I usually just stick with water, coffee, or tea). i passed the evaluation so I guess she didn’t find anything seriously wrong with my answers. But if you try and lie about it other questions may be asked where your evasiveness about drinking may come to light. So it’s best just to be honest.

I dont think so. But after surgery alcohol will become an issue if you start again. If your surgeons office requires a psychological evaluation then the alcohol will come up and you will need to discuss it with them. It was questioned in my eval but i dont drink. As for the surgeon alcohol never really came up other than no drinking once the pre op diet starts and not for a long while after surgery

One of my registration forms for the bariatric doctor says that recent alcohol use can disqualify you from getting the surgery. I drank heavily for several years and stopped about a month ago. I can't start drinking again and don't want to start again because of health concerns. Do you think this will disqualify me? I searched the forums and couldn't find any info about this, only about post-op drinking.

I’m 7 years post op but occasionally when I drink something sweet I get An all over sickness after just a couple of sips . It’s hard to describe except for complete misery . It lasts about 20 mins and then I’m fine . Other days I drink a bottle of wine and no issues at all . Anyone else have this or know why it happens only sometimes ?

Well, as the title says I'm about 21 months out and now starting to gain. I got down to 143 (my goal was 130, but I was comfortable in the 140s). I'm now back up to 155. Over the past year, I've also developed a bruising issue and have multiple bruises on my arms and legs, mostly on the left side; random but moderate/severe aches & pains; brain fog; severe fatigue, and other idiopathic symptoms. I have a physical scheduled for mid-June, but I'm wondering if any of these things are common after surgery. As for my weight gain, nothing has really changed. I still eat very clean, limit myself to two low-sugar/low-calorie alcoholic beverages a week, and really try to take care of myself. With the aches, pains & fatigue, I'm finding it difficult to keep up with working out, but to be honest, I probably wasn't working out as much as I should be anyway. Mostly walking & biking. I'm also at the age where hormones are likely changing (I'll be 50 in two months). Any idea what might be going on or how to restart the weight loss? Thanks.

I have heard many similar stories, but the hair loss was due to people taking powerful drugs affecting their new hair. You need to take a vitamin complex to strengthen your hair. I also recommend using olaplex 0 and 3 as these shampoos work well and have been proven to work many times. In addition, you need to start eating right and get rid of bad habits, such as smoking and alcohol. By doing all this, you will definitely be able to stop hair loss.

*trigger warning if you are scared about gastric bypass this is not a good post to read also it is a long * (admin if I shouldn't have posted this please delete) I debated long and hard about whether or not to talk about my dad and how he died. I never want to scare anyone and tbh his death wasn't so much because of the gastric bypass he had but rather the prejudice and malpractice of his primary care Dr and the hospital he went to for emergency care. My dad came into my life when I was 28yrs old. I didn't know I needed a dad honestly. He started dating my mom and considered me part of the package. He protected her, he protected me...no strings attached totally unconditional regardless if I wanted him to or not he was going to be there for me. Turns out even at 28 I needed a dad. He was 6ft 5", almost 500lbs, tattoos, beard, and a biker. Dad never talked a lot, he preferred actions. If he agreed with something he'd say "No doubt". If he didn't well he'd just shake his head and turn away. He had had 4 heart attacks by the time he had his gastric bypass surgery in 2009, He went down to 190ish lbs. Everything was great. He did everything he was supposed to do. Crushed his meds, no alcohol, watched his food ..he followed all the rules. Fast forward to July 2021. Dad and mom had split a few years back but he was still my dad. Around July 30th, he started having abdominal pain and couldn't go to the bathroom. He did something he hated to do.. he went to the Dr. The Dr filling in for his Dr took one look him..biker with tattoos wearing a leather jacket and on Medicare and immediately ignored him. He told dad if it was so bad go to the emergency room. So dad did. Hospital er looked at dad...biker with tattoos, wearing a leather jacket and on Medicare and assumed..drug seeker! Told him there was nothing wrong with him. They did no test and sent him home. About 2am on July 31, Dad was in horrible pain and call EMS, they weren't part of the hospital he had gone to earlier, in the ambulance they did an ultrasound on the way to their hospital. One of the paramedics picked up his cell phone and called the first number on it...my mom. They told her to meet them at the hospital, it was bad real bad. She and his biological daughter got to the hospital about the same time. Dr told them there was 3 options...1 take him into surgery immediately ..he would most likely died on the operating table 2. try to get him strong enough to have surgery he would most likely never wake up or 3 give him morphine and let him die. They chose option 3 and less than 30mins later he was gone. So what did a simple ultrasound find? Dad's large intestine had twisted so badly that while he ate, food couldn't get past the twist. Imagine making a balloon animal and twisting the balloon then keep blowing up one side.. the inevitable happened. The food side popped filling his body cavity with food and stomach acid. He didn't have to die. Had the Dr listened, they could have found it and done surgery to fix it. The hospital and the Dr, naturally, claimed no responsibility it was obviously the 12yr old gastric bypass that killed him. I wish I could say they were sued til they cried but dad's biological daughter refused. Me, I wanted their heads on a silver platter but I don't look good behind iron bars. My mom isn't very happy that I am having bariatric surgery less than a year after my dad died. She is trying to be supportive but she is scared. I often wonder what advise would he have given me. I got my insurance approval letter in the mail today and said to myself "so this is really going to happen". I swear I heard "No doubt" Sorry this was so long.

I know that most drugs hit me harder than they used to as does alcohol so maybe that's it.

hah! Your friend is probably an awesome friend. My life long best friend is a recovering alcohol and I bought her the same bracelet. 😉🤣

According to this: https://myhealth.alberta.ca/bariatric-surgery/after-your-surgery/smoking-vaping-and-drinking-alcohol-after-bariatric-surgery it says : Can I smoke or vape after bariatric surgery? It’s best not to smoke or vape any substance after surgery. This includes tobacco, tobacco-like products, and cannabis. These products can cause problems with your heart and lungs. Smoking after bariatric surgery can also cause stomach ulcers.

Im told myself i’d do a 2wk stint of low-carbing starting today to get myself bikini ready for an upcoming vacay at the end of the month. (while i am no longer a card-carrying ultra-low carber these days, i do acknowledge the drastic effect it has on my appearance when i do, which, in my opinion, is for the better as I think my body looks so much less “puffy” when deprived of carbohydrates). Plus I anticipate many an alcoholic drink to be consumed on vacay so it’ll all even out in the end anyway, lol. But I digress. Mr comes home with my absolute favourite brand of Jamaican Beef Patty (perfect amount of spice and sauciness of filling, as well as my preferred pastry makeup: not too, too flaky on the outside and chewy/soft just under the surface…how that for a description!?! Lol) So low-carbing be damned! I split one with Mr. 190 calories for 1/2 the patty. 🤤