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I had one apt. He asked me question about my life, support, surgery etc... for about 10 min then I had to take a 600 true false question test, a 20 question test on drug and alcohol history and two other small tests simmilar to the others then I went home. But really dont worry about the phych eval unless you think this is going to be a cure all and you hear voices that tell you to murder then you should be fine.

Dealing with a parent who died from alcoholism (found dead on the floor with a glass of scotch still frozen in his hand) is hard enough if I have to do this again with a sibling or a child I don't know if I could as it's so painful!!! Good luck to you and your family and get support for yourself. Nancy.:thumbup:

I feel your pain. I have dealt with alcoholism in my own family which made for a very rocky, unhappy childhood. I hope he sees the light at some point. I really hope the parents can start seeking help to understand how to deal with this addiction to stop enabling him.

It might be the erythritol or sugar alcohol in them that has that effect on some. I don't have any of those issues with Quest Bars.. I like them and use them for extra Protein on days I am in a hurry.

I was also allowed coffee as soon as I was ready to tolerate it. That was true of almost everything I eat and drink. When I was ready, I was ready. When I read others who say their surgical team says no caffeine for six months or no alcohol ever or something, I always want to ask their surgical team to justify why. If they can't, then I wouldn't put much faith in it. Good luck.

I started out in OA 30 years ago. I went to other 12 step programs from that point and have been happy in recovery from alcohol, mood altering drugs and relationships for many and varying years, one day at a time, but i have never been freed up from the desire to eat compulsively, band or no band. The band has kept me from doing major damage to myself and allowed me to take off a lot of wt. in spite of my active food addiction. It is sort of like harm reduction. I returned last week to OA, and having the band and still feeling compulsive is the reason I returned. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt I am a food junkie. As an old time 12 stepper, I am sure that the 1st tradition applies, and I have to place principles before personalities. If someone has a hard time with my personal choice to be banded then they need to take thier own inventory, not mine. I just know that I need this program and plan to take what i need and leave the rest. It is part of why I am here, I have done everything humanly possible to control this disease and I can't. Maybe we just need to be out about the band and let the chips fall where they may. I know that is my plan. I am not out to convince anybody else to be banded and I have great respect for those who can do it without the band, but for me it was a tool I needed and I believe it is about my powerlessness. Corliss

I'm not an expert. I was sleeved August, 2016 after a lifetime of diets and eating/exercise programs. My weight fluctuated my entire life. I was an obese child. My first diet began at age 9 after being teased unmercifully at school. I struggled to maintain a "close to" normal weight as I entered my teens. Thus began a lifetime of eating disorders that included bulimia and anorexia that lasted well into my 50's. I took pills, shots and filled my body with anything that promised a quick solution and weight loss. All this to say I've had a lifetime of experiences being overweight. I know many people on this site have very similar experiences. I feel compelled to post about my surgery because I fully expected my life to be very different post surgery. I did lots of research and read many stories from many people who had not only sleeve surgery but also bypass surgery and lap band surgery. I needed a drastic change. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life waking up and going to sleep with my weight dominating my thoughts. While I'm certainly still adjusting I am learning to listen to my body. I'm aware when I've had enough to eat and it is well before I'm "full". If I don't listen to my body sometimes one additional bite can cause me to feel nauseous and throw up a portion of my food. I made a commitment when I had the surgery to stop eating when I'm not hungry any longer. Feeling full is no longer enjoyable for me and I'm happy my body doesn't tolerate it very well. Things are very different. Meal time is different. What I eat is different. How people react is different. But I expected these changes. If people are concerned about how much or what I'm eating I compare it to an alcoholic worried that I'm not drinking enough [emoji4]To my friends I usually say "why don't you worry about what you're eating and I'll worry about what I'm eating".......with a smile. This is lots of reading for a very simple thought and my very humble opinion. Your life changes after sleeve surgery (or bypass or whatever). It's a permanent change and you will eat differently, you'll feel differently about food. The hard changes are about how we use food, how we think about food and what food we think we want or need. That doesn't go away overnight. The sleeve is a tool. It will work beautifully if you use it correctly. If you don't make the necessary changes it will fail. You still can't eat anything and everything you want in huge quantities. You still can't use food to heal emotional hurts or make you feel rested if you're tired. You still need to make good choices and eat things that will fuel your body instead of your emotions. Many people on this forum have said over and over again that "head hunger" is a problem and we need to work on it everyday. Surgery doesn't make it go away. I had never heard the term before but believe it's true. Food is never the solution but perhaps counciling and/or a good support group can help. Any type of bariatric surgery is simply a tool. It is not a magic cure for being overweight. If you think your whole world will change as a result of the surgery I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. It still requires commitment, dedication, sacrifice and a willingness to work hard. I absolutely believe it's worth it!

Emily you are being too hard on yourself. Yes, you have a problem with food addiction - so do I, so do most overweight/obese people. I would be right back to my pre-banded weight if I did not have this tool - the band. I was banded 3 yrs. ago and it has changed the way I eat and what I eat. Food is a very complicated addiction to have - it is not something that you do not need everyday, like alcohol or drugs. Accept the fact that you have an addiction, keep going for help and if possible, consider rebanding, or some other form of interventional (surgical)treatment. I am twice your age - have fought the food devils for my adult life and now because of the band, I am happy. I will never be a size 8 or small in the clothing world - but I am so much happier, self-confident and forgiving of my "humanness" and all the trips, falls, failures, successes, wins, triumphs and challenges that the band makes easier for me to handle. Please do not give up on your health - you are still so young and have so far to go, I hope you keep on trying but also be gentle with yourself. My hopes and thoughts are with you.

Atrial Fib Can be tricky. And it is not always the same with all people. For instance I see one person said that they sit down until the episode passes. My episodes never pass. I always have to be cardio verted. I too had an ablation and had no problem for three years. I am not typically a big drinker but over indulged one time and went out of rythym. I am sure well almost sure it was from the alcohol. Ablations are statistically 70 percent effective (with a touch up). The ablations are not extremely painful but terribly draining. I was just banded on thursday and I would tell you not to schedule banding just 10 days afterward. Too much TOOOO soon. This banding is not a piece of cake either. The pain is not too bad but the gas is terrible. Oh for a simple bowel movement! The little things in life are suddenly important! amwell

Hi Cathy! So sorry youve had a rough start. But taking the prevacid should help. If your symptoms are not improving by a week or 2, please call your doctor back and ask for something else for your tummy. Its not uncommen to have to switch around meds (any meds) to find the right one for you. The stomach meds are no different! About the antibiotic - YES! some DO irritate the stomach. Try sticking to mild foods for a while - just until things heal. Stay away from stomach irritants like alcohol, coffee, tomato based foods, spicy things, etc. A stomach ulcer WITH our band is not something to take lightly. So please be careful!!!! Also, just as a personal rule, when I MUST visit my PCP, I *always* remind him of my band and the need to have scripts written that are gentle for the stomach and preferbly something in liquid form. (((hugs))) Hang in there, you should be on the road to recovery!

When alcoholics get sober, they eat candy and goodies like it's going out of style. It's another form of sugar that helps feed their addiction. Can't that hold true for popcorn once giving up sugar, since it's a carb that converts to sugar in another form? Hahah, listen to me act as if I know what I'm talking about!

I dont know who you are but God does. He knows your struggle and pain and he loves you and wants a better life for you. You owe it to youself and your family and friends to be healthier you. It is hard, I know everyone that blogs on this thing knows. DONT GIVE UP. Just committ to one day at a time. get up in the morning and say "today, there will be no ice cream" and make a healthier choice, one day at a time. just like an alcoholic, all of us reach for food for our comfort, for pleasure, it has been like losing a true friend. I chose to make a change now before it is too late. obesity kills more people every year and its getting worse and worse. you dont have to be 125 pounds just tell yourself "one day at a time" Good luck and God bless.

My psych eval was pretty easy (at least for me). It was done in 2 separate appointments of 50 minutes each. The first session he asked questions about my past dieting, eating habits, family growing up, etc. He asked a few questions that check your thinking such as counting backwards from 100 by 7's, repeating words and phrases, then asking me a phrase we talked about later in the session (to see if I could recall it). He also asked questions about other family members beig overweight and when I first noticed I was overweight. He also asked about drug and alcohol use and history. The 2nd session he mainly clarified some of my answers and finished writing the letter to be given to my doctor stating I am a good candidate for the weight loss surgery. Don't get me wrong.....I was nervous. Each psychologist is different so the questions could be a little or a lot different.

I just got approval from my insurance company today and go to the doctor next Tuesday to get a surgery date set. Hoping it will be late July or early August. I work in an elementary school and I want to be back to normal when school starts. My psych eval was pretty easy. We talked for a while and then I had to fill out a questionaire with about 200 questions. Most of it was the same questions asked different ways. Mainly wanting to know if I had drug or alcohol problems. ShelbyD

A nurse at my doctor's office says her husband is no longer addicted to alcohol. He's now addicted to AA meetings. A friend of mine divorced her huband because he opted to replace his drinking with hallelujah-religion. These guys are both just as obsessive and just as out of control--and obnoxious--with their replacement addiction as they were with the original one.

I think most of them say no alcohol to help you keep from falling back into bad habits of empty calorie consumption. I know my problem wasnt sweets or gourging myself on certain foods. it was primarily craft beer that got me to where i am.

This is SUCH a bad idea. With all the "superbugs" out there, I wouldn't want to risk giving myself an infection by trying to save myself some bucks on a fill. I've heard of way too many people who have had to have their ports removed and replaced or even lost their bands due to an infection, usually resulting from a fill. I don't know about you, but I don't keep any antiseptic besides rubbing alcohol at home, and I don't trust that to be sterile enough. Just my .02 cents.

Hi there, I'm Angela joining you from the UK. First of all, please let me tell you that I myself am not a very religious person. I do, however, have great respect for the beliefs and chosen religion of others whatever they my be. Who am I to knock whatever comfort people get from their beliefs. I would like to say, surely if God has given the skills and knowledge to perform this surgery to our doctors it was intended to be used. Why should we not take advantage of the help that they can offer to us ? It is very easy for people who have never had serious weight issues to simplfy it by saying stop eating, if only it was so easy !! They must realise that if that was the case there would be no world wide obesity epidemic. I personally have never smoked, taken drugs or had issues with alcohol. My addiction throughout my life has been food. I do, however, have the sense to know that you can't say to an alcohilic for instance " just stop drinking " and the problem will go away. I see this surgery as an amazing tool that will help me to loose the weight and keep it off, but only if I work hard at it. It has not been an easy decision to make, in fact I would say it is the most difficult decision I have ever made in my life and it has taken almost a year for me to make it. Like yourself, I have lost the same 30lbs over and over again only to see it go back on again. I am lucky to have no co-morbidities at all and I hope this surgery can help me stay that way. I know I am not going to wake up thin after the surgery IF ONLY !!! LOL It has taken nearly 52 years for me to arrive at this weight and it isn't going to magically melt away with the surgery ALTHOUGH WOULDN'T THAT BE WONDERFUL !!! LOL I too am due to have my surgery Dec 7th so we will be sleeve sisters. Keep me posted on how you are progressing pre and post op. I have to start a 3 week milk based diet mid Nov, won't that be fun !! LOL Look forward to hearing from you Best wishes Angela.

I've had my lap band for about 5 years now. At first I was loosing weight slowly (due to other separate health problems) then last summer, i lost a huge amount of weight very quickly due to extreme stress, and where my port is I was having discomfort, so i went to my new doctor who told me I had to gained weight and that would help with the discomfort, but did not want me to gain too much. I am 5'9 and I was 135lbs and he told me i needed to be at 160lbs. He is not my original doctor that did my surgery and fills. We moved to a different state. Over the last 5 months I (reluctantly) have gained the weight the doc told me to, and even though some of the port discomfort is gone, I now have constant heart burn and acid reflex and pain under my ribs after i eat (I had my gallbladder removed last year) or drink too much I do not drink any alcohol, soda or things like that mainly water tea sometimes and coffee and food has been getting stuck more than it use to. It is extremely hard for me to get back into the doctor, but do see my family primary monthly. I am wondering what type of tests should i ask my primary to order to make sure everything with the band is ok. And if anyone else has had similar problems and what helped. I'm thinking of trying the apple cider vinegar to help with heart burn acid reflex but am open to trying something

Sugar in alcohol metabolizes really easily to fat. Protein is harder to turn to fat. I'd try a little and see now you feel.

If your dr said its ok to drink alcohol this early on... Then I would follow his advice. I am not the one to ask about bending the rules because I was super strict with myself so weight would come off sooner than later. 2 years out at goal and I still barely trust myself with a cheese stick or a boneless wing....lol. I didn't drink until I lost the first 100 lbs... And then it's rare but I will enjoy a non carbonated adult beverage every once in awhile... And this from someone who dines out a lot and entertains frequently. For me the calories just aren't worth it.

How was the hangover? I haven't had alcohol yet.

In general I don't think alcohol should be part of someone's post weight loss surgery lifestyle. Would you make a habit of eating a candy bar or nice cream sundae I doubt it. Some of the people who will tell you it's okay to drink alcohol will be the first to tell someone they shouldn't eat Greek yogurt with fruit in it because of the sugar. Personally I don't understand the logic in that. Before anyone says that red wine is good for you I don't think the sugar you get from the wine is really worth the health benefits that you're going to get.

Here is an article I read some time ago about WLS and alcohol. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/weight-loss-surgery-increases-risk-alcohol-addiction/story?id=16582225#.UN2tgeQ80xE

Yes, the band takes pressure off of eating.. Once you are at the proper fill level food is just not the same. You become full very quickly. I also think it has a lot to do with what types of foods you can eat as well. I do well staying away from junk most of the time. I'm just never hungry. Alcohol is another subject. If I could just give that up!