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I'm almost three months out and I don't take TINY bites any more, although I am taking much smaller bites than the giant ones I took pre-surgery. As for alcohol, I have had a small glass of wine or half a margarita a few times, but haven't had much alcohol because (a) the sweet drinks fill me up and take a long time to drink -- same as a Protein drink or any caloric drink would, (:scared0: I don't choose to ingest too many empty calories via alcohol, and © it does hit me a little harder and faster than it used to. For a couple of weeks I had a lot of social occasions where there was alcohol served and it seemed to stop my weight loss dead in its tracks. SO not worth it!!

How soon was any of you capable of consuming alcohol Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App

Yep, I have to say I drink coffee every day with FF French Vanilla Creamer. I won't give that up, well maybe someday but the coffee stays. My doc is fine with coffee, soda in moderation and even some alcohol again, in moderation. Singingpeaches you are a genius! I have been advised to mix my Protein in with my morning coffee and I can soooo do that recipe. Just brilliant!

1. I still have to take small bites and chew well. If I don't, especially with Protein, it'll come back up or i'll begin to feel discomfort. 2. I haven't attempted to have alcohol yet but I was advice to limit alcohol as it will hit me much harder now. My doctor said that I could try having 1 drink but must take an acid pill 45 minutes prior. 3. I am on solids and eat anything I want. I've tried different foods in small amounts and haven't had the greatest results. You don't want to introduce too many foods at once. I mainly focus on protein and some vegetables. I've had other foods like sushi rolls and even an egg roll. I really limited my portion and I took really small bites. Usually I would stuff the piece of sushi in my mouth but this time I had to use a knife and fork.

I was allowed alcohol by my surgeon pretty quickly post-op and drink 1-2 x a week generally. This didn't happen at first, but as I've lost weight further out from surgery alcohol hits me much more quickly than it did pre-op. It also wears off quickly, but yeah I'm pretty loose after just 1 drink. I consider it a blessing - less calories and less $$! If you are allowed to progress to include alcohol just make sure you're conscious of how it fits into your daily protein/calories consumption and make smart choices.

Hi heartfire, I have a therapist to talk to who probably would have been a much tougher screener than the psych eval that I got through the surgeon's office. She knows I have issues, my dad was an alcoholic and as we all know that is another issue that can go on forever. When he died he had a heart attack and was actually clutching onto a glass of scotch when he had it and they had to pry it out of his hand after they found him dead on the floor. There's not much of a line between alcohol and sugar if you think about it. I felt like I needed a jump start and starving myself wasn't the kind of jump start that would work for me. I think if my surgeon had said, yes you are not doing well on the band and we'll talk about gastric bypass now I would have gone with it because I would have seen it as an option that would have been easier. I know you think that's crazy but it's true! Anyway since my daughter is getting gastric bypass next month I met with her nutritionist and she was really nice and offered to meet with me or email etc... I get to go through all the pre-op stuff all over again with my daughter so it helps too to relearn certain things. I've been a Weight Watcher since 1973 or 1972, and probably haven't been in about 4 years but still know basically the point situation and have all my books. I may join or see if I can just follow it on my own. I haven't completed decided yet but I meet my surgeon in a month and hopefully my ticker will start to move!!!! I want to love my band like everyone else here, but I think we'll just be friends for a while first! Thanks brandyII.

rubbing alcohol worked for me on a washcloth

Congratulations Diva!! I am so happy for you. No one understands what the band does both mentally and physically to a person!! I am also creeping up to my lowest band weight.....only 7 pounds to go. My doctor said he won't consider my surgery a "success" until I am lower than my lowest band weight. You are certainly right about the first month but the feeling of being lighter, healther, and dare I say......sexier .....LOL is sure worth it. I make sure I visit this site every day to keep my eyes on the prize. I am a recovering sweet addict. I know that I can't have them just like an alcoholic can't have a drink. I savor my sugar free fudge pop each night and I am fine with that!!! I know you will continue to reach your goals...Keep up the great work! Nina

Fiber is a good thing and I want more of it in my belly. I subtract fiber and count total carbs minus fiber. I don't subtract sugar alcohols though.

I just got sleeved on the 14th and wanted to share some of my experience. I was previously banded at age 30 and lost nearly 100lbs. But by age 38 I had complications and had it removed. Now at 40 I had regained more than half the wt lost. So I elected for the sleeve. I chose to go to Mexico because it was less than half the cost of having it done by my original surgeon. As an RN of 18 years I wanted to share some thoughts on StarMedica in Juarez. But first I should say I chose to drive to El Paso and I traveled solo so my wife could care for the kiddos. I woke up on Friday early and made my family a pancake breakfast (had a bite of one myself). Then got on the road for El Paso. 810 miles and 11.5 hours later and I was there. I went by Wal Mart to pick up a heating pad (very helpful post op) and some slippers. I also (full disclosure) had an excellent "last meal" at JnL Cafe of enchiladas. Then headed for the Holiday Inn Express for the night. I had a little confusion with scheduling my transport from the Airport long term parking but got picked up with another sleever at 1245 at the main entrance of the Airport. I was given the name of Sergio by my coordinator but this was not who picked me up. I did ask about Sergio and where I was being transported to before my luggage got in the van (I know, paranoid much?) The ride across the border was maybe 25 min with a 30 second stop at the border. Once at the hospital, we were met by a fireplug of a Mexican with salt n pepper hair, in khakis and a blue Members Only type jacket. This was Dr. Caulderon. He helped translate the admissions paperwork for the other sleever I'd ridden over with then said he would be back. The admissions clerks asked If I could speak spanish and i indicated a little. Well, it was enough. I was going to sign their standard documents regardless so WTH, I figured. I gave them my money order and DL for them to copy. Once Dr. Caulderon came back he took me for a chest X-ray (was film....I have not seen few in a few years). After that it was up to the 2nd floor for my room. Now, I have worked in HUGE Metro hospitals and tiny community hospitals over the past 2 decades. This was somewhere in between. Clean, a good size, style was a bit dated but not more than a decade (no lime green tiles here). The bed was a later model Stryker electic model. There was a couch/padded bench appx 28"wide by 5.5 to 6' long. Was a big picture window and a spacious bathroom with shower (lukewarm water at best). Shortly after Juan my nurse came in, he said he had 4 years of experience and that he was one of 4 male nurses at the hospital. He wanted to start an IV but honestly his technique was that of one of my 2nd semester nursing students. I am a fat man so veins are hard to visualize but not palpate. Anyway, Juan brought gloves but did not wear them. And I never saw him wash his hands and there is no alcohol hand sanatizer in the room (all of which is SOP in the US in the 1980s). The nurses also wore white (standard in the US in the 1980s), which I prefer. Juan spoke almost zero english and on his second attempt got the IV cath in but, because he forgot to take the tourny off my arm got blood on my gown, bed,and floor. "Oh Mi Dios! Mucho Sangre!" I reached over and popped the tourney off for him and it stopped. The lab draw later was a bit of a trial (same deal,poor technique,no gloves or handwashing) that took 4 sticks. And in my opinion could have been avoided if a policy was in place for the nurse to draw the blood samples when the new iv cath was started, and before flushing. So I just kept reminding myself that I was not there for the nursing care but the reported success of the surgical team. I then hung out in the room until about 630p when I was wheeled to pre-op. In preop the nurse gave me some IV meds which as best I could understand were for relaxation. The anestheologist came by for a couple minutes, the surgeon too and then I was wheeles into the OR where I scooted onto the table. That is all I remembered until post op. Was back in my room by 845p and up walking by 10p. The next day was a mix of walking and getting IV pain meds. Best part was my nurse. Adalyna spoke excellent english, answered several questions, got me a remote for the TV and got me a password for the WiFi (all were beyond my limited spanish to ask for). She actually had good clean technique changing my dressings. Late in the day Dr. Caulderon got myself and 5 other new post op pts together and gave us discharge instructions. That night in addition to the IV pain meds, I got 10mg Valium for sleep. The next morning I woke up, packed my bag, took a whore's bath (couldn't face a tepid shower) and made my bed and cleaned my room. At 930a I was taken downstairs and got on the Taxi back. Took appx 1.5 hours on return. Mostly sitting in line at the border. US border officer asked me what I was bringing back and I told him of the Ketorolac (non controlled pain med) Omeprazole (acid reducer) and Antibiotic. No problems. The driver dropped me off at my car in long term parking about noonish. Then, 810 miles and 13 hours later I was home. I stopped and got some chewable gasX on the way cause the gas pain was rough. Also stopped every hundred or so miles to walk around to stave off DVTs. Well, that is my story.

I thought the holiday’s with the band would be easy Well no ……I ate so much less than I would normally ( I ate less that 1 slice of pizza when everyone around me was on their 3rd slice) tried to make good choices but the holiday food got me Turkey, Ham ,cold cuts, Italian food, Chinese , Cookies , chips (not at the same time) In addition to Christmas and new years I have my birthday on dec 30- tried to eat a time bit of steak on my birthday and ending up throwing it all up (does not taste good at all coming up Most of the time I was ok with a couple of bites…..had a few restrictions some gagging but for the most part stopped when I thought there would be a problem. It is so hard to eat my tiny plate….slowly when others are devouring mounds of food and drink Always the last one at the table..wanting to eat more but unable because I knew the pain would be unbearable…found myself hungry a lot ..then would eat something bad then pain Felt sorry for myself .mad at myself and the world and other time happy with the band The worst part was the alcohol--- i used to like the flavored beers (lemon, lime ect) can’t drink them now because of the carbonation……even mixed drinks I like with soda so not too much to drink…mostly sober in a room full of half drunk people …not so much fun Am having a hard time getting back to normal….miss food want to eat but know it will cause pain Maybe I should so back to liquids for a few days and restart my system On new years I weighed in at 209.4 --- from 230+ before surgery aug 22 its working I know it will get better but its hard Bad foods that go down real easy Snapple Lemonade Chips Cereal (sugary ones) Peppermint candy canes Cake

Thanks everyone. The omeprazole seems to be working and I havnt been eating any spicy food and eating very slowly. I think I had a way too spicy curry one night, also been drinking alcohol which I rarely do. Just got a bit of a fright because I'm so far from home. Merry Christmas to you all!

I wish alcohol were a problem... goes down way too easy for me!

Since alcohol is a dehydrator, it is feasible that one might sense less restriction. Of course, after enough alcohol, one might sense less of a lot of stuff...

drinks IN MODERATION is a good way to look at the alcohol issue and being banded. Actually drinks in moderation with alcohol and not being banded should be the way it is dealt with in all aspects.

I personal didn't feel any drunker than I usually did with drinking alcohol but the hangover was 10x's worse!!! Be prepared!

Hello I'm post op 15 years sugar dumping is caused by all kinds of things just because it say no sugar add dosnt mean sugar free. Even sugar free has sugar alcohol witch may cause dumping.

Does the vicadon even help with sciatica pain? Nothing helped mine because I had an injury in that joint and the pain came from a spot with poor blood flow so pain pills didn't really help much. I would seriously consider alternative treatments. I think it's very admirable you can admit this. I want to give you a big warning. Post sleeve, your body will metabolize alcohol differently making it very easy to turn to problem drinking. It would be really great if you could find a therapist that understands WLS and addictions to help you ward off problems down the road. Hope you get to feeling better soon.

Hi, I'll certainly answer your questions. Hope it helps! 1. How long have you had your band? Since September, 2008, which would be two years, 3 months. 2. How much weight have you lost? 70, then I kind of didn't pay attention because I had other surgery which distracted me, now I've lost an additional 10 3. How many fills and unfills did you get until you found the "sweet spot"? I've had three fills, no unfills. 4. If you stick to a particular diet (ie weight watchers, low carb, atkins, etc) which on works for you? No, just watch calories. 5. How often do you exercise? Need to start up again... 6. Does anyone do Yoga and how long did you wait until you started practicing again? No 7. Do you ever drink alcohol? No 8. What foods give you a problem? More than 1/3 piece of bread, sometimes chicken and turkey, definitely rice 9. Does your port stick out? No 10. How much water do you get in each day? 4 bottles religeously 11. Any tips that will help on the journey? Stick to it, it works if you work it!! Great questions, made me think...

You will get very different opinions. I was given the all clear by my surgeon and NUT for a glass of wine at 6 weeks out. However, like with coffee, alcohol can be dehydrating. I was advised if I have issues getting in my liquids, then it's not ok. Like posters said above, try it at home first You don't know how your body will react to it. Also, to add to what was said, the sugar in the margarita could send you to pottyville PDQ. There is a lot of sugar in them. A small, frozen margarita has approx 500 calories. I have been enjoying a glass of wine since about 6 weeks. My husband and I enjoy opening a nice bottle of wine on the weekends and trying different ones. He always asks first though, how am I on my liquids? He knows full well that I am like a well. My typical day sees at least 80 oz of Water go into it so hydration is never an issue. If it was I would not be having it. I wouldn't do anything to screw up this opportunity! Everyone is different and seems like everyone gets different advice fro their Dr.'s. Do you have a NUT that you see? You can ask them if you do. Now, if you really want a free for all fight, ask about carbonation or not telling the world about your surgery!

I went out ordered a small cocktail and requested the alcohol in a separate glass. This way I controlled what I drank. Almost no tolerance. Didnt finish the drink.

My surgeon didn't tell me how long to wait before drinking alcohol. He did tell me to say goodbye to Margaritas! :-( He said they have way too much sugar. I think the trade off is fair. I can say goodbye to beer & Margaritas in exchange for a better body & better health. Maybe you could start off trying some wine...

My surgeon's rules were NO DRINKING FOR ONE YEAR FOLLOWING SURGERY. But he also admitted it was the rule most commonly broken. However, I did it. I went 1 year and 1 week without ANY alcohol. Yep there were social events where normally I would have had a drink or two, but during that first year post-op I did NOT have any. I'm not saying you should follow in my footsteps, just telling you my experience. When I did have a drink (glass of wine) at 1 year 1 week post-op it hit pretty hard and pretty quick. So if you plan to drink early out be ready for it to affect you differently than it did pre-op.

I was told no alcohol for 6 months Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

Hey kasemcd 😊 I'm 25, I had my gastric sleeve on 6th April 2017 so about 10 weeks post op. Stomach restriction definitely working in full gear but as for liquids they go down pretty easy. I have tickets to a bunch of festivals over this summer so I'm sure I'll be drinking alcohol, shpuld be fine - I did hear from others that apparently you get drunker on less alcohol. Something to do with our bodies absorbing the alcohol into the bloodstream quicker than normal folk. As for liquid diet it'll get quite easy after the first couple days. I only cracked twice when visiting my mum on Sundays and ate pasta/rice. Still managed to lose 16lbs during that 2 week period amd it didn't cause any issues with the op. If you do fall off the liquid diet wagon just make sure that its further away from your op date than closer to it. Anyways, hope that somewhat answered your question - wishing you the best of luck with your op 🤗