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This is by far the best thread I've seen on alcohol on here. I appreciate that there aren't any nasty comments (yet). Following.... ~*~ Find me on YouTube: Trisha's Sleeve Story ~*~

First, no judgment here. Just trying to help you. I would definitely talk to your doctor. You don't want to create problems for yourself. You may be doing damage to your stomach/digestive tract because alcohol can cause inflammation. Also, you have to think about the damage you might be causing to your liver. Our livers are already working hard due to the major weight loss. And then there's the mental aspect. Maybe you've heard about addiction transfer, where WLS patients trade their issues with food to something else. Not saying that's what you're doing, but it's something to think about. If you feel like things are getting out of hand, go talk to a counselor/therapist. Also, try to find a healthier form of stress relief. Best wishes to you on your journey!

I'm glad this was brought up in this way. It's hard for non drinkers to relate. I haven't been sleeved yet but it's good to hear I may not have to swear off alcohol forever. I live in a state where recreational marijuana is legal. Has anyone had any edibles post sleeve?

Maybe try to find some other ways to relieve your stress. Alcohol is definately not the best after surgery. Plus it's empty calories. An occasional drink is fine but every day can't be good

So I'm not going to beat around the bush! I like my liquor, I have probably about 5 drinks a week. When I had my surgery I told my surgeon that I like my rum n cokes. He told me obviously not to drink them often but if I really want on every once in a while to drink them with flat Coke, at first I though, well that sounds nasty but after my first one I thought, it's not bad. But then I started to like them, after a while I got where every day id get home and drink them as a stress reliever. But now, obviously in having issues and I'm not sure if it's alcohol related or not. I need some advice, I don't want to quit drinking entirely because I do use it as a stress reliever because my job is VERY intense but am I ruining my stomach? That is the last thing I want to do.

It's almost been 6 months since I had the lap band surgery. Still the best thing I've done for my body! I admit that I'd like to have lost more weight specially when I read about how much other people have lost. But I'm at 15 kg or 33 pounds. I had 1 month set back because of sickness and travel, I have to remember that. I also have to remember that this is not a competition, that I'm doing this for myself and nobody else. Also that I'm only 3 kg or 6.6 pounds away from a personal milestone. Can't wait. I also have to remember that for the first time in 20 years, I'm living a normal life. I chose to live normal and not diet. I eat like other people do. Ok I eat a LOT less than what other people do but I now can enjoy food like other people do. I allow myself to have a cake if there is a cake at the office, or ice cream if there is some at the office. Just a small amount for the taste and no seconds! Before the lap band, I NEVER had any sweets and it was mentally destroying me that I never allowed myself to do anything and still gain weight. Yes I did and by over eating normal food. But because I allow myself to have a cake, ice cream, candy.. (no not too often!! seriously) then I loose weight slower than I could. But I also always check if the cake (omg love cakes) are worth it, worth the calories. For example 2 days ago at work there was a store bought chocolate cake. I like home made more, so I decided it was not worth it. I mean it would have tasted ok but not worth it since it wasn't a fantastic cake! Also there was ice cream for desert at work and mmmmm I wanted some really badly. But nope, I decided not to have some since I was going out in the weekend and there is a birthday party I'm going to as well. So I do have self control I went partying yesterday for the first time. I was a bit nervous so I decided not to go to a club. Just stay at the party at a friends place. I had white wine. There was beer but nope no carbonated drinks. I had read that some people don't need a lot of drinks to get a little tipsy so I was kinda expecting that. But nope, it was the same as before the lap band. I had to drink the same amount to feel a little tipsy. I didn't want to get drunk and loose control and throw up. My doctor and reading about the lap band have all warned about that. But I never get that drunk anyway so I wasn't that worried. I always just get a little tipsy and happy But I don't like alcohol that much so I was hoping I only needed 2 or 3 glass of white wine. Maybe when I loose more weight, I will need less. Oh gosh this is such a luxurious problem haha. So this is the day after, slight hung over as in head ache and no binge eating or wanting really greasy unhealthy food so yay I've been a good girl. That's it for now

I can only speak from my personal experience and I had the RNY procedure, not a revision. I also have a high tolerance for pain mostly because I have had 5 spinal surgeries and they are pure hell. Honestly I found that first the first couple of days pain meds helped with initial surgical pain but honestly the real pain mostly came from the gas they pump into your belly for the procedure. Pain meds don't do anything for that at all. They simply don't touch it. the only thing that worked for me was walking walking walking, sipping Water and a heating pad. The other pain I had was when my bowels were starting up again, that can be very uncomfortable but I honestly found that chewing gas X tablets really helped that situation. I took liquid Vicodin the 2 days I was in the hospital and the first day at home. After that I moved to liquid Tylenol and honestly the alcohol in that simply did not feel very good so I quit taking pain killers all together on day 2 home from hospital. By the liquid Vicodin was horrible feeling to my tummy too. It honestly made me not want to take it. It really wasn't that bad but I do know that others really struggled with the pain.

3 to 5 protein shakes a day, clear liquids all day, no coffee, no alcohol, none of the liquids should be over 5 calories per saving and have no carbs. Can have sugar free jello made from box and 2 cups of broth, or 1/2 cup tomato juice, and can have sugar free popsicles. Diet _as for 14 days.

i had a friend that used these tips http://www.findhomeremedy.com/11-fantastic-remedies-for-liver-enlargementhepatomegaly/ i myself stopped drinking coffee and alcohol and stopped taking any NSAIDs (anti inflammatories) or opiates (loratab) etc that i was given for my sciatica. and my surgery went fine. i dont really know what calories have to do with your liver but then i'm not a doctor. either way you can do it! hang in there.

@@JamieLogical That is basically how I feel. I have given up everything. I am not giving up coffee. I don't care about alcohol or soda, but coffee, I can't live without.

We've had a coffee thread like everyday. I guess that is an improvement from the alcohol thread every day.

I had never heard that before. But after some quick google-fu, and although this truism is repeated a lot online, apparently there's no clear-cut relationship between alcohol and obesity / metabolism / weight gain or loss. In fact, the relationship sounds fairly nuanced, depending on how much you drink, how often you drink, how obese / active you are, etc.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_and_weight One of the research findings includes this one: "Alcohol also appears to increase metabolic rate significantly, thus causing more calories to be burned rather than stored in the body as fat (Klesges et al., 1994)"

So, I'm first to say that I love my cocktails!!! I'm only 4 1/2 months out so I haven't started drinking yet, but my NUT told me that one 4oz glass of wine can slow your metabolism for up to 24hrs. That scared me straight! So, I'm not a alcohol hater, that little tidbit made me reconsider taking a drink! Lol

Or drink alcohol??

UPDATE! I am doing much better now. I am losing weight again, walking on the treadmill a bit, and drinking protein again. Unfortunately, I have been diagnosed with Alcoholic Hepatitis. I have lots of symptoms including weakness in my legs, fatigue, vomiting, and fogginess in my thinking. Since I quit the wine I can stand up in the kitchen long enough to make myself some tuna salad without vomiting. I still find it very hard to get up the stairs, but that is slowly getting better. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread!

Bella, you really are focused on how skinny you are. Just go back and read your recent posts and threads you've started. You want to lose five more pounds, even though your doc has told you to put the weight loss skids on. You've said you now value yourself so much more highly than you did when you were 125 pounds heavier. Oh -- and your ex-husband (you just posted) spent 8 years emotionally and verbally abusing you, calling you a fat pig. Surely, that left some awful psychological scars and affected how you judge yourself. (I'm not telling you anything you don't know, I'm sure.) And now you're finding out that some (a lot?) of men also value you highly for being skinny. And you're mad at them for judging you by the same standards you judge yourself. Any chance you're ... dare I say it ... projecting your own discomfort and fears about your new looks onto them for reasons that you would understand better than any of us here? The important thing is that you are probably going to figure all this out. Your new normal really will turn into something that feels normal. You'll figure out the relationship scene and find out how to relate to (and find men who can relate to) someone not just on the basis of how skinny they are or how much they love how skinny you are. You did good recently in getting shed of that alcoholic who kept physically hurting you when he fell on you in his drunken stupors. There's a lot going on here. A lot. A whole lot. For my two cents' worth (aren't you glad you asked my opinion?), I think your sensitivity around all this really does start with your own concerns / fears / transitions. Good heavens -- you've been through so much lately. And as they keep telling us in classes and online and in the shrink's office: "Losing weight doesn't fix everything that we need to work on." Just breathe in ... and out. Keep doing it. (Big hugs.)

One big issue is that if one of your major coping mechanisms for anxiety up to now has been food, then you definitely need to learn some new skills. Otherwise, you are setting yourself for a lot of challenges. Starting with the pre-op diet and going forward through surgery and post-op, you won't be able to soothe your anxiety with food (and/or alcohol, nicotine, etc.). In a lot of ways, this surgery requires that you learn and change things that have been comfortable up to now. This is a process that everyone has to go through. The professionals, like your psychologist, are just trying to make sure you have all the tools and support you need to be successful. Once I started the process and decided surgery was right for me, I had some delays due to lining up financing. That time wasn't a waste, because I was able to make some changes, prepare myself both physically and mentally, and continue learning about myself and the surgery. Without that extra time and preparation, I may have had a more difficult surgery and recovery.

Hey guys! I'm so proud of everyone's progress! I'm *technically* a June sleever (6/1/15) but started the terrible 2 week liquid preop diet in May, so I subscribed to this thread back then. I started at 235 and now I'm down to 157, for a total loss of 78lbs! I did have some complications; most notably esophageal spasms which required me to be rehospitalized. But since then, I had some bouts with nausea and extreme constipation. These issues have dissipated over the last month or so, and I couldn't be happier that I made this change when I did. As far as likes and dislikes- likes definitely have to be the ability to be physically active and see results. I feel much more confident in social situations and love being able to keep up with my fitness-minded friends. Dislikes would have to be learning to navigate social situations that include food or alcohol, the expense of having to buy all new clothes (especially knowing that in a month or so they won't fit anymore,) and frustration with myself that I didn't fully realize how difficult this journey would be. (I had a hard time mentally for the first few months thinking that I took "the easy way out," but this has been, by far, the most difficult lifestyle change I could ever imagine and I've been able to come to terms with that.) Congratulations everyone on your progress!

A lot of people talking about caffeine withdrawals but I don't experience them. I have given up caffeine several times and I don't see a difference, except lack of focus maybe. I was taking one caffeine pill in the afternoon, then I went back to coffee after 6 weeks. I went without coffee 6 weeks, then I slowly added it back it. Slowly because I have never had any acid issues, and I know coffee is acidic. I have never had GERD issues and I don't want to start. I drink cold brewed coffee for the lower acid content. No issues. I do limit myself to 8-12 ounces. I used to drink 24-36 ounces a day before surgery. I gave up sodas and alcohol about 3 years ago, and I only had black coffee, tea and Water. I also make an iced coffee Protein drink. I put cold brew coffee, water, unflavored protein and ice and my blender and I will have that sometimes in the late morning. I forget to eat a lot and if it is mid day and I haven't had anything to eat yet, I will do that to get my protein started for the day. It is a very nice change of pace.

My surgeon and nutritionist said to wait 6 mos but waiting year would be even better. Alcohol burns like sugar and your stomach is so small you will now be what he called a "cheap drunk".

I was getting nervous yesterday about the lack of contact from my surgeons office, so I gave a call to the Insurance coordinator there and she said things were going fine. I should have my approval any day now. I trust her assessment because she does this for her job. It makes me a bit less apprehensive about the timing. I now have appointments at the hospital and with the surgeon for pre op stuff first thing next week. Surgery is still planned for the 29th. I spent a lot of the rest of the day thinking about how vulnerable I am to addictions. My wife has been at her wits end with me and I really don't blame her. I have been difficult. I called the psychologist that did my bariatric evaluation. It was really strange when I talked to her in my evaluation. I have talked with so many different "shrinks" at the Veterans Administration that could not believe that I was not a smoking alcoholic. Many times they kept trying to get me to admit I drank or smoked so they could get an "easy fix" for a veteran. When I sat down with the new, non VA person, it felt like a watershed moment for me. I was able to actually discuss myself rather than what I considered a confrontation with all the VA whacks. I will still have to see the VA but I called the new person back and scheduled another session. I am really introverted today, so perhaps that is why I am having such a struggle writing today. I think I will close for now. Thanks for reading, I will be back.

This is a topic I'm glad to see, because it's something I wonder about. I enjoy a glass of wine (one!) with dinner most nights, if I stay up later, it may be two, maybe three at the outside (I have a non-drinking spouse to drive me home). I have a friend who is 10 months post GBP and she hasn't had any alcohol yet. I have another who is 2.5 years post sleeve and she waited about three months. I don't have a surgery date yet, but I wouldn't plan my first drink for a big holiday dinner or other event - I'd take it slow and see whether the surgery (and also my period of pre and post-op abstinence) had changed my body's response. No sense making a bigger fool of myself in public than I have to

Another issue I've noticed with drinking alcohol of any kind is that it lowers my inhibitions and I revert to old eating habits within the boundaries my stomach allows. For instance, I had no trouble with the wine but thought, "what the heck" and stopped for ice cream. The ice cream didn't stay down. I've had a few drinks since then and always ended up having an extra Protein bar that I wasn't hungry for and didn't need or some other over-eating. It's not worth it for me to have that result after drinking. I love a glass of wine a week or a margarita but it's not worth it at this stage I don't think. Just my 2 pennies. :-)

FYI, the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS - the organization that certifies bariatric "Centres of Excellence") has this to say about the use of alcohol post-op: At https://asmbs.org/patients/bariatric-surgery-misconceptions Misconception: Many bariatric patients become alcoholics after their surgery. Truth: Actually, only a small percentage of bariatric patients claim to have problems with alcohol after surgery. Most (but not all) who abuse alcohol after surgery had problems with alcohol abuse at some period of time prior to surgery. Alcohol sensitivity, (particularly if alcohol is consumed during the rapid weight-loss period), is increased after bariatric surgery so that the effects of alcohol are felt with fewer drinks than before surgery. Studies also find with certain bariatric procedures (such as the gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy) that drinking an alcoholic beverage increases blood alcohol to levels that are considerably higher than before surgery or in comparison to the alcohol levels of individuals who have not had a bariatric procedure. For all of these reasons, bariatric patients are advised to take certain precautions regarding alcohol: Avoid alcoholic beverages during the rapid weight-loss period Be aware that even small amounts of alcohol can cause intoxication Avoid driving or operating heavy equipment after drinking any alcohol Seek help if drinking becomes a problem If you feel the consumption of alcohol may be an issue for you after surgery, please contact your primary care physician or bariatric surgeon and discuss this further. They will be able to help you identify resources available to address any alcohol-related issues.

Every single doctor is different. My doctor said 6 weeks, my friend's doctor said 6 months, another doctor said a year, another said 3 months, another said 2 months. And, as every doctor is different, every patient is different, every patient's recovery is different. At 4.5 months post-op, I now have a glass of red wine about 4 nights a week. I had my first glass of wine at 6 weeks, and had one or two glasses a week for that next 6 weeks. At 6 weeks post-op, I'd had no recovery issues, had not gotten ill (or even nauseous) once, and my diet was completely advanced at that point. I include the calories from the wine in my daily food log and have had no ill effects from the alcohol. At 6 weeks, you may not be able tolerate alcohol. You may not be able to tolerate it at 6 months. There really is no right answer here; it all comes down to the individual.