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Thanks for all your responses (both here and via PM). Although I'm months away from venturing into social drinking waters, I'm thinking about how I'll proceed when that day comes. I have been enjoying (greatly) a spicy Virgin Mary around "Cocktail Hour" and I'm thinking that when I'm ready to give alcohol a test drive, I'll start by adding a little vodka and seeing how it goes (I'm thinking a half shot or so). Any bloody mary drinkers out there try this this approach?

My nutritionist said no sugar alcohol or at least for the first couple weeks.

So I am six weeks out from surgery this week and I can do each and every one of the things on this list. You have a lot of stipulations it seems. I've eaten bread (probably shouldn't have yet) I've had fruit. I've had vegetables also. They are actually recommended in my plan. I'm not a drinker so I have not had any alcohol. There will be a period after surgery that you are unable to do these things but I guess it would be a matter of losing the weight once and for all and what you ARE actually willing to do to make that happen. The benefits for me far outweighed any of the OMG I'll never be able to do this again in my life. I was a Pepsi lover, I can never have a Pepsi again and I'm okay with that because if that means that I'll be healthy then oh well to heck with Pepsi. I am a stomach sleeper who could not do so for the first four weeks after surgery but I can now, I have no issues sleeping on my side or my stomach. Also from what I understand all patients are prescribed reflux meds after surgery and told to take them for two months. At least we were.... I hope you make the right decision for you for the right reason's.

There are no guarantees. Some people have issues with reflux, others don't. Some people get sick other don't. Even though you are self pay, I would locate and attend an informational seminar in your area. Most of your concerns are covered at those. Additionally these are the type of questions to take when you meet the surgeon. Ask them about these and what they will do to prevent this from happening. Personally speaking I had no issues with pain, or food. I go out to eat regularly, I drink alcohol on occasion. I don't eat a lot of bread, but that it not because I get sick, it's a conscious choice. I have had a truly uneventful, relatively easy first year, but I work at it every single day. I work out, I monitor what I eat as opposed to the mindless eat I used to do, and I take my Vitamins & supplements regularly. For the most part there is nothing I ate pre-op that I can't eat now. Only the amounts have changed. My last bit of advice would be to make a list of things your ARE willing to do to change your life and make this surgery a success. In short, how will you use this tool to not only ensure that your lose weight and stay healthy, but also that you can maintain the weight loss. If you don't have any changes you are willing to make for this to happen, you may want to save your money.

Just to mention this since I don't see it above, pay attention the sugar alcohols in whatever shakes you buy. Too much of those have a laxative effect. Ask me how I know...

OK so my husband has finally agreed that I can have the sleeve and we will pay for it. Hard decision and he told me he even thought about leaving me. Let me explain, so we paid for the balloon, I lost weight and put it back. Then the band lost weight (all of it) now put back 20lbs the band failed. I want to go ahead with the sleeve but here is what I did not want; Reflux Can't sleep on my side Sick with everything I eat Can't eat chicken Can't eat bread Never have a cheese and tomatoe sandwich Can't eat fruit Can't eat vegetables Not much fun at a restaurant Can't drink alcohol Should I really go for the sleeve? Will these symptoms come back???

I'm no expert...but my basic understanding is Sugar alcohols are derivatives from sugar used in sugar free products to sweeten things. Instead of ending in -ose (like glucose) it ends in -ol. (I think Sorbitol is one). Some people dump on sugar alcohols. (I don't). I've never been told they are not allowed by my team. Other find sugar alcohols make them bloated.

What is sugar alcohol? Can we have it or not? I am reading conflicting information. Thanks!

Today marks three months since I had RNY. I have lost 75 pounds (pre and post op) and dropped 3 or 4 sizes (depends on if its a top or pants). I feel really good. My blood pressure is normal. My joints don't hurt. I can walk briskly and up flights of stairs without getting out of breath. And I feel like I "fit" in this world better. A few observations: * This has been a huge learning experience. While I would do it again, it has not come without its hiccups. I am still testing and trying foods that I used to be able to eat. If anything makes me feel bad, I don't eat it again. * I am losing about 3 pounds a week, consistently. I have not had a significant stall. * Anything high in sugar makes my heart race and causes me to sweat. Anything high in fat gives me diarrhea. These are HUGE incentives to not eat those foods. I HATE how they make me feel. * I love, love, LOVE fresh fruit. More than I ever did before surgery. Holy moley, love it! * I can eat different quantities of different foods. Example: I can eat a lot more Soup and salad at one sitting that beef. * I have had the foamies three or four times. They lasted for about 10 minutes. Way not fun, but you get through it. * I have tried alcohol. I don't like how it makes me feel, at all. So, no more. Just not worth it. * I decided to stay off caffeine. It was so difficult to get off caffeinated coffee before surgery that I never want to go through that again. * I still can gulp Water. Yummo! * I have NOT exercised intentionally. I make a point of walking more, but I'm not someone who loves to exercise for exercise sake. That said, I did go out canoeing with my hubby this summer and had a blast. A kayak is on my to-buy list for next summer. * People (e.g. spouse) may get sick of your pro-active weight loss updates. My husband has been hugely supportive but telling him every other day that I've lost another pound gets old after awhile. I've stopped doing that, and let him ask me how I'm doing (which he does). * This really is an individual journey. You have to find what works best for you. What one person can eat, you may not be able to eat. And no matter what others think about your weight loss journey, the most important opinion is yours.

Okay I am not saying follow my example and for others this is what I did my body my way! 1. 3 months and yes that is one on the longest time I gone without a drink. No I'm not alcoholic and I only drink at times! Vodka, Rum, Brandy, ect! I would say do the research and decide for yourself! 2. No 3. No 4. No I don't drink every day or every week! I am sleeved and I am carful not to consume too much!

Ok, I admit it... I’ve been slack. For the past six weeks, I’ve not been concentrating on ANYTHING related to my post-sleeving care. I’ve not been making sure I’m having enough protein… I’ve not been getting all my Water in… I’ve not been thinking about what I eat.. Yes, I’ve still been going to the gym… Yes, I’ve still been losing weight… But what if I’d stuck to my plan all along and kept up the water/protein/good food thing? How much further along would I have been? Relatively speaking, six weeks is a long time. It’s 17(ish)% of my sleeved life. 17%. It doesn’t sound like much. It’s not even a fifth of something. But think about this… What if I was 17% ahead of where I am with my weight loss… What if, instead of being thrilled that I’ve lost 150lb, I was celebrating losing 175.5 lb. That’s nearly 80kg in my terms. And it’s 17% more… But fear not… I know what the reality is… The reality is that I’ve nobody to blame but myself. I chose to not get my Protein in… I chose to not keep check on my water… I chose to not watch my calories… (And I also chose to drink alcohol a few times in there too… Shhhhhh) Well you know what… I’m choosing again. Actually, I chose it last week. That’s when I started a countdown in my profile feed. To those who noticed it, it would have been random and quite possibly, nonsensical. But to me, it was making a choice. Re-making a choice. Call it a do-over.. A re-launch.. Call it whatever you like As of 0445 this morning (when I woke up), I’ve taken responsibility for myself again. No more coasting thru this sleeved life.. No more taking losing weight for granted.. No more forgetting where I came from.. What I came from… How far I’ve come… This sleeve shit is NOT easy!! This sleeve shit is NOT cheating!! I have lost this weight… Me.. Nobody else… And you know what? I’m about to lose a whole lot fu***ng more!!!

It is not expected to cause dumping but that doesn't mean that Sugar Free doesn't have sugar alcohols and those have been known to cause dumping. I drink sugar free drinks, eat sugar free puddings, popscicles, Jell-O, some ice creams and yogurts; I have never experienced dumping. And to be fair I've had a few items (very little) that had plain ol' white sugar. No issues. Everyone is different.

1- I waited about 6 - 8 weeks 2- I have had no medical issues at all. And alcohol do not effect my surgery. 3- I have not gained any weight attributed to alcohol, I'm down 75 lbs. And still loosing!! 4- I'm not an alcoholic! And have not developed alcoholism.. lol I'm not addicted. I enjoy spirits. And I drink coffee too!

I think there's tons of support on this board. I truly do. I give it, and I get it. There are a lot of people here looking for help and support through what is a challenging adventure. Some of them are sincerely looking for information they didn't get from their surgeons or are confused by some of the goofy information they've read here and elsewhere online. There are also a few (not many) dimwits who want to know if it's OK to smoke after surgery, eat ice cream during the soft food phase, drink alcohol the first month post-op, and eat potato chips instead of Protein because protein is so yucky. I'll readily admit that supporting dimwits is not my superpower. Therefore, somebody else here needs to pick up the slack and take care of the dimwits. Thank you.

I've noticed this bizarre trend of people getting crappy when they don't get positive reinforcement and validation for their poor choices regarding food, drugs and alcohol. They start accusing people of bullying, not answering the question they asked "appropriately", being meanies, acting "holier than thou", etc. I try to chalk it up to hormones, hanger, lack of good nutrition (especially based on the questions they are asking), etc. but sometimes it's really hard not to say what I'm really thinking.

Hope you get some help for your health issues. Even if they are not caused by the alcohol your weightloss will definitely suffer eventually from the alcohol.

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.