Search the Community

I am not a goal yet, but I am almost at a normal BMI. I agree exercise and tracking helps. I work out 5-6 days per week unless I'm travelling. I'm not good at exercising while on the road. I track my Protein, calorie, and Fluid intake every day. I also measure my food with a scale or measuring cups and spoons. Otherwise,it's too easy for extra ounces to creep in portions and then my tracking can be off. And I have not returned to drinking alcohol yet. I've heard that slows down loss. Lynda

Just wondering, i have pain in my lower abdomen, is this normal. I also have a constant feeling of discomfort, what is the problem with me. i do drink alcohol could that be it?

I have no idea...but maybe lay off the alcohol for a couple of weeks and see if it helps. The alcohol may be too harsh for the small pouch we have, I have heard it is easily irritated. If that doesn't help, it sounds like it might be time to check with the old doc! I just re-read, and the location of your pain is questionable, about it being band related....give us some more info....are you male or female? That is the big one!!! Because pregnancy, sexual issues, etc....would hinge on that all important boy or girl ????!!! Also, with the band our diets change so drastically it often leads to constipation etc.----maybe something related to that? Kat

I found myself gaining weight. My exercise and my portions were ok, but I am drinking too many high sugar alcohol drinks. I just went back to basics, drinking protein shakes and clean food. I need to cut the alcohol and track my meals. The only way I can do this is being accountable about what I am really doing and stop consuming (or drinking) empty calories.

Also, I work in addiction. You know the first indicator I see when I know someone is going to relapse? They swear they are NEVER going back to drugs or alcohol. They don't have enough insight to understand that absolutes and extremes just don't work in the real world with real world challenges. They get blindsided when they happen and deal with them the only way they know how....resorting back to their old self destructive behaviors. The more successful clients understand that although they can't promise they won't ever go back, they will work their programs the best they can, use the tools they've been given and deal with the challenges they know will happen as they come in order to be successful. They don't assume to know it all, either.

I know a person who had the sleeve a few years ago and has gained almost all of their weight back. This person did not stick to the plan and I believe consumes a lot of calories from alcohol.

Honestly from reading forums for years, people that "fall off the wagon" never seem to get back on it. It isn't like AA, you can just give up alcohol. You can't give up food and if you would never learn to control your eating and food when it was easy post-op, you probably never will. Post-op life shouldn't be on a wagon or off. You have to find a way to eat that is easy, normalized to your and HEALTHY. That way you don't fall off the wagon, don't feel deprived and don't cheat. If you really can't eat right, finding a therapist to help you work through your feelings about food might bring you some success.

I am slowly preparing with dieting as well. I'm eating all the right foods, but probably not limited my intake as much as I should. I completely cut out alcohol too and don't plan on drinking again. I never liked soda or carbonated drinks so that part will be easy for me, but I love water haha and right now I drink a lot of water. I was worried that it would be hard for me not to drink water because some medications I'm on give me dry mouth and make me really thirsty. How far in advance did they tell you to do all liquids before surgery? Mine is two days but I thought maybe i should try to do it for a week to shrink my liver more too. I asked the office and they told me no I don't need to do that but I want the best recovery possible...

I drank alcohol 3 weeks after my surgery and felt like crap about it. Youll feel liike you messed up a lot of times during this journey you just have to accept the fact you did it, take responsibility, and move on. Thats what i have to do, im still very hard on myself with certain things but when i get back on track im good. ☺️

I can definitely relate. I've put on 40 lbs in the past few years, and I've always felt embarrassed about going out in public or seeing people who knew me when I was "smaller" (relative to the size I am now). I feel like a huge ungraceful elephant compared to the others who are much smaller. I go to the gym now, and I can feel the eyes on me for being the biggest person there. I am afraid that I'm sweaty and smelly at the gym (and think people don't want to be next to the fat girl huffing and puffing on the exercise machine), and that's so embarrassing. I didn't even want to go to my 5 year high school reunion last month (because of the college weight gain), but I went anyway and had a blast. Granted, there was alcohol involved that took away any self-consciousness and awkwardness, but I'm really glad I went! Now that I'm getting the band, I hope I will regain some confidence about going in public and being myself (sans alcohol) without being judged. BTW, 20 lbs lost is a great achievement. That definitely would be a noticeable physical change on you I hope you regain your confidence, because you deserve it!

Maybe not so much, you could have given yourself a better chance for health. Let me elaborate. I am also military Tricare/ united health care now. I started trying to get approved originally for a gastric bypass in 2010 when I noticed that no matter what I did my weight would drastically fluctuate from 135-200 within a month. At the time I did not have as many health issues as I do now. I started the processes with Tricare for them to deny me, appeal, deny again and then switch health coverage and start all over. Long story short at the beginning of this year I was diagnosed with end stage liver disease, non-alcoholic cirrhosis stage 4. After all of the treatments, biopsy’s , and other mid-evil torture processes my transplant doctor tells me that if I would have had the bypass 2 years ago I wouldn’t be in the boat I’m in now. The gastric sleeve is my only option now due to my condition and I am currently waiting on a surgery date. Long story short, I started the processes with only having high blood pressure and due to the fast-food treatment of military medicine passing me back and forth between different PCP’s I now have hypothyroidism, diabetic, liver patient. They are still pressing the issue that I do not weight enough even though I have officially been passed over to a specialty care at KU Medical. I personally think you did the right move at being proactive at seeing to your health. If I had the capability I would have done the same thing. Try not to kick yourself in the shins for making a move for better health and not taking a NO for an answer. Personally, I salute you.

So I am just reading on here and contemplating what life is like at goal??? I cannot wait to be in your shoes. You should all be so proud!! I was wondering.... Do you have to live like an alcoholic that is sober, what I mean does it ever come naturally or are you always fighting the demons? Please tell me it gets easier! Thanks, Maureen

I drank alcohol on rare occasions during my weight loss phase. My first drink was less than a month post op. I DON'T recommend that, but there were extenuating work circumstances. I decided after that that I would very rarely drink because I did not want the extra calories. It seemed crazy to eat 500 cals, and then drink another 100+, that's an extra 20%+ I didn't need. Once I got close to maintenance, I began to drink similarly to how I did pre op. It's probably somewhat less now, because my tolerance is a little bit lower, and I can't drink & eat simultaneously.

-I read a lot of people saying sleeve doesnt work after having a lapband :/ is this true? I am SO scared of making a wrong choice I guess I already answered this one - some people don't do well, but many of us are walking testimonies that it can be done! -Is it possible to have a band and sleeve? You could not convince me that this is a good idea - never heard of it and I am suspicious of any surgeons offering experiments like that. -Why do more surgeons not offer the "net" around the stomach to help prevent stretching? I am also very suspicious about this idea. There are a number of people who have revised to the sleeve after having some weird mesh procedures from the 1980s and 1990s. Non standard stuff like this make it hard to do revisions etc later. I want to see evidence that something actually makes sense, I am not interested in testing some new ideas... -Weight loss aside; are you able to drink a small amount of alcohol (like a glass or two of wine)? I drink more like half a glass of wine everyonce in awhile. Alcohol hits you harder. -Do you feel like you get enough energy from what you eat? Yes, absolutely -Do you find yourself craving carbs or did the sleeve help kill that “I gotta have some bread and butter!!!”. Because even when I stuff myself with other foods, I still have that mental “but you didn’t have what you really wanted” feeling. You will still fight head hunger, but the surgery helps alot and I mean alot compared to the band. I think over time if you train yourself to eat a certain way that it helps reduce hunger. I gave you a link already to my post that covers this general topic - eat small quantities of high Protein diets and cravings are greatly reduced. -Since this is removing some of the stomach, do you feel like some surgeons are better than others? Like it’s an art? I think so. Ask your surgeon about results from his specific practice. I suspect that a good portion of the success ratio is determined by the follow on support they offer. I am curious why some people fail and some succeed. Could it be the surgeons don’t remove enough stomach or do it wrong? I also ask this because I would consider going out of state (not out of country for a surgeon more experienced with lapband to sleeve. Well, I am more worried about surgeons who make mistakes that may contribute to issues like "twisting stomach" or other defects with the stomach. I am not convinced that the larger stomach (withing standard recommendatios) means poorer results. Mine was a 38 bougie and I have lost just fine. -Do you believe WLS is like breast implants, where you should prepare yourself that you may need to have “maintenance” done on it? That isn't my mindset. Unlike the band, once sleeved you shouldn't need ongoing tweaking. I do however have the mindset that I will do whatever it takes to keep the weight off - so if that means I need to revise I wouldn't rule it out in the future. Whether that be revision or additional surgery to correct complications? Could happen. Most complications occur early on though, so once you are a few months out chances are that you won't have any additional surgeries. I explained to my boyfriend I always knew it was a possibility that I may need my band fixed or removed because I saw many patients with slips and port issues. -Can someone have the sleeve done 2x if they gain weight back? Some people get their stomach resleeved/made smaller but I think it is more common to revise to the rny or DS. -My lapband surgeon is charging 22k for band removal to sleeve. Expensive! I already paid 19k out of pocket for my lapband, and it didn't work out. And I REALLY did try. This would be a 41k investment-- sigh. Not to mention the heartache. This is one of the reasons I am so determined to have long term success. I work pretty hard at it.

Or an alcoholic with a stack of muscatel bottles. I would hate to tell you how old I was when I finally found out what muscatel really was, oh from little Frustr8hood I had heard it mentioned. in a deprecating,tone. Like my relatives had the room to talk, I have a complex gnarled family 🌳, enterprising small business men (aka moonshiners) on Daddy's sides , strident WCTU on Mama's, That stands for Women's Christian Temperance Union , so family get togethers are noisy affairs, neither side processes any love for the other. Anyway muscatel is simply raisin wine, cheaply made, easily accessible,at your local carry-out.Hmmm?

This thread has been really helpful. Last week I was given the green light to have surgery on 4th January. It was my first visit to the surgeon! I have one week of the liquid and steamed veg right over the Christmas and New Year period which doesn't really bother me. Last December I gave up alcohol, if I can do that I can do anything! Last night at my husbands Christmas party I met a lady who had the gastrectomy in May this year. She gave me some good advice on the liquid pre op period. The Optifast puddings keep you satisfied longer and it was recommended by her bariatric dietician. That and Powerade Zero (we are in Australia so not sure what the US equivalent is).

they wouldn't send me home with a precription for the dex, so I'm still in the "test" phase. I can only hope they got the numbers that I need. Yesterday I had another one of those frantic freaker/tweeker episodes. Heh, I'm sure I'd be arrested for being intoxicated in public! I ended up walking in a circle in my kitchen for over an hour... When my brain started to work again, I taught my spud boy how to make a drink for me. He's not wild about giving me booze, but alcohol and cortisol "eat" each other, so I can only hope that one or more stiff drinks will bring me out of it. I'm so tired of this. I went to bed lastnight at about 3 am, was wired until about 4:30, up again at 6am and then at 8 am again. I am pretty sure this UFC will be really high, but I don't "need" any more high UFCs.... And I'm rambling again.

I've had three of these episodes now, where I'm a freaker/tweaker for 2-4 hours, but it seems longer. I just need to know that someone else experiences something similar to this, to know that I'm not alone. I become frantic, frenetic, like every molicule in my body is vibrating at double what it should be. Can't think, can't make a coherent sentence, can only shake and pace and move and tweak. The first time I was a little euphoric, but the last two times I felt out of control in a bad way. I don't doubt that If Iwas in public when this happens that I'll be arrested for public intoxication use of meth, or speed or crack. And not in a good way either. This goes way beyond being "normally" Cushie energetic. There is no way I can get anything done, it's all I can do to not start screaming or yelling. I spent over an hour walking in a circle in my kitchen. I'd get dizzy, so I'd switch and walk the other way. I ended up leaving the house and walked around my block twice, at a speed-walker pace, crying all the while, tears streaming down my face. I'm sure the neighbors were alarmed at my erratic behaviour. *I* was alarmed. When I"m in the teeth of one of these episodes I cannot hold a rational conversation. I can't even follow a simple one, not really. I repeat myself. I'll say the same thing two or three times, usually the end of the sentence I'm trying to say. I also get TERRIBLY thursty, and end up drinking a couple quarts of water in one go. Last week when this happened, I was in the middle of my 32 hour blood draw, and ended up with an ACTH of 59 and 60. Chris at least got to see how bad I was, at my very worst. I called Chris, not sure how I managed to punch the buttons since my hands were shaking so bad. She told me to start yet another UFC, do a salivary, and get a blood draw at the end of the UFC. I dont' want to test anymore! I wanted it to STOP! I don't want to have another one of those episodes EVER. But all Chris could do was tell me to test. Of course, I wouldn't have ever thought to test while I was in the middle of that. Even though it's happened three times now, it would have never occured to me to test. When I had regained my brain, after I stopped tweaking, I told my son that he was going to have to make me a drink. He was going to have to feed me rum until I stopped tweaking. I know that alcohol and Cortisol "eat" each other. I just feel like I cannot go through another one of those episodes. I just cannot face it. I know it is a danger signal to think in "black and white" concepts, but I'm just so terrified of those episodes. But what also frightens me is the thought of the crash that is bound to follow, either this afternoon or tomorrow. Where I'll lose conciousness, where I'll have "extreme weakness" with the crushing pain of the headaches and the back pain will burn my very soul.

I've used goo be gone to get labels off of glasses and the like. I never thought of using it on my skin. I wear hormone patches and it leaves an adhesive residue every week. I've tried baby oil and it doesn't work. I've tried alcohol too. I guess I'll have to try goo be gone.

Can I have zevia sugar free root beer soda, if I let the carbonation go flat? As far as I can tell there is no sugar or bad substitutes that would be harmful. Unlike some of the ice creams I’ve seen suggested it doesn’t have sugar alcohols in it that I can see anyways. I was told to watch their intake with gastric bypass by my surgery team. I know carbonation is bad. So do any of you drink sugar free drinks like Coke Zero or zevia once in awhile - as long as it goes flat or at least sits a bit to lose some carbonation. I miss the taste of the stuff and the bubbles too. But I’d settle for a few sips as a treat. Just don’t want to hurt myself or Stretch pouch.

I am 17 months out. I am going to tell you my thoughts but please don't take them for the norm. My diet/life style works for me and may not work for anyone else. I have been off of all carbonated beverages for 2 years now. I currently eat anything I want but stay away from bread and pasta (anything made with flour actually). Now when I say I stay away from it that doesn't mean I don't have a bite or a taste occasionally but for the most part I stay away. I do have a small bowl of ice cream every now and then. I also eat small chocolate candies periodically. I have an alcoholic drink (probably about 2 shots) almost every night with a nightly cigar. I normally don't eat vegetables or fruit (I rely on my multivitamin for those nutrients) but I have some occasionally if I want. My diet mostly consists of Protein and fats. I don't eat a lot of red meat because I find it hard to digest. I mostly eat chicken, turkey and fish. I made my goal weight December 1st, 2018 and have maintained it since then (between 165 and 170 lbs). I just had blood work for my Primary care provider and all results were within normal ranges. I no longer have diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. My doctor is very happy with my results and is impressed at how disciplined I am with my diet and lifestyle.

Faith is important to me as well. I felt that doors were open to me that I needed to walk through. I never thought I would have bariatric surgery. I thought it was the easy way out. Well I learned pretty quickly that is the farthest thing from the truth. Going to support groups and meetings showed me that it was a huge commitment. I had to be willing to give up some life styles choices. No caffeine. No alcohol. Eating food that is cold. (because it takes so long to eat). And I have to tell you, I do like hot food. Not drinking with your meal. That was and is hard for me. Slowing down to eat. So I had to figure out how important was this to me. I was living in the shadowlands. A gray world. My weight was truly pulling me down. I knew that this was not God's best for me. So I walked through those doors. Each time when I got prep work done, I would question myself and all I knew was that I wanted to be healthy. So, I got the surgery done 7/25. It was not a breeze. I did have complications. I was in the hospital for 9 days. Went home with a PICC line for 2 months. I ended up having extreme swelling. Had to stay with my parents for a month while I recuperated. I am fine now. But it was hard to trust in the Lord. I could not feel his presence. I had a hard time praying. Thank you Lord for having wonderful family around me to pray when I could not. I am so happy for all of you who had surgery with no problems. I guess this was something I just had to walk through. I am rejoicing now that I am on the other side. I have lost a total of 57 pounds since my first weigh in this February. I have been off the PICC for a week and a half. All I can say is thank you Jesus.

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 🤗

I knew that no one would actually tell me that drinking was okay. I was just going through a tough time. I have since recovered and pulled myself out of the pits of hell! lol jk Although, I did feel pretty awful for the next few days following- guilt was horrible. I think the worst part though was my appetite the next day. OMG! I wanted to eat everything in sight. My band of course did not allow me to make any more regretful decisions but believe me I tried. So here I am back on course and determined to stay on the straight and narrow. I appreciate everyone comments! Oh and to answer your question back2petite, my stomach did feel a little bloated but otherwise it was fine. I did call my advocate to confess the next day. She told me that carbonation is fine in moderation but to remember beer was high in calories. I guess all docs are different. That being said, I will find other ways to relieve stress before turning to alcohol again. Like I said earlier, my appetite was insatiable, not to mention the headache. Thanks again!

Ok so ive been doing pretty well until today!!! Banded on 11/15/2012. avoided the drama and alcohol that comes with my family and the holidays but today was the straw that broke the camels back! Between work, the new stress of a layoff, WLS, family..., and hubby moving to graveyard shift!!! OMG!! I needed a few beers!! I feel so guilty but sooooo relaxed!! I hope I dont hurt my band! ive worked so hard and it makes me mad that I crumbled!