Search the Community

Interesting. This doesn't sound like my experience at all. I have consumed various things in my life -- food, alcohol, drugs -- that were very unhealthy for me, but there was nothing that I couldn't "put down" and nothing that I ever "obsessed over." Mostly I have bad habits and get into trouble when I'm bored! Thanks for the input. It's always interesting to me to understand how other people "experience life" (if that makes any sense).

It takes 6 - 8 weeks for your stomach to fully heal. Some will say hey, it's okay go for it, I did. Some people drink Soda and alcohol immediately too, but do you really want to take a chance? What you do with your body is your own thing, but I do want you to be fully informed. You think you won't be able to finish a small, but popcorn is a slider food. If you wanted to, I truly believe you could finish the entire Large bag at 5 weeks. Eating popcorn, does this mean you are going to buy a drink with it too? That will make the popcorn slide down so much easier. Popcorn melts in your mouth basically, the oils will lubricate it and you will basically have a clod of kernel and seeds in your tummy, but it won't make you full until you are way past a small bag and I truly believe you will easily be able to finish off the large popcorn. AMC's 16-cup large popcorn is 1,030 calories and 57 grams of saturated fat and 98 grams of carbohydates!! This is not taking into account any extra sodium or extra butter. Popcorn doesn't take up much room in your stomach, you will feel no restrictions from eating it and you will be extremely surprised, you will suffer later for it most likely, but not while you are eating it. If I were you, I would wait a few months out until you try the popcorn. At 6 weeks out, I was just allowed to get off full liquids, the restriction is never there for things like chips, popcorn etc. that's why you are suppose to be getting in your Proteins which will make you feel the restriction and the carbohydrates from a small bag of popcorn isn't going to make you feel the restriction. In the end it's up to you to give yourself the time to heal. This isn't a diet, it's a way of life. When you are completely healed inside and you truly have the self-control you need to handle a slider food like popcorn, go for it.

Hi there, I wouldn't get too worked up about this, you're body has been through allot recently and it needs time to settle into a routine. You do need to eat to loose weight though, if you starve the body, it will hold on to any reserves it can to survive. So keep your metablic rate up by eating small and often. Watch what you're drinking too, fruit juices are especially high in calories and alcohol.!! Keep your chin up, you're not alone in this, lots of people suffer the same as you. I have too!! Lynsay, Aberdeen, Scotland xx

O.O NO beer? I didn't realize that. I knew we had to do alcohol in extreme moderation but no beer at all that will be tough.

I did too and I didn't take benadryl because I assumed it was because of normal healing (like any other itchy cut) so I very carefully cleaned the areas with alcohol and it helped a ton.

Me personally, I like not having coffee (or alcohol) any more. I even tried a little of both and don't see any reason to bother.

Using Adkin's treats that contain sugar alcohol does not seem to affect my blood sugar levels and my diabetes still remains in remission. I consider it to be an acceptable alternative. I had a RNY and it may affect individuals with the Sleeve differently. I have heard that if you consume 5 or 6 sugar free gummy bears, that it can lead to an immediate trip to the restroom.

I've had two UTI's after my sleeve surgery. One at about 3 months post op and the other just a few weeks after that. I had a few trips to the ER because of some pain... I was having trouble with constipation at the time and my hernias were giving me pain. Anyway, while I was in the ER they did the urine tests and found UTI's both times. They also said I was dehydrated, and I had to stay all day to get IV fluids. I remember thinking that I thought I had been getting in plenty of liquids. I guess I wasn't. So my suggestion is to get over your 64 ounces of fluids a day, and if you are drinking alcohol, remember that it will dry you out. Be sure to drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids. Hope the UTI's stop bothering you soon.

Found this great eArticle regarding ways to enjoy some of everyone's favorite alcoholic beverages in a reduced calorie manor. Just thought I would share - also remember that Bacardi makes a lite rum (almost 50% calorie reduction) Here are the drinks: Thanks to the dozens of different diet crazes, we are all abundantly aware of carbs, protein, and fat, and we all have different opinions on which is the most evil. But we forget that alcohol has calories too, specifically 7 calories per gram—more than carbs or protein and almost as much as fat. What does this mean for you? It means that it's a challenge to burn off alcohol, especially when it's mixed with yummy sugary ingredients. The most obvious solution is abstinence, but what fun would that be? Since we cannot remove the alcohol from the recipe, let's remove the excess calories from some popular summer drinks. Here are six summer cocktails and recipes to make them waist friendly. Margarita. The enemy in the margarita is the margarita mix. There are "light" versions out there, but the taste is less than extraordinary. Here is another option that will cut your calories in half without sacrificing flavor. Ingredients: 3 oz. light limeade (either the Minute Maid® version or your own, made with limes, water, and a sugar substitute) Lime juice (one lime) 2 oz. tequila 1.5 oz. triple sec Ice Either pour over ice or blend with ice. Add salt to taste. Sip while pretending you are on a beach in Mexico, and you look amazing in your swimsuit. Calories before: 435 Calories now: 180 Cosmopolitan. The sneaky trickster here is regular cranberry juice, which should be called sugar with cranberry flavoring. This light version uses only one type of alcohol, which drastically cuts your calorie count. Ingredients: 3 oz. light cranberry juice drink 1 oz. raspberry vodka Squeeze of lime Lime twist, as garnish Shake together with ice. Strain ice cubes and pour into fancy fluted glass. Look incredibly trendy and thin at the same time. Calories before: 413 Calories now: 98 Tipsy Arnold Palmer. Sweetened bottled versions of lemonade and iced tea can be pretty loaded with sugar. However, if we brew our own iced tea and squeeze our own lemons, with a bit of sugar substitute and 2 ounces of vodka, we can make a really tasty cocktail that doesn't have so many calories. Or, the light Minute Maid version and some diet iced tea will work for the domestically challenged. Ingredients: 3 oz. light lemonade (or juice of one lemon plus 3 oz. water and sugar substitute) 3 oz. diet iced tea (or 2 teabags steeped in 3 oz. water) 2 oz. vodka Sprig of mint (optional) Ice Pour over ice. Stir. Enjoy. Just don't try to play golf after two of these. Calories before: 156 Calories now: 71 Strawberry daiquiri. Nothing says vacation like a drink that a little umbrella will stand up in. Sugar, yet again, is the culprit. Try this version for a vacation flashback that will be reminiscent of the good times, and not of how you ordered seconds of dessert. Ingredients: 1/2 cup sliced strawberries 1 Tbsp. lime juice 1.5 oz. light rum Sweetener to taste (depends on how sweet the strawberries are) Ice Throw it all in a blender, and let the good times begin. Please don't consume so many that you try to drink the umbrella. Calories before: 299 Calories now: 118 Piña colada. Done correctly, it is the taste of summer. If not made well, a piña colada will taste like someone served you suntan lotion in a glass. This recipe uses actual fruit and skim milk to replace the sugar and cream. Ingredients: 7 oz. canned chunk pineapple, including juice 2 packets artificial sweetener 1 tsp. imitation coconut extract 1 cup skim milk 1 cup ice cubes Blend well, garnish with a small plastic monkey, and mentally escape to the Caribbean. Calories before: 297 Calories now: 146 [*]White wine/light beer/champagne. These all seem fairly obvious and don't require recipes, but they're worth mentioning. White wine has about 100 calories in a 4-ounce serving. And it's rather refreshing on a summer day, especially if you add a blast of club soda to make it into a spritzer. Beer comes in very light versions now, and some contain fewer than 70 calories. Champagne is not only fantastic with brunch, it also is around 100 calories per serving. With all of these, just be sure to measure your amounts so you don't end up with a splitting headache the next morning. And there you have it. A handle on your summer cocktails, without adding to your love handles. Now get out that swimsuit and let summer be the party it was meant to be!

HIya good luck with the Optifast, this was the hardest part of the whole journey for me, especially no alcohol as I love a chardonnay I stuck firmly to it as I was too scared not too, but I am sure if you had a little fruit it would be ok, how about 1/2 banana with the shake blended together.............out of interest, I lost 6 kgs in 2 weeks on this, but it was damn hard, hehehe, call in here for support if u need it........where again are you having your op? XX Amourette

Happy new year people! So I was totally going to see if anyone wanted to do coffee (think that was mentioned a couple of months ago by someone, heh) when I was back in NZ but it was super busy for the three weeks I was back, so... yeah. Hi Pockets! I've had my band for 7 years as of last December (I'm 26, I got the band when I was 20), and it's worked really well for me. One thing that I thought was rather major that they DIDN'T tell me about when I got it was the potential for indigestion/heartburn when you get to your goal weight (or rather, just past the sweet spot on the band). I don't know about anyone else here, but I had never had indigestion before I got to my goal weight a few years ago, and every time I've had it since it has hurt a hell of a lot - not sure if this is because it gets aggravated by the band or not, but either way. Heather (at Dr Fris' office on the North Shore) just sort of shrugged it off and we agreed that having the band tight enough to help me stay at around 56-57 kg (just above my 'ideal' weight, think my 'ideal' is 55kg...) was too much, so now I just aim to stay around 58. I've also noticed that it tends to be triggered by stress half the time - I moved to Europe, no one here knew, I got indigestion several times; I told a friend at work, no indigestion since. Go figure. There are, of course, other complications like slippage, etc, but like Laura said, I found the benefits have far outweight the risks. Actually, Dr Fris told me that a patient of his had moved to London, the band slipped, and he flew all the way back to NZ to go to Dr Fris rather than get it fixed in Europe. That suggests to me that any problems caused by that are manageable on the short term at least! Oh, like Laura and AJ said about the band not working/changing habits, I remember discussing the band with a neighbour who told me a friend of hers got the band, then while still on the liquid diet was melting chocolate so she could drink it... Needless to say she never lost any weight... People who don't know much about it (or don't want to know...) tend to think it's the easy way out, but it is just a tool you can use, like listing everything in the weight watchers book or calorie counting or some such. Like AJ said, you can sabotage it (like with the chocolate drink mentioned above)... On the flip side though, it is a rather strict tool as if you forget about it and take a big bite of a sandwich or eat too much too quickly you will definitely know about it (more so the further along you get). Changing your eating habits takes a bit of getting used to - I still find that I have to pay attention when I visit my family as I wasn't living at home when I got it so they never slowed down their eating along with me (my ex-bf did, really appreciated that! Funny thing is he still eats slower now - when he has time to, anyway, heh) - old habits die hard I suppose. Other little things I've noticed are that I've turned into a bit of a light weight on the alcohol front (I used to be able to handle it really well, my tolerance has halved I think - I don't drink very often, but when I do, anyway. Mind you, the nutritionist at Dr Fris' office also told me to drink a glass of wine a day...)... I've also noticed that flying long haul can really mess up my eating patterns now - flying from NZ to Europe or vice versa generally has me surviving on one or two meals a day for a few days, compared to three plus Snacks... Just little things, but it's interesting when you start noticing the non-weight related changes. I really like that if anything happens the band can be adjusted or, if needed, removed. I like that there is the option if needed, though considering how much my abs/stomach hurt after the surgery to get the band in there I think it'd have to be something pretty serious for me to get it removed, heh. Ok, I've rambled on for ages... Ahem. On the other front, I went to Dr Fris' office when I was back in NZ (the same day I flew in, no less!) and got a top up - I hadn't gained as much weight as I thought, thank goodness (scales at a specialists office here said I was 65...! Dr Fris' scales said 60... Argh.). Had half a mill of solution added - tiny tiny amount, but talk about feeling it... Fortunately I could use the long haul travel excuse when visiting friends... This is the first time I've had to totally rely on Heather for advice as usually my intuition regarding the band is really good, but I just haven't been feeling it lately. It felt loose and I was hungry a lot of the time, but then I went to Bremerhaven on a work trip two weeks before coming home and I was barely able to eat for the entire weekend (epic stress = no food apparently!). It took a little while to settle as well, as usually I'm back to normal within a couple of days (I've never had to do the liquids after inflation thing), but I was feeling a bit restricted all the way up till Christmas... Guess this was a fine line inflation, really, but it's feeling pretty good right now. My grandparents did a full roast meal for my family the night I left NZ and I managed my usual serving of that fine, so that was good. Now I just need to get the running sorted out again and try and get my knees to stop screwing up and I'll be good to go (or rather, stay at the same weight, or perhaps fit into my favourite pair of jeans again - I fit them at 58kg or less, lol) again. Heh. Actually, on a more light-hearted note - I'm familiar with the problem of not being able to fit some clothes because they weren't a large enough size (some - I was size 18 at my heaviest, 96kg - this was mostly preventative surgery because the pattern was 'gain weight no matter what I do' and the only way appeared to be 'up'... But I did have a couple of instances of not being able to buy stuff I liked cos it didn't go to size 18...)... Now I've discovered that if I'm not careful and, say, get to my goal weight (which I'm not planning on, I decided a couple of years ago that 58 is where I'd rather be), I will be too small to fit clothes from Kathmandu and Bivouac, which is where most of my clothes are from... Oops. Aldesa - I'm with Laura on this one, that sucks! Are they able to do anything about it? Laura - go you! You can do it! What's your goal weight again? And how far away is your 21st? Hmm. I'm making a nice big pot of Soup and I can't remember how long it's been boiling for. Oops again. Forcing myself to eat something before I pass out again. Yay jet lag!

For anti nasuae I keep a script on hand for generic phenergan which is called promethazine, you get about 20 pills and you can crush them, work quickly they are cheaper than the name brand and they are good for over a year. I think you can get the generic on walmarts 4.00 generic list now. The suppositories work but you don't get as many, they can melt if not kept in a cool place and they expire much faster. Also, Benedryl which you can get in liquid over the counter works very well, for children and adults. I also second the idea on Ginger tea and I use camomile mint tea if it is mild nasuea. I also will soak a cotton ball with alcohol squeeze out, and hold under nose, (careful around eyes) and breath slowly like in the hospital til it passes. Lastly, this winter I went to visit my daughters family who was in the mist of "flu" and on Tamiflu, so my Dr gave me a script to take with me just in case I started with symptoms, I filled it Luckily I didn't need it, but It is good til end of next winter. I used it last winter when I had it and it kept me from getting the worst of the flu, so if you think your getting the actually flu,, get in and get Tamiflu .

Under the influence... geeze. And yet another reason I get squeamish when people say "my doctor said I could drink"...yeah, prob because he is an alcoholic him/herself.

I had gastritis, Barrett's esophagitis, a Barrett's polyp, and a hiatal hernia. The polyp was removed. The hiatal hernia was repaired during my gastric bypass surgery. I was put on omeprazole after surgery and follow up scope showed total resolution of the Barretts! However, there were signs of eosinophilic esophagitis which resolved once I stopped whey protein. THEN....... I developed a bleeding ulcer 9 months post op. Fortunately, it also resolved with omeprazole and remains resolved now 19 months post op, with no medication. With the weight loss and elimination of whey protein, and time to completely heal (doc says maybe a rogue suture caused the ulcer), it seems that all issues are now resolved. I continue to avoid all caffeine, soda, and alcohol. PS: Chronic gastritis (inflammation) and irregular Z-line are very common findings in the general population. Once you lose weight and reduce the acid reflux, this may well resolve. It is nothing that will prevent surgery, and surgery will most likely help.

This is strange logic. Does gossip or jealousy have the same consequences as does terror? Does it have the same purpose? In fact, it does not. Terror is used to control people, or cause chaos which will control people. It is meant to cause a destruction of society or fear that will break down culture to allow another culture to replace it. The consequence of "losing" the war on terror is that radical Islamists or jihadists or whatever term you want to use, will control more of the world. It is the stated goal. There are already judges in England who have ruled that it is legal for a Muslim man to beat his wife, because the Koran allows it. Now, we are that much closer to having two rules of law. Where will the future of gay rights and abortion rights be, if Muslim rule of law is accepted? A further example: some Muslim cab drivers believe they should not have to drive fares who are carrying alcohol, or dogs...continue that logic to more extreme "rights" that Americans want to be accepted. The consequeces of not winning the war on terror are much more dire than not being able to take a cab, or knowing that your neighbor can be beaten, because she is a Muslim. I cannot understand that these are things you are willing to accept, and at the same time, rail against the Patriot Act, for goodness sake. The comparisons made are false comparisons indeed. At any rate, most of America has never been known for throwing up their hands and saying...oops, can't be done. We're in the fight of our lives, for our lives and way of life. If we can't win the war on gossip, does that mean we should never confront it, or even encourage it? You can tell a person that gossip is wrong...does that make them stop? Maybe, sometimes. I've never seen that tactic work with a terrorist. "Hey, buddy...blowing people up is wrong, okay? So, stop it already." When there is a war against your country, and your country is being attacked physically and philosophically, I think you have to try to win. Giving up certainly will hasten the consequences.

Says anyone who was told "no liquids with calories" and who struggkes with carbs. I think that's tge majority here...your ability is in the minority. Pkus,all of my meds say bot to have alcohol ic beverges with them

I used to drink more when I was much younger, but now a beer here or there or a mix is all I ever do. I do notice though that since I eat less to absorb the alcohol I feel tipsy quicker than I did prebanding.

I'm so sorry!! I'm sure there are some Vets that will have much more insight and advice than I do, but the first thing I would do is eliminate soda immediately. Soda is crack to me, and is also a gateway drug that leads to more and more unhealthy eating. I was addicted to soda for many years, and used soda to wash down many sugary treats and well as fast food. If you don't like plain water, try crystal light or gatorade zero. I've promised myself that no matter what happens in my life, I will never have soda again. Much like an alcoholic or drug addict can't have "just a little" I know that I can never have soda again, nor do I want to. Lots of HUGS!!!

The holidays are rough - lots of socializing and so much focus on food traditions and alcohol. I kept it at bay but it wore me out. I just wrote a list of fitness goals for 2016 and I'm happy the new year is here in a few days. I'm ready for the holiday food fest to end. Now I'm going to go for my walk!

I'm going to assume that since you chose to quote my post, that you're directing this at me. Helping someone justify potato chips at five weeks out, Swedish fish at five days out, alcohol at three days out, etc. is not **MY** idea of compassion or kindness. It doesn't help them and it especially doesn't help others reading, researching, absorbing. That's a pretty significant leap you've taken there and one that I am completely boggled by. So instead of anger and vitriol, the only other option is compassion that helps justify potato chips and swedish fish? That's ludicrous. It also helps no one out - ESPECIALLY new people navigating their way through their world just after a surgery, probably with a lot of negativity in their life already, to come to a place that's supposed to be supportive to find threads like these. And for the record, nowhere did I suggest that anyone should be coddled/applauded/passified in any way for dangerous or foolish behaviors. I merely suggested that anger and vitriol is not useful. Compassion, understanding, extending kindness IS. That can be done without enabling or coddling someone. Are we really suggesting that it's NOT possible? That's it's really that black and white? Compassion worked for the John F. Kennedy, Dalai Lama, Ghandi, Einstein, and a number of other amazing notable people in our history. None of whom coddled anyone, but all of whom saw the value in lifting their fellow man up instead of kicking them when they're down. Anyone can criticize, it's easy. I think Mother Theresa said it best: "I would rather make mistakes in kindness and compassion than work miracles in unkindness and hardness." Perhaps I'm missing the "anger and vitriol"? I think it really all depends on one's level of sensitivity. I'm personally not really one to get offended by a stranger's words on the internet, especially if and when I've specifically asked for opinions. We all hear, speak and interpret differently. I'm not suggesting that there is only black and white at all. I'm merely suggesting that some people only see it that way (especially if they don't like what they're hearing) and there's not a whole lot **I** can do about it. Some people respond really well to me, some don't. In turn, I don't respond well at all to those are overly warm and fuzzy. Again, we can't be everything to everybody. Take what you can use and leave the rest.

I think there is a clear distinction between sitting in judgement and enabling behaviour. Adults should be able to criticize behaviour without being accused a bullying or sending someone off the emotional deepend. I worked with youth in a Cadet program, and most of my 12-18 year olds could handle criticism better than some of the people on this forum. We taught the. No excuses, take the advice and make the correction and move on. No hard feelings. I consider food to be a bonafide addiction. Withdrawals, denial of the problem, denial of the consequences, inability to accept the finality of quitting, inability to imagine life without the comfort foods they are so addicted to. When I see people seeking validation for cheating their "rehab" from food addiction, I mentally replace the Halloween candy, chips, or whatever with alcohol, smack, crack, cocaine, meth, morphine, heroin, cigarettes or whatever. If someone was attempting to quit one of those addictive and destructive substances after years of abuse and destroying their health, how understanding would you be? "it's ok, a little won't hurt, get back on the wagon tomorrow, we all have setbacks, it happens to everyone, try not to be too hard on yourself, etc etc" Or maybe a "what the hell are you thinking? Are you crazy? Why would you set yourself back to day 1?" Just my opinion.

Hi again, Tas and PerthGirl. What people can and can't eat differs widely but certainly not everyone can't eat red meat or rice/pasta. I can eat anything I want, in small portions, without any troubles at all. About the only thing I avoid completely is carbonated drinks, as they give me the burps really badly and it hurts. I still drink alcohol on occasion, but I am SUCH a cheap drunk these days that I have to be very careful. I had a VERY high tolerance before, so that's been quite a change - my drink of choice is scotch & Water with lots of ice, but wine would work for most people if they like it. In my opinion, the secret to success with the band is to NOT strive for total restriction. Keep the band loose and let it curb your appetite, don't try to make your hunger disappear entirely. We are meant to get a bit hungry around meal times, just not starving every minute of the day. When you do that, you can eat good solid healthy foods like lean steak and salad, which sit in your pouch and make you feel full for much longer. If you try to get too much restriction, you'll have problems with getting stuck and sliming all the time on solid foods, and will end up turning to soft, easy-to-eat high fat foods like icecream and chocolate. Those don't fill you up or stay in the pouch, so you end up still feeling hungry and snack more and more - it becomes a vicious cycle. Working with a looser band does require some will power. You still have to choose WHAT you put in your mouth. The band only limits how much of it you can eat, and it works best on limiting solid food, not soft foods or liquids. I have found that, because I am not feeling that "starving out of control" feeling all the time, I have enough will power left to make the right choices and say no to chips and cakes, etc. I never believed I'd hear myself say this but now it really doesn't bother me to turn these things down when offered. I don't turn them down every time, but I make it a very rare treat. I am even able to go to parties and not graze at the nibblies table all night - and that is a miracle!! Good luck for both of you! Try not to stress about it, take the sensible approach and let it happen. It might be slow but it does work!

Blimey! This has been an interesting read on this lovely Sunday morning, and just because Dub mentioned something on another post. It got my curiosity (OK, big standard nosey) antenna twitching! Thought that I'd add my two pennyworth for what it's worth. I'm Jinty, and I'm an alcoholic. There, I've said it. I've been sober for 12 years with, for the first six years the help of AA meetings and other recovering alcoholics. I received a lot of tough love, common sense advice and several kicks up the arse to get me on the sobriety track. I DIDN'T get mollycoddled, fuzzy love and cuddles or any other pussyfooting nonsense. That is why I am sober today. There were plenty of perfectly nice drunks who went to meetings but who expected their sobriety to come from someone else. Those people usually went back out, back on the piss and a few of them are now dead. They often thought that the old timers with long term sobriety were too tough. They would form their little groups and have their pity parties, commiserate and then pick up a drink. I saw it happen time and time again. I stuck with the winners. Those who had been around for a few years. I stayed well away from newbies who thought that they knew it all because again, many of them fell off the wagon (and back into the gutter) because of their arrogance. I have a great life because of my sobriety and it's getting even better now that I have taken drastic action to deal with my food addiction in the form of a VSG. To ensure that I keep going in the right direction, I am sticking with all you wonderful, bullying, foul mouthed, tyrannical, well informed, humorous bastards who post on this forum. You've served me well thus far and quite frankly, if it ain't broken then I ain't going to fiddle fixing it.

Thinking Wellbutrin, it is the LEAST likely to cause sexual side effects and weight gain, which those two things are more important than the obsessive. Also, maybe combined with an ADHD medication, to help with energy and focus. Here is an exerpt from: http://www.bipolar-lives.com/benefits-of-wellbutrin.html (Note, I am not bi-polar) We know from clinical studies that Wellbutrin is more than just an effective medication to take if you suffer from bipolar depression. Wellbutrin is as effective as an antidepressant such as Zoloft, Prozac and Paxil, and is more effective than Effexor. Additional Wellbutrin benefits: Helps compulsive gamblers who have other bipolar disorder symptoms Helps smokers kick the habit (under the name of Zyban) Used as a treatment for ADHD Unlike so many other antidepressants, Wellbutrin does NOT induce fatigue Increases alertness and energy It is on the FDA approved list for treating Major Depressive Disorder as well as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Reminder: Wellbutrin is FDA approved for treating major depression but NOT for bipolar disorder. ... There is evidence that Wellbutrin medicine can help with social anxiety and generalized anxiety. However, it does not help against panic attacks and may even make them worse. (This is why I stopped taking Wellbutrin. For someone who does not have panic problems, Wellbutrin may still be a good option, especially in combination with an anticonvulsant mood stabilizer or with lithium.) Substance abuse? One of the best known benefits of Wellbutrin is how it helps folks quit smoking cigarettes – and marijuana! It may increase sensitivity to alcohol – or it may not – the evidence is inconsistent. Impulsive behavior? Wellbutrin has been shown to be helpful for compulsive gamblers. It should be kept mind though that Wellbutrin is a medicine with stimulant properties and there is not enough data at this time to understand how it may either fuel or control impulsivity. Obesity? Wellbutrin has been trialled as a weight loss aid and is unusual in being an antidepressant that contributes to weight loss rather than weight gain. This is extremely important as people with bipolar disorder suffer from higher than normal rates of obesity and are up to 3 times more likely to die from related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

Its all a learning process. Don't feel bad. Another thing that may have made you tighter is the alcohol. It dehydrates and my band tends to be tighter when I'm dehydrated. So, as much as possible drink cold water. The other poster that says warm/hot liquids can worsen the swelling is right. I got too tight after a fill and drank warm broth thinking it would help and it pretty much closed me entirely up for a few hours. My doctor told me afterwards to only drink cold liquids if I ever feel that tight again.