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Just curious, i know what the Dr.'s tell you about alcohol consumption and I know about not drinking beer because it's carbonated. What about Wine? My friends mom is a year out and can drink wine like crazy... in fact she drinks wine almost every night with dinner. Anyone else have any input on whether or not you consume wine post op? I'm not talking weeks out or anything, but after a couple months or even a bit longer, have you given wine a shot?

I'm looking into lapband vs gastric bypass and have my informational seminar scheduled for the end of April. One big drawback is that my insurance will definitely not pay for surgery--it is explicitly prohibited by the HMO. :eek: I've read so many different opinions on this blog but it helps to read them all to get a balanced view. My biggest fear is that the cravings will be untouched by this process. :confused2: As most of you probably know, its not about will power, but the cravings I get for carbs and sweets are overwhelming. I've been to OA and many other support groups and they all mean well, but I think there is something missing. I know they have medications that deal with alcohol and cocaine cravings, so I wonder if they may find one some day that works with the food cravings, something to straighten the brain out and turn off that message. Anyway, I'll keep reading and moving forward. Thanks for being there. :bolt:

I have always been a big drinker. I peretty much stopped for the first 4 weeks. I now have drinks now and then but not as much. I am counting my calories and have found that alcohol really screws up my count and makes my weight loss slower. I am glad since I was a real drinker before the surgery. I feel good losing weight and now the desire to be thin is more than my need of alcohol. Long story short, booze does not seem to do much to your stomach. It does make me want to eat more though.

My doctor vetoes it for the first year--primarily because he wants his patients to establish completely different eating habits. Alcohol isn't the devil. But it is liquid calories, and the body treats the calories from alcohol differently than it handles other calories; it is much more efficiently converted to body fat. That, and alcohol is a disinhibitor. Catch a buzz, and suddenly the nachos you've done a splendid job of resisting for months start beckoning---and finding their way into your mouth... For me, the issue is tolerance. I eat way less, I weigh way less, and my tolerance is zilch. So a sip or two of my husband's blood Mary (hey--it's a vegetable!) is about all I have room, or tolerance, for. I need to put other things into my stomach to ensure my good health, and the real estate is at a premium--I just don't have room for it.

Well I just dont drink. Make sure if you drink that you cound the calories in your day. Alcohol is just empty calories. I never want to be hung over again.

I am pre-op (in liquid phase) and my Dr. insists on no alcohol for a year. I don't plan on touching a drop until that time and then it will be very moderate. Alcohol has so much sugar in it in all forms. Not for this chick for all the money sunk into this surgery. (smile)

I have had a drink or two starting at four months out. White wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon blanc) is my drink of choice. I am usually tipsy without getting sloppy after two glasses. Before the people on here get all judgey and stuff...We are human and enjoying a glass or two of wine with friends while out to dinner is NORMAL! We get the SLEEVE to be NORMAL, right? -- I just have to get that out there. I have read forums where people start berating for asking the question about alcohol and get all soap boxy about surgery and weight loss...blah blah blah... Anyhoo...I think you are in the safe zone about four months out, but take it easy. SIP SIP SIP!!! YOU WILL GET TIPSY QUITE QUICKLY...so stay ahead of getting drunk!!!! NURSE YOUR DRINKS...until you know what you can handle with your little stomach!

I Love this post.. Not banded don't even have a date. But very happy when I do get the band I can have an alcoholic beverage once in a while

I think it's because the alcohol went down so easily. Carbonation, not a problem. Sugary combination, not a problem. Like I dipped my toe in the water and hoped I'd get bit by a shark. But, nah, the water's fine. Come on in. I didn't want to really know that I'd have zero reaction to a high sugar drink. I'm doing better today. And biked 10 miles at the gym so I'm feeling better about myself for at least getting my butt there and doing it. It reset my head. Today's a new day.

I waited a month per me drs instructions. Be up front with your doctor so he can be honest about how long you should wait. But I have never have a problem with alcohol. Other than I have noticed my band get tighter.

Yeah, I've learned (the hard way) to limit alcohol intake since the sleeve. Among other things, these days I'm a light weight -- literally!

So... I attended my first party yesterday - an 80th birthday party! Lots of nibbles, birthday cake, party food flowing all afternoon... surprisingly, I was so strict with myself!! I had about 1.5 glasses of Bollinger (first alcohol since October) a piece of parmesan and 2 slices of meat - one chicken and one ham. I had to sneak the birthday cake into my bag and then throw it away when I got home... I ate when I got home - 75g prawns, 30g of avocado, 40g cucumber, 1 scallion, 2 cherry tomatoes, cup of watercress a bit of garlic, chilli and some ACV... and this morning I've lost .9lbs!! Unbelievable! I was convinced that the champagne would have done some serious damage. I'm arranging to see a nutritionist again - a different one this time who I hope thinks outside the box on trying to figure out what I can do to make the journey less rigid... I was also thinking of going back to my diet when I lost weight on Atkins... I was down to 5g/10g of carbs and that was successful for me... but eating at that rate isn't really practical long term... but keeping to 20g carbs which is what I'm on at the moment means I can add bits of veg onto my plate and keep that cup of hot chocolate in the evening... although I'm noticing that I don't want it every night at the moment which is fantastic!! My head witch doesn't think I have BED anymore although I'm not convinced. She went through the BED test with me and for the moment it does look like I'm not in that place right now... she said the stats for BED after surgery were that 50% of BED folk pre-surgery didn't have it after surgery. Please god that I'm one of the 50%! I'm feeling super charged this morning! I have one more hurdle to face tomorrow as it's another birthday event - this time lunch at a local lovely restaurant... I will have half a glass of wine and hopefully something simple from the menu like grilled chicken and salad... fingers crossed I make it!

I do a low-ish carb diet. I have meat and/or eggs and green vegetables at virtually every meal. I do moderate dairy: yogurt, whey protein powder, grass-fed butter, and occasionally small amounts of cheese. I eat fruit and nuts as snacks (in addition to jerky and more green veggies). Excluded: grains, starchy veggies, dairy milk, alcohol, beans and legumes, and sweets. I make rare exceptions on special occasions, but they really are rare. This particular plan works well for me because if I eat sweets or other carby foods my cravings go absolutely insane. This diet keeps them in check.

Surgeon said protein 1st, fruits and veggies 2nd, carbs last. Eat healthy 95 % of the time, but have a little bit of a treat too. So , daily I have a cookie or a bit of WW ice cream. 2-3 x a week I might have a piece of cheese, or a small glass of 2 % milk. I don't like alcohol, soda pop, fried food, or salty stuff. Sweets are my trigger food, so I try and keep them to a minimum. Works for me , and it something I can live with for the rest of my life !

I am 13 months post op and just had my first alcoholic drink a few weeks ago and did fine. I am on vacation right now and have had two glasses of wine this week. I tolerated it well. I just am not a big drinker- I would rather eat my calories. LOL

I was never told I could never drink again, but not to drink for the 1st month. I'm not a big drinker to begin with, so I didn't try alcohol for 6 months. I've had no trouble drinking wine and tequila, or anything with carbonation - like Mike's Hard Lemonade - I pour over ice to get rid of some bubbles and I sip very slowly and carefully. At 30 moths post-op, I drink wine with my girlfriend on a regular basis - 1 or 2 glasses, 3 days a week (our date nights). The good news is that I'm a cheap drunk. :-) 2 glasses of wine - sipped slowly over 2 hours - keeps me feeling happy all evening.

Okay, It's December 9. One month to the day when I was scheduled for my Lap Band surgery. While I didn't lose much weight on the 2 week pre-op diet (only 6 pounds!), it did get much easier. By Day Four I had none of the hunger I'd been feeling on the previous few days and I wasn't cranky. I dealt with those feelings by going to bed early- nice perk to not having kids! I stayed at just around 1000 calories, flew down to South Carolina to shoot a friend's wedding, had no cigarettes (I will fall back into old tendencies when I'm around friends who smoke:() I had no alcohol, and brought all of my shakes and protein bars with me. I even worked out in the hotel gym- I've never done that!! My one transgression was a small slice of wedding cake and I knew I'd be okay being almost to surgery day and knowing how compliant I'd been. I was so busy in the ten days leading up to surgery I didn't allow myself time to be nervous. I packed my overnight bag, got my paperwork and healthcare proxy together, showered with the special soap and went to bed. The next morning E (my sig other) drove me to the hospital at 7:30. My surgery was scheduled for 9:30. They got me into the recovery area and gave me a gown to put on and I got on the bed/gurney and they brought me a warm blanket. I forgot about those! The only other time I'd been to the hospital was a few years ago when I had a kidney stone. I got to the ER and they put me in a similar type of room, and that warm blanket was like the comfort of a mom. I was glad they brought me one this time as it was a little chilly, and I'd forgotten how soothing it is! E was looking very nervous and I reassured him everything would be fine. Cindy, my nurse, put the IV port in my arm and took my blood pressure and did some other things. Even though it was two hours between arrival and surgery time, it all went so quickly. The anesthesiologist came by to introduce himself and explain what he'd be doing, Dr. Schneider (my surgeon) came by to say hello and before I knew it I was about to be whisked away to the OR. Before they took my bag and locked it in a locker for safe keeping, I remembered to put on the lip balm! They had given me some kind of sedative because I remember being really relaxed as I entered the ER, and there was the anesthesiologist with a mask he put over my mouth and nose and asked me to take a couple of deep breaths. I took the very deepest breaths I could and the last thing I remember is him saying "wow, I don't think I could take a breath that deep!" Of course, what seemed like seconds later, I was back in recovery with my nurse Cindy. The first thing that came to mind as I was coming to was, "Did they put it in? What happened?" and then being a little freaked out because I couldn't breathe- that would be the breathing tube. I gestured wildly about the tube and they pulled it out, which was quick. It was a little scary waking up with that thing in my throat! I had a weird feeling. I felt like something had gone wrong. Then again, I'm all messed up on drugs so what do I know? Cindy touched my arm and told me there was a complication and the surgeon would be by to talk to me about it. I asked if they didn't do it and she confirmed they didn't. I am woozy, confused, and now terribly disappointed and weepy. What the hell happened? (and how did I kind of know it even though I was under anesthesia- weird) Well... I flatlined on the operating table. Asystolic. For 30 seconds "give or take", according to Dr. Schneider. Poor E. He got a text from the surgeon about what happened and while they successfully "brought me back", he was still freaked out, sitting in that waiting room. They brought him down and I asked him what happened and he just told me everything would be fine. HE, did not look fine! Dr.Schneider came soon after that. He sighed, smiled, and said "You gave us a bit of a scare there! But you gave the observing interns a good show!" He explained that they had just started; made the incisions, filling abdomen with CO2, when my heart rate kept dropping....and dropping....until nothing. They gave me Atropine and Dr.Schneider did the chest compressions to get the drug moving through my veins to my heart so it would start working. As I said, he did this for about 30 seconds until my heart began beating again. (Phew, right?!) At that point they made the decision to not continue with the surgery, even though he said they could have. He decided to err on the side of caution as he did not know why my body did this, and wanted to rule out any cardiovascular abnormalities, etc. and felt that was the safest thing to do. As he explained all this to me it I felt enormously relieved that a.) I was still here! and b.) I had a surgeon who made good decisions. E was on the verge of tears thanking him for the job he did. My hospital is a teaching hospital affiliated with Harvard Medical School, so they had a cardiovascular team including several fellows review the "tape" (your heart rate readout throughout the procedure), the reports and asked me numerous questions about my family history, any heart issues in the past, etc. I have a family history of heart disease, but I know my heart is healthy because I've had lab tests, tests for arrhythmia/murmurs, and an ultrasound of my heart a couple of years ago when I was worried I was having a heart attack (turned out to be GERD) and all tests showed I have a healthy, normal heart. I was kept in the Recovery Unit for several hours while all this was going on and the more I came to, the more I wish they had moved me to a room; there were people all around me (some I could see because they were across from me as opposed to on the other side of a curtain) being wheeled in and out for surgeries, coming back, waking up and retching into pans....it was a little crazy. Cindy took excellent care of me and gave me sponges on sticks to suck on, then later ice chips. E sat with me until I told him eventually to go home and get some rest and let the dog out. I didn't get taken up to a room until after 6 pm. They kept a heart monitor on me all night that was hooked up to the nurses' station and was recording. In the morning the team reviewed it and found nothing abnormal. When the surgeon came in to visit me, he asked me a bunch of questions about fainting: Do I faint easily or often? Do I get light-headed and feel like I'm going to faint but don't? When and why have I fainted in the past? Well, I did have a few episodes this past summer come to think of it. I felt super lightheaded and came really close to passing out. Couldn't put a finger on why, so I kind of just brushed it off. This happened on three different occasions this summer. I also fainted from the kidney stone episode (the pain was brutal and I think I passed out from that), and before that, when I broke my leg/ankle and when I got sun poisoning as a kid. Their conclusion was that I had what they call a "Vasovagal Response". Huh? Apparently the Vagus Nerve is a major nerve that runs from the brain to the abdomen. Among other functions, it contributes to regulating the heart rate, and can react to a trauma, such as (though I was unaware of it) the pain caused from cutting into my stomach wall. It also may have happened when they tilted the table. My surgeon said I was his first patient to do that, but statistically it happens in about 1 in 300 patients. I don't understand it fully, but they did say I would still be able to have the surgery, and that they would plan for it this time. My understanding is they are going to raise my heart rate before beginning the surgery to compensate for the drop that will likely happen again. It may even drop to zero again (I really hope not), and they've assured me they will be prepared for that and once my heart rate is stable they will follow through with the banding. It was such a disappointment to be sure. It was also a major inconvenience as I left my contract job to have the surgery, thinking I would be ready to work again at the beginning of December. Now I am not having the surgery until 12/21 and I did not plan on that financially. I had chest bruising from the chest compressions and the three incisions to heal from- all that pain and nausea and no band to show for it! I also will be banded right before the holidays and while this kind of makes me a little depressed that Christmas won't be the same at all (I mean, I'm going to feel pretty crappy and I can't have even one cookie!) But I suppose this is trial by fire: I've always cooked up a storm and ate whatever I've wanted (and drank too much!) during the holidays, and I'm going to have to learn what it means to enjoy traditions without the food element. The few people I've told about the surgery have been more freaked out than me about what happened. I think they think I'm a little crazy for rescheduling and trying again. But I have to make this decision rationally, not emotionally. I trust my surgeon. He was an ER surgeon for years before becoming a bariatric surgeon, and he's done hundreds of Lap Band surgeries. I live in Boston, where some of the best hospitals in the country are. I've done my due diligence and I'm not turning back now. And you know what? **** happens. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow. With all the information I've been given I know I'm being smart about my decision. I am still at the weight I was at a week after surgery. I think the fact that I've maintained is pretty good. I could have had a good month of getting in those last suppers! They told me my liver looked great, and since I haven't gained any weight, I am doing the preop diet for only one week this time. I already shrunk my liver so I'll be doing it to get my mind in the game and to lose some motivational pounds. Am I scared this time around? A little...well, definitely more anxious. I was so calm and collected going in on November 9. I had no idea what could happen back then! But I am determined to be happy, healthy and live up to my potential. I've spent too long being uncomfortable, unhappy and knowing there was a better life out there for me, and have come too close to give up now!

I'm very open about having had surgery. If someone asks how I lost all the weight, I say, "I had bariatric surgery last June. I haven't had a starch, or a sweet, or fruit juice, or a soda, or alcohol since then. I eat mostly Protein and vegetables, and I get exercise 4-6 times a week. It;'s hard work, but it's SO worth it because I feel great and I'm much healthier than I was before." Then if they have more questions, I answer them honestly. If anybody has a negative response, they haven't shared it with me. They usually say, "Wow, good for you!"

Addiction transfer is real, as so many people have stated on this board. It doesn't have to be smoking, alcohol, gambling etc. - we all know that this not "healthy behavior". Addiction can be way more sneaky. Being addicted to exercise and eating "healthy" is all too often encouraged and seen as a good thing because it aids "weight loss". No one intervenes when things get too excessive. Excessive exercise and eating little calories is seen as desirable. Something many obese people even aspire to achieve, being that person who "lives in the gym and eats 100% clean". And people in their environment only start "to worry" once the person has become thin enough to raise concern and/or suspicion. However, someone with a normal or slightly overweight BMI rarely raises these concerns so people suffer in silence. I think most people don't actively lie about this. Yes, maybe some people give the answers they deem to be "the right ones" - like all of us know what people in our environment want fat people to do, huh? So some people I guess actively lie/lied about calorie/food intake and exercise. It's the same the other way around. Once there is concern about a person getting too thin or not eating enough, the person might lie about food intake as well. However, I think someone who claims to "eat very little" actually is convinced that he or she is not eating that much. After all "a little" and "a lot" is 100% relative, it always boils down to whom you're comparing yourself to. Just look at the posts where people ask about what amount of food is "normal" X weeks or X months after surgery. Compared to the amounts people on this board claim they eat I look like a hopeless glutton. To my environment my food intake looks fairly normal.

I run a drug and alcohol facility. You are at risk for developing a compulsion to use since you are trying to manage a compulsion to eat. I see this all the time. You are at risk. If it's not a priblem.. it should be easy to walk away from it. Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

My Dr says NO alcohol again, ever?!? I wonder why??

Most stories from bypass patients that drink will be similar. After surgery the alcohol moves much more quickly (and pretty much all at once) into the small intestine. That's why it hits you harder and more quickly than it did before. It also moves out of the shortened intestine faster than it did before which is why you sober up more quickly. My surgeon said no alcohol for a year and I followed it to the letter and still wound up with an ulcer at the anastomosis. It healed fairly quickly but I'd be cautious about pushing the time line. I very much enjoy a glass of wine before dinner (pre-op and post-op) but you want to be sure that the surgery is completely healed before alcohol. Pre-op or post-op, alcohol is still an irritant.

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.

You can have the occasional drink (I had a glass of wine yesterday). However, you'll get drunk real easy so be careful. Also, alcohol can add lots of calories.

Yeah, the program will typically tell you to avoid all alcohol until about a year out. I was never a heavy drinker anyway, so that's relatively easy for me. The worst bit for me, even now, is avoiding soda. I miss the way carbonated drinks felt. Of course, now I've tried a sip of soda... and it felt pretty bad.