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Well, keep in mind my experience was in Tijuana. My husband and I were met quickly at the airport and driven to the Marriott hotel without incident. Our room was not ready because we were early, which was fine, but as the hours ticked by, we were never approached by our coordinator who was supposed to meet with us. I had to continue asking hotel staff if they knew where he was as we needed to hear the arrangements for the surgery. Finally a hotel staff person pointed him out and we were able to connect. The next morning again I had to keep asking how/when/what shuttle bus was going to transport us to the hospital. If I hadn't been vocal and hadn't asked numerous questions, I am pretty sure we would have missed some or all connections. Again, the hospital staff was easy to work with and I did not feel nervous that mistakes would be made. (Except in the middle of the night I needed additional pain medication and had to hunt for help as the nurses' station was empty. I found her asleep in an unused room) The day we get back to the hotel, we needed to go down the street to Walmart to get Protein shakes and other items that my stomach could tolerate and was dropped off by our coordinator who gave us a time of his return and the spot that he could find us. We waited and waited and it was evening and getting cold and I needed to lie down in the room when we spotted Raul walking toward us in the mall with another woman that had surgery. Raul asked if we could wait longer as he was going to walk this woman to the local liquor store and back. My husband protested as he knew how tired I was, but I told them to go ahead if it would not be too much longer. (and aren't we not supposed to drink alcohol for 6 weeks?) By the time they returned we were exhausted and cold. The next day, I was tired and apprehensive to have Raul drop us in 'downtown Tijuana' so we asked to stay back at the room and rest that day if we could make the trip the following day and was told that would be just fine. But in the morning, we were told that there was only one morning van available to transport us to the airport. (consequently, we had a 9 hour wait for our flight home in the San Diego airport) Hope this helps, and again, I am glad I had the surgery and the Doctors were very professional and courteous.

Well I already have the alcohol addiction, but hope to be rid of the food one next week! LOL

I had to take a few short written assessments. One was questions related to whether I understood what the surgery entailed and it's possible complications; one was about alcohol; one was about eating disorders. My appointment was only about 30 minutes.

Hi Willow Blimey, 8.7kg is brilliant. I'm so very pleased for you, and also pleased that the dietician is too. Way to go...... Mince and minced turkey sounds lovely after soups, and yeah, I can understand her warning, see how it goes, monitor it closely. After my daughters bypass her taste buds changed, before surgery she loved coffee and savoury stuff, but since she can't abide Hot drinks. But she also has no hunger, or inclination to eat either. So she has to be careful, and set her alarm on her phone to remind her to eat. Although you would think being a mum she has routines, she has always put the children and her husband first, and after she saw to everyone else, she would just grab something to eat, therefore not having a proper meal, or meal times. So the long and short of it is she now, because of her alarms, eats better, and then feels better. But, her friend who has had bypass surgery too is replacing the food addiction with alcohol..... My daughter is so worried about her. Started back at Water workout class yesterday, bit achy today, but booked again for next week. When this chest infection has cleared completely I'll be back to two classes a week. Must say I do enjoy it. Cutting down on the naughty stuff also, getting ready for healthy eating again. Now the weather is getting so nice I might too start walking again. Keep up the good work Willow, your such an inspiration

Hello, My wife and I are going on a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean. This is great but as you know they serve great food with lots of carbs. Here is my plan - fish and seafood for the Protein, stay away from breads, Pasta, breads, and the dessert bar. Eat small amounts in 4-6 meals... Ok it sounds good, but have you been on a cruise? This is going to a possible torture test. But my new stomach I sure will quickly remind me if I do some stupid. Any suggestions? Note: I am not taking my Protein shakes or mixer. If I did those suckers would be going overboard. Another question - Alcoholic drinks... Who can go on cruise or to an island without having a topical drink. Yes, I am going to blow my carb count, and was told not to have alcohol for a year.. So what will happen if I do... I heard that during the first year with your new stomach, that drinking one drink has the affect of drinking 5 drinks. So you will get drunk faster. True? So I just want 1 drink... A day. Anyone have any experiences or suggestions? Just want to have a good ... normal vacation. We leave mid-April. I will let you about any Caribbean gastric stories when I get back.... OK, comments... Thank you...

Now my curiosity radar is up about what I must have missed... Random thoughts - did someone confess to murder? Did they buy alcohol underage? Smoking mj outside of Colorado or Washington? Lol.

I'm a lot more nervous than what I had originally thought. I have been researching this, going to my pre-op appointments now and thought I knew a lot about the sleeve. From what I understood tonight... 1) I'll have to take B12 sub-lingual supplements 2) Must take 2 Multivitamins a day, possibly Calcium supplements as well 3) NO using a straw for a long time 4) I knew no soda or alcohol ever again, but I didn't know coffee was also restricted! This makes me most nervous...The nurse talked about having to drink enough to hydrate and with a cup of coffee it'll be 2 cups of Water just to replenish the coffee-dehyration. I can definitely give up coffee pre-op, for some time post-op but forever??? 5) You have to get in 50-70grams of Protein a day...but they can't be any kinds of Proteins. The only proteins that contain the full 7 amino acids needed by our body are fish, chicken, beef, pork and eggs. Other things like Peanut Butter have protein but not all "full" proteins. So does this mean only eat chicken, fish, eggs etc? And is it egg white or whole eggs? What about hummus? 6) Only able to drink an ounce of water at a time...but still need to get all that water in? 7) Not to graze, have 3 meals a day but eat slowly and you have to learn what real hunger and feeling full feels like--and while doing this you might eat too much or too fast and feel like you're going to have a heart attack... 8) If you eat fatty foods, you might not only have diarrhea, you could profusely sweat, heart palpitations etc 9) She said ice cream, chocolate, cake etc never again Those of you who are at least a few months or a year out, would you say this is all pretty accurate? I still want the surgery but really want to know what I'm getting myself into completely. Also, is it a good idea to cut off water while eating now while I'm pre-op?

I was banded Oct of 2009 and lost 200 pounds. I was 368 lbs and went down to 168. I was too tight and never could eat except dinner. I liked drinking alcohol, but my like for it became extreme once I took away the food I use to eat to deal with life. I would go out to dinner and order my food to go and just drink the entire time everyone ate because I did not want to keep getting up to run to the bathroom. I turned myself into a alcoholic, or I could say the problem reared its head fast once I took away food from my life. Anyway I am now sober and got to AA, but I did not know that you cause an extreme sugar addiction when you are an alcoholic. I never ate a ton of sugar. Sure I had ice cream a couple times a week, but never gained weight from it. I started eating like 3 pints of Ben and Jerrys a day. Since Sept I put on 71 pounds from pure sugar. Now of course comes the depression, none of my clothes fit, and my body hurts just walking again. I just got a fill and explained everything to my doctor. I am finding I can eat huge portions again and that is scary. I eat all the time and am hungry.I may go in for another fill, but would like to work on getting back on track first. I do enjoy not vomiting every time I eat and I know another fill could bring me to that. I never snacked, never over ate, never gained weight over 5 years. This has really turned my life upside down. I am not willing to let my overcoming alcohol ruin 5 yrs of constant weight loss. No way! It was bad to be heavy before, but to lose that much weight and be packing it on is so much worse. Anyway I could really use a network of weight loss friends to get back on track and be happy again. I am not good at these msg boards so who knows if I will be able to find this site again. If you all have some group or place to support each other my email address is diana_dickey00@yahoo.com let me know where to find it on the site. I may figure it out once I post this, but just in case. Thank you to everyone that shared on the site. It has given me a lift and hope. You all stay strong. We can do this. Diana Tampa, FL

Hello, I didn't tell my two brothers in Michigan. They are in for one heck of a shock when I will see them in July. Didn't tell them because when I joined the Army, they said: "you'll be back in a week." I knew by that comment, no way in hell was I telling them about WLS. By the way, I served 7 years and a few months in the Army with an honorable discharge--so screw them. My two sisters knew about the surgery. They have been very supportive. Looking forward to seeing them in July. My brothers, not so much. My brothers are alcoholics--I have a problem being around such negative, unhealthy people. I live in Texas not only becuase it is where my husband retired from the military, but because I don't want to be close to my brothers and their negativity. There were fewer employment opportunities in Michigan when I left the Army as well. I'm glad I didn't tell them. They may be my brothers but I have grown away from the awful "childhood" I had and they are still stuck in the same patterns of unhealthy behavior. Kathleen

Thanks everyone for the advice. My friend had a glass of wine 6 weeks after surgery and she was fine but she said her alcohol tolerance is nothing compared to how it was before surgery. I do not want to feel bad just for one drink so I think I wont have any

I also recently heard that alcohol affects us differently now. Because you don't have all the enzymes to process it more of it goes directly into you intestines and your blood level rises faster and it takes longer for it get out of your system. I would be very careful even after you heal.

Oh yeah it gets better. Insurance finally decides to take my surgeon's word for it that I wasn't admitting to current alcohol use during the program...but now, today...Wednesday, dat one of the clear liquid diet...two days before my surgery, my insurance informs me that they want me to do a urine nicotine test that takes two days to process. I learned this 20 mins before the lab closes so I have to do it tomorrow morning. This is utterly ridiculous. Why would they go as far as to pay for all of these procedures, including the IVC filter last week, to pull all this just days before the surgery. I live in Southern Oregon. 2 hours south of the hospital. So if I don't get the all clear by 5pm tomorrow, I'm guessing my surgery is off for now.. just the way they want it.

Thyroid - yeah definitely go and get your bloodwork done. In addition to the TSH, T4 and T3 (If I remember correctly), you should ask your doctor to check your Vit D levels. My family has a history of thyroid issues (mom is hypothyroidism - can't lose weight, her sister has hyperthyroidism - can't gain weight); my sister's daughter was born without a thyroid (or it wasn't functioning). I can check off almost all the symptoms too but my bloodwork has always been within the 'normal' range. I understand your frustration there too. For the Vit D levels - get that checked. If your Vit D levels are low, you will be sluggish and tired. That's a different story, but might help you feel better / have more energy to get to the gym. "Diet" - well this is supposed to be our new lifestyle (eye roll). So far I'm feeling better on this South Beach / Atkins / Paleo blend of a diet I'm doing. I've mostly tried being gluten free and my stomach has thanked me. I have eggs every morning, but I'm a boring no thinking type of person lol. Are you just flat out tired and no suggestions will help? I really like doing the 'egg muffin tin' recipes. There's lots of different recipes if you google. Make one batch at the beginning of the week and you're set for a while. I really like the eggs, cheese and ham recipes. There's eggs, spinach and feta, or eggs, tomatoes, and cheese; etc. Also, what about yogurt with some fruit? I like the chobani greek versions. I tried to look it up online - which chicken wrap are you doing? The fried chicken one is pretty high in calories, but skipping the shell is a good idea. The shell gets stuck for me. I can't do the fried chicken a the breading gets stuck for me. Did you have all the condiments with it too? If it was the grilled chicken could it have been too dry? When I go to Chick-fil-a and get the grilled nuggets, I add some BBQ sauce to make sure it goes down. I'll also bite the already small nuggets at least into 3 so that I'm only chewing a small amount. I'd worry about the graham crackers, at least for me, having those carbs will make me hungry again. It's weird. I used to think that carbs helped to fill me up, but they just make me hungry really quickly. I'd suggest to go ahead an sign up for myfitnesspal. It's free. Many of us use it for logging our intake and exercise. If you have a fitbit you can sync that too. There's also a phone app to log while you're on the go. You might want to keep a watch on how much Peanut Butter you're eating. Yes it's good for you and good Protein, but it tends to be high in sugar, carbs and fat. That would make me want to eat more. Also, if you don't stay on top of the hunger and you're playing catch up at the end of the day, you might take in a lot more to feed the hungry monster than if you would have snacked more often. I like to have an afternoon snack of either yogurt or beef Jerky quite often. I eat out a lot too. There's a number of other threads on here devoted to eating out options. Alcohol is one of my weaknesses and a big source of my empty calories. I log those calories/carbs too. Also, are you able to see another doctor / surgeon to get a second professional opinion? I'm not a doctor or any sort of expert. Just giving you my opinion / thoughts to try to help you out.

Hi Joyann my surgeon bit vague and said low fat and restrict alcohol but want to get in the right mindset so been checking out whey isolate protein shakes. What's the south Beach diet? Loads of people have discussed unjury and it seems like half and half

Excellent analysis of hte problem. I went on line and took the low thyroid test and I have like 9 out of 10 symtoms.... losing hair, dry skin so bad that it turns white if I don't lotion up daily, I don't tolerate heat or cold, I had a very hard time conceiving my 3 babies, and the house temp is 70 and my feet are freezing!!! I'm tired with no energy. But whenever I have my thyroid tested with blood tests it comes up low normal. It's at the very bottom of the normal scale. I haven't had it tested in a while though. Last time I went to the weight loss clinic they did an xray of me swallowing the chalky stuff. They said it was fine. They then sent me to a nutritionalist who told me to go back on the South Beach. I've been on Atkins and South Beach for 8 yrs now and I'm sick of it. I get sick just looking at eggs in the morning. How long can a human stay on a diet?? I cannot stay on it but I do try to eat protein with every meal because it satisfies. The Lean Cuisine meal had little protein. So it didn't keep me long. I'm thinking I just have to get used to being hungry. I ended up getting up at 2 a.m. and eating a banana. I had heartburn so bad and I think it was from not eating and taking my pills. I have not kept a journal. We eat out a lot because we travel. We have family in just about every state in the US. I try to pick healthy things though. Today we took Lily to Wendy's for lunch. I ordered the chicken wrap. I left the wrap and just ate the chicken and I could feel it getting clogged so I stopped, wrapped it up and finished it at home where I could upchuck if I had to. The chicken was tender but thick. For Breakfast I eat soft because I can't tolerate much at all. I take 3 graham crackers and put thick natural Peanut Butter on them... makes a sandwich and a half. I dip it in coffee to soften it. That's all I eat until 12 or 1. Then I will eat Soup, or a Protein shake or egg salad on whole wheat crackers. I can't tolerate bread at all. For supper... that's where I think I overeat. It's like I'm so hungry from not eating enough during he day that I'm familished. I make family meals... meatloaf, potatoes and veggies and eat all but the potatoes (sometiimes do take a bit.) Yes, I sometimes taste Lily's Cookies. I buy her those tiny tiny ones... tidbits. I'll eat about 4. Before bed I eat a Skinny Cow icecream, but I smear the natural peanut butter on top so I get the protein to keep me til morning. If we eat out I like to order Chicken Souvaki or a salad with chicken on top. We have a great soup and salad bar place we like. Sometimes I crave pizza. We go to Pizza Hut and get the thin crispy crust and i eat one piece. I do not imbibe in alcohol except 1 glass of wine on New Years Eve. I drink decaf coffee in the a.m. with cremora (no sweetener), Decaf tea in the afternoon, Another coffee an hour after dinner, and Water the rest of the time. Have I been getting exercise? Not since my foot surgery in Sept. I can walk now and we just joined a gym.

I have a bachelorette party this saturday but I don't know if its ok to have a drink?? My surgery was 2/11 and last time I had any alcohol was like 2 weeks prior to surgery. Any suggestions??

I'm at 5.8 cc in a 10cc band. Yes that's a concrete number but I think the 'tightness' also varies by patient. I've read that some people have up to 8 or 9 cc's in their 10cc band. For you to still be gaining weight - do you keep track of every single bite that you eat and sip that you drink (including ice cream and/or alcohol)? Are you doing any nibbling with the 3 year olds snacks? Taste testing the temperatures? That will add up. Do you have a mfp account that we can look at your diary entries? What does your calories count look like? How's your protein intake? Do you eat protein first? If you're getting stuck with everything you're eating and chewing it really well then yes, I'd say you're too tight. Are you taking small bites to begin with? My fiancé cuts up my meat as if I was a 3 year old - actually maybe even smaller than that lol. I try my best to take the proper portion and eat it slowly one bite at a time. Could you be eating too few calories to where your metabolism has slowed to a crawl? I know if I don't eat enough protein I'll be super hungry really quickly. I know if I eat too little the scale will slow down too or make me gain. If all else fails - have you had your thyroid tested recently? Could your gain be due to a hormonal issue?

A real friend would care about you and be considerate of your feelings. She would do whatever they could to help you on your way to good health, even if it meant finding new things to do for a while. Perhaps she may be having issues of her own you are unaware of? If you want to give your friendship a chance you could try being patient with her. Continue to invite her to do non-alcohol and food activities with you but don't give in and put yourself in a situation you don't want to be in. She may come around. Or maybe not. It's not the end of the world if you move on without her. Friendships evolve and change. People in our lives who we call friend come and go as we or they change, or as our circumstances and life experiences change. Friendships happen when we have a lot in common with another person. You are changing. Your life no longer revolves around food. Perhaps it's time to move on to new experiences with new people who share your new interests. Best of luck to you as you deal with this distressing aspect of your new life.

For some people, 48-64 oz isn't "enough"; you have to consume more. Are you drinking any caffeine or alcohol (each requires additional Water intake)? My best advice is to just "try to get more", which is sad and crappy advice here. We need some of those beer-bong helmets so we can stick two 2-liter bottles of water on our heads and constantly drink all day (aw crap, straw... Dang it)

I have stayed away from all alcohol since my surgery, but naturally as I'm irish and it was St Pattys day...let's just say after half a glass of wine I was buzzed. After two glasses, I was embarrassingly trashed. Granted, it was 12.5% but still. I ended up having to force myself to throw up, and it was not pleasant. Anyone else drink since their new tummy? Bad experiences?

I saw this online in another site and thought I would share with everyone. It got me to thinking about ways to insure my success: 1. Not taking Vitamins and supplements. 2. Assuming you have been cured of "obesity". We have to live a healthy WLS life-style for the rest of our lives or the weight WILL come back. 3. Drinking with meals. The tool of not drinking with meals is a critical key to long term success. 4. Not eating right. In today's society it is a challenge to eat right. Make it easy on yourself. Don't skip meals, don't keep unhealthy Snacks around, feed yourself at regular intervals so you won't make poor choices about meals. Consider having some personal absolutes such as: avoid all fried foods, avoid all sugary foods, always use low-fat options, or only eat in a restaurant once per week. 5. Not Drinking enough Water. Most WLS patients are at risk for dehydration. Drinking a minimum of 64oz per day will help you to avoid this risk. Drinking water flushes out your system, helps you lose weight and avoid kidney stones. 6. Grazing. Nibbling small amounts here and there throughout the day can make your weight creep up. Make a plan for what you will do when you crave food so you will do something constructive that will not involve eating. 7. Not exercising regularly. Exercise is one of the best weapons a WLS patient has to fight regain. It boosts your spirits and keeps our metabolism running strong. When you exercise you build muscle. The more muscle you have the more calories you will burn even at rest. 8. Eating the wrong carbs (or too many). Face it, refined carbs are addictive. If you eat them you will only crave more of them. Eat complex carbs. 9. Drinking Sodas. Some people claim that drinking sodas stretched their pouches. What we know for sure is that sodas keep you from getting hydration you need after WLS. Diet soda has been connected to weight gain in the general population. Find other drinks to fall in love with. 10. Drinking Alcohol. If you drank alcohol before WLS you will probably want to drink it post surgery. Most surgeons recommend waiting one year after surgery before drinking. Be very cautious, you may get drunker quicker which can cause health problems and put you in dangerous situations. Alcohol is connected to weight gain because it has 7 calories per gram where Protein and vegetables only have 4 calories per gram. It is noted that some people develop ad addiction to alcohol after WLS so be very cautious. If you notice a problem, contact your doctor.

If it was as easy as "just dieting" and "eat less, exercise more" t there would be no fat people. Telling an overweight person to just exercise more and eat less is like telling an alcoholic to "just drink less" or a drug addict to "just dope up less". With drugs and alcohol, you can abstain from them to help keep your addiction in check. food isn't like that. With food you have to eat it in order to live. So life as a food addict (which is why/how I gained so much weight) is like being an alcoholic or drug addict who has to drink/take drugs 3 times a day to sustain life. Anyway don't listen to people like that. You do what works for you. For some people, dieting/eating better works well. For others, it doesn't. Take my friend and I. She went to college, became a Vegan and lost 60lbs and has kept most of it off for the last 10 years. I went to the same college and tried every diet there was (weight watchers, slim fast, starving myself, Lemonade Diet, working out 3 hrs a day while taking Phentermine, etc) and I ended up packing on 100 lbs in the last 10 years. Based off my own experience, I feel most overweight/obese people are that size due in part to genetics, but a lot of it is unresolved issues and we're using food to help us cope. Also overeating is as American as apple pie. Most of our holidays, milestones and comfort are food-centered (Christmas, birthdays, funerals, family get together, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, etc) so many of us come to equate food with love and community.

I appreciate your responses... I still have not heard from my insurance..surprise surprise.. my surgeon's team says that my insurance only says I can't abuse alcohols or drink regularly. So they want to fight it on that. I'm just in shock and can't believe they waited until 3 freaking days before, to tell me they have an issue. How do I find out if I have a or who my state insurance representative is? Like an advocate? I have a case worker but they never let me talk to the. I don't even know who it is. Very small town, plus, I'm the first person in my area to get bariatric surgery on state insurance. So I should have seen this coming.

PdxMan - so well put. Many relationships are based on sharing these types of things together; drinking, drugs, food, etc. When one person stops doing it, the whole dynamic changes. Years ago, the last time I dropped 90 pounds, I myself no longer enjoyed spending time with one of my very good friends. We used to sit & eat, drink, smoke pot.....for years. When I stopped doing all of it and reclaimed my life, it was no longer fun to hang out with people doing it. She is a good enough friend that my absence didn't end the relationship. But her feeling was, it's fine if you don't want to partake in whatever, but I'm still comfortable doing what I'm doing. We no longer spent the same kind of time together, and saw each other much less. I went in a whole other direction, and at a different point in her life, so did she. Anyway......that friendship remained, but others were lost. My friend's (same friend) sister is a full blown alcoholic. Her husband is a pot head/drinker. This is what they've done together since they met. She goes through periods of wanting to get help and stop drinking, but she also knows that the marriage will end. They have an autistic child, and a lot on both of their plates. Anyway......I guess what I'm trying to bring out is that once one person leaves a shared addiction behind, most times, the relationship ends. Sad but true. And logically, it has to be that way so the "healthy" one can continue on their healthy path.

Just like prior to surgery, if someone is drinking alcohol, cokes and eating slider, high caloric food, they'll gain/re-gain weight. WLS is a tool, not a magic bullet. There is no end date, it's a life long commitment. Changes must be made or it is a waste of time and money.