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I have the same co-morbidities. I was sleeved Sept. 26th at a Bariatric Center of Excellence. The doctor said my diabetes would go away in 3 - 4 days. It went away in 2! He said the sleep apnea and non-alcoholic fatty liver would go away in 3 - 4 months. I never wanted my insides re-routed or the dumping you get because of the removal of the pyloric valve with bypass. I also didn't want the higher level of aftercare necessary to make sure I didn't develop Vitamin or mineral deficiencies. I was sleeved on a Friday morning. By Sunday morning I felt as though no surgery had happened! VERY happy I chose the sleeve.

I've been to two functions with alcohol and even though I was dying to pour up, I restrained myself. My plan says no alcohol for 6 months and I plan to stick to it. When I had my lap band, I did not follow my plan and ended up with horrible eating habits and slipped band. This time around, I want to do things right. I get it, we're young. My friends like to get tore up drunk lol I wish I could have me a Maker's Manhattan, but this Protein shake will do. Besides, I like greens more anyway Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

All the comments above are accurate. You may need to seek counseling as to the reason you "replaced food with alcohol" for me, food was my friend, my constant companion, my stress relief, and utmost, my anger/anxiety relief. I have had to redirect my emotional eating to something else. In the middle of my journey, i too turned to alcohol. Weight gain scared me and so i did some soul searching and decided i needed a healtier coping skill. Recently it has been the gym and i find that i get irritable when i cant make it there. This is not only a journey of weight loss, but a complete rediscovery of who I/we want to be. It is scary to face the world and reality without a comfort so learning alterative healthy coping skills is a must. You don't want to trade one addiction to another. It's a slippery slope. This site will be a great source of understanding and support, however, you have to search within you and find what you want to change. Good luck with your journey!

I am two years post-operative. I am not sure if my level of support for the lap-band has been satisfactory. I had the bad put on Jan 2010, I only lost 30lbs total weight. I was very disappointed. I thought that I would at least lose about 55lbs..however, I traded eating for drinking alcohol. And now, I am gaining the weight back. I have gained at least 15lbs within the last year. I think that at this point my band is too tight. I am eating really small plates of food, but I am continuing to throw up and even gurgle after most of my meals. I complained to my surgeon but his bed side manner was not all that great. And I had contemplated changing to another doctor. I am just wondering if anyone else is experiecing anything of the sort? I am trying to come-up with a plan to continue to battle this weight. queenv319

It takes time to heal from a MAJOR surgery. Alcohol does not aid in the healing process. Besides the possible surgical complications, there's also a risk for transfer addiction. Everything in moderation sure, but seems to me like if we were all experts at moderating ourselves we wouldn't be here in the first place [emoji848]. I'd much rather see the vets, supposedly mean and sarcastic, stick around than have to coddle people who just want to be enabled.

@@TYRey12, Yes, that sounds about right! Your body metabolizes alcohol faster, and a little goes a long way. Good for you for noticing and for adjusting your intake to stay safe.

Kim, I agreee 100% with you. If I could have done this without the band I'd be thinner. I got the band because everything else failed. Now when I need a fill and the food is not staying up long enought I revert back to old habits...Why because Its what has cause me to fail in the past. Obiesity is a disease and the government now admits it. Alcoholics go back to old habits if they get off thier program as do drug addicts. I am addicted to food and I can control it with the band. Good luck and don't hold back from a fill. Let the darn thing work with you and good luck. Oh yes I forgot to mention that even thought I recntly gained weight due to Falling off the program. I still say I'm a success because I got back up and to it and have lost all I gained and working on dumping more in the future. Without the band I won't have gotten back up and at it again.

This isn't a judgement, just a comment I think 4 weeks out is too soon to drink alcohol. You're not even on the life time sleeve diet yet and I believe your stomach is still healing up. I don't thinking youre hitting solids yet are you? I'd give it some thought before I hit the crown and coke. Also, your body I'm guessing hasn't metabolized liquor for a bit so you're a kind of lightweight in that regard. Best wishes to you.

Have been banded for 3 1/2 years; never drink alcohol or carbonated beverages. Did you trying drink pineapple juice? Sometimes the enzymes will help you.

They want to be sure you are of sound mind, know the consequences of your actions. That you are not a binger, abuse alcohol, etc. and need other psych help before getting a major life changing surgery. Most likely whatever eating issues you have all banders have had so don't worry about it. Be honest.

JanelB hi there i am a 2 fisted "water" drinker only!!! check w/your doc before you have anything you have alcohol as in many other things, all doctors have different opinions on when you should be allowed that first drink as you lose more and more weight, your tolerance should decrease you might get "drunk" or tipsy sooner than later good luck CHEERS kathy

This forum has been really helpful to read about the success of others and also the challenges that are discussed. I started out at 335 lb and had weight loss surgery on July 2nd. I am in my second stall at 2 months ( 3 days now). My weight is currently at 255 lb and I know the stall will eventually end. 80 lb sown so far. Yay! However, I am looking for some advice for breaking this stall. First, I would like to give some background on eating, exercising and vitamins. I have been exercising daily either walking my dog for between 2 and 4 miles, sometimes with hills. I have done some hiking a few weeks ago, but it just about sent me into the ER because of dehydration and the hike was rated hard even for athletes. I felt like almost passing out at the end ( 8 miles round trip). Part of the trail is 2000 feet in 1.2 miles and was brutal stair climbing, literally. I used to be such an avid hiker previously when I was in better shape ( also hiked most of my younger years), before gaining quite a bit of weight ( 100 lb) after losing 100 lb 5 years earlier (atkins eating and lots of cardio). I gained mostly due to life and work stresses, but before that kept it off for 5 years. I gave up on dieting because of yo-yoing and the downward effect it was having on my ability to have a stable and happy life. That is why it has been such a good decision to have the sleeve surgery. It was a little difficult the 1st week post op, but then got better. Incisions still hurt a little on occasion, but manageable. Coming back to the stall, I am looking for advice of starting weight training program. I have never enjoyed weight lifting and have always preferred cardio like elliptical and treadmill. I have never been able to "get into" lifting or even basic training because i am not sure how to get started, even though i have a ton of books. Lol! My post op food intake has been fairly rigorous. I usually eat a matrix/soy shake for breakfast ( have been mixing in a low calorie veggie powder recently - a little weird but i got used to it after a few times), a greek yogurt for 9am snack, 3 oz chicken/ salmon for lunch, matrix/ water for 3 pm snack, some protein based dinner(3oz) and 3 oz matrix/water shake for 8 pm. I do not always have the 8 pm snack. I always get in the 80+ oz protein and usually have 100+ oz water/mio/crystal light a day. On weekends, i have been trying one or two meals at my favorite places to eat such as indian, red robin or olive garden. I mainly go to spend time with my family andy everyone is supportive and even help me find suitable choices. I am also very careful to eat 3-4 oz of something very high in protein. And yes, I really do like the matrix and nectar shakes, especially cookies and creme or oreo. I do not have and trouble with eating wrong foods, being over hungry, or drinking alcohol. I just do not have the urge nor want to sabotage the successes so far. Besides i think any high sugar or high fat would just make me sick and uncomfortable. I just want to keep eating simple as i have enough other things going on in life with family and work. I have not missed a day of taking vitamins. I take multi, calc chew, c, b50, b12, omega3, d and a few others. Taking all these vitamins is starting to feel like work, but i have always taken vitamins over the last 10 years so more of the same. Finally, i do journal every day with regards to weight, energy level, sleep hours, vitamins, prescriptions, food intake, liquid intake, exercise and general notes. It is helpful to have the notes and does put me in the right mindset for the day. My biggest concern is having a gall bladder issue as i read about it so often on the posts. No issue yet, but i do feel minor acute jabs from time to time under right rib. Again no issue yet but am concerned. Sorry this is so long winded, but i am looking for some long term advice to break stalls ( hopefully with regards to weightlifting) and get some comments on my approaches so far.

I started at BMI 39 went down to 19 and seem to have settled at 22 - 9stone 4lbs in English money! I'd like to drop a few again, but am at a healthy weight so working on tone with exercise. Like orchids and dragons I am post menopausal. I'd lost more than half my bodyweight now slightly less than that but not far off. And folk say I'd lost too much at my lowest which I found funny as it wasn't a concept I was familiar with. My tips for success? Follow rules and beware sugar because it's the devil. Not just because of dumping which is horrible but post dumping it's easy to allow it to sneak back in and I believe it to be a drug at least as dangerous as alcohol... Best of luck to you 😀

I Am 25 Years Old...i Own My Own Home, I Am Successful, I Have Lots Of Friends, I Am Fun, I Have Alot To Say, I Truly Am Beautiful......so Why Am I In This Relationship Ive Been In For The Past 6 Years?? He Is 25 Also, Lives At My Home, Hardly Helps Pay The Bills, Getting Ready To Go To School For The Next 2 Years ( So It Will Be Me Paying The Bills!!), Hates My Friends And Family, Borderline Alcoholic, Has Never Lived Out On His Own!!!!!, Comes Home At Any Time Of Night When He Feels Like It!!! Why Am I Engaged To This Man?? Im Mad At Myself, Im Mad At My Own Stupidity And Low Self Esteem. I Know Whats Wrong, So Why Cant I Be That Old Independent, Get Out Of My House Kinda Girl??? Weve Been Engaged For The Past 2 Years....no Wedding Date..we Always Seem To Find An Excuse!! I Truly Feel That We Are Just Both Holding On To Each Other Til The Next Best Thing Comes Along.....now That I Am In The Prospect Of Getting The Lap Band Done. Things Have Gotten Worse. Any Thoughts, Opinions??

I start my pre-op on the 26th. I haven't seen the menu yet. I hope I can still drink beer. Stopping alcohol will be harder then food I think.

1. How long have you had your band? 7 months (june 29 2010) 2. How much weight have you lost? 90 glorious pounds. 3. How many fills and unfills did you get until you found the "sweet spot"? 3, I have 5.2 cc's in a 10 cc band. (This will change with the more weight I lose) 4. If you stick to a particular diet (ie weight watchers, low carb, atkins, etc) which on works for you? I count my protien and calories 5. How often do you exercise? Yes, daily - 30 min cardio plus 30 min strength training. I do miss a day occassionally. 6. Does anyone do Yoga and how long did you wait until you started practicing again? Never tried it, but would like to 7. Do you ever drink alcohol? Once in a great while. Had 3 glass' of wine xmas eve, would have one or two drinks at the lake last summer once in a while. 8. What foods give you a problem? Bread, scrambled eggs, pasta. (better if I try at night, sometimes I can eat them but I pretty much don't even try any more) 9. Does your port stick out? no (not yet) not sure if it ever will. 10. How much water do you get in each day?64 - 80 oz or more. once in a while i fall short. 11. Any tips that will help on the journey? Listen to your stomach, not your head. Get to know if you are hungry or just want to eat. Drink your water and exercise. Good Luck to you!

Lately I've been hearing a lot about new studies liking anxiety to obesity. Cortisol, I think, is the name of the chemical in the body that is responsible for keeping the fat on nervous wrecks. I have a long-term history of severe anxiety disorder. Right now, my anxiety is 100% under control unless outside forces sneak in or if I abuse alcohol or caffeine. For example, I'll be having a perfectly normal day, but my boss could raise his voice and set my anxiety off without warning, and I'll be left with my heart pounding and hands shaking (which is lame considering I couldn't give a rat's ass what my boss thinks since he's clueless.) Even 1 cup of coffee is too much for me, but I still drink caffeine in several forms because I'm a junkie, plain and simple. When I was in my 20s, I was spending more time in Emergency Rooms than at work, so my doctor put me on fulltime disability for 2 years. I couldn't leave the house without having a full-blown anxiety attack. It was awful, because I would try my hardest to mentally fight them off. I had nothing to be anxious about, nothing scared me, I had no fears, no phobias, but the physical attacks were debilitating, and according to experts, were residual breakdowns from an abusive youth. At one point I was taking four 1-ml Xanax a day just to keep from hyperventilating. If you ever took Xanax, four pills could knock out an elephant for a week. Today, I only take about 1/2 a month around PMS time, or I keep one with me for emergencies. I noticed "Corti-Slim" is a new OTC diet drug that addresses this problem. I haven't bought diet pills since Phen-Fen, so I'm wondering if anyone knows anything about this new discovery, or if Corti-Slim is any different than any other speed pill, like Dexatrim, for example. Normal diet pills give me major insomnia, but I took both doses of the Corti-Slim yesterday and slept like a baby. Any and all info/comments/warnings/suggestions appreciated. Alex, Donali?

1. How long have you had your band? August 13,2010 2. How much weight have you lost? 32lb 3. How many fills and unfills did you get until you found the "sweet spot"? 8 I think 10 CC's 4. If you stick to a particular diet (ie weight watchers, low carb, atkins, etc) which on works for you? I follow the 90/10 rule. Eat healthy most of the time and special occasions like someone birthday I can have cake. I make sure to get 3 Oz of protein at each meal. 5. How often do you exercise? Seven days a week. One hour of Lap Swimming, water proof MP3 players are the best invention ever! 6. Does anyone do Yoga and how long did you wait until you started practicing again? No 7. Do you ever drink alcohol? No 8. What foods give you a problem? Not really. The only thing that has given me issues is baby carrots when I them to fast. 9. Does your port stick out? No. In fact it is really deep and the nurse really needs to look for it. 10. How much water do you get in each day? Probably 80 oz. I do drink a lot of decaf coffee being as the North East has turned into a frozen tundra. 11. Any tips that will help on the journey? Really think about what your food triggers are. You may need to cut them out of your life. I used to have all kinds of crackers, cookies, Baked potato chips, cereal. I would either sit down and eat half a box of cereal or snack on it all day. Now I only get to have crackers if I’m at a party and eat 2-3. Also start concentrating and thinking about what you’re eating. The more you savor each bite the more you’ll enjoy it.

Hey...I had an ultrasound of my abdomen yesterday that showed a fatty liver. Now they want to do some sort of test to check my gallbladder.---------I haven't had RNY, but I did have the band since 07.------------I did what most people do in the "off" hours, check medical sites. Nothing is conclusive until I see my Dr and she tells me, whatever... But I must say I'm scared. I do not drink a drop and rarely ever did, but you can still get Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, especially if you weigh what I do. I've heard that surgeon's won't or can't do bariatric surgery if you have fatty liver. Then I read that the experts suggest 'slow" weight loss to recover. And then I saw an article Alex posted that in Germany, they find that fatty liver is dealt well with with WLS. What's the TRUTH? My WLS Clinic appointment is not until November, I'll go crazy before then! -------------has anyone on here had a fatty liver? Oh, and they say change in diet helps but does not cure. I don't know what to think. And as far as the Gallbladder, I have no inkling as to what THAT is all about. I'm having bloodwork asap (don't know if it's a fasting one yet) , maybe tomorrow or Saturday. Any input???

D. asked: TexasT, OK have to ask; I too am a tea-alcoholic( just regular Lipton no fancy stuff for me)! Did you switch to decaf??:smile: I am weaning myself off of regular and miss my caffeine. Besides sugar it is the only "vice", if can call it that, I have left. How did the port removal go? I have a realize port and am concerned because it is attached with surgical clips not sutured in place. Getting my unfill next week, concerned I will gain too much weight back. already up 5 # my jeans are getting tight!!! :thumbup1: No way going to buy a bigger size... D. OK - I'll fess up. I did decaf the first week after surgery, then went back to my normal tea. I love Constant Comment, Earl Grey, and Lady Grey - which all taste better with a touch of sugar. So I put in just a little. I get migraines from artificial sweeteners, so I forgo them. I'm still losing weight at a steady pace, so I'm not worrying about it. I can taste a difference in decaf vs. caffeine, so I prefer the taste with it. I haven't had any problems so far. I do drink decaf or herbal teas at night, but after drinking a big Protein drink, I don't have much room for tea. As for your question regarding port removal, you should see my thread titled "Hematoma Hell" for the answer to that question. :scared0: They put those ports in to stay, so taking them out really messes your insides up. Mine was sutured and had clips - it wasn't going anywhere! Good luck with the unfill. I had mine just 10 days pre-op so I didn't have much time to gain any back. With the band, your stomach has shrunk already, and I found that I still couldn't eat a whole lot with an unfill. But it was nice to eat salads, which I couldn't eat with the band. Plus they were very filling. Starting on some Protein drinks now will also help you feel full.

thanks ladies! lol.. i think i was just really tired yesterday cuz i apparently wasn't thinking.. i always weigh myself in the mornin and when i weighed yesterday it was mid day after i ate.. so when i reweighed this morning i realized id only gained a pound.. which is sooooo much better than the 3, but its still a gain regardeless.. which means definitely need to get back to routine.. and since i wont be drinking a ton of alcohol i think i should be ok.. lol But either way you are right..BACK TO BASICS! and hopefully i will be be losing soon, now the next problem i have to conqeur is the fact that im about to start my period which means inevitable gain. lol ugh.. the joys of being a woman!

Also alcohol makes your body retain Water so that "gain" is really just water weight that will come off just as fast as it came on. Increase your water drinking. Now stop reading this and go for that walk. Scarlett, I think your right about the water falling back off. I was 180.2 this morning. So I feel alittle better, soon as I stop tyoing ill go walk!!

Good job getting a head start. I'm an OR nurse and I'm only here to help you by telling you not to shave your abdomen. In the OR, we use clippers, not razors. The reason is that clippers don't cause trauma to the skin like razors. When you shave with a razor, it causes nicks, some you can see and some you can't. The nicks can cause entry points for bacteria thereby causing infection. Also, the clipper blades used in surgery are single use blades, so everything is surgically clean. If you want to get clipped at home, make sure your clipper blade is clean and free of any hair, and douse it with alcohol before use. Using the hibiclens to shower the night before, and the morning of surgery is ideal. Good Luck!!!!

My Doc said I can have alcohol as soon as I can tolerate it.

Thanks for the replies. :thumbup: I knew the alcohol would be less likely a problem. The smoking thing I was more curious about, and your response, Besty, is dead-on for a habitual smoker. I come from that rare breed where for me it really is a social drug just like alcohol, though, so I don't have the build-up of lung damage from smoking. I don't know how fast lung damage occurs from it, but I'm guessing it's not too much from 4-5 cigs/day for 4 days. :thumbup: For perspective, IF I do smoke over this trip, it will only be the second time in 2010 that I've smoked at all. I don't get out a lot, LOL! So I'm not worried about going through hacking or withdrawal or any of that. Your comment does tell me what the surgeon is concerned about regarding smoking, though, which is helpful. I wasn't sure if it was because of the nicotine possibly constricting blood vessels, or what. I'll ponder how the information might apply in my case as a very infrequent social smoker. :smile: I know that the cigs and alcohol aren't necessary to have fun.... If that was the case, I'd only be having fun a few times a year, and that certainly isn't true! It's pretty much something I only do around a particular group of friends, and I don't see them often. Now I think I'm probably more concerned about not stopping my BC early enough.... heheh