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Well I'm already about a month out from the surgery so no, I can't cancel it. I don't regret the surgery and I am by no means choosing alcohol over a healthy life. My main question was this: will it be realistic for me to have a drink or two before I graduate. Nothing crazy, no college binge drinking, but just a drink. I am excited that I went through with this at a young age because it means more time to be healthy. I'm working my ass off and doing everything else I'm supposed to do and it's working. Trust me when I say I have a good head on my shoulders. I am ready for this journey and I have been doing really well. I really don't appreciate all of the people telling me to quit. I wasn't asking to live on fast food for the rest of my life all I was asking about was a drink here and there or if anyone had any advice on socializing at bars and parties or if anyone was in the same boat as me.

It's like alcoholism. You will ALWAYS be an alcoholic but you are a recovering one. They say now (took them long enough) that obesity is a DISEASE. We will never be cured of that disease but we CAN keep it under control. WELCOME BACK!

it may be up to your surgeon as well. My doctor did not want me to fly within 2 weeks after my surgery or any fills. I don't know if that was because of air pressure reasons or if he wanted me close by in case I had any problems. 3 weeks post surgery I don't think I wanted to get on a plane as I was still trying to adjust with my mushy food phase. I'm with DodgerFan on this one, follow your dr's post-op rules. Do not cheat during this time as your body needs time to heal and adjust to this "foreign" band. Side note: I definitely was not drinking alcohol or anything for the first month. :biggrin: Good luck with your surgery and with your holiday. Let us know how it all turns out.

Thanks all for sharing your experiences! Coops I haven't taken the bull by the horns, I had quite a few carbs again since last weekend (excuse being that it was my birthday) so I had a bit of cake and quite a lot of alcohol and that continued all week, the high carbs, not alcohol and cake though. So as from tomorrow I'm back to basics and tracking my food, we can do this!!!!!!!!!!

I live in OHIO and am having my surgery done in Mexico. Even if I have to go back there for fills, it will be less expensive than having it done here. I look at the price tag as an advance on all the money I won't be speding on food, alcohol, diet coke, and fat lady clothes. Considering I eat out at least once a day-I should be about even in a year! I am not trying to downplay the costs-I had to borrow against my retirment, but I refuse to put myself off any longer. I would take a second job, do a home equity, beg or borrow from relatives--ANYTHING. I have spent two months researching the foreign doctors and truly believe we are going to see more and more of this. Our American doctors are forced to spend so much on malpractice insurance--I don't blame them, but I'm not playing that game. I also have some risk factors-but nothing losing the weight won't cure. GO FOR IT-make it happen yourself and quit being at the mercy of the health care system!!

The nurse at the hospital gave me a trick for feeling nauseious, if you put an alcohol swab or any cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol on the bridge of your nose and breath in through your nose slowly and out through your mouth. It really worked for me and I never heaved. As for the taste, everything changed for me I loved the chocolate pre op and then after I hated it (still do) I found I love the fruite ones (Syntax nectar Lemonaid ) is my favorite, but all the fuite ones are ok with my new pallet. I am now 4 weeks post op and eating soft food but it too is dificult to find what tastes and feels right, don't worry you just need to find what works for you. I hope you feel better soon. I am 2 days post op and feeling miserable. My left side pulls constantly, I have been dry heaving since gettin home from the hospital yesterday and have a bit of blurred vision. So please excuse any typos. I am having buyer's remorse as well. ALl I want to do is sleep. I wake every 1.5 hours though amd walk, do my respiratory therapy and drink another ounce of something. I have been taking prvacid and gasx and they are helping some but I am having strong hunger pangs as well. Nothing tastes good. I am trying to drink a Protein shake today as my 1 ounce every 15 minuts. But, I know I have missed alot of them since I keep sleeping so much. I am praying for all of us to get better. For now, I am a bit depressed and miserable.

TONS MORE ENERGY!!! BEAUTIFUL hair (at least for me that's what it does) and shiny too! LOADS OF INCH LOSS GO ON VACATION - DON'T COME BACK 10 POUNDS HEAVIER. p.s. My band is not at restriction. I was in Puerto Vallarta last month at a resort that had the most delectable food. I didn't want to gain weight so I didn't have any bread, Pasta, rice or refined carbs, no fruit either. I know from low carbing in the past that this was the only way i could not come back with an extra stomach roll and I certainly wanted to get my money's worth and enjoy somebody else cooking for me. I ate like Henry VIII - I mean tons of bacon in the morning with eggs, salsa, guacamole. I think you get my drift. large greek salads with a good amount of feta on top and olive oil. or salads with creamy dressing, bbqd meats, deep fried fish that was lightly battered, deep fried chicken wings, duck, huge salad everyday - you name it - every conceivable decadent food. The only thing I left out were the refined carbs and fruit. I packed in about 2500 calories a day including about 7- 10 alcoholic drinks a day. I came back 2 pounds heavier after that completely indulgent pig-out week. I did drink about 8-10 glasses of Water as well which was easy because of the heat.

I wasn't afraid to have my surgery in Mexico (Tijuanna) this past January because I personally knew of horror stories from procedures performed in the U.S. I knew a woman that went home and died 5 days later. I knew another woman that never woke up from the surgery and was in a coma for months and months until she eventually expired. In 2003, my sister had surgery and had to have two follow-up surgeries. I can vouch for the fact though that Mexico's level of sterilization is not up to standards with the U.S. I don't know how they can change dressings, etc without rubber gloves. I would always clean myself with alcohol after they tended to me. I'm almost 2-months post op and have had not issues or complications other than reflux which I've always had.

I don't feel like a freak, I am one. Being overweight is just one of my freak problems. I'm too tall (6 ft in heels.) I have huge 11 1/2 feet, so I can't find shoes. I have frizzy hair, an alcoholic father, a paranoid schitzophrenic mother, I'm 100% Polish, never got to have babies, etc. And while everything about me is huge, I have teeny tiny boobs (ha ha on me.) However, none of those things bother me worse than my anxiety disorder. I could handle all the problems if I could just get some sleep and relax once in awhile. It's not the "being fat" that bothers me as much as the way my brain messes with me. Does that make an ounce of sense?

Hello to fellow sleevers, I just had my sleeve done on March 8th at UCSD (La Jolla, CA) with Dr. Santiago Horgan and his wonderful CTO team. Prior to surgery I was put through an extremely strict and regimented program and diet plan. I also had blood tests galore, Upper GI's, Lower GI's, Middle GI's (jk) - everything under the sun to make sure I was READY. They had a series of Group Therapy classes I went to as well. After surgery, I began having this burning feeling in my chest and it still hasn't gone away yet but I continue to drink my fluids and take Prilosec. They did another Barium Swallow the day after to confirm there were no leaks. I also had a liver biopsy done at the same time. 1- for the study they're doing to track Fatty Liver Disease (or in my case NASH) - Non-alcoholic Steatosis Hepatitis (another term for unexplained liver inflammation); and 2- b/c my PCP required it! Other than the feeling of having spasms in my esophagus and burning in my throat and chest, I guess I'm in pretty good shape. They have me on a VERY rigid 4-level eating/drinking plan for the next 6-8 wks but right now I'm doing the "full liquids" thing. Glad to be part of this group!

Maybe you're not ready. Alcohol was never an issue for me except for tailgating at DMB shows every summer and let me say, after spending a weekend tailgating with 300+ DMB fans, I did great. Had one sip of a drink and decided it wasn't worth it. Your feelings mat change post op. Much like most of us no longer want fast food or junk or even soda. (I was a HUGE diet coke junkie). If you're that concerned about your ability to stay sober at a party to reach your weight loss goals than maybe you should postpone until after graduation

A glass or two may be way too excessive on your new stomach. My Dr. recommended waiting until 3 months post-op (for me 1/11/13) to try alcohol- and at that, it was suggested to try Vodka rather than wine or beer due to the way the sugar is ingested in the stomach. Anyway, at a family celebration out-of-town on Saturday, I poured about a shot-glass worth of wine in a glass and took tiny, tiny sips. It was just enough to "loosen me up (so to speak)" and I didn't feel drunk or even buzzed, just more relaxed. I ate a little cheese and a slice of turkey and decided to try another "shot" of white wine. This time, after a sip or two I became very warm and flushed, (the way I used to feel pre-surgery after over-indulging in heavy foods and after about my 2nd coctail.) so I didn't drink the rest of it. I believe I will try some Vodka on my husband's birthday, Jan. 25th, but I again will take a tiny bit and take a tiny sip. It's not worth it getting sick, especially if you are at a social gathering. Try just a dash at a time and see how you feel. Good luck and Happy New Year!

Was at a friends house lastnight and had a shot of alcohol with everyone and was instantly sick. Just got my second fill friday and have good restriction but no problems with liquids. I started dry heaving a few minutes after and only air came out like belching. Then a pain started in my back and it comes and goes every few minutes. Liquids are moving through slowly but I figured I just pissed off my stomach and it may be swollen. Now this pain in my back just woke me up and I'm thinking of going to the ER. Dear god please let my band still be in place! I need guidance, and to think all this trouble just to try the new jim bean devils cut!

I also deal with this as I am young too. I just this weekend tried wine, and vodka cranberry. I found really great crandberry juice called cranergy. It only has 35 calories as apposed to 120 normal cranberry juice has. I seemed to do ok, but I was also a bit nervous to get too drunk since..I'm a barfer lol I wouldn't want to throw up because of alcohol after all of this! Good luck!

@startingoveryeyagain I can relate with how you feel. I have been overweight all my life plus I have hypothyroidism which makes my metabolism super slow. So no matter if I was a low eater, I exercised regularly, even with a trainer for over a year did not loose significant weight. I also had 4 low back surgeries that limited my exercise capability, 4 jaw surgeries that required a soft diet. So I researched the VSG v. Morphine pump which was recommended by my MD at the time since after all the sx I had gained up to 236 and I'm only 5'0. Had the VSG on 6/12/2012. Has a very difficult road to recovery, was very weak and in pain but did not have a problem with the diet initially. In phase 1 & 2 lost 25lbs. In phase 3 as I started to introduce solid foods the gastritis I had at the beginning of as came back. (Other co-morbidities HBP, diabetes, hypothyroidism, chronic back pain & chronic migrains). But it was violent GERD. I could not hold anything down. The MD ordered a Barrium swallow & X-Ray. I had developed a serious structure & Hernia. So I had a VSG revision with a hernia repair on 7/12/13. By this time I had lost about 65 lbs since the 1st sx. After the 2nd VSG I went down to 126. So I lost a total of 91 lbs until November of 2014 when the scale started to come up. I started to gain weight, I am baffled as to why. *I document EVERYTHING I EAT. I USE My Fitness Pal. *I weight my portions. *I am exercising at least 3x a week for 1.5hrs walk, bike, strength. *I am drinking about 50oz water daily. No juices, nothing else but water or milk. No alcohol. *I have my protein drink for breakfast. Have lunch, dinner and a small meal at night with meds. So having 4 meal a day. Per program on maintenance should have 5 small meals a day but can't fit all. *sometimes get hungry if I wait 6+ hours without eating. *my protein sources are usually 3oz chicken breast, lean hickory ham, 1 egg, cottage cheese, white cheese, milk. *I have 2 small fruits a day Per the guidelines. One green apple with no skin & one small peach with no skin. I eat it with white cheese to combine the carb & protein. That is a small meal. *when I have chicken I make a small salad with lettuce, tomatoes & carrots. I use thousand island dressing Per my guide that is 6gm carb, 5gm sugar. So I would appreciate if anyone takes the time to read my post, for someone who is 3 yrs post op with all I've been throughout, is it normal to gain weight? What I'm I doing wrong? My labs are ok. I spoke with the NUTshe sugg to drink a shake and doc all intake but I already do that. I am keeping my carbs at or under 80gms daily, protein 60-80gmgaily to loose per the NUT. She said don't count calories but stay under 1000. Which I'm usually between 800-900. My other MD's day it's too little. So, someone out there please HELP ME I NEED TO START TO LOOSE WEIGHT AGAIN. MY GOAL IS TO LOOSE 30 MORE LBS.????

I can relate to what you are going through. At my highest I was 336 and I was terrified that if I got the sleeve I would start losing weight and wouldnt be able to stop. Imagine my surprise when less than a year after surgery, my weight loss came to a screeching halt. I thought that I was eating well, and I was exercising more than anyone I know but I stopped losing. In retrospect what I thought was eating well usually consisted of a venti white chocolate latte from starbucks with 6 shots of expresso, chased with wine later that night. Im not saying that you are doing any of these things, I am telling you the things I was doing that I didnt count. In Nov of 2014 I weighed 232 and I thought wow this is as good as it gets? That sucks. Well I can tell you that I dont lose weight as quickly as other people, I just dont. My aunt got sleeved weeks before me, she can eat way more food than I can and never goes to the gym, we are the same weight. I have a friend that got bypass 6 months ago, she weighs 230. I have been hovering between 205-215 and struggling to get under 200. For me giving up alcohol is huge. I think it is really easy to drink calories and not even think about it. Even though you may not lose weight as easily/quickly as others at the end of the day it all comes down to diet and exercise, I just thought with the sleeve I would need less of both.

Rubbing alcohol works decent enough. My doctor sent me home with a packet of adhesive remover, try asking to see if they can spare some because this is what works best as it was made for this.

Obviously dumping is something that most wls patients fear and all want to try and avoid it. But after reading countless articles and threads I find it all very confusing. There are some food which are obvious triggers e.g alcohol, high fat and high sugar foods. But what I am curious about are things like fruit - fruit is very high in sugar but a lot of the articles and recommended diet plans include fruit as an ok food. This confuses me. Are certain fruits better than others? Is fruit ok but only in very small quantities? I am also wondering if "food combining" helps. Is eating fruit with protein e.g yogurt better than eating it on its own? Does this apply to other foods as well? We all know how before going to a party and consuming lots of alcohol people would "line" their stomachs with a glass of milk. Does this kind of approach work for bariatric patients? I am also interested in if there is anything that can be done to relieve or reduce a dumping episode once it starts? Obviously there isn't a lot that can be done if the dumping gives you the trots but what if your symptoms are the shaky, lightheaded , palpitations kind of symptoms? Usually people with hypoglycaemia need to get instant , easy to digest sugar but if sugar is the cause then its not going to help.

it irks me when people think we are 'jumping into' WLS. it's not exactly a decision you make on a Monday and surgery that Friday. this is a LONG process, many months for most. it also revolves around a food ADDICTION. i once retorted back to a colleague who questioned me the same way "would you discourage an alcoholic from going to AA"? and dropped it. another poster said it best, people are terribly misinformed. rest assured in the decision you made for yourself is best and keep your eye on the prize. good luck!

I am still in the approval process so Im a long way off from being pre-op, but I am trying to find out as much information as I can so Im prepared. I know that in the first few months after getting the sleeve you have the liquid then soft food phases, but does it ever go back to really average things, just in small sizes? What about drinking alcohol?

In my social group, I'm the "afternoon cocktail girl". Seriously, moderation is key for me. There is no reason to not indulge in alcohol unless you are worried about transfer addiction issues. Plus, I didn't drink during my losing stage because our livers are working double time and throwing alcohol on top of everything else it's processing is pretty unfair to task my liver even more. I'm a party girl at heart. I love the bar/club scene, and refused to give it up just because I had my guts altered. Plus, dancing on tabletops is much safer at 130lbs than it is at 270lbs LOL ! ! !

Sorry, I'm being lazy so I'm just copy/pasting this reply from another post: 1. What is a daily meal like? This answer has changed based on how far out I am, and what my goals were. During losing, I ate Protein, protein, protein, protein and more protein. Pretty much atkins diet, no more than 30-40gr of carbs until I hit goal, and was getting into maintenance. At almost 2 years out, I eat fairly normal. Last night for dinner, my almost 13 yr old son, and I shared a fajita for one dinner at a local Mexican place. I ate 6 tortilla chips with salsa, 1 small flour tortilla with about 1Tbsp of refried Beans, a smear of sour cream, 3 strips of fajita steak meat, and about 6 jalapenos. I tear off the rounded part of the tortilla once I folded it over, and I was perfectly content with my intake. I can eat 1 slice of medium thin crust pizza with toppings and cheese. Rice, bread, Pasta are now all slider foods for me so I do watch that intake, but there are not any foods that I can not eat. Pork settles heavy in my sleeve so I don't eat it. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything at all. Saturday night my husband and I went to a local steakhouse for dinner. I ordered a 6oz sirloin (teriyaki marinade and dipping sauce) a loaded sweet potato (marshmallows and caramel topping), and mac-n-cheese. I ate 1/4 of a dinner roll before my meal arrived. Proceeded to eat 1/2 of the steak with extra dipping sauce (food lube condiments makes meat easier to consume), half of the inside of the sweet potato, and 3 bites of mac-n-cheese. This meal experience lasted 1.5hours allowing me to eat a bit more without being "stuffed". 2. Is there anything you can't eat? Nopers 3. How much can you eat? It totally varies on the consistency of the food, the time I allow myself to eat. There are ways to cheat every weight loss surgery, and I know every single one of them. But, just because I know them doesn't mean I use them all the time. It's typically in social settings when I use those cheating skills. Grazing, eating super slow, stretching out my meal, sipping in between bites, allows me to eat a bit more, and not draw attention to myself. I attend A LOT of social functions, and no one ever questions my eating or lack thereof. 4. Can you drink diet soda? I've drank regular soda since being around 6.5-7 months out without issue. No change in my sleeve capacity, and without any effect on my weight. It's all about moderation for me. As for alcohol consumption, it's wasted calories and I didn't indulge until I was at goal. The first glass of wine hit me hard and fast. I was drunk, numb lips, tingly face, and then sobered up about 20-30 minutes later. I am a major social drinker (well before pregnancy), and I drink all types of mixed drinks and wine. Not a beer drinker, but I indulge when I can. The only time it had any effect on my weight was last holiday season. From Halloween to New Years, we partied a few times a month. I drank and ate without care, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Over those 3 months or so, I gained 7lbs. Went back to my normal eating, and drinking , dropped those 7lbs in a little over a week. My alcohol tolerance is just like it was pre-op.

I don't think it's a good idea either. Your stomach is basically new, like a babies stomach. That's why we start at liquids, the work our way up to solids again....so that our stomach can heal. Alcohol is very strong and has a lot of sugar. You may dump:( I'm sorry that you can't celebrate with alcohol, but just having this surgery is a celebration in itself:)) Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday!! Personally, I think you should probably wait a bit longer, but I also don't think a few sips will hurt you. I had a glass of wine at about two and a half weeks out. Most people would have screamed at me if they knew. I'm not a drinker by any means (have only had alcohol one other time since being sleeved), but it was a special occasion and I wanted to have a little bit. It didn't hurt me. But, be aware that it can't be good to have alcohol this early out, so if you do please please please limit it to a very small quantity. Whatever you decide, enjoy your birthday!

I do eat anything I want just small portions. There is nothing that gives me trouble. I don't drink alcohol by choice, but I have had it. I get drunk pretty quickly if I have a drink. Alcohol gets into the blood stream quicker from our stomachs being so small.