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I am also 6 weeks out, and have tried a few sips of wine here and there with no bad effects even tried a beer but only got through about a quarter of it, before it got warm and I lost interest. I have had no side effects. Since we still have our duodenum we wouldn't have the same reaction to alcohol that some one with a RNY woul dhave. I agree though don't over do it. I am interested to hear about trying Jack on ice. I was a big whickey person before surgery. I haven't had it in months do to pre op and none since surgery but I am interested in how it affected someone post op.

I had diabetes for around 10 years before RNY gastric bypass surgery and was on two types of prescription medicine to control it. But it was still out of control and my doctor recommended I transition to insulin shots. But I ignored his recommendation. Two days after surgery when I left the hospital I was off all my blood sugar medicine and I haven't taken any since. I periodically once per month check my blood sugar levels and they are fine. I am 4 years post-op. I do put a greater focus on reducing processed sugar (in all of its many forms) after surgery. I use natural no-calorie sweeteners such as stevia and synthetic sweeteners such as splenda and sugar alcohols instead. Some individuals do not experience this benefit. Some only see a reduction in the amount of meds they take. From what I can gather it depends on the depth of Type 2 diabetes (how long you have had the disease and whether you transitioned to insulin.) I do not believe this surgery affects those with Type 1 diabetes.

I went away to atlantic city this weekend i drank diet coke and cherry vodka. The alcohol does kill most of the carbonation. Rule of thumb is that whatever proof it is is how many calories it has so 80 proof vodka has 80 calories. So my drinks were only 80 calories. I asked my doctor if i could have diet soda and he told me yes as long as it doesn't brother me. Now i can't drink soda straight up because i get some pain in my chest but with the alcohol no problem. Now i don't drink all the time maybe once or twice a month and when i do i just cut back on my calories for the day so i can have a drink or two. 3 drinks with diet coke and vodka = 240 3 drinks with juice and vodka =600

I like 'ritas too, just keep track of the calories. 4 oz. strawberry mix = 140 calories and 33g sugar, 1 oz tequila = 70 calories. So a strawberry margarita the same size as a beer will have around 600 calories and 100 grams of sugar. I realize that's a big 'rita, but if you think about it as having just 2 average sized ones, that's a lot of sugar and calories. :closedeyes: There are some sugar free mixes out there that have zero calories (not counting the alcohol), might be worth checking out.

As our bands get tighter, carbonated drinks, such as Beer becomes a greater risk...so be careful of that as your band is prone to be irritated, swollen from surgery still....you have to learn to "Listen" to you band with all things consumed... Have you had the surgery yet???? Two months, let alone 2 weeks after surgery I was nervous about doing anything risky....it was only after being a veteran and knowing my band on speaking terms that I can do certain things.... Alcohol can really irritate the band in a big way, I have found from experience...causing reflux at times, a true sign of irritation...I tend not to drink anything too harsh, and rarely straight....But I am also at the point that with anything I swallow, I get a certain feedback from the band and I know immediately to slow it down, and/or put it down entirely...

Someone once said to me "gastric bypass is taking the easy way out" To that i said "didn't you tell me you where sooo thankful your father got a liver transplant (after years of drinking)" Obesity like alcoholism is a disease. The root word of ignorance is ignore, she is ignoring your health by telling herself your having " cosmetic surgery" is a liver transplant cosmetic?

Check with your doctor. Your stomach has been sutured thus has deep wounds. Alcohol can not only aggravate those wounds but it's also a blood thinner. Get your doctor's approval before drinking.

someone put rubbing alcohol in your water bottle? that is attempted murder. call the police.

@@NewLife'sGr8. I was in shock that rubbing alcohol was put in your water bottle. Shocked. I'm sorry you're experiencing such hateful behavior and saddened that your company tolerates it.

Yeah...so since I've been banded I can't hold my drinks like I used to. Where I could drink four now two puts me way over the top.... And yeah, alcohol relaxes the esophagus and stomach, so it makes it so you can eat more (unfortunately). Two things to remember for next time: 1) eat first or get something small to graze on when the first drink gets there and 2) plan what you are going to eat for dinner BEFORE you finish that first drink..so when you are all happily loopy you already know what to order and won't drift over into crap foods. (secret #3, don't be hard on yourself! you'll be fine!!! )

Hi I am having difficulty with the 'only 70 pounds' thing. I agree with Mz Elle only to the part where all of these surgeries are invasive and extreme. They are, and anyone who says otherwise is downplaying the risk. As a nurse of almost 30 years I know this. With any surgery comes risk - from the anesthesia, chance of complications - running from minor to life threatening, temporary to permanent. It is not a decision to be made lightly, and certainly not to be made without exploring all of your options and doing extensive research. Having said that, what do you do when you HAVE tried everything? I have tried many things and different combinations of diet, exercise, herbal preparations etc. but always in the parameters of healthy foods . I currently need to lose about 75 pound to be at my ideal weight. I am currently relatively healthy but I do have mild asthma and high cholesterol, controlled by medication. I know for a fact both of these will at least improve if not disappear if I can lose the excess weight, and I also look at my dear brother who 'only' has to lose about 80 pounds to be at his ideal weight - he has had a heart attack, 2 stent placements, asthma, high cholesterol, severe sleep apnea and non alcoholic fatty liver disease - ALL of these conditions would improve with weight loss. Do I have to wait until I am in the same boat before I do something about it? No, I am choosing to get the sleeve as a tool in my Quest to get and stay healthy. I am satisfied that I have tried all I can to lose and keep the weight off, and for me it just isn't working. For me it will be worth the risk, and I think everyone needs to look at their own unique situation and decide what is best for them.

Here's my response. I felt he needed some corresponding articulate argument. You're entitled to your opinion and you've clearly stated it here. However, you've discredited yourself by offering guestimates and assumptions rather than cold hard facts. When you discussed the societal issues in the first couple of paragraphs you assumed that obesity or some sort of lack of self control is the CAUSE of many of society's failings. Without going into an entire debate on the subject, obesity is only a small drop in the bucket of a dysfunctional society. First, I'd like to address the causes of obesity besides the obvious overeating and inactive lifestyle. There are numerous studies that have shown that chronic overeating and food addiction are diagnoses as legitimate as nicotine, alcohol or heroin addiction. This is not a simple case of lack of self control. Would you say the same thing of a smoker or an alcoholic who goes through withdrawal? Or a drug addict who is seeking his next "fix" because his mind and body literally crave that substance? The only difference is that individuals who are addicted to food CANNOT live without food. They must somehow learn to live with their addiction by ingesting smaller quantities of the addicted item versus the abstinence methods of alcoholics or drug addicts. The examples of how your life has been inconvenienced, in my opinion, do not hold up. In general, food prices have gone up due to production, processing and serving costs. It has nothing to do with the fact that the obese have decided to protest against "super sizing" or use any kind of public assistance programs. It's the nature of our economy. Insurance rates are high due to increasing health care costs. That's, in part, due to an aging population as well as those individuals who have lead unhealthy lifestyles such as smokers as well as the obese. Those individuals who have opted for surgery (whether it's on the dime of the insurance or not) have opted to improve their health therefore saving the insurance untold amounts of treatments for hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, sleep apnea and various other obesity related illnesses. OH, and by the way, weight loss surgery is NOT the easy ticket you seem to assume it is. For it to be successful, the patient MUST participate and make permanent lifestyle changes. It's prejudices against the obese like this that have only perpetuated the disease. Continued discrimination causes these individuals to become more depressed, therefore withdraw from society and ultimately eat more to comfort themselves. Whether the individual is 50lbs overweight or 200lbs overweight, they're still obese and prejudices like this hurt. If that's your goal, you've certainly stirred up a lot of emotion.

Well, I go back to school in September, I'll have insurance again, so I will check out my options with that... I do see a therapist though in NYC who deals with people with body image issues and who have had WLS (she also had lapband)... but she has never said anything about maybe having bipolar. When they diagnosed me with borderline in Dec 02, and they put me on the prozac- every time I did something out of the ordinary they would up the dosage until I was at 60mg a day- the max dose. Then I just quit taking it because I started feeling better and sometimes I did crazy things like crossing the street without looking and drinking entire bottles of alcohol (think massive alcohol poisoning), then when I stopped it, and became involved with school (student affairs stuff), I basically had no problems. So its would make complete sense that I am bipolar, but I feel like I have a good sense of control over it at this point. I will talk to my therapist about it in September though. Although I'm not sure if I would want to upset my schooling with regulating medication if I am completely fine in school. I am thought of as one of the favorites- I'm an opera singer getting my masters and The Opera Office casts me in everything and even asks for little favors from me, and there are only a select that has that honor, so we'll see! Life is good, though... life is good.

I have only the last few months have been reading a womens blog who was an alcoholic. I don't think she ever said to what degree, but admits she had a big problem. She now runs ULATRA MARATHONS Like 3-4 a year. That is anything over 26.2 miles. Her latest was 103. She does a couple a year like that. When you read her blog, you can tell she is addicted. She trains every, every day no matter what. Gets up at 5:30 to trail run 8-10-12 miles a day. Hitting the gym while her kids are at activities. Bike riding 14 miles a day also. I can't image having the mental fortitude to do that let alone the physical. I think that's a heck of a transfer!

I don't even think it's as easily categorizable as this. Dramatic weight loss can lead to emotional and mental upheavals, sure, but there are probably just as many people who find health through bariatric surgery and DROP their addictions without replacing them with anything. Is someone who became morbidly obese because they ate too much an "addict"? Not necessarily, of course. So someone who loses a lot of weight and later on becomes an alcoholic isn't necessarily "replacing" one addiction with another. Sure, there may be people who can point to their bariatric surgery as the start of an addiction. But any significant life event can trigger that sort of thing in people who are vulnerable--childbirth, divorce, winning the lottery, losing a job--whatever. I don't think there's anything special about bariatric surgery that creates new addicts.

My new mantra. Recently a recovering alcoholic said to me: "I may always be an alcoholic but I will NOT die a drunk." It really moved me and inspired me. Now I say to myself many times a day: "I may always have a lifelong decease of obesity BUT I WILL NOT die obese!" For my age (64) and new weight charts according to age, I have about 60 pounds to go until I am at at normal weight. God willing......giving me time to be a successful WLS patient---- I WILL NOT DIE OBESE! One day at a time! I am so grateful I have this opportunity to be at healthy weight enjoying each moment I have left on this beautiful planet. Best wishes to all of you!

If you don't mind me asking , has anyone had or has had a stomach ulcer ? staple line ulcer ? marginal ulcer ? and if you did have an ulcer at some point. Can you shed some insight and truth on preventive measures, and how to deal with them? You can be honest with me and direct message me about drugs , or alcohol, or weed, or cigarettes or whatever, you took, that caused the ulcers, if you do not want to make it public you can Direct message me , and explain . I would really appreciate any real world facts on this please . thanks so much So far I found out from my dietitian and surgeon : 1, they can heal themselves. 2. there is medication someone can take to heal the ulcer. 3. dying from sepsis is the worst case scenario which is extremely rare according to my doctor and dietitian ?!! thanks so much

I have read that you will feel tipsy very quick. However, I had a little under half the amount of liquor that wouldve had me feeling it -- and only felt slightly woozy. I didn't try any alcohol until 5 mos out. Also be wary of wine it contains a lot of sugar and it could make you feel sick just from that. I hear they have skinny margarita mix with no sugar. My hubby works for a food distributor so I'll post the stats on that wenever I get a chance (: have a great weekend

So true, the funny thing is my surgeon doesn't say no alcohol, they say its not gonna hurt you any... just moderation. Get a shot and sip on it over a few hours and drink it with Water if you want. Do what makes you feel comfortable. I am not a big drinker. I gave up soda, do I miss it yeah.. if my dr says i can drink it again I don't know if I would. I do want to be able to go to a friends house and not have to bring my own food, I want to be normal and just eat a small portion. If that means I have to drink a Protein drink or 2 because I can't get it all in then I will. Guess I am different than a lot of people. Do I plan on eating better and healthier, of course. But my problem was portion control.. Now that I have my tool, I can control my portion control.

Darima, I'm glad you are going to look into some therapy sessions. That's really great, I think she would be quite proud of you. I can't imagine your loss. I just know that it's important to talk to someone. Alcohol might help with your immediate feelings but what it also does is hurts your body and is just pushing away the pain, putting it on layaway. Please know you can just message me and I'll be here to talk. I check this site a few times every day. I'm giving you a big hug filled with compassion and love.

I tried wine at 4 weeks out made me naseaus! I tried the starberry and peach margarita those ready to go pouches this weekend at 5 weeks out nd they went down so mooth i loooovveeee!!! Beer but its not gonna be a part of my life anymore i dont want to drink Anythin carbonated i take a super small sip just for taste when i get my hubby one but thts it im glad i gound those margarita pouches though they are 5%alcohol nd i got the light margaritas with less calories i tried a piña colada 6% alcohol nd it was too strong on my tummy

This was always my main question and my surgeon said no beer but after 5-6 months you can introduce hard liquor, however he said it will take much less to get drunk because the alcohol is immediately absorbed into the body.

Decide if drinking is really something you want to do. As a post op, I went through a short lived phase between month 4-6, having a drink a couple times a month. Yes, it was a little nice to relax with it. However, desire for it has since vanished. None whatsoever. Maybe most people drink post op just because they were not allowed to do it after surgery. Again, think about what drinking really means to you at a coping level, whether that means coping in social events or coping with your own subconscious. You may find that you really do not need it and, then, will find out you really do not want it. Sugar is kind of in a similar boat as alcohol post op. Complex id stuff to think about, but it might help. One of the best artifacts for me personally as a post VSG is coming to grips with who I am and not what I think others want me to be.

Has anyone had alcohol after surgery? And how has your body felt?

I was sleeved on the 9th also and the only problems I've had are with a little diarrhea. I've been told the sugar alcohols in sugar free fudgecicles and Popsicles can give you diarrhea. You may be eating too fast or your sips need to be slower. I had to be really careful at first now I can take bigger sips.I haven't had any nausea