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My surgery has been cancelled and rescheduled 3 times in 2 months, so so frustrating! The Dr always wants 1 more test, which is fine, but on 9-17-12 I went in for my pre-op only to have it cancelled again. Now the Dr says im high risk and wants to do my surgery in a hosp that has an ICU. I have cirrhosis due to fatty liver, no alcohol,drugs in my life. I'm curious to see if anyone else out there has liver disease and had this surgery? The main reason I'm having GPS is for my liver, diabetes , my gastro highly recommended surgery to stop the liver damage and possibly reverse damage that is there. I wasn't nervous or scared until the other day when words like high risk and ICU were used. I appreciate any comments or peace of mind. Marta

My surgeon said no alcohol for 6 months. There's a 4th of July party, I really want a glass of wine, I'm 3 months out then, I'm toying with it but I'll probably behave. I was warned by other veteran WLS people that IF you decide to drink in public, try one at home first, you never know how it will effect you.

My doctor never put a time rule for when it was ok to drink alcohol again. I have found that I can't drink carbonated beverages, hard liquor makes me sick even just a little so wine is my alcohol of choice. However I must be careful with it because it does make me drunk fast even after one glass!

You're welcome and thank you!! You are correct, do not compare yourself and YOUR journey, to anybody else's. I lost 23 lbs prior to surgery, weighing 205 the day of surgery. I reached my doctor's goal, (150) just a few days short of 5 months, so my weight loss was almost exactly what yours is so far. I never felt I was losing slowly, I felt sure it would be forever. We had approx. 85% of our tummies removed. I cannot imagine HOW we could gain ALL of it back without trying to do so!!! You can drink your calories with milk shakes, cokes, alcohol. I guess if we were to do all that and rather than eat Protein like we should, we were to eat chips and Twinkies.....it could be bad. I weigh daily, and if I put on a few lbs, I nip it in the bud. Taking a few lbs off takes nothing but cutting out a snack and maybe eat a little less at a meal or maybe eat the can of tuna, which is 1/2 cup, rather than half the can with 10 mini Club Crackers. It's really that easy.

You're right... actually i was hoping i could get him to do something too, he's overweight as well. His dad had a quadruple bypass in his 30s i believe, my mothers 1st heart attack was at 34, both my maternal and paternal grandmothers died at 57 due to heart conditions, diabetes and prescription drug abuse, and one of them was an alcoholic as well. Sent from my LG-E980 using the BariatricPal App

You can do this!!! It's funny I told my family the same thing about having things in the house that I couldn't have and to think of me like an addict. I have teens so they can bring anything home...especially around easter. I finally broke down and said...look please don't put that stuff in front of me. I am just in the beginning stages. They thought I was joking but I told them that you wouldn't put a bunch of beer in the fridge and a keg stand in the kitchen for a recovering alcoholic...then please don't put my vices in the house right now. I think they saw the light and are more supportive in that area now. I think as you progress your body will get more and more used to the diet. What Protein shakes are you drinking. I kind of like the EAS shakes from Wal-Mart. They have 17G of protein and only 100 calories...they seemed to keep me full for a while....which helped.

Just remember, any sugar alcohols, xylitol, malitol, erythritol sorbitol,etc, are all wonderfully potent laxatives. With a sleeve a laxative effect can be magnified. And the last thing you MAY want is being dehydrated from the laxative effect or getting your body used to the laxatives, and then without them,you get constipated. Just a a friendly FYI. When i was young, many moons ago, we used to see who could chew up the most sugar free candies without running to the bathroom...needless to say, it never ended well. For fun look up the sugar free Haribo gummy bears on amazon, and read the reviews. you will fall over laughing. BTW DO NOT EAT THE SUGAR FREE GUMMY BEARS. lol read there and youll find out why.

My NUT says look for SF with sugar alcohol under 5 grams

I'm 11 months (and three days) post op... I'm down 217 pounds (98.5kg) and have been thereabouts for weeks... Admittedly, I've not watched my intake and I've had MANY alcoholic beverages recently, so I'm certainly not complaining.. My aim is to hit 220lb (100kg) lost by my anniversary... That'll leave me at around 70% to goal* of 320lb lost by Christmas this year... *I don't actually have a number as a goal. I have a "feeling". The day I wake up and feel right is the day I'll reach my goal.

@Brent701 I don't feel I can maintain this restrictive diet on my own long term that's number 1. Number 2 the RNY BYPASS does a lot more than just restrict the amount of food, it completely rearranges your system and changes your metabolism for the better and I believe I need all those things plus the Malabsorption for my long term success. Number 3 losing weight is not that hard. it's keeping it off and maintaining it for years to come that's where the surgery will increase my chances of long term success. In the past I've had traumatic experiences in life that have sent me completely off track where I would indulge in all things like bad carbs and take away and generally overeating plus I was an alcoholic for many years but gave that up. I still get cravings when I see things on tv like a nice big juicy burger or steak but I have to remind myself why I am doing this... Thanks for your response

Hello, I'm just curious to know if anyone ever experienced that their stomach stretched. If so how far out are you and how much weight have you gained? Only asking because someone told me my surgery was a waste because with time you gain the weight back. I know of two people who had the sleeve done lost I've one hundred pounds and is now gaining weight, granted he's drinking alcohol and soda and eating the wrong things. Just curious.

Neither are good choices for us bandsters but sometimes you may find yourself in a situation so.....if I have to make a fast food choice I look for grilled chicken, salad without dressing, no fries, dump the bun. On the alcohol side, volunteering to be the designated driver makes me everyone's best friend! But if I have sufficient calories available for alcohol, choose lighter options, non-carbonated.

I misspoke in my first post about it. It's not brain damage, it's neurological damage. Other than what my doctor told me, I typed in a few different things in Google and came up with articles related to many different variations of it. A lot of it had to do with your body being in ketosis and various enzymes that are needed to break down the alcohol and sugar. The main danger I think, if I understood correctly, had to do with the things your body needs to break down alcohol that your liver doesn't get to. This had to do with a lot of factors like glucose levels, muscle mass, ketosis, your own hormone levels, etc. So for people like us, in the very early stages of weight loss where we are losing extreme amounts of weight quickly, we are at a higher risk. My doc told me I was an even higher risk than most because by my 6 week checkup, I had lost around 35 pounds already. Above average I think. So the further you get from surgery, or the slower you lose, the less risk you're taking. Of course this is all unrelated to whether alcohol actually affects your weight loss. From what I've heard from others that have drank after surgery, it definitely slows the loss. On top of the worries my doc put in me about alcohol, I gave up smoking to have my surgery. I'm almost 6 months nicotine free. I wouldn't go back for the world. Not to overeating and not to smoking. So I'm a little worried about drinking again. I don't want to give up both of those bad habits to take on another one. OH! That's another thing! When searching around for different things related to alcohol and weight loss surgery, those that have had the surgery are like 40% or some crazy high number at a higher risk of becoming an alcoholic. I didn't look into the whys of that one but i bet it has a lot to do with psychological factors, like trading one habit for another. So, I really don't think there is some super high risk of everyone that has had weight loss surgery developing issues from alcohol. Probably the same risk we all have from second hand smoke, or drinking sodas, or smog. They're all unhealthy, but something's going to kill us any way, might as well keep living till it does.

I was diagnosed with pancreatitis about 6 weeks after my surgery...the really scary part was that the bariatric surgeon attributed my pain to a simple pulled muscle. When I was discharged from the hospital, I was advised to follow up with my PCP (board certified in internal medicine). A good thing that I did...because he took one look at the lab results run during the time I was in the hospital and noticed my lipase level was significantly elevated...which indicates inflammation in the pancreas. As per my PCP, there are generally only 3 reasons for this enzyme to become elevated - 2% is medication induced (quite rare), ~48% is from excessive drinking of alcohol, and the other ~48% is from gall bladder issues...not only related to gallstones. There is a significant relationship between rapid and significant weight loss and gallbladder disease. In my case, my gallbladder essentially has ceased to function entirely..as diagnosed by my HIDA scan. My PCP does not attribute this entirely to my weight loss, but was exacerbated by my weight loss to the degree where I can now feel the nausea and pain. He felt eventually that the symptoms would have appeared, the weight loss just sped up the process. I have a surgical consult scheduled for next week to determine when or if I need to have my gallbladder removed...this drill is getting old. If I need to have this surgery it will be my 3rd abdominal surgery in less than a year. But, I still have no regrets about having my band surgery. Best wishes to you...feel better!

my doc says its ok in moderation like EVERYTHING else post op, including alcohol and such. I have a medium iced vanilla latte everyday, a diet coke everyday, and I have about 3 beers a week on average! Made goal in 8 months, easily maintain my weight, and I am happy and healthy, and not deprived.

Oh girl, I was in your shoes just about 6 weeks ago. I was frantic at the thought of a liquid diet and I ate every favorite food I could think of in the weeks leading up to surgery. My husband couldn't figure out what the heck was wrong with me. In the midst of one conversation, I finally blurted out that I felt like I was murdering my very best friend! You know the one who ALWAYS showed up to console me and made me feel better (at least in the short term). Some people are addicted to cigarettes, alcohol, etc. My addiction was Dr. Pepper. It's like crack for me. My mood could be gauged by the size of the Dr. Pepper I was drinking. Knowing that this surgery meant never drinking a sugary, carbonated beverage again really played with my head. But, I sit here now four weeks out and I can honestly say I haven't really struggled with not having soda. I don't know what the future holds but I am feeling positive. I think everyone has to go through this process for themself to be a believer, but once you get to the otherside you will be okay.

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.

//Also, there are places to purchase these things online where they will send you samples much of the time. That is how I knew I would be able to enjoy my protein "shakes." My sister, who had gastric bypass, has found that there aren't any protein powders she can take, but I want her to try mine. I can't drink milk or use soy products. I found a kosher certified powder that is whey protein but lactose free, and I use rice milk with it. (Chocolate - Yummy!)// Amy - can you share that kosher certified powder with us? I'd love to try it. My Myoplex is good but I am always looking to try new ones. //I did ok during the HH this year. I get my fills on Thursdays, and only passed on challah once (I don't consult a Rabbi on this, sorry). I'm pretty good at liquifying challah in my mouth, even on the second day after a fill. Growing up my Orthodox rabbi, who was very well known, always told us that if you couldn't fulfill a mitzvah or law because of a health issue, that your health came first. I take that to heart.// I find there is a lot of variability in what Rabbis will say. I guess it depends on your own personal stats. My friend and I were banded within 3 months of each other, and we each consult a rabbi, and we get very different responses. I think that my friend who has a lot more weight to lose than me, and is also pre-diabetic with PCOS is considered more of a health risk, whereas I am very healthy and fit, just FAT. so I tend to be told not to do things that she is told to do. Staying hydrated on YK is one example. //Has anyone started to think about what to do during Pesach? I know I can go a couple days without the protein, but don't yet know whether I will be able to eat enough to get sufficient protein for the full eight days. Now THAT is a concern for me. I can live without a vitamin or calcium supplement for a week, but am not yet sure about the protein. I may be anticipating a problem that doesn't exist, but it is something I'm thinking about now, well ahead of time // this is a real concern. I know a friend of mine uses Dr. Ren and she says that in NYU before Pesach a lot of ppl come in for an unfill. My strategy - and I don't know if it will work is - I am planning on cooking a lot of meat and chicken and pureeing it, to be sure I will get in enough protein. I probably will be low, but it will be OK for a week. I DO NOT PLAN ON GETTING AN UNFILL. for one, I'm private pay and that's pricey, and for two, my friend gained 10 lbs over Passover last year and I work WAY TOO HARD to lose each pound to do that. In terms of vitamins, I believe Maxi Health makes a Kosher for Passover liquid vitamin, but it tastes NASTY. I probably will use it though. I am going to ask my Rabbi about 4 cups of wine. I find that since being banded my tolerance for alcohol has dropped, and I may just stick to grape juice if he says that's OK. Check out the maxi health site - they may have stuff and call their 800 number - I find their nutritionists to be very helpful and knowledgable. According to my scale, I'm down another pound, but I don't "count" it unless it shows on a Tuesday. So I weigh 183.4 unofficially today! I'm so excited. I'm hoping I won't ruin it this Shabbos with the birthday cake my kids will "surprise" me with this Shabbos. Rdk

Nope, your body cannot absorb sugar alcohols. But be careful! Too much of it can cause bloating and painful gas. It also can have a laxative affect. Sometimes i'll have an Atkins bar if my chia seeds and miralax don't work. :-)

I have had tequila/orange, margaritas and wine with no problems. Sometimes I will have a beer but I reduce the carbonation by either putting in tomato/clamato juice and/or ice. Sometimes the beer works, sometimes it don't. The big issue is alcohol minimizes weight loss so I limit it to 1-2 drinks per week.

I agree - it is the easiest start to my day! The whole point to the not drinking liquid calories IS THE USELESS liquid calories i.e. milkshakes, Frappuccino's, alcohol - there is nothing useless about 150 calories and 20 grams of Protein as a meal! My Dr also requires us to get 65-75 grams of protein in a day - I can't eat enough food to get that much in, and protein supplements are HIGHLY recommended in order to meet the dietary requirements.

I have not had surgery yet, but hope to in the next 1-2 months. It sounds like your surgery went well, which is great to hear. I like what you wrote, my addiction to food does remind me of an alcoholic. Best of luck in your journey!

If I could avoid my cocktails I would start losing weight again, my meals do last me 3-4 hours but they are still a good size meals smaller than regular but definitely not as small as they should be. Alcohol is my weakness as after a long day at work I do enjoy my drink How do we not drink alcohol?

I overcame alcohol and caffeine and sugar products Sent from my U307AS using BariatricPal mobile app

So the alcohol and fatty meats aren't a great thing if you've got a fatty liver, but, more than likely you didn't cause enough damage/increase in those 2 occasions to cause any real issues with surgery. Most certainly stick to your liquids for the next 3 days and I'm sure things will be just fine. Just remember, afterwards for the best outcome, you should try to find other, non-food/alcohol methods for stress relief. Just stay focused, You got this!