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I'm 6 months out from surgery but I am going give you some honest answers about where I am right now. I drink sooner than an hour after food. One reason is usually for me my food has emptied my stomach, for the most part what I eat doesn't sit in my stomach very long unless I have beef. I also eat my portions and not more, and I am not hungry. Yes you should wait an hour, but that won't always be the case, it definitely doesn't matter if you only had liquid for dinner. I don't go nuts chewing my food. I mostly eat things that are pretty soft anyway so it isn't necessary. The only time I have to make sure I really chew is if I have beef. I can almost guzzle water now. I can't chug 16 ounces at a time like I used to in one breathe, but after you have healed more at 3-4 months you can take bigger gulps closer together. I have no issue with drinking maybe 4 ounces in 30-60 seconds. It depends on the temp though. There is other alcohol in life besides beer. TLDR, the things that I thought were going to annoy me the most, chewing and drinking, at 6 months at a huge issue. I imagine at a year it won't even matter.

I am diagnosing myself here but I am pretty certain I have non alcoholic fatty liver disease I can review my labs on line and view the trends since surgery almost 6 months ago now My Alk-phos is elevated and increases each time I have my blood work done My ALT and AST are also trending upwards all three tests are elevated above normal ranges I don't drink alcohol and haven't for years and years So the only explanation is I have Fatty Liver Disease! Loosing weight and exercising helps!! but obviously in my case it hasn't My Glucose level is 111 although I have not been diagnosed with Diabetes there is a chance I do have issues there plus my triglycerides are still elevated at 172 post surgery Anybody else have these problems?

Thanks. I think the absolute best thing is the tylenol. I was taking it already during the day, but yesterday I bought some tylenol pm and took it last night and only woke up a few times instead of never going to sleep like the last two days. I put this 100% pure aloe vera gel on my burn and that helped, but some of the smaller blisters on my back popped (i'm guessing) because it burned my shoulders and back so much I thought I was going to cry. Looking at the back of the "100% pure aloe vera" I saw there was alcohol in it. This confuses me.

@ - the lady on the train who complimented you made up for the j@ck@ss at work. Do not allow his comments to continue and try to not respond, just head to HR. I HAVE responded to an a**hole (hung over alcoholic)about 20 years ago at work when he decided to literally cuss me out and I just went off with every 4 letter, 6 letter word I could think of (made up a few). If I hadn't retaliated I could've had him reprimanded. He had been making snide comments for a couple of weeks and I was over it and let it go. Funny thing was that our boss (an alcoholic as well) stood right there and watched the whole thing go down. He (boss) stood there shaking after it was over and said I didn't know what to do (?). This forum is for ranting and raving and for those who don't realize that need to sip another cup of coffee, and take their hands off the keyboard and READ!

NO MILK NO SUGAR NO ALCOHOL NO CAFFINE NO CARBONATION EVER Two weeks prior to surgery I was on a liquid diet, I lost 10 % of my weight 24 lbs. I was excited for the loss, but I am still on a liquid diet for 1 week post op, no protein shakes. At least pre-op I had the protein to fill me up, but I am so hungry now 3 days post-op. I am weak, grumpy and not happy at all. This is my Dr.s menu, I wonder if he has ever tried to survive on this little. I know I am complaining, but I am so frustrated!:tongue_smilie:

Autumn, I agree with you. I have lost weight in the past, however gained it back due to behavior and emotion. I think the Band is only a tool, that will hopefully provide me with the awareness to deal with the real issues. I know I have to change choices of food etc. However, for some even surgery can not change their ability to change, but we all know how hard this is. I am praying that the surgery provides me with the finality of the decision. It is like an alcoholic who loses their job, family, home, etc and still drinks. You wonder what their cut off point is, what has to happen. It is the same with eating. For some it is more difficult to fight the desease. I also think this doctor is capitalizing to make money on these woman! Sad, Janine

Irene, I've only read to page two of this thread and just had to post ( will go back to read everything later!). First, thank you! I am in the same position as you. Banded in Nov 2007, got down to around 170, gained back I'm thinking around 25 but will not get on the scale to prove it. I'm having such a hard time!!! chips and ice cream - yes, I have got to stay away from those too. Like you, I spiral out of control if I just have ONE! It is like alcohol or any addiction to me as well. I just cannot have any. So something that has helped me- I recently talked to a friend who did WW and lost over 50 pounds. Just knowing her struggles has helped me know that it DOES take a bit of struggle, and the skinny girls don't necessarily eat whatever they want if ya know what I mean. She said she would eat three small meals a day, that's it. No Snacks. If she was hungry, she'd look at her watch and say only an hour until lunch, or only half an hour till supper. She was hungry. I did that for a week and it was working - then I went on vacation for a week where that totally got blown to pieces. Now I'm back and of course fighting off my addictions because, yes, I had chips and ice cream on vacation!!! My goal is to eat three meals a day, no snacks. I know that's what it's going to take for me. I look forward to coming to this thread often!

I never said they were bad per-se. Did I not say everything in moderation? Eating them is probably no different than taking a laxative with a high fat content. Should you eat them all the time? Definitely not. Personally I would rather have a weensy bit of sugar over the sugar alcohols but that's because I'd rather not have the laxative effects.

OK, I made it to my appointment at 11:43. I know it was pushing it since I told you all my appointment was for 11:45. Well to my surprise upon arrival my appointment was really schedule for 11:15. I was in total shock. I went blank for a second in thought thinking were did I get 11:45 from. Well, she check to see had the worker left for lunch. Thank God they were still there. I went in nervous, just as if it was the day of the surgery. Got upon the table. They put the xray over me to find my port. Tah tah! ding ding ding....they found it instantly. So here comes the bad stuff, the pain. I asked about numbing it. She explained, why get poke twice when you can get poke once and be finish. I am still shaking like a leaf on a twig. But guess what I didn't even know when she started or finish. I didnt feel a thing other then the alcohol swab being rub on me and her hand. They tried to talk to me during the process. I wasn't hearing that...lol...to nervous thinking my talking would bring pain....I know, I am crazy, but that's just me...lol I got 4cc in a 10cc band. Literally, i did not feel or see the needle at all. My filler was GREAT!!!!! I hope she is the one to do it all the time. My appointment last a total of 5 minutes, including the EKG. I have lost a total of 12lbs. They would prefer for me to get to 159lbs by my bandevesary. I have bigger dreams, I am aiming for 135-140lbs. My original weight was 191 on my very first visit to the center. So that puts me at 179lbs now....... Its a start!!!!

Was wondering the same post sleeve. Not a heavy drinker to begin with, but it would be nice to have one here and there when I go to happy hour with my girlfriends...but fortunately I haven't craved alcohol one bit. I would, however, like to know. My doc suggested not to do it for one year, but I got the vibe that this was more about forming bad habits than causing damage to the sleeve/pouch. Although I know some bypassers can dump from alcohol, so in that case I would probably avoid it just to avoid the embarrassment of something going wrong in public. If you do venture out, maybe try at home first so you know what to expect.

@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

One of my dearest lifelong friends and her husband both died in their 30s after gastric bypass because their lives became very stressful after surgery (which was unrelated to their surgery). They both became raging alcoholics because they could no longer overeat in they way they previously would to cope with their stressors (not specifically related to surgery) so they turned to alcohol and quickly became very addicted (very indirectly related to surgery as they had absorption changes with GBS). Their surgeries affected their bodies in ways that accelerated their deaths, but their deaths were caused by choices they made that were completely unrelated to their surgeries. Anyway, all of that to say that the jump from the surgeries to their deaths is not a big one to make, but at the core, the two things are entirely unrelated, and it's probably the same with your granddad's friend. I'll admit watching them on the downhill slide made me nervous about going under the knife myself, but even moreso, it made me respect the process and while-person healing that happens after surgery. Though I drink socially, their experiences make me respect the power alcohol can have on a transformed body, and it makes me aware that healthier coping habits are VITAL on this side of the knife. I loved and I miss my friends, and I wish things would've been different for them, but I am SO thankful for the health and vitality I now have as a result of my own weight loss surgery. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Just responding to my own post to have everything in one place. General Down almost 60lbs after surgery on May 18th. No complications. I followed the rules exactly on the diet, but continued to push the exercise because that's my personality. In fact, I would say I've become a little obsessive with the exercise, walking/running/biking everyday. I have also experienced a lot of ups and downs since the surgery. Food The first week after surgery I was fine with the limited clear liquids, however, near the end of the first week I was sick and tired of the clear liquids. The second week was the same. First part of the week was good because of new liquids, but near the end of the second week I was sick of the limitations. Basically I was excited every time I got new foods, and was sick of it by the end. This was not so much because I was having cravings for fatty or sugary foods, I just needed variety. Now I'm opened up to try whatever I want, except carbonation. I'm still not trying bread, but have had really small tastes of pasta (really small) or eaten really small keto tortillas without issue. I'm still keeping a daily log of all food eaten and hitting my macros on most days. I'm really focusing on my protein (100+ grams a day; I've really been aiming for 130+ grams, but it's tough) intake as I don't want to lose any more muscle. I do notice that I get the hiccups when I'm full. Sometimes my nose runs when I'm full as well. I did get the "slimes" once. I was trying to eat a breakfast taco on the keto tortilla and I guess it was too dry. I only got half down (the tortillas are only about 3.5 inches across; really small) and it felt like it was stuck. So what do you do when food is stuck, DRINK! That was a mistake. Got the slimes and eventually threw up. That's the only time that has happened. Fortunately, it was like 5 weeks after surgery, but I was worried I had done something to my stomach. Went out to eat with the family a week ago and tried ghost pepper wings (which I'm normally fine with). I also put ghost pepper hot sauce on my refried beans, without issue. The spicy wings did not go well. It was much spicier than normal and I ended up drinking water and almost threw up. Prior, I had eaten 3 wingstop wings with blue cheese and was fine (mango habanero). We went out to dinner again last night and I had a few bites of salad, about 2 ounces of chicken breast with BBQ sauce and a few bites of sweet potato and was stuffed. I used to get a 16 ounce ribeye with mushrooms and onions, mashed potatoes, veggies and a couple of tall beers. I did not feel like I was missing out, which feels kind of weird. My kids got a dessert and I wasn't interested in it. Sugar free popsicles taste really good and are almost too sweet now. I was really worried about eating out (what I was going to eat; how it was going to go, etc). I feel more comfortable now for when we go out with friends. Bonus, I have saved a TON of money on food and alcohol. Like a crazy amount. I did have a glass of bourbon on the rocks last week. Drank it slow and it went down just fine. Zero issues. I'm not going to start drinking though, and will just stick to an occasional drink. Exercise I started walking very soon after surgery, 10K steps a day, and pushed it too far too early. I dialed it back for the first two weeks, but then picked it back up. Now I either walk for 15K+ steps a day or ride the bike for an hour. Every day. I get a more intense workout on the bike plus it's better on my joints. Walking seems to hurt my hips and back, but I'm powering through. I'm going to a physical therapist on Thursday to try to figure that out. As I said above, I'm definitely obsessive about my exercise. Sometimes to the point where I wear myself out and am exhausted for the rest of the day. Some of that is a mix of the intense exercise and limited calorie intake. I've also told myself that I was not going to obsess about the scale and I was only going to weigh once a week, because the weekly/monthly trend is the only thing that matters (my weight fluctuates up and down daily, but trends down weekly/monthly). However, I find it really difficult to avoid weighing myself multiple times a day. I'm obsessed with the scale as well. Mood Overall, I'm OK. Weight loss is really good. Hit a couple of short stalls. No complications, but my mood is really up and down, which is not normal for me. So much so, that I have scheduled an appt with a therapist next week (first time in my life). The doldrums are real, especially after VSG, so take care of yourselves, physically and mentally. Meds I'm completely off my BP meds and it's currently averaging 120/80. I have GERD with a history of Barrett's Esophagus, and I'm currently taking 40mg omeprazole daily. I was really worried about it getting worse after surgery, but I have had zero issues. I have a follow up appt with my VSG doc next week and I'm going to see if I can test 20mg. I would love to get off all meds. I tried the barimelts at the suggestion of my doctor, and they were OK the first couple of days. Then they totally grossed me out. I mean, like I was about to vomit and dreaded taking them every day. I only made it about a week before I gave up. I'm back on regular vitamins for now and tolerating them just fine. I'm going to ask the doc about that next week as well. Misc Because of the connective tissue disorder, my shoulders are really messed up. My right one especially. I'm glad it's not affecting my exercising. I just saw an orthopedic and she described my shoulder as "gnarly". Reverse shoulder replacement is in my future, but in the meantime, I'll have it scoped for labrum and rotator cuff repair, plus Bankart repair with the remplissage procedure. I am looking forward to relief from the chronic pain, but not the recovery. I hear it is brutal. TLDR Wished I would've had the surgery sooner. Plan for some ups and downs. Follow the plan. Take care of yourself. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

I find alcohol affects me more of less depending on what i eat during the day. I drink wine and hard liquors but all only in small amount. If I drink too fast I feel sick and not drunk and it is not a fun time. Usually 2 glasses of wine leave me as a write off. There are different drinks that sometimes I can and can not handle. Vodka I can't seem to manage but whiskey, gin and rum are ok. I rarely drink these those. Just remember to drink slowly because it takes a while for the drink to go through your band. The last thing you want to do is drink too much and then have to throw up and can't because of the band ( trust me NOT pleasant) I used to be able to out drink everyone now I won't even try and always stop after 2 drinks. If I eat too much during the day and then go drinking I don't get as drunk as fast. Remember to drink even more Water as it makes you more dehydrated. Now I drink my whiskey with water instead of coke and add some ice. It sounds gross but it isn't that bad.

i too was irritated that i saw the pa's postop. however you can request to see the dr too and not the pa's. but i have learned if you go to the hoffman estates office and they are running behind even though you are scheduled to see the dr they will send in the pa to keep things "moving"...i saw the asian pa twice (i forget her name) and then another one with curly brown hair once when i was supposed to see rantis. but rantis did make an appearance at the end of the appointment to see me. as far as your incision, did you have single site in the belly button? i didn't have problems during the healing phase but now that my stomach is frumping over from weight loss it gets infected quite frequently. and maybe irritated is a better word than infected. i have learned its from the moisture and the inside of my button not drying out. i stick a cotton ball in there for about an hour after a bath/shower to dry out the Water that may be left behind. it helps. i have also used a q-tip with a little alcohol on it to help dry out the water. but again this was after mine was healed. i have a very deep innie . hope it clears up for you!!! and its completely normal to hit a stall around 3/4 weeks. if you do a search on the dreaded 3 week stall a lot of posts will come up about it. just follow the plan and i promise you it will start again. make sure you are getting your water in. i learned water is truly the secret to flushing out your system. i think between the rapid loss with the 2 week liquid and the rapid loss those first couple weeks, your loss definitely trails off for a week or 2 around 3 or 4 weeks. i think our bodies are like "what is happening". and they take a couple week hiatus to figure it out and catch up. that is my crazy thought anyways. feel free to pm me if you have any questions!!!!

I agree with previous posters. I had to wait 6 months (no loss required) and I am very thankful I had that time to research the hell out of the surgery and prepare mentally. But most of all I used it as my last real effort to lose the weight without surgery. I busted my a$$ at the gym, I ate healthy food, gave up Diet Coke and alcohol (those were the last to go). I ended up getting a lot stronger and healthier which made surgery and recovery a lot safer and faster. But I didn't lose any weight at all... That more than anything proved to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that I needed the surgery. Sent from my XT1585 using the BariatricPal App

How long (Weeks/Months) before your surgery did you stop drinking alcohol and caffiene???? Thanks for your responses! Julie

My former husband receives an injection of naltrexone once a month. It has done wonders for him. It decreases the desire to drink & prevents the alcohol from having an effect on you. Best wishes to you.

During the WLS Seminar, the surgeon mentioned that the dietician is going to tell us all that we must not drink coffee. Forget the Starbucks, no more Dutch Brothers, skip the home brew. This, my friends, was devistating news to me. See, I don't drink alcohol. I've never smoked and never even thought of touching drugs. But coffee...oooh coffee. I drink it all day long. I would rarely buy the good coffees (Starbucks, Dutch Bros) but I would drink a pot of coffee a day. When asked the reasoning behind that idea, the surgeon said the focus needs to be on giving your body only what it needs. "Okay", I thought, "I totally get it, I can do this!". Saturday was my grande finale. That night, I ran the coffee pot parts through the dishwasher and put it all away. Sunday I tried a cup of black tea, then some diet green tea with ginsing later in the day. No caffiene headache, and I felt pretty good. Monday was pretty successful too. Yesterday though...yesterday was a doozie. I REALLY wanted a venti white chocolate mocha frappuccino from Starbucks. As in, it was all I could think about all day. I had a headache, I was tired, and seriously doubting my decision to go 'cold turkey' on this whole caffiene-free thing. A coworker suggested grabbing a Pepsi, but again, my focus is on transitioning to what my body needs not what my head wants. So I resisted. Has anyone else had to give up anything (besides the yummy food!) to get in the right mindset for surgery.....or do you think it's better to "live it up" while you can pre-op since you'll essentially never have some things again (if you stick to the plan)?

Just got home today. I had surgery on the 25th.. Very little pain but the nausea is really tough Every time I try to drink I feel like i'm gong to lose it again. I'll power through cause I have to. If the nausea is only for a few days, I can deal, but if it is longer it is going to cause a serious dehydration and nutrition problem. Anybody just recently sleeved find they have an increased sense of smell? I do and it makes we want to puke. When the nurses gave medicine through the IV and used alcohol to wipe the tube I got very nauseated from the rubbing alcohol smell. Go figure!

Well I don't know you, so I won't challenge whether or not you're a personal injury attorney, but I will say that either (1) you missed the warnings (every reputable surgeon in the US would include them...without fail), which would be difficult for me to accept that a personal injury attorney would miss that, or (2) I would question whether or not your surgeon was indeed reputable or not because the number of REPUTABLE surgeons that would fail to include a warning (several, actually) about alcohol after a WLS procedure (or most others, as well) is absolutely unequivocally ZERO. (This is especially true since the procedure typically includes a prescription for some sort of pain killer). That being said, I personally waited about 60 days and received clearance from my surgeon before taking a few sips of wine. As I mentioned in another thread, the biggest things with alcohol is that they are empty calories...just like refined carbs/processed foods. They don't "feed" you and with the limited amount of calories you can intake during the weight loss phase, making those calories count is extremely important. I would definitely echo others and say to try a few sips in the comfort of your own home first, to see how your sleeve reacts. Best of luck!

I have a pre-op appt at the hospital (anesthesia, registrar, etc.), pre-op with Surgeon, Bone Density test, Group meeting with Nutrionist and a Group meeting with they Psychologist. Then start my liquid diet 10/5. Supposed to go on a "Girls' Weekend" trip the weekend I start my liquid diet, will be interesting. Does alcohol count on my liquid diet? hahahahahaha

Most people drink to relax a little. When I've drink wine I do not drink to get drunk because I don't like that feeling. Most people also smoke marijuana to relax a little. Most people don't want to get so high or drunk they are out of control or unconscious. Assuming most people who drink or smoke marijuana once or twice a week are drug addicts or alcoholics is insulting and I wouldn't have gone there if you hadn't said what you said.

If its alcohol your talking about get ready for negative , negative , negative comments !!!! What did you surgeon advise you? I was cleared at 3 weeks but admit cheated at 2. Nothing happened to me . Same as before . Good luck .

Hello! I am 20 months post-op. I have been maintaining for a 13 months. I can drink fluids just as I did pre-op. I get grief from other sleevers cause I drink sparkling Water all day long. It has not and will not stretch my sleeve!! But to answer your question about alcohol-- I had my first beer 4-5 months post op. And have had 2-3 beers per week regularly since the 9 month mark. On my Birthday last year I may have had 6 beers over the course of 4 hours hehehe... So once in a while you can splurge, and I have maybe 2-3 beers on Fridays with my fiance and we share an appetizer. I am normal, and that's what I love about the sleeve. I do make good choices mostly throughout the week and I work out. Just wait until your healed, and if you can do it in moderation, and maintain your weight loss.... why not?