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Hi, I have recently asked my doctor about weight loss surgery after having struggled with my weight for around 10 years. I have tried seeing several dieticians, Weight Watchers, calorie counting, medication etc and nothing seems to have really worked (I either lose only a couple of pounds or I lose quite a bit in a short space of time and then gain that back and more). According to the specialist I see in London, my non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, borderline glucose intolerance and insulin resistance makes it harder for me to lose weight, it isn't an excuse but it means I have to work twice as hard to burn off whatever I eat. However, my liver would get better if I lost weight, so weight loss surgery seems like the only option now. I have a BMI of 43 and, from what I have told my doctor, she agrees and will refer me once she has checked over my notes (she has only become my GP recently). However, I am worried I won't be approved. As I'm in the UK, my only real choice is the NHS, and they say a BMI of 35 with comorbidities or just a BMI of 40 means you fit the criteria. Unfortunately, the NHS has been getting stricter recently due to lack of funding and I have heard many horror stories about it, so I'm really worried I won't be approved. I am also young, I will be 21 in August, and I just get a feeling that people will think I'm not old enough to make this decision. Does liver disease count as a comorbidity? Has anyone else had any experience with the NHS?

Jessica, have you talked to your psychologist about this? Have you thought about getting counselling to work through the issues you are experiencing? Sadly the statistics are not good as far as 'transferance addictions' and VSG. Some people can turn to alcohol, some to gambling, and some to shopping. Also, some people still over eat, and then vomit often. I am not saying any of these things will happen to you, but unfortunately they can. The only advise that I can give you is to try taking to a counselour now so start working on these things so hopefully you can make your life better, and avoid having such a tough time before you get the VSG. Good luck!!

Try some lotion, sometimes a little alcohol swab helps, else just try not to bother it, my staples came out two weeks post and itched like crazy for a another week but once those scabs fell off I went to town scratching - felt good.

Well it finally happened to me. I had my first fill Aug.2nd. I think about 3cc in a 14cc band. Anyway have been doing well and losing 2-3 lbs weekly since I started. Last week went to spend a week with my oldest daughter and her family. I wasn't really adhering to the low carb part of my diet but still watching caloric intake and charting it daily. But decided to partake of a few cocktails. I was drinking bloody Marys and trying to keep the calories down. Friday evening I had a few and felt it coming on. Hadn't eaten so was really surprised when I ended up in the bathroom sliming away and gagging. It passed relatively quickly. So now I know too much alcohol can bring it on too! And I lost another 3.4 lbs last week! But like I said I gave up the food calories for the alcohol calories and I don't believe this would be healthy for too long!

Meals? You get Meals?? I just finished day 7 of a 3 week pre op diet. I get 4 shakes a day and IF I'm still hungry (IF!!) I can have a dry salad. I am losing my mind! I'm being a little dramatic, but this is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Harder than quitting smoking. Harder than quitting alcohol. I know, I'm not being very encouraging. It's just been really rough. 2 more weeks of this seems so long!!!! Pray for me, people!!!

Hi Miami, These are all questions you can bring to your bariatric center/surgeon and they'd be able to help you with them. I haven't had the surgery but, I know a lot of the answers from my bariatric center already. Of course some of the questions are an individuals opinion too Is it 100% true your stomach becomes the size of 1 egg? Surgeon says about the size of one egg, holds 1 ounce. You need to eat 6 times a day?Based on Protein intake mainly. Although eating 6 small meals a day will keep your metabolism going. Do your stomach stay the size of 1 egg forever? Nope it won't if you eat too much at one sitting. You can stretch the pouch and therefore take in more food and actually gain weight after a while. That's why they stress eating slowly, stopping as soon as you feel you've had enough but, not FULL. Going beyond full and you face getting throwing it up and stretching it out. Are you able to eat a little normal after 6/12 months like 3 spoons rice with Beans or small chicken salad even if your eating 3 spoons of it? I'm told eating gets more "normal" at around 1-1.5 years meaning you can eat most foods with no trouble but, in smaller portions if you've followed the eating rules all along and haven't stretched your pouch. If you follow your diet according to your surgeon how much can you lose in 1 year all of it? Get to your goal weight. That is definitely an individual thing...everyone is different, everyone loses at a different pace and many factors can apply. You do lose the bulk of the weight the first year, each person has a different goal so can't really say we'd all hit it. How about sex does it get better? Well, another opinion but, I certainly would think feeling better in your own skin would make the whole experience better Do you think about surgery like why did I do this? Haven't had the surgery yet but, I did have the lapband and I thought that after surgery. Mainly after the first 3 days as the anesthisia (sp?) wore off. And of course on days where food just doesn't sit right but, in the end I always thought it was worth it. I'm sure I'll feel the same about the RNY. Does liquor bother your stomach? My bariatric center and the previous one always said to stay away from liquor. With RNY you diegest things different and the alcohol doesn't break down enough so you could get pretty sick and drunk from small amounts of alcohol. Story one person told us during an information session was she had RNY, she went partying with her friends and ended up losing 3 days of memory and her life. She passed out and didn't wake up for 3 days. Doesn't sound worth it to me. Do you feel moody & angry cooking for your family & not eating what others eat? Oh I think most would feel moody and angry sometimes but, it's up to you how to work through it. YOu may not be able to eat it but, for me cooking for my family is my love for my family. I can't eat it, but they shouldn't be punished because I can't. So yea...i may not be able to eat a lot of the things they do but, I sure in heck can join in on the family fun once I lose the weight and feel better about myself and can move more. That's worth not eating some of those meals to me. Any regrets? Can't answer this one yet...but, I don't forsee regrets. I had the lapband and loved it, I miss having that restriction that helped me feel in more control of my eating so I'm looking forward to the restriction. Would you do it again? Have to skip this one as I haven't had it yet. What's the hardest part after surgery & already heal normal life? Again, can only base on my lapband restriction experience but, the hardest parts were social outings that were based around food. I always brought something I knew I could eat and enjoy without guilt. Then I'd hold my Water and get away from the food table. After a while, family and friends just knew I wasn't going to eat more and wouldn't bug me. Hardest part is fending off the food pushers. How do your spouse see you? My spouse has been supportive and willing to help me anyway I need it. He's always encouraging even if I only lose half a pound or if I gained a pound. He knew with my lapband and I know he will when I have this done, just what to say to help me out. I"m lucky for sure. Are you sexier to spouse? Spouse often reminds me he loves me for who I am no matter what. So I know he'll think the same after and I sure hope he thinks I'm sexier as I start losing weight with this because he is the apple of my eye and I'd love for him to have a sexier woman in me hanging on his arm. Now your thinner you feel sexier having sex with light on? Hmmm another personal opinion question....I have a feeling I'll certainly enjoy our time together even more so once I'm thinner

Hey Friends of Bill W, I am very new to all this and what a relief to see that not only can I talk to people who have experanice in having the Lap Band surg, but also who are in recovery!! Love how God works!!! As you can see I am looking into talking to my doc about the surgery but I wanted to get more info, especially from people who have had the surgery. But as an Alcoholic, my commitee is running crazy. Im in fear and have come to the realization that not only was alcohol my best friend, but so was food. And it's still around to comfort me in times of fear and crazyness. If anyone has any words of encougement, advise, "suggestions", Big Book pages, ANYTHING, that will help please feel free to post a comment, reply, or even email at cvar75@aol.com. Thanks so much to all!:thumbup:

@BarbieVSG14 I agree with everything in your post!! BUT, the reality is that bariatric surgery is correlated with divorce, and, sadly, it may be worse for people who are not married. I'm 27 years married, and am blessed with a guy who loves my "diets" because he always loses weight. And he's ready to stop drinking alcohol, so that helps, too. I can only assume its awful for couples when they arent in the same place mentally. It would be like be married to someone who voted for Trump! <<haha

Maybe a direct irritant effect of concentrated alcohol on your stomach lining? I do drink alcohol (one year out from my sleeve) but it's mainly wine (11% as opposed to the 40% in spirits) and luckily I haven't had any ill effects. Also, as Old Salt says - new food intolerances aren't uncommon after bariatric surgery. Might be worth changing around the type of whiskey that you drink to check whether another might suit you better!

I have absolutely zero regrets about having sleeve surgery. I don't miss food, I haven't developed any further addictions because of the weight loss. And believe me, I have an addictive personality, and struggled with addiction when I was younger. I'm about to turn 33 so I understand your concerns. I did not have the classic co-morbidities even at 5'2" weighing 270 pounds, but I did have joint pain. No high blood pressure, no cholesterol issues, nothing except being fat, and knowing that if I didn't do something, I would for sure die early or live on medications because of my weight issue. I can tell you from my experience as a band to sleeve revision that I am so happy, and live my life to the fullest that I don't have time for any other addictions. I used to be a big drinker, bar hopper (before I was married), and was concerned that I would turn to alcohol to fill the void since I couldn't eat large quantities. But, guess what, I have not had anything to drink since my revision in June. I have zero desire to drink. I always loved to shop so that wasn't an issue either, but I can tell you that shopping is a lot more fun now. If you are concerned about other (called transfer) addictions, ask your surgeon if their program includes a support group. If they do not have support group see if you can find one on meetup.com in your local area. And, you can always turn to us here for help, questions or concerns.

I want a little alcohol at least....lol

All I can say is, make sure you have something in your stomach before you start drinking, i.e. eat dinner before you go to the concert. If you drink after not eating for several hours, you will be TRASHED in the blink of an eye. Seriously, I speak from experience! I did this on Halloween at one of our local bars...I had two glasses of wine over a couple hours and I was so drunk we had to leave. It's crazy how much alcohol tolerance changes after banding!

I have a question!! I am going out with the hubby tonight to a concert and I haven't had an alcoholic drink in months! I was wondering if anyone has had any since being banded??

I'm nearly 2 months post op. I haven't dined out or drank alcohol for over 2 months. Next week I have to travel for work. I'll be out of the safety of my own environment. ANY ADVISE PLEASE. What should I eat? What should I drink? I don't want going out to eat with coworkers to be an issue. I don't want them staring at me wondering how much or what I'll eat. How do I painlessly order from a restaurant with confidence? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I just confirmed a week's vacation with my hubby, son and daughter to spend Thanksgiving on the beach this year. This will be unusual for me as I usually host the big family dinner with 30 plus people and enough food to feed 60 which results in a 4 day feeding frenzy. I'm glad we're doing something a little less traditional this year as I hope to break some of my Holiday habits...gaining 5-10 pounds. What do I plan to do in Daytona? Swim, walk the beach, ride bicyles, dancing at night clubs, Christmas shopping, anything that requires me to be active. My goal will be to burn off any daily calories that are not necessary (ice cream, alcohol) and continure to lose weight while I'm there. I have approximately 130 days to get my body ready for a skimpy swimsuit. Will I be a size 8? No.... But I'll look damn good in a size 12! :thumbup: P.S. I have officially walked 100 miles since the first week in June and have ridden 48 miles on my bike. I feel so much stronger than I did 2 months ago.

I strongly disagree that children are not eating because of emotional reasons. My family looked very normal from the outside. My father died when I was 11 from a massive heart attack. We went to church and 2 hours later he was dead. Less then a year later my brother moved back home from a failed marriage (he was 19) and brought a baby with him. I'm sure you can guess how horrible my ex sister inlaw was that he got custody; this being 1981. He was a high functioning alcoholic. Super stressful with a lot of verbal abuse. Over the next 5 years one aunt and 3 uncles died of cancer. Long drawn out illnesses. I was an emotional wreck. I was definatly an emotional eater! I strongly believe that some kids deal with their pain by taking drugs and others are eating themselves to death.

If I have calculated correctly I am in my 11th week post op. Gosh, it feels a lot longer than 11 weeks. I feel great! I don't miss my old life of over-eating. I do love that I eat regular food now. Nice to fit in the healthy foods rather than all that Protein drink, yogurt, mashing everything up and such. My body feels so much better and is operating as it should (no need to go into detail with that---plumbing is finally working well with no help). I am down 43 pounds, that was last week. My hair is still healthy. Taking all my Vitamins everyday religiously. People are now noticing. I really don't like the attention. There are three people at work that know what I did. Everyone that asks, "what are you doing?" I tell them the truth, "eating healthy, portion control, no alcohol, no chocolate and getting my walks in". I don't feel the need to spill my story. It is my own personal journey. I still continue to eat my tiny portion way too fast. I am pretty much done in a few minutes. Seriously, how in the world does one make a few tablespoons last 30 minutes??! After I finish I have gotten into the habit of setting my timer for 30 minutes, when I can drink. It is all working for me. I am determined. Yes, I get to that crummy part of the scale when it decides not to move for a week or so. I have learned not to let it bother me. I understand what is going on, so I just don't worry about it. Saw my doctor a few weeks ago. I am scheduled to see him again in four months. Since he is far away he was willing to Skype my visit, but I didn't want to. I want to see him, I want to stay on the band wagon. I feel if I keep visits every four months or so for awhile I will stay on course. I am sure most of us have that fear of regaining. I don't want to ever go there. I have no regrets. I love the journey I am on.

I was banded on 12/31, it was great no issues at all. I didn't really get hungry until this past week, now I'm hungry 2 hours after I eat and craving things I shouldn't have. I am eating semi-soft foods, nothing crunchy or fibrous yet. I don't drink while eating, and wait 30 minutes after I eat. I quit soda all together, drinking no cal water instead and have even given up alcohol. I was doing so well to start off, now I'm getting depressed and losing motivation. I am scheduled for my first fill on 1/29 and just pray that helps.

I waited about 5 months. Alcohol does hit faster simply because the tummy is so small that there's rarely food in it. So that makes me a cheap date. Of course, I'm a guy and we're mostly cheap dates. Most everything you eat/drink is "as tolerated" unless directed otherwise by your physician.

I waited a few months - maybe 5 or 6 months. I found that drinking an entire drink was out of the question. It took too long to drink it all and I got bored with it. So now if I want something to drink it has to be a shot. Right away I discovered that the alcohol hit immediately. I could feel it go down and it felt like it spread over my whole body , stomach first then outward from there. Woweee....it was intense. Now I rarely drink but I can manage a shot then one more a little later. After that I throw in the towel. You can drink something just be real careful on the quantity and time frame. It sneaks up quick.

Everyone is different, so I can only speak from my experiences, but many of the fears, rumors, advice has turned out to be far, far off base. I am not promoting or endorsing any of my particular choices for others, but I've found that I can still have anything and everything I like to eat and drink and more. I rarely exercise, I can drink any form of alcohol I like, with no difference in tolerance from pre surgery. No special gear, eating utensils, measuring devices, apps, fitness gear is necessary. If anyone is told they need any of those things by other post vsg individuals, they really don't (unless it is the advice of a surgeon/doctor). But, hey ...if it works for you or makes you feel better, by all means go for it. Weight goes up and down. Stalls happen. Weight gain happens. Its not hard to get back on track. Paying close attention to what my body is telling me is one of the big differences for me. hair falls out, hair grows back. With a large weight loss at an older age, there is extra skin that I may or may not address at a later time. My latest lesson is that there are extremely unpleasant consequences to missing B12 supplements for very long: shaking, numb hands and fingers bruises weakness breathlessness extreme...very extreme, joint pain debilitating back pain Sometimes I'm not hungry and don't eat all day. Other days I eat constantly.

When the late night munchies hit, I try to go to bed. My work has been super stressful so unfortunately my snacking and alcohol went up. I'm somewhat happy it didn't increase yet frustrated that I've plateaued. I plateaued prior to the workload increase and that frustration just kind of 'enforced' it a bit more. I've been considering doing liquids again to try to jump start the scale to move again

Yes you can drink alcohol but personally it isnt worth it because a) you get full to fast and you get buzzed to fast... and the only regret I have is that I didnt do it sooner- I had a horrible time recovering/increasing my foods and even with that I wouldnt go back and change a thing... Good luck!

The reason my surgeon gave me not to drink carbonated drinks was because they could cause stomach dilation and potentially cause band slippage. Certainly in the early days fizzy drinks can cause discomfort, but as far as I can gather that's not the reason why certain surgeons advise that they be avoided. I guess you have to weigh up the pros and the cons. If you have an occasional glass of bubbly then you may get away with it, but I tend to stick to the non fizzy stuff - alcoholic or otherwise;)

One time I made the mistake of eating one of those Atkin's low carb candy bars, they have lots of sugar alcohol in them and it had me running to the bathroom the whole night. Maybe try one of those. If I ever get backed up I will eat one of those. Also I use what thing called a "squatty potty". It lifts your knees up really high and it helps you poop in a more natural position. My husband thinks I'm crazy for using it but my butt is thankful