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So today is 3 weeks post op date. I am very glad that I am feeling better every week. The pain from the incision in the right side muscle was almost unbearable the first week and now it only bothers me when sitting too long. I am totally used to burping in-between bites..lol.... not something I ever thought I would be comfrtable with, but it has to be done or food gets stuck. I had a bad weekend of trying new foods, and all feeling stuck. As for the weight loss.... well I feel that I am a slow loser? I can see that lots of people have twice the success as me. I lost 9lbs the first week and 4 since then, nothign since last friday tho. I know that 12lbs is still something to be happy about. I could not even button my pants after surgery because of the iv fluids and gas inside me so at least I feel that I am fitting into my pants with ease. I know that 12lbs in 3 weeks is something I would not have done on my own. I also know that not drinking alcohol or eating late night Snacks would still be happening if I did not have this surgery. It is a shame I could not have adopted this mind set before, as I am still always hungry, so I have been cranky. The worst for me right now is the moods! I am hungry... my dr says it is gas, and ummmmm noooooo it is hunger!! so I am depressed not to be able to fullfill that emtiona need sometimes, and then angry cause I am hungry and feel pain when I eat most of the time, so then angry for putting myself in the position of being so over weight that I had to have surgery and then I feel sad that I have so many restrictions which make it hard to enjoy being out with friends and family as we used to. I am glad I made the choice to do something for me that will help change my life because I know that a year from now i will see this was all worth it. good luck to all on your journey.

Prunes, prune juice, and water are a great start. Next is a stool softener which isnt a laxative and therefore less of a medication. This might sound like bad advice in terms of calories but anything that has fake sugar in it (sugar alcohols which end in -ol like sorbitol) will pull water into your colon and make you poop. I eat two or three of those diet Russell Stover chocolates and then I can easily poop...good luck!

I have had my band for close to 4 years, I do not find that I can't drink as much as my pre banded days, I do not feel that I feel any more of the effects of alcohol I go out a couple times a month and usually drink girlie drinks, malibu rum, margaritas, etc..and I am very weight concious and keep up with my band so my band is at a level where i can only eat the recomended amount of food. I just think it depends on what you are drinking and how much you have ate and when compared to when you are drinking

It is not even close to being Friday, but I wanted to join in. I drink alcohol, and I don't log it into my daily tracking. I don't drink alcohol daily, but I do have some every week. Tonight, for instance, I am having a glass of wine. My usual choice is Budweiser 55, which is 55 calories. If I'm out with friends, I tend to have one total (two bottles though). I can't drink it fast enough to have it stay cold, so I usually drink a half a bottle and then get another bottle and drink half of that. I tried Mike's Hard Lemonade. That I can drink faster. Don't try it. One bottle gave me a headache the next day, and I never had hangovers before.

Its probably not the worst thing you could have done... but I find when I give myself an inch, it leads to a mile... let your stomach rest. Soon enough you can have some treats. I had sugar free chocolate pudding with a spoon full of peanut butter, or PB2, or almond/flax butter to get my Reeses fix as soon as it was ok with the Doc.... probably around 3-4 weeks... I still try to stay away from sugar alcohols too... they can cause gas and stomach upset... who needs that!

I sometimes answer with "My mother was an alcoholic and attended AA, sometimes daily, and I know that if she could have had surgery to help her addiction to alcohol she would have done it in a heartbeat! Difference is she could manage hers by not in-taking alcohol and attending support groups and true while I could attend support groups and try to manage my intake, I still have to indulge in food! So no, I have no doubts about my choice. Thank you! (Of course said with a smile! LOL)

For a bandster alcohol metabolizes exactly the same as it did pre-op. Our anatomy has not been altered. So it moves through the full stomach and into the intestines as it always did. For gastric bypass patients, the absorption of alcohol is significantly changed and they feel the effects much sooner, and their blood alcohol stays raised for longer than a normal person. After you have lost a significant amount of weight, it will take less alcohol for you to feel its effects. Plus if you cut back during the weight-loss phase, your tolerance may decrease. I know mine did. When my weight stabilized and I began enjoying adult beverages again, it only took one for me to feel it. But that was because I hadn't consumed any in two years. Now my tolerance is back to what it was pre-op.

Urban Decay, I was an emotional eater. Nowadays I find that I'm much more willing to bring up the issues and discuss them rather than eat them as I did before. I've been seeing a therapist and that has helped tons. Once you're sleeved, you cannot eat enough to eat away the issues, so you will have to deal with what's bothering you, or find another addiction, like alcohol. I don't recommend that. Exercise helps, too. Do something good for yourself while working away your frustrations.

Just had my first drink last night since being banded 1/27. I had a couple of glasses of wine during the course of the evening with friends. I did notice it did not seem to take much before I was feeling the effects of the alcohol so that might be something to watch. Also, not sure if this is related to the wine but I could NOT sleep last night at all. Felt tired when I went to bed but then was wide awake! So not like me as usually I hit the bed and am out. Not sure if that is related to having the wine or just a coincidence. Just something to keep in mind

Well I am finally post-op! I opted for Dr Almanza in Tijuana Mexico. Was picked up with about 6 other patients at San Diego airport and driven to the hospital which is in a strip mall. It was relatively small but very clean. They had us register (passports, green cards etc.) then did our blood work. The nurse (Lupita) was pretty darn good. I have never in all of my annual exams had blood drawn at the first try and certainly not after having zero liquids in 12 hours. Lupita got it in a single shot; needless to say to was impressed. I was anticipating a minimum of 3-4 tries. We then went through an intake process; personal history (illnesses, alcohol and drug usage; family history, pregnancies etc.). We were then prepped (i.e. got into hospital gowns, got IV drips attached for hydration and then waited). The cardiologist Dr. Diego came by and did his tests to ensure no redflags with the heart. Dr. Almanza dropped by to introduce himself and took a pre-op pic with me. They operate in order of BMI, with the lowest going first. I was 4th, which meant I waited for approximately 4-5 hours; however I was comfortable and slept for a good portion of it. They came by to get me and all I can remember is getting on the table, stretching my arms out and then the next thing I know I was being taken into my room. The night nurse was kind, came by with little bowls to spit up into thanks to the nausea; rubbed our backs (I had a roommate) when we had too much gas pain and kept up the meds for pain, antibiotics and nausea. I spent most of the night making trips to the bathroom - too hydrated - which given the intake restriction post op isn't a bad idea. The next morning, we received medicine packs to take home with us. Naproxen, Cipro, Maalox and antibacterial spray for the incision sites. The issue at this point was gas!! It hurt my chest and the center of my back. There was little pain related to the incisions except when getting up or switching positions. I can tolerate popsicles, but drinking liquids no matter how slowly just hurts going down. We did our leakage test yesterday and had to drink some of the most vile tasting liquids to ever cross my lips!! But thankfully no leaks. I opted to come back stateside once the drainage tube was removed (ouch!) and good decision because it took 3.5hrs to get back into the US vs the 30 minutes it took to get into Mexico. I fly back to the East Coast today. My only concern now is getting enough liquids and Protein in. The hospital, doctors, and nurses were competent and kind and I'm so far glad I did this.

I was actually told that they had found that band patients who do drink alcohol (in moderation) lost more weight than the others. He said that I still needed to be aware of the calories, but a couple of glasses a wine a night for instance would do no harm.

i was reading up on alcohol and the lap band or the sleeve. it sounds like it does affect us a lot more.. it moves through the small stomach so much quicker, and so there is more alcohol that moves through the gut. it seems that its not healthy. i like a drink myself... i dont know what to think about it. especially knowing that if we eat while we have a drink then the alcohol is absorbed in the stomach so its impact is lessened somewhat. because we cant drink for half hour beforehand and an hour after eating, food isnt going to help with the impact of the alcohol. im no expert... what do the others here think about it??

My doctor and nutritionist never said I had to avoid alcohol, just to limit it as I would any other empty calorie food. So I waited until about week 3 (off meds, eating soft solids, and feeling good). Then I caved and had half a glass of white wine. Wow, was that nice!

My doctor just said no alcohol for 72 hours or while on pain medication post-op. And to take into account the calorie intake.

LOL, so darn true At 5 months out I have developed more of a trusting relationship with farts, but every time I touch sugar alcohols the trust issues come back XD

I would ask your surgeon what his policy is because they all have their own programs. My surgeon said no alcohol for a year, which I stuck to.

Hi all:) When is it ok to have a drink? I'm 3 weeks post op and just wondering.....when can I have my very missed little glass of wine?? Lol

I am an occasional drinker and I have drank like 2 times since being banded. I will say I felt the effects of the alcohol very quickly! Like halfway into the drink I was feeling pretty darn good!

I didn't drink any alcohol for the first 6 months after being banded. When I did drink those first couple times I did get drunk very fast on a very small amount. Now I drink wine or a margarita now and then. I still do feel it faster and on small amounts, but not as much as I did in the weightloss phase. Any type of carbonation causes discomfort for me.

Is it coming from the back of your throat? You could have a sinus infection, or nodes or something - gargle with a non alcohol mouth rinse - really gargle - kick you neck back and open your throat...you might kick some nodes out. A "node" that I refer to is a collection of throat plaque that gets caught in tiny folds in the back of your throat and back cheeks and can cause very bad breath. You will know if you get one because it will be firm, vary in size, migh break up but it will smell FOUL! I got them for awhile after an accident cause me to have plastic surgery to my cheek through the inside of my mouth, but mine stopped - and I go in every 6 months and they check it all out again... Right after any surgery, it is always good to get a Hubby or someone to "check your breath". Foul odors and where they originate and how they smell have been classic diagnostic tools for thousands of years.

Had my second fill this week. I feel a restriction again! So glad. I think I still eat too much and make some bad choices but I am getting there. Instead of 2 sausage burrittos and and egg mcmuffin I can only eat one burritto now. That is huge to me! Now if I would just boil some eggs and have one of those instead I would be doing better. Stress at work is better too. One of the hospitalists went to my boss and was very upset about how I was treated. The other hospitalist told me yesterday he is glad I am still there. That was very sweet. I realize that my bosses problem with me was personal - she said nothing negative about my nursing skills. So that's good. I really have figured out I am fine with the person I am. Just need to steer clear of conflict when possible which means some weaker people are going to have to fight their own battles. Might be good for them too. On the strange side. I have a patient this week who is going through terrible DTs from his alcohol withdrawals. Its been both and emotional and physical battle. He is very funny - but also very motivated to escape and drink. He actually punched me in the stomach. That won him 4 point restraints. I hate restraining people. Ok but the strange part is that while talking to him and trying to redirect him I discovered who his mother....as it turns out he is the brother of the man who broke..destroyed my heart 25 years ago. We aren't in the same city! Missouri is a small state eh? I haven't had his brother call about him yet but that would be so surreal and stressful! But also kinda funny. My life is so good now with my husband!

hi LiLee, hi Lilee, hi LiLee, hi Lo all dr.'s vary on alcohol - from 3 wks to a yr my NUT told me the following do not drink 1/2 hr before you eat do NOT DRINK at all ALL during meals do not drink for 30-45 minutes after meals do get 64 oz H20 a day these are the standard rules, hard to follow, but ..... did i answer your question, or did i do the standard and talk too much??lol kathy good luck to us all

Well, the thing is that I've wondered about this achy fingers thing for a while. From what I read about gout, it's pretty common, and it's the most preventable and treatable of all forms of arthritis. If I *do* have it (I have to avoid leaping to conclusions and diagnosing myself until my doctor can give the final answer, of course), it would explain a long-standing mystery in a relatively benign way. It would fit a lot of the evidence (which always makes my scientist/computer programmer's brain happy), and it's something that I could treat by doing all the stuff I'm trying to do ANYWAY (maintain a healthy weight, keep my sleep healthy and sound, avoid too much red/rich meat and alcohol, and so on). So, while my initial reaction to the thought was denial because I thought it would mean lifelong, crippling, untreatable pain, it sounds like the opposite, if I have it. It's very treatable -- often without even needing medication -- and once treated, a long-term source of pain and discomfort might just magically go away. Where's the downside in THAT?

Food has been one of the main things in our society for many, many years. When people used to go visit they would take a desert or some dish. No matter when you went to visit they always had to get you something to eat. I guess the way I look at it is that most if not all things revolve around food and alcohol. If I am going to a party or out to dinner I try and plan on what I will be having or take something with me for the party that I know that I can have and not abuse my intake for the evening. When going out I always try and look at the menu online to see what I can order in advance. All of my friends know that buffet meals are out for me as I can not eat that much food and I am not paying the cost for a piece of meat, a veggie and a little potato. You need to get involved in different clubs such as a running club, kntting group. scrapbooking or something where you can keep your hands busy with something other than shoveling food from a plate to your mouth. I know that when I sit and watch TV and see all of the food commercials I try to have something to do with my hands like a crossword or putting photos into an album or emailing etc.