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I'm glad you had a good 1st experience. Keep in mind, and for anyone else out there contemplating drinking alcohol during the losing stage, your liver is working double time during the rapid weight loss phase. Tossing alcohol in the mix early out can task your liver even more. Dehydration and wasted calories is the biggest concern, but there are other factors out there as to why the limitation and restriction on having alcohol early out. Best wishes in your continued recovery.

In my humble opinion, from a former all night boozer and party dude, long long ago and 60 days out surgery with 50lbs down and 25 to go. Please lay off the alcohol for a while. Be careful and not saying this is you, there is a high amount of addiction swapping in weight loss surgery patients up to 30% one study shows. Take care and be well. Lash

I understand "testing the waters", but with all the warnings and rules about drinking, I would be very careful so early out. I too challenge compliance in most areas of my life, but want to lose my 100 in a timely manner without regret or accidental alcoholism or any other transfer addictions either... Even Grey goose has calories, and three of them have about 189, 2/3rds of you daily at two weeks....

Let me preface this story with the fact that I know that my current relationship with alcohol is and will be different than it was before surgery. What i'm basically saying is, "INB4 outrage & judgement" Before surgery, I was an avid and enthusiastic party girl. I have an extremely stressful full-time, 24x7 boys'-club, mind-numbing soul-crushing (albeit high-paying) career, filled to the brim with heavy drinkers. More than once a week, I find myself out after work either enjoying cocktails with co-workers or going to vendor/customer dinners, where it's not uncommon to have drinks at the restaurant bar before, wine throughout dinner, scotch after, followed by drinks at the bar after to close the night. I don't consider myself an alcoholic - for the 2 weeks in preparation to surgery and for the 2 weeks after, I haven't had a drink, and it's not like I got the DT's or anything. I have however been very concerned and curious about what was going to happen when I did have my first cocktail. I was worried I would be drunk after one sip, or my new stomach would reject it and I would vomit uncontrollably at the table, or worse - I would never be able to have a drink again... All kinds of horrific scenarios went through my head. So I called my best and most trusted friend last night and told him that I was feeling back to normal (for the most part), and interested in testing the waters. We went to my local low-key boozer, sat at a booth. I responsibly ordered my low-calorie standby: Grey Goose & Soda (single tall), and sipped apprehensively while watching jealously as he took long pulls from his Heineken. (I was a beer drinker in my past life - I'm pretty sure it's responsible for 50 of the 100 lbs I'm trying to lose.) My first cocktail went down very slowly - it took about 45 minutes to get it all the way down. I definitely felt it about halfway in, but i felt well within normal operating limits. I could feel my body processing it a little differently, but no big deal. Even though the drink includes soda Water, there is very little carbonation in the drink, so I felt good about my order, and didn't get the burps or anything. Over the course of 3 hours, I had 3 cocktails and a glass of water. I got home feeling like a solid 4.5 out of 10. I finished my Protein drink and took a big bottle of evian to bed, and sipped on it while watching tv. I woke up this morning feeling fine, a little bit of a headache and pretty thirsty, but other than that, I felt great. Although, I have to say, I am feeling my first pangs of hunger since before the surgery, so that's new... I'm not sure if that's related to drinking last night or if my stomach is just healing up properly. I'm going to go and make myself some grits!

Um...I guess I don't understand exactly what you are saying miz z....after having WLS, just having two drinks will make me an alcoholic? Do you know what alcoholism is? I wouldn't be surprised if people who have WLS end up substituting one addiction/habit (excessive eating) for another (excessive drinking) but two drinks does not a drunk make. There is a reason you should see a therapist before having (after too IMO) WLS; so you can make sure you are not going down a path of addiction in lieu of food, among other things.

When I was being evaluated by the shrink, we discussed drinking with the sleeve. The first thing she said was that you couldn't drink for 6 months after the surgery. The next thing she shared was that she was doing a study of the relationship between WLS and drinking. Although the study isn't finished, she's seeing a high correlation between weightloss surgery and alcholism. Her findings are already indicating that it takes much less for a WLS patient to become an alcoholic -- even just 2 drinks. She also said everyone is different. Be careful how you roll the dice!

Hello and Good Luck on your up coming surgery!!! We have a lot in common. Our surgery dates are the same, we read a lot, and of course we have the same fears!!! I asked questions of my psychologist and dietician at Temple, but realize after reading these boards not everyone gets all their questions answered. Regarding pre-op diet. I have followed mine to the "T", the previous post is exactly right about the liver etc. That being said, your mind and body plays tricks on you, so I journal, blog and I play my own version of Survivor. I keep telling my self this is getting my body ready for my "new life". The people I have chosen to tell are supportive, if someone says something negative or says something that sways my motivation "like, how can you only drink shakes?, or how can you only live on bites of food after your surgery?", I explain it to them, but I almost start to feel superior!!!!! I explained this to the psychologist and he said it is normal and that is a tool that would help in my success! I am not going to let people make me feel bad about my choices in life anymore!!!!! I'm done, so I think everyone should surround themselves with a great support system first and foremost and educate themselves and the motivation to succeed will come also! Regarding the post-op. My team has me following a two day clear liquid then two weeks shakes then progression to full, then slowly to healthy eating (I am speeding it up here!!!), it's explained to me simply but when I was stressed out about reading some of the failure rates. If you don't follow the plan EXACTLY, the likely hood of failure greatly increases (that includes, slippage, hernias, increase reflux, ulcerations, pouch expanding, etc). So it is important to learn healthy eating habits with this tool. The first thing they said is to avoid eating and drinking at the same time (your banding will act as a funnel, and flush the food out), drink 1/2 hour prior to and 45 min. after a meal to stay full longer. Eat Protein first, ALWAYS. You will always fill up faster and less bloating. Our neurotransmitters that tell our stomachs that we are full lay at the top of our stomachs so if the band fit in that area food hits those transmitters sends a signal to your brain saying you are full. Of course the trick is getting to the reason of why we have to stuff ourselves! Tips that Temple has gives me to help overcome this are: Like previously posted, chew your food (over chew actually) When we actually chew are food we start sending those signals to the brain that trigger those transmitters telling us that we are starting to get satisifed and in 15 min. we should be full. (that's why it helps to have a small stomach because it takes us longer to eat!!!! pretty cool huh!!! So don't over stuff never ever!!! The no no on eating and drinking together! Keep a food journal, this is a must!!!! I use one on my phone. Myfitnesspal.com It also has a forum great tool!!!! Exercise, we all know why this is important! Small bites, no carbination, preferred no alcohol for at least first 18 mths. No sweet drinks that slide through or ice cream!!! Call MD for anything out of ordinary and keep all appointments. I think these are the important ones that stood out for me, but I know this board can add to this!!!! They are great support. Peace, Joleen

Although I agreed with SOME of the logic of Spartan's post, he was wrong in other ways. Well, he is first wrong in his presumptuous and rude attitude toward the OP for her personal decision. Let's say that she had done something to be sorry for and let's say that she owed her family or the greater society for her "grievous" wrongs; there are aspects of everyone's lives that could stand improvement, that negatively affect other sentient beings, and linkages can always be made from those actions to a negative effect on society in general (in fact, this is almost always a popular excuse used by certain people in society in order to demand a legislative control on the personal and private behaviour or speech of others). But, the link to a negative effect on society of a private and personal action is usually tenuous and, Spartan should admit that, even if the links were not tenuous but very real, his justification is still just an obvious excuse to be rude to strangers. You can tell by his tone. Come out of the closet, put on your big-boy pants, and be rude in the open without recourse to false justifications. Also, any negative effect of her private actions upon herself that radiates to her family is up to her family to attempt to influence through shame or an intervention. As long as the actions are afflicted on herself, even if their effects indirectly emotionally interfere with another's feelings, it's the business of her friends, her family, and herself. The next problem is of a logical, not moral or emotional, nature. He justifies his shaming of the OP also by claiming that some (as he admits, not all) fat people deal with food in the exact same manner as a drug addict. He proceeds to make a generality about the entire overweight community's one true way to weight-loss, as suggested by him. And then, he shames a dieting person, whom he doesn't know, but who is non-compliant with his idea of managing food addictions. Now, I agree with the view that, at least, many obese people feel that they have a genuine food addiction (in the literal sense, on par with other addictions). I also agree that, if it is on par with an official addiction, they should avoid even a little bit of their trigger food, in the same sense that drinking just one shot of alcohol wouldn't be a successful strategy for a recovering alcoholic. However, you can't umbrella all people struggling with weight under the same psychological motivations and prescribe the same treatment for all. For a good fraction of obese people, the problem that needs control might be of portion-sizes (or of other kinds), as in, general over-eating, and a sedentary lifestyle. Those two categories apply to me. Because I now understand the underlying motivations or nature of my struggle with my weight, I also know that, actually, I can have one chocolate bar and not go into a day or week long binge. I could psychologically tolerate a wrap in the morning (I don't because I rarely went to fast food places, even before my band, and I probably couldn't get it down now) and not use it as an excuse to carry on binging because "my diet's ruined, so I'll have to start again on Monday." My problem is that I would overeat with good foods too. I never have been in the habit of eating bad foods, with the exception of chocolate. Even before the band, I stopped drinking soda altogether as a child, I always love eating vegetables, I'm a vegetarian (not for anything noble, like animal rights hahaha), and I really dislike sugar-based candy. I just have a serious problem with stopping myself from eating until I'm stuffed and an extreme distaste for exercise. But, how would your strategy help me? I still need to eat, so unlike the alcoholic who could potentially physically live without his addiction, I can't. The band, for me, is a perfect implement. I am barely on a diet right now. Yet, I calculated that my average loss is 2 pounds a week since I got the band 6.5 months ago, and the rate of loss is getting faster with more fills. It's effective and steady weight-loss, at a rate recommended by researchers. And guess what? The theory that you shouldn't deprive yourself unnecessarily of a treat works very well for me. I eat one to two chocolate bars a week. That's usually the limit to my unhealthy eating, although I don't abstain from special occasions (less than once a month). So, I never feel like: "I can't wait until this is over, when I've lost all my weight, so I can get back to real eating!" I could literally go on like this until the end of my hopefully prolonged life. I never said that about any diet before now, because nothing helped with portion control. If I want a treat, I'll have it. Psychologically, this is the best strategy for me. Making small but regular changes that I can maintain for a lifetime and getting the band for the problem of portion-control. And, that was a rather weak attempt--trying to say that other dieters will come on this forum and be negatively influenced if they read our strategy of moderation and managed indulgences. By that same token, you should be held responsible for anyone that reads your posts and adopts your general aura of ill-will and misanthropy. Crap, I am atrociously long-winded today. I just can't be concise. I still maintain that if you keep reading passed a decent length, you've brought the head-ache on yourself

Oh Spartan. Tell me again in a super long preachy post about how you never said XYZ and then follow it up by preaching about XYZ. You certainly proved me wrong! Yes, I'm saying alcoholics can have just one drink and be fine. That's exactly what I'm saying. The OP and others were sharing their own experiences with the band. Yes, many people who are obese have an "addiction" to food and just one bite could be problematic for staying on track. That is absolutely not my experience. It is also not everyone's experience on this site. So me posting that I would occasionally eat a french fry if I could is not the equivalent of telling a room fool of alcoholics to drink in moderation. Nice try, though. I love hyperbolic strawman arguments. Care to call me a Nazi next? Each person must take a good look at their own behaviors and the self-talk behind those behaviors to understand what's happening for them personally. If obesity were a one cause-one size fits all problem, then we'd have cured it by now. For the rest of us folks reading, here is what I'm saying: Learning is learning. Period. Learning through positivity is more pleasant and better in the long run, but learning through a negative consequence can still be effective in the end. I'm sure just about everyone has had at least one painful experience in life that they have no wish to repeat because of the memory of the pain. If this were a post about how the OP wanted to learn how to eat around the band so she could keep eating the wraps every day, well first, I'd look at the nutrition info and see that it actually isn't as horrible a choice as it could be at 280calories and 14g Protein, and then maybe we'd have an in-your-face tough love conversation about trying to sabotage one's lifestyle change. But since the OP started a thread to say, hey, guess I learned my lesson with that one-- then the preaching is just a bit much in my opinion. If you're perfect-- well, ok. Good for you! But I'm not and neither are the rest of us and I can't imagine why you'd be trolling a message board in your perfection when everyone knows sitting on your butt in front of a computer screen is a very unhealthy decision! You could be exercising, and you have a moral obligation to your loved ones to be 100% healthy, 100% of the time doncha know

Interesting stuff. I don’t usually return to threads I have posted in. I say what I have to say, and then move on. But I saw something that MaineJackie posted in another thread, and it reminded me that I wanted to reply to something she said in this thread. So, I see that some tiny minds here have turned a legitimate observation into some kind of massive judgmental tirade on my part. Nice Morph. This place is great. There’s always some good comedy to be found if you look for it. You guys are like a box of hamsters. Too much fun. Ok, I’ll start with this one from “StateofZen”: “Sure, yes. But that's part of what the band does-- helps people learn and makes it easier to make healthy choices. Why does it ultimately matter why she isn't eating the wraps anymore? In the end, the band helped her learn a better choice.” Does it Really? I think not. The only thing the band actually TEACHES you is the kind and amount of food that will cause you PAIN if you consume it. It doesn’t “teach” you that something was unhealthy. The band did NOT “help her learn a better choice”. Who knows what was next on her menu. Deep-fried Snickers? “Why does it ultimately matter why she isn't eating the wraps anymore?” It matters because of how she arrived at the decision. She did NOT say “oh….this is not a good choice because it is not healthy and will NOT move me close to my goal of good health and proper weight”. She made the choice because it HURT her….caused her PAIN…she got STUCK….that’s IT. If she made the choice based upon the knowledge that she was consuming something that was NOT particularly healthy, then that would be fine. But she did not. She withdrew her choice of Wraps as a meal choice because it got STUCK….NOT because it was unhealthy. I find it very difficult to understand how you cannot “get” that. “In the end, the band helped her learn a better choice.” Again, no it did NOT. It only helped her learn a DIFFERENT choice. And that could be most anything. It ONLY “taught” her that those wraps were painful to eat. Period. “Eating unhealthy food-- enjoying it on occasion-- is not a moral failure.” Would you care to point out precisely and exactly WHERE I said that….or even IMPLIED that eating unhealthily was a “moral failure”? You can’t….because I didn’t. And I wouldn’t. However, having said that, I will say that a certain case COULD be made for the concept that one DOES have a moral responsibility to their families and loved ones to be as healthy as possible. If there are people who DEPEND on you for their physical well-being (son, daughter, spouse, etc…) then yes, you MIGHT be able to consider it to be a moral responsibility to keep yourself healthy and fit, to be able to look after their needs…..AND to not become a burden to them. It could also be argued that individuals have a reasonable responsibility to SOCIETY to be as healthy as possible, for nearly the same reason….to AVOID becoming a burden to the medical system, the insurance system, and to society as a whole. I think that it only makes sense that people should at least give consideration to the idea that consciously becoming healthy makes them a better father, mother son, daughter, citizen, etc. “I will straight up say-- if I could still eat french fries without getting a stuck feeling, I would. *Gasp* Every once in a while, I would eat 1 or 2 fries (that's all my appetite would ever allow after my protein) just for the shear enjoyment of the taste. That does not make me a bad person or a band failure.” Once again, would you care to point out where I said ANYONE would be a failure or a bad person for consuming something that might be considered in opposition to a positive Lap band experience? Hmm? Point it out, please….I’m waiting……. But here is something that apparently you have not considered (One thing of many, apparently). YOU might be able to have those couple of French Fries. YOU might be able to have a whole handful of fries with no ill effects other than a slowdown in your weight loss. But there is a significant percentage of the WLS Community for whom that would be a disaster. You might be unaware of it, but a very large part of the Obese population is in that condition because of an ADDICTION to food. And for those people, getting even a BITE of their specific “problem food” could cause them to binge on ANY food that is available, that would make it through the Lap Band. Someone in this thread said that the Lap Band would “keep them from Binging”. Not true. It might keep you from binging on Steak and Lobster, but it’s not gonna keep you from binging on ice cream, shakes, Malts, Yogurt, smoothies, mashed potatoes, gravy….it’s a LONG list. I am not going to go into the whole food addiction issue here, suffice to say that it is a VERY big problem and it IS the problem behind many, many cases of obesity. Those of you who DO have this as the core reason behind your particular weight problem are treading on dangerous Water by having that little “treat” so you don’t feel “deprived”, because you “deserve” it, and “everything is ok in moderation”….all a bunch of bull. So, for an alcoholic, you are suggesting that it would just fine to have “one or two shots of Jack just for the sheer enjoyment of the taste”….right? Because that is, in essence what you saying to people with a food addiction by telling them they can still eat whatever they want,….”in moderation”. Again…a Big subject, but worth exploring and worth being AWARE of…..particularly by someone who refers to themselves as a “Psychologist”. Right. S.

It is not about age but about BMI and the failed attempts to loose and keep it off. 40 is a high BMI and it for sure is impacting on your ability to enjoy a lot of things in your life. You will be able to get into sports and enjoy a lot of social activities that do not have to be directly related to eating a lot or drinking a lot. My thin friends from my youth would eat less than what a sleeved person eats. You just need to talk to yourself and really ake sure you are prepared for the limitations in the amount of food and drinking (including alcohol). I am sure you will be so happy with your new healthy body that you will find a lot of other social activities that do not impact on your sleeve. Good luck. Dont waste the best years of your life batling obesity.

I am not here judge others. I think the comments posted in this thread may be insensative tobut I get the message. SInce being banded I have made a choice to eat healthy, avoid alcohol and all fast food and follow my dr's orders to the letter. I am down 70 lbs and am 13 weeks post op. But I will tell you I have a friend who was banded a few weeks before me and she eats and drinks pretty much what she did before her surgery just a much smaller abount. She is being semi careful and trying to make healthy choices most of the time. But she is a foodie... she loves the tast, textures and everything about food. She has lost 45 lbs....25 lbs less than I have. Still a very good loss... it just may take her more time than me. Thats not a bad thing .... just different and it drives me crazy when I am sitting at my desk eating tuna and cottage cheese and she has a piece of last nights pizza!!! But its not my place to weigh in with an opinion.... so I remember what Mother said... if you dont have something nice to say..... and keep my mouth shut.

Ya it's not that alcohol is going to dmg it somehow. It's just empty calories and the risk of drinking too much and get sick. If you know you're gonna drink on the rare occasion just don't drink enough to puke your guts up.

Oh, and because of the band, my doctor told me that the absorption is identical than before. Only Roux-en-y and sleeve people have to worry. They've lost a portion of the stomach. That absorption is three times a band patient. We still have the same stomach. But as I lose weight, near goal, I'll not have the weight to offset alcohol. "Light weight" drinker! :-)

Well here I am making my first postop post and it is around 2am. I have a morphine pcs pump so I am sleeping intermittently based on how many times I press the button. I have to say the pain is mainly on my left side at the port site where the Srimach was removed. The pain isn't too bad at all. I have been nauseous off and on but no vomiting thank the lord. I am using alcohol swabs under my nose for the nausea on between my doses of zofran which is every 6 hours. Ice chips only since surgery and they go down easily. I have the reds hose and scd boots going on and oxygen via nasal cannula. My roommate had the sleeve also and everything OS the same for her including pain level. Will post again to9morrow after upper gi series and switching to clear liquids. Goodnight to all

Yay!! Congratulations!!! Recoginzing you have an addiction to food isn't like recognizing you're an alcoholic. You don't get to quit eating forever. What I am doing to manage this is 1st, setting out menu's. I've never been a menu person in my life. But recognizing that if it's planned it's less likely to temp you is important. I wrote a blog about 'chew bags'. I dunno, maybe that might be a suggestion to try as well. I'm having trouble with the full liquid diet. Everything seems to get stuck. Yogurt, Soup, anything with consistency beyond Water. It can be frustrating and painful. So my plan is to literally go for 1 bite at a time. They say make your meals last 1/2 hour. How would you make 1/4 cup of soup last 1/2 hour? I guess if I take a bite and wait 10 minutes that would work. After being stuck I don't tend to WANT anything anyway. It's a whole new ballgame and one we don't want to screw up. Keep working on it!! Bren

I have food addictions but what I do is faithfully log everything I eat. I try to keep my carbs in line and my calorie intake between 1200 and 1600. ONCE IN A WHILE I will treat myself (usually by splitting a cookie or candy bar with my 3 year old) but those are treats (as I keep reminding him). No junk food in the house. I have absolutely no will power over them. Like the old Lays commercial said "bet you can't eat just one." I also have to be vigilant after dinner. I like to munch in front of the computer so instead I bring a bottle of water (not too much since I hate being up all night running to the bathroom). Am I successful? Mostly. I still have problems but I know it's going to take time to correct my problems. I compare my addiction to an alcoholic except that I'm a recovering food addict.

I used to drink up to 4 liters of regular dr. pepper a day, I also would drink 6-12 beers a couple of times a week, I stopped drinking soda and beer daily about a year before the surgery and allowed myself a few of each beverage once a week, the eventually twice a month, once a month then one last time 2 weeks before the surgery. Now at 8 months out I haven't touched either beverage, though I do drink coffee, as a matter of fact I only drink Water and coffee these days and my coffee only has skim milk in it... no sugar or sweetners I haven't had alcohol as I was also told to wait about a year before drinking.

I am literally addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper. Has anyone weaned themselves off, any sugestions? My doctor said no soda or alcohol for one year post sleeve.

My doctor really didn't give me any sort of limitations. I just don't drink anything carbonated, so I stick with wine and cocktails. But, be careful. It only will take a little bit to feel the alcohol!

Good Evening All...You will all have to excuse me for being MIA...just a bit busy this week. Joyce...too funny on the bath mat comment..... Arlene....too funny on the bath mat incident.... Arlene's DH....too funny on the bath mat incident.... Just don't give ideas to those struggling! (Everyone running to bathroom to put mat under scale)! So DAMNED cold and windy and snowy here. We had a full-blown blizzard on Friday night and Saturday. Major highways and roads closed for over 24 hours. We did make it to our wake on Thursday night and our funeral on Friday but make it home just in the knick of time. Been stuck in the house ever since. I really never liked it when my boys used the words " it sucks". Well, I forgive them. IT SUCKS! Agreed to do a day out with DH today but after stepping outside early on, I nixed that idea. Not worth traveling 70 miles and running while freezing from restaurant to car. Eva's ideal weather made a pansy out of me. Jodi...hope Dazzi's Bat Mitzva (sp?) was everything you/she wished for. I am sure you are spent after the planning, etc. Once in a lifetime event and it sounds like you put your heart and soul into it. Janet...have a great time with your Lucky 7's gang. Also, enjoy your time off of work. Wish I could call myself a Lucky 7's. Would have booked a flight out. Julie...hope you are home and on the mend. Check in when you can. Melissa....wishing for you to be able to do the reconnect with your therapist. Don't hold back and accept the help and advice given. Lori...enjoy that babe. (Envious). I agree with others. DD's MIL has the bitch factor included in her personality. Sound like SHE needs to read the Boundries book. Maybe DD can just pass it onto her. I agree that DD and SIL need to be on the same page in how to deal with her. I see a broom and a pointy hat when you explained her last fly by. No LauraK this weekend? Cheri....Hope your 60th celebration was great and that you had a nice time with your company. You've done a lot of that lately. Good for you. Just read your last post on food addiction...true...we are so different than being an alcoholic...we HAVE to eat. That's where Janet's plan comes into play...throw the sh_t away. Let me back up on that....first of all, don't bring it into your house. Second, if you are exposed to trigger foods, have the man balls to walk away from it. Do the "boot strap" thing. Pull them up and walk away. Gotta, gotta, gotta put up the walls (boundries) with certain foods if they are a trigger. A person can give into them over and over and over or they can make the decision to put the wall up and say NO. It might be that a person has hundreds of food that are triggers to them. Lots of walls but once you can turn yourself off to them, much stronger. Not sure if any of you understand that, but so true. Laura...... HAPPY BANDIVERSARY TO YOU HAPPY BANDIVERSARY TO YOU HAPPY BANDIVERSARY, DEAR LAURA HAPPY BANDIVERSARY TO YOU....AND MANY MORE! Good thing DH noticed. Every time you post I sit and look at your signature b/4 and afters. Soooooooooooo amazing...the difference. Love ya. Jessica....way to go, Girl! You are on the move! So sorry to read your last post on how overwhelmed you are. Find more time to post....we will calm you down. It's tough. I remember those days. Hope they can find a med for DS that works without the weight loss. Hugs. Keeping up your pace, I'm sure, is quite the challenge. Just know you have your fans here. Looking forward to the day you are "pinned" (Graduation). You can do it. You have proven so far that anything is possible. We should all learn from you and what you have done for yourself in the last 18 months. I went back today and read your first posts. You should go back and read them....I almost cried while reading them....you have come so far. Hugs. Wouldn't it be fun to have a planned LB friends get-together around the time of your graduation? Hmmmm....something to think about. Phyll....have a great time with your girls. Do you plan on staying over at Janet's? I was quite impressed by your DH and how he fit in to our dinner at Janet's and was even more impressed by the wonderful food and the service he gave us when at your place. That was so fun, wasn't it? Something I will never forget. Think it should be an annual thing....I'll bring DH next time. He's such a girl. Let me define that. He just fits into so many situations and hangs with whoever. Love him for that. Meredith...you didn't fall off a St. Pat's float at all, did you? Just checking! Hey, Linda...hope you are feeling a little more "not stiff". Gosh...sucks when we think we are 19 and push bikes uphill. Bet that's what did it. Give it a day...bet it will be better. Ooops..forgot...you have FM...might take a bit longer. I bet that your FM is not as bad as it was since you have been so faithful about being active. Right? We should PM cuz I have been thinking about the Chicago trip and thought it would be so much fun to just drive down a day early and catch the train with you. It won't work for me cuz I need to be back in MN that Monday night to do a planned trip with my very best BFF. Heading to a resort up by Duluth for a few days. Joyce...I bet you are looking forward to getting that splint off and onto full healing. Unfortunate situation for you. Sandi....such the workout queen. And, yes, I too can hardly look at any footage of Japan. Makes me weep. How's your Charlie? Mine's being a little sh_t right now but I have faith or hope or something. Eva...you must be resting and studying after having such a big/unexpected FNSC. Hope you were able to catch up and regroup b/4 tomorrow hits. Gosh...DH and I miss you and would love to jump in the car and drive just that 14 miles like we did and pick you up and go to a museum. Can I say it again? Our weather sucks. Whine. OK...I have been so bad at this responding to everyone...just plain don't like it. I just usually say what I want to say. Sorry if I missed any of my girls on the thread. Wish Tex would check in. Was always nice to hear from "Our Boy". Well...flew out of bed at 3:40 to push the "I want coffee now" button and realized it was OK cuz it was 4:40 so did not need to go back to bed. Was a little bit tired today but got 12 doz cookies made for a special event (Habitat for Humanity) and fought a nap cuz knew I would sleep better if no nap.

Melissa. I'm looking at your difficulty with food planning and remembering to test yourself 2 hrs after a meal. These kinds of things are often indicators of ADHD. You went nuts on your last job because you were tied to a desk, often alone. The job before that didn't seem to fit either. You like the Sam's job but you're already looking elsewhere. Your have a free association of ideas where your thoughts jump around. You remind me of me and many other ADHD people I know. I know you have a child with ADHD and its frequently hereditary. Anxiety and depression go hand in hand with ADHD and ADHD have more trouble than other people with maintaining weight loss, precisely because they can't stick with a plan or routine. You may not be ADHD. I could be full of crap. Just something you may want to be evaluated for. Arlene it's the Stevia, also known as Truvia that has a funny taste to me. I love Splenda. I just wondered if anyone else has that kind of taste reaction where it tastes bitter. Some people don't seem to taste that at all. Just like green peppers and grapefruit don't taste bitter to them. From the reading I've done on food addiction, I've learned that it's not very different from alcohol addiction. We have a physical or chemical dependance on certain kinds of food. We go through phsycial and psychological withdrawal when we quit using it and having just a little of some of these foods can trigger an out of control binge. Alcoholics can never drink again safely. Unfortunately, we have to eat. If certain foods are trigger foods, most of us need to do our best to avoid them. Scientists are working on drugs that target the addiction center of the brain. Hopefully it will help all of us addicts. Cheri

The time is finally here!! For some reason, I am just anxious to get this over with. I am going to be really pissed if I don't wake up! lol Seriously, if something did go wrong and I am one that didn't make it, this surgery would be my most selfish act as a mother. That is my only concern. I am doing this to have a longer life with my baby. Can you even imagine the opposite?!! Okay, stupid me just read a book from Amazon written by a surgeon for WLS. Of course he had to talk about losing a patient to a blood clot. ARGH!! Oh well, I am a big believer in fate. Hope to see you all on the losers bench in a few days! I have a 3 day hospital stay. Seems longer than a lot of you that I have read about. My surgeon does that for all his patients. All our surgeons are all so different! oh well, Ready to get this over with! I guess I should start packing now! Tracy P.S. I will let you all know if sniffing alcohol pads takes nausea away!

The band doesnt stop you from living, it helps you live longer. I am Canadian but I live in Korea and travel to a different country once ever 1-2 months. The band has never stopped me from trying new foods, drinks etc in different countries ( though I have learned what things I can't wat while in other countries like dried apples when I was in South Africa) Flying on a plane has never been a problem and I am even able to eat during flights ( sometimes 12 hours long). When it comes to alcoholic beverages, I can drink carbonated but I don't really enjoy it. I prefer to stick to wine and little sips of wine while eating my doc has said is ok occasionally but not a lot and not often. Good luck

Hello to fellow sleevers, I just had my sleeve done on March 8th at UCSD (La Jolla, CA) with Dr. Santiago Horgan and his wonderful CTO team. Prior to surgery I was put through an extremely strict and regimented program and diet plan. I also had blood tests galore, Upper GI's, Lower GI's, Middle GI's (jk) - everything under the sun to make sure I was READY. They had a series of Group Therapy classes I went to as well. After surgery, I began having this burning feeling in my chest and it still hasn't gone away yet but I continue to drink my fluids and take Prilosec. They did another Barium Swallow the day after to confirm there were no leaks. I also had a liver biopsy done at the same time. 1- for the study they're doing to track Fatty Liver Disease (or in my case NASH) - Non-alcoholic Steatosis Hepatitis (another term for unexplained liver inflammation); and 2- b/c my PCP required it! Other than the feeling of having spasms in my esophagus and burning in my throat and chest, I guess I'm in pretty good shape. They have me on a VERY rigid 4-level eating/drinking plan for the next 6-8 wks but right now I'm doing the "full liquids" thing. Glad to be part of this group!