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Hey Kat, I didn't have any burning, but I have been having to give my DH some blood thinning injections,and if I swab him, and don't wait for the alcohol to dry, it burns like crazy. Now I didn't realize that was why, until another LBT-er was asking about blood thinning injections, and another told her to let it dry or it would burn...I tried it with DH that night--she was right!! It didn't burn when I let the alcohol dry. Maybe that's what happen. We are told clear liquid the remainder of the fill day, full liquids the next day, then mushies, then back to regualr diet. If you have another fill in a month, you will only be eating 1/2 the time....poor you! But I bet you knock our socks off with weight lost! Good Luck...keep us posted. BTW is it still painful at all? Good Luck Heather! Kat

If no one responded because I somehow offended someone, I apologize, but it's a serious question... This is going to sound strange....but, can I still drink alcohol (in an excessive amount) if I am banded? There is this horserace/party that I go to once a year and that's what it's all about. This is the only time I drink EVER, and I want to know if I have to give this up?

How long will you be banded by that point? And keep in mind, it should take a lot less alcohol to get you plowed than it did before. Stick to hard stuff if you are going to do it. There are fewer calories, and more alcohol content. That way you are not getting too many empty calories. I have heard lots of people getting drunk with the band. I don't think there is any harm in it as long as it is an occasional deal. Too often will sabotage the hard work. I outlined the best things to drink while on a diet in another thread. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?p=244160#post244160 If you are going to do it, plan ahead. Drink a lot of Water for two days before hand. Make sure that you prepare your stomach with some malox or tums before and throughout the night. And be sure to drink plenty of water during the evening too. It will help with the dehydration, help to keep you from getting sick, and help your stomach not get irritated by the booze. Hope that helps.

Taken from Wiki - Ketosis (IPA pronunciation: [ki'tosɪs]) is a stage in metabolism occurring when the liver has been depleted of stored glycogen and switches to a chronic fasting mode during long periods of starvation. During the chronic stage of starvation (after glycogen has run out), fat (triglycerol) is cleaved to give 3 fatty acid chains and 1 glycerol molecule in a process called lipolysis. Most of the body is able to utilize fatty acids as an alternative source of energy in a process where fatty acid chains are cleaved to form acetyl-CoA, which can then be fed into the Krebs Cycle. During this process a high concentration of glucagon is present in the serum and this inactivates glucose kinase switching the primary energy source of most cells from using glucose to fatty acids. At the same time, new glucose is synthesized in the liver from lactic acid, glucogenic amino acids, and glycerol, in a process called gluconeogenesis. This glucose is used exclusively by cells such as neurons and red blood cells. Ketone bodies, from the breakdown of fatty acids to acetyl groups, are also produced during this fasting state, and are burned throughout the body. During the initial stages of starvation the adult brain does not burn ketones, however the newborn brain makes immediate use of this important substrate for lipid synthesis in the brain. After about 48 hours of starvation, the adult brain starts burning ketones in order to more directly utilize the energy from the fat stores that are being depended upon, and to reserve the glucose only for its absolute needs, thus slowing the depletion of the body's Protein store in the muscles. The brain retains a residual need for glucose, because ketones can only provide energy when used during aerobic respiration in mitochondria. In the long thin neurons, much of the metabolically active cellular membrane must derive its energy from glucose via anaerobic respiration without the assistance of mitochondria. Ketosis, which is a physiological condition in response to chronic starvation, should not be confused with ketoacidosis, which is severe ketosis causing the pH of the blood to drop below 7.2. Ketoacidosis is a medical condition usually caused by diabetes and accompanied by dehydration, hyperglycemia, ketonuria and increased levels of glucagon. The high glucagon, low insulin serum levels signals the body to produce more glucose via gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis and ketogenesis. High levels of glucose causes the failure of tubular reabsorption in the kidneys, causing Water to leak into the tubules in a process called osmotic diuresis, causing dehydration and further exacerbating the acidosis. The breath of people in a ketotic state commonly contains acetone, detectable as a sweet smell that may be mistaken for ethyl alcohol. Whether ketosis takes place can be checked by using special urine test strips such as Ketostix. Deliberately induced ketosis through a low-carbohydrate diet has been used to treat medical conditions. The ketogenic diet is an approach to treating epilepsy, and the Atkins Nutritional Approach is marketed for treating obesity. The very low calorie, medically supervised Lighter Life diet also uses ketosis for weight loss.

Does your filler do a barium swallow first? Use betadine, alcohol, or other agent to clean your skin.? Use fluoro to find the port? Use lidocaine to numb the skin. Use a three way stopcock on the needle to fine tune the fill? Use barium and fluoro to determine if the ideal amount of fill was performed? thanx jones

I was told, after I experienced this as well, that the sugar-free ice cream might not have sugar but it has sugar alcohol, which some of don't seem to tolerate either. Check to see if your ice-cream had the sugar alcohol and then that might be the culprit.

If you gain overnight, its water/bloating, you physically cant gain 1.5lb of fat overnight, unless you binge out by 5000 calories or so, not very easy with a band. So its nothing to worry about. Alcohol always does it to me, but it disappears again.

There are a lot more men out there who would welcome a relationship with someone who is taking control of their life and their health. I know one of them very personally, in fact... As Frustr8 said, there are a couple of threads that have been started for September surgeries, my date is September 6, 2018. I'm currently on the four-week pre-op diet, very similar to what you posted. I have an enlarged (but otherwise healthy) liver that the surgeon wants to make as small as possible. I'm limited to 800 calories/day, low fat, low carb, and high protein, and greater than 64oz of water a day (I'm averaging more than 90oz/day). I've cut out all added sugar, caffeine, alcohol, starchy veggies, fried foods, most restaurant food, bread (almost - I have two slices left, then no more), pasta, and carbonated beverages. I'm down 30.5 pounds since June 29, 2018. I do not feel hungry during the day but sometimes before bed or first thing in the morning, I get hungry. What I am struggling with now is "head hunger." Every evening when I drive home from work, I see all the places I used to stop and eat and my head wants me to stop again. So far, I've not stopped, but it is a challenge. My therapist suggested that I phone someone when I feel like I'm going to stop and get something to eat, so I call my mom often... I, too, am available to listen if you need an ear to vent to. Good luck! and we're all here for you!

So you weren't really that hungry after surgery? I know this is not that important but what about alcohol? Not that I am planning on getting drunk anytime soon (empty calories and carbs) but I do enjoy a glass of wine here and there and would like to do it again someday. Is there a restriction on coffee if you use artificial sweetners? __________________ Originally posted at www.lapbandtalk.com

I had surgery in March last year and went to Vegas that August. Eating was according to plan, I mostly shared with my wife, went to a buffet (it was $5) and had egg whites and a little ham. I only went to that one as it was cheap, otherwise I would not have done the buffet because of the waste of money. Alcohol I hadn't tried yet as i waited for 6 months before having a sip. 👍

Thank you. What are your thoughts on drinking alcohol? Sent from my VS995 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello everyone 😊 I finished my last nutrition class on the 11th of November and now I am curious what is happening next? How long was it for you to get the call for your surgery date? I met my weight loss goal and passed most of my scheduled drug test ( I fail once for alcohol but that was because I thought my appointment was the week after and my friend had a birthday party the day before 😮‍💨 lol)

Hi Speck, I have mixed feelings about it. I think the lapband is more difficult to lose weight. I've lost 30 lbs since June but compared to some who have lost 30+ lbs it makes me upset. Keep in mind that the doctor only wants 1-2 lbs a week which would put me right on target at 1 lb a week. Some of the time I think gastric bypass may have been better for me. The main reason is because if I'm going to have the band for life why not go all the way. I think the reason I didn't go that was was fear and lack of knowledge. I don't know too much about what you can eat. I heard that you can no longer have alcohol or sugar as it will hurt you. Don't know if that is true. In the long run I'm sure I will be happy with my band but like I said I can't imagine being 70 years old and never have had to replace it, therefore gastric bypass might be better. Good luck in your decision.

OMG.....that might be a bad move for me......I probably didn't need to see this LOL......but oh yummie, and happy day for You! I had a taste, yes a taste of a chocolate/bacon brownie last week......I didn't taste the bacon or the alcohol that was in it.....I just had a teeny tiny bit.......but yum yum..........who knew......bacon Jerky? bacon brownies, what next? (don't tell me). That bag wasn't open.....did you try it, was it good?

Maybe values was the wrong word. What I was trying to say is if you are an alcoholic you don't surround yourself with alcoholics. If you are a former drug user you don't surround yourself with drug users. If you are a binge eater, you don't surround yourself with binge eaters. Not that you wouldn't try to help others or that you would feel superior to others. That's not what I meant. I meant that in order to be healthy (from the addiction) you have to change your behavior and that can mean the people you associate with.

I am depressed. This Friday will be three weeks I've been banded and I don't feel good at all. food can't comfort me anymore and it doesn't even taste the same anyway. I just don't know how to make myself ok without food. First was my addiction to drugs and alcohol, but I've been clean 5 years from that now trying to jump this hurdle just seems so overwhelming. If anyone feels this way or has been through this it would be nice to hear from you. Thank you for your support.:cry Stacy

Sugar alcohols (compared to sugar) have about half the calories but are less sweet so more is used. Since they aren't absorbed completely, they have a lower glycemic response - hence their acceptance on many low carb diets. About 40 - 60% of the sugar alcohol is digested. So my advice would be to avoid them when you're working to shrink your liver. I too followed Atkins (the induction phase for over a year), and never let sugar alcohols go by free and clear. I ALWAYS counted them in my carb allowance, because I was still absorbing them. A lot of people think they go through unabsorbed, but unfortunately that's not the case.

I am considering banding, however I enjoy an occassional beer or cocktail. How does banding affect drinking?

I had a glass of wine the week after my surgery and it was no problem... It took me about 3 months to try beer and that hasn't been a problem either. Just give yourself some time to adjust to your fills before you start with carbonation. I lke sugar-free Red Bull and usually have one or two a week. They are really lightly carbonated and are a nice change from the flat Water. BUT, one day I drank one a little too quickly after a pretty tight fill and I just PBd the foam. It was a bizarre feeling and I was expecting something other than a thick foam to have come up but that's all it was. Go slowly with your carbonation and your alcohol for that matter. Trust me, you'll be a cheap date

I reserve the calories from alcohol to eating out- It helps relax my stoma and I have never had a stuck, slime or PB at a meal when Ive had some alcohol- That is very important to me if there are alot of people at the table- Especially those who dont know!! Im sure there are those who replace eating with drinking- Not my personality. Learning the moderation thing is an ongoing lesson!

You are welcome! I'd advise you to eat only 1/4 or 1/2 of it and wait 24 hours. I always feel the symptoms of too much sugar alcohol in about 8-12 hours. What's the name of the protein bar?

so i have read posts about when it is ok to drink alcohol post surgery but when do you need to stop pre surgery? with the holidays coming up and parties to go to, i don't want to mess anything up before surgery.

If it is the same one I saw before it was some ladies who had a bypass and then replaced their eating addictions with other addictions, I belive one was alcohol and another one was sex.

It's a re-run. I've seen it before. Basically, if you have bypass, you absorb alcohol differently (hits you harder, but you sober up quicker) and you can drink more than you ever thought possible and it can turn you into an alcoholic. Boiling down the episode - fix your underlying problems, if you don't, they'll rear their ugly head after your weight loss and saddle you with new problems. And there was one family where the father only loved his daughter, really, if she was thin. And when she was fat, he was an ass. But the daughter, bless her heart, somehow managed to believe that he really does love her deep inside. How can people not love their children, just because of their weight? What utter bullshit is that? And she's a really lovely young woman - both fat and thin - who deserves to have a better family.

Okay, so I am watching Oprah, and all I can say is, I'm glad I didn't have gastric bypass surgery! According to Oprah, 30% of patients who have had GBS are now alcoholics! This one lady is drinking up to 20 beers a day! I guess it's okay for GBS patients to have beer, whereas LBS patients can't(or aren't supposed to, anyway, because of the carbonation). Another lady is addicted to Vicodin, and another one is a sex addict now because of all the attention she is getting from men now. Did these people have to have a physc consult before their surgery? Maybe they would have discovered their addictive personalities? i know it's not that simple--it's just hard to believe that so many people turn to other addictions after they lose weight. Well, I guess I shouldn't talk--I do have an addiction now--the gym!:girl_hug: