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Smoking............I know, I know....I don't need a lecture...at least its not alcohol!!

Wow! I never knew that before.... This is interesting. Will you tell me more? This poor woman was my best friend in university and she was my only bridesmaid. She was both brilliant and very, very beautiful. Now her health is ruined and she looks like a street person. At one point she lost all her hair and at another point she went blind with cataracts. She has been rushed to hospital because she was vomitting blood and she now has advanced osteoporosis and walks with canes - when she does walk at all! For a little while she was on welfare. She now takes handicapped transit to work. This woman is eleven months younger than I am. She always used to be a party girl even though she performed well in university and has held some pretty interesting jobs. She has the worst taste in men though! Underperforming and uneducated alcoholics with anger management issues. I have kind of drifted away from her over the years as a result of her men and her drinking. I guess this is too much information considering that my inquiry had to do with understanding anorexia, eh?:phanvan

Green: If you start out your bar-be-que tour in Virginia you will promptly wretch, turn tail and head back to Toronto. Them crazy folks think that a nice barbeque beef or pork sandwich should come loaded with cold slaw. Yup. You heard me right. COLD SLAW. Gag, wretch. Now if you want some decent barbeque honey, you trot yourself on down to Oklahoma or Texas and get you one fine pulled pork barbeque sandwich. In Texas the barbeque brisket will seriously make you delirious. The ribs are awesome too. Barbeque is a very serious art in Texas and even though Memphis is famous for its ribs, Texas actually has them beat as far as I'm concerned. In Memphis they smoke their meat and use a "dry rub" coating of seasonings all over it. If you want barbeque sauce on it, you add it at the table. Eeeh they're good, I'll give 'em that. But for the very best in barbeque, head west. In Texas and Oklahoma you can get dry rub seasoned ribs and meat if you insist, but if you want really tender and larrapin' meat, you use some amount of water in your smoker and smoke it until it nearly falls off the bone and during the last hour or so you baste it with a somewhat sweet/tart smoky dark red barbeque sauce. Yee haw! The meat should have some blacked edges all around. This all reminds me of a place where my sister used to live, El Reno, Oklahoma, where there was a stand alone red wooden shack in front of the Wal Mart (where else?) and it had a big sign on it that said Bubba's Barbeque. There was a smaller sign under that said, "Nobody beats our meat!" (I never could figure out why Bubba decided to brag about that.) Which reminds me of a ski trip we made to Beaver Creek, Colorado. We decided we needed some alcohol to take the edge off our sore muscles, and went looking for a store. There it was all big and boastful...a sign that said... are you ready? BEAVER LIQUORS. Needless to say we had to go see for ourselves! Woo, hoo!

Hello April bandsters, I have a date of April 1st for my surgery. The only issue that I am having is that I am going on vacation May 16th to Dominican Republic for a week and I was wondering if it is to soon to fly and what type of restrictions will I have with food and alcohol intake. Is 6 weeks enough rest time and will I be able to go into pool that soon with the incisions??? My Dr. said I can wait till after I got back from vacation but that would have set me back into the summer and I didnt think I can wait any longer. Any suggestions from anyone???? Did anyone swim 5 to 6 weeks after surgery? very confused.

I am always very surprised at how little information is given to patients that do not have their surgeries done at Bariatric centers of excellence. Most insurance companies require that you use one but there are still some out there that do not. The pre care and post care of a center of excellence is outstanding. Mine literally gave me a 3 ring binder (my bible). It told me everything I needed to be doing day by day, week by week, month by month. It described the 3 different surgeries, the risks and benefits associated with each one. It had a section for each specialist you meet with and a special section for the 6 month supervised diet. Then it provided a huge list of sites to get even more information. I knew exactly what I was getting into from day 1. In addition, my center of excellence made me literally sign a contract stating I would not drink alcohol for the first year and that I would follow all the rules required of someone who has WLS. I also agreed that I would get my labs checked twice per year and take my required Vitamins. I feel bad when I hear about people not getting this level of care. I cannot imagine going through this without all the data. I also met with bariatricians, Bariatricpal nurses, Bariatric physiologist, and a nutritionist every month leading up to surgery, I was beyond educated and would love to see that every patient is but it just seems that is not a requirement of some insurance companies.

My doctor said that I couldn't drink soda because even if you let the soda sit and get flat, the warmth of your stomach will cause it to fizz up again and then stretch your pouch. I wasn't a big soda drinker anyway, but I do miss the concept of possibly having it once in awhile. I've only been banded for a week and a half, so it really hasn't been a big deal for me so far. The only soda I can really see myself missing is the old fashioned Orange Cream kind. I love that stuff and it used to be a special treat once in awhile. Another thing I thought of was the sparkling apple cider. I saw a four-pack at Costco the other day. I don't drink alcohol, so I would have that for a toast at Christmas or New Years. Now I'll have to just have plain apple juice or whatever.

I understand your dilema. I have a weekly girls outing at the local bar for open mic night and a variety of fried food chicken wings, cat fish, french fries, onion rings, etc. I was never a heavy drinker so I would always order a pepsi, well now I can't do that. It took some adjusting but you can do it. The best thing is to eat before you go, or at least have a protein shake. That will stop you from being hungry and will curb your desire to munch. Having never liked beer, i can't tell you what a good substitution is, but you can always add a shaker to your water bottle for a little extra taste.have fruit juice or some other type of drink to get you by. I often order cranberry juice at the bar so it looks like i have a coctail when I really don't and the juice is good for you anyway in moderation. The reason they say not to drink is you have less food in your stomach, and your stomach is smaller, so you will absorb the alcohol much faster and once you're tipsy/drunk you will make poor decisions including what to eat. I've learned each doctor's recommendations are different so follow your doctor's advice.

Who said you need to break up with Alcohol? I did not have any alcohol during pre-op and about three weeks after... But that was it!! The hardest part was before... because you feel fine - you are just hungry . Afterwards ( post op ) you will have no desire to drink, or at least I did not. And when I did have a drink in a social setting, I was kind of afraid.. for a couple reasons.. I had dropped a ton of weight in a short time - so how was it gonna effect me and I had not eaten any "real food" so was it gonna get me wasted? Which believe me was not my goal.. But now, as I have become more comfortable with my band ( banded Sept 1 ) I can enjoy the occasional cocktail.. In doing so though I do see a difference in the scale... but I am ok with that. I am a firm believer that you can NOT stop living... however appreciate your band and take care of it and you!! Just think... you will be a cheap date!!! My hubby loves that!! ha ha Good Luck!!

religon is not just there for comfort as others have stated,its about beliveing and haveing faith,im not sure i would take on what brad said[due to if you where a commited christian,you do not get devorced and remarry,even though i am aware this does happen due to abuse/alcohole/affairs,but i dont think he worked hard enough on his marrige to jen a.]sorry,he hasnt really remarried[just liveing in sin,yes im aware other people dont see it that way,my opinion only...]

Yes. The nausea is ****. I've experienced it a few times since surgery. I was told that the alcohol that gets rid of the germs can help. But I haven't sourced this yet. Sent from my SM-G955F using BariatricPal mobile app

I've seen many good ideas here and I'm excited. My daughter & I have just started the process - but I'm determined. I've seen no mention of alcohol - say wine with dinner or a cold beer???? Is booze totally out of the picture forever????

BB, I don't think there's any doubt what drove your father to alcoholism. The church's love has shadowed more than one life. My mother experienced something similar. She's left handed, and perhaps it was her particular school or perhaps it was a belief that lingered in the Midwest, who knows - but she was told that being left handed was a sign of the devil. So they would tie her hand behind her back and force her to work right handed, while her dominant hand would lose sensation due to being pointed up and because of the tightness of the rope. And when her penmanship was not at par, they would beat her knuckles with a ruler. Or if she was caught using her left hand, they would make her (bear with me as I try to describe this without the benefit of visuals) kneel in front of the class with her arms stretched straight out to either side, palms up. Kind of like a T shape. Then they would stack encyclopaedias on her hands, and beat her on the butt with a paddle if her arms dropped. She was told repeatedly this was the church's love, trying to protect her from the devil. Have you ever seen The Magdalene Sisters? I watched that with her, and she couldn't even keep her eyes open during some of the scenes.

I was just banded yesterday and this was one of the first questions I asked my surgeon. He told me that alcohol is an irritant, but that safely I could probably sip a glass of wine after about 6 weeks. Which is a hell of a long time since my husband and I are normally hosting some kind of party or another. In my own opinion (and take it from someone that likes to drink often) I would take it easy if I were you. Like you, I have chosen to NOT tell the majority of people I know. So if you choose to go out with your friends, you can always get out of drinking by stating that you're not feeling well, and just sip Water and be the DD if necessary. I think your new stomach will thank you for it in the long run Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Mousecat - I totally agree with your idea to abstain from certain “trigger foods”. I think of it like someone addicted to drugs or alcohol who can NEVER have that again. I plan to NEVER eat Doritos or barbecue chips again. I know myself enough to know that I can’t eat those in moderation. Good luck with you surgery!!

You can search my posts and comments for lotsa info, support, and hostility on this subject. While many doctors have cited health benefits from moderate alcohol consumption, I don't think it has any real medical value. That said, I find it quite enjoyable. Many programs say: - Never drink - Wait a year - Wait 6 months - Wait 3 months - Wait 6 weeks - Nothing on the subject My surgeon recommended the sleeve (over RNY) for patients who plan to drink. The reason is simple - once you heal (6 weeks), you basically have a normal metabolism - except your stomach is puny. RNY patients have more plumbing rerouting and thus have a greater chance of developing ulcers, although many RNY patients on this forum report drinking alcohol with no complication. So, if you drink after VSG, you must follow all the same rules you SHOULD have followed all along: - Don't drink to drunkeness and/or operate machinery. - Don't ignore the potentially high calories in some alcoholic beverages (sweet drinks, most beers, etc). - If you find yourself drinking everyday, watch out! I would add, if you were a food addict before your VSG, you may be at risk for developing other addictions - including alcohol. That said, I suspect soda, candy, or chips would be a more slippery slope for a former food addict! As long as you account for your calories, and meet you Water & Protein goals, it's no different than eating whole wheat bread, oatmeal, or sweet potatoes... I am 2 pounds away from goal and trying to develop more of a maintenance plan. Although I drank most of my life, I seldom drank during the week. My current thinking is to allow myself a limited number of Yellow and Green days. Basically, I plan to count my calories and track my steps about 16 days a month. On these days, my calorie intake is limited to 1,000 a 1,200 with no alcohol (Red Days). I will allow myself 12 Yellow Days a month. On these days, I will allow moderate alcohol consumption, but still track calories and activity. I will limit my calories to 8 times my target weight (about 1,500). Finally, I will allow myself a couple of Green Days a month where I won't count calories at all. So far this seems to be working well, stay tuned...

"there is "no discrimination" --ha--when you're heavier--you're discounted as "stupid"--which i'm not. As girlinnyc wrote, we have all known the physical and mental stigma that goes with obesity most of our lives. The thought process is that we could not possibly have a brain, or why would we CHOOSE to be obese? (As if it's an option!) I read in a book (The Underburner Diet) that the author's daughter said to her "I hate to see fat people chow, Mom" and it's really the way society views us. Even alcoholics can hide their disease and are held in higher esteem... It is just so terrific that we have a relatively safe choice now to limit our portion intake. Your size 3 daughter doesn't realize the issues we've all had to deal with--you just go for it, Jeanne...:clap2:

I hate to burst the bubble even more but someone mentioned birth control: my hospital requires you to be completely off of it for at least 2 cycles. So, to recap: No birth control, no carbonation or caffeine, no cigarettes or e-cigarettes, no drugs, no alcohol. Nada!!! I know one of you girls asked about smoking and having tubes tied, etc. With gastric bypass, you are under general anesthesia which means you aren't breathing by yourself - you are intubated and a tube is down your throat. Anesthesia slows breathing and heart rate, lowers your blood pressure and basically depresses your body, even your brain. When you smoke, everything from your lung capacity and the chances of getting pneumonia, to blood vessels constricting and oxygen not circulating in the blood, are compromised. I know how hard quitting smoking can be - I was there too. But, just try to take one thing at a time instead of shocking the body and forcing it to go into a serious withdrawal. I quit caffeine and carbonation 2 months prior to my surgery because I knew that my body wouldn't be able to handle that PLUS my pre-op diet. In the final two weeks before my surgery, I walked 1 mile every day because I knew I wanted to heal quickly and be successful in the long term. So my advice to both of you is pretty simple: take each day at a time, quit one bad habit at a time and remind yourself every day why you are doing this. It will get easier!!!

While you do eat differently, some of the difficult things of the early days settle down. By 9 months out, I could drink pretty much as before, including gulping if necessary! I choose not to drink and eat because I now understand why I shouldn't. I am now allowed to drink until 20 mins before eating and start again 20 mins after. No real hardship there. I still keep my fluids up - which we should all do irrespective of WLS. I eat Protein first, keep carbs low and take my Vitamins daily. I also remember to keep moving I eat out at least 3 times a week, socialise with friends, have the very, very occasional alcoholic drink and get on with living what is a much happier life than when I weighed 85lbs more. Yes, there is a restriction. I eat less. I have to make good food choices to keep myself healthy and full of energy. But do I miss my diabetes? My meds and pain relief? My high BP? My increasing cholesterol? My sweaty body? My lack of energy? My depression? Nope, not a bit. That's why eating differently doesn't frighten me - the good things that have happened to me post WLS far outweigh the effort I put in to eating nowadays. I know that being sleeved looks daunting pre surgery - and it is not something to do lightly, without being informed or being prepared for the difficult first weeks. By having been through it all, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again... Good luck figuring out what's best for you, keep asking questions here, there's so much advice and support from people who've been where you are :-))))

Most overweight people face bias against their weights the entire time they are overweight. As an overweight school child: your classmates probably teased or shunned you. As an obese college student: you might have skipped group activities because you were not invited or you knew you would be mocked. As an obese adult: getting a job was probably more challenging, and you are probably judged daily at work and everywhere you go. Without a doubt, obesity is stigmatized. The unfair bias that you face may be a major factor in your decision to consider or get weight loss surgery. Unfortunately, you will probably find that the obesity discrimination continues even as you try to use weight loss surgery to get healthy. Obese patients are blamed for their conditions, healthcare providers are not always sympathetic, and coverage for weight loss surgery is not guaranteed. Why Do Obese Patients Get So Much Blame? People are increasingly sympathetic to diseases that used to be stigmatized. Examples include cancer, many mental health conditions, and sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS and syphilis. Now, treatment for these and other conditions, such as diabetes, is widely accepted as normal and an entitlement. Each of these conditions is largely the result of lifestyle choices, such as diet, use of tobacco and/or alcohol, sexual behavior, and physical activity levels. More than 80% of cancers are likely the result of lifestyle choices. Ironically, though, many people in our society remain unsympathetic to obese people. They are quick to blame obese people for having no self-control, for refusing to follow a diet, and for not wanting to be healthy. You know, though, that those accusations are far from the truth. If you are considering weight loss surgery, you are confident that you have the self-control for the weight loss surgery diet, that you have tried to follow numerous diets but none have worked for you, and that you desperately want to be healthy! You Did Not Ask to Be Obese: Some Factors are Outside of Your Control More than one-third of American adults are obese, and another third are overweight. That in itself should remind you – and the people who judge you harshly – that fighting obesity is hard! The food environment includes fast food, vending machines, restaurants, food-focused social gatherings, and inexpensive snack foods. There are also biological and family factors that you cannot control. Skinny people have no idea that you may be feeling extreme hunger all day, every day, or that your metabolism may be slower. Your family might have raised to choose high-calorie, high-fat foods, or even driven you into unhealthy emotional eating. Research shows that some obese patients’ brains even respond differently to food compared to lower-weight individuals. Obese individuals, for example, tend to get less pleasure out of food, meaning they need to eat more to get satisfied. Furthermore, high-calorie foods like sugar can be addicting, leading to the same brain responses as cocaine does. But nobody blames cocaine addicts for their situations! Instead, they encourage counseling and intensive program to help them overcome their addictions, not punish them. Discrimination in Obesity Treatment: A Look at Weight Loss Surgery Versus Dialysis Just as unfair is the fact that the healthcare system continues the discrimination against obesity. Compare weight loss surgery as an obesity treatment with dialysis as a treatment for kidney failure (end-stage renal failure). Far from being blamed for their conditions, kidney failure patients who need dialysis are provided the respect that all people deserve and the medical care that they need. Dialysis patients of all ages in the United States are able to apply for Medicare, the government’s health insurance program normally reserved for older adults. Dialysis treatments can cost about $40,000 per year, not including This is not to mention human factors such as reduced quality of life (the vast majority of dialysis patients are too sick to work) and early death (the life expectancy of dialysis patients is about 5 years). In comparison, a typical weight loss surgery procedure in the United States can cost $20,000 to $40,000, although it can be less, and successful patients are healthier and have more energy than before surgery. The irony increases. The fact is that kidney failure usually results as a complication of type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure (hypertension). Both of these conditions are often caused by obesity; losing weight after weight loss surgery can prevent, eliminate, or reduce these conditions. In addition, it takes years for kidney failure to develop once you have high blood pressure or diabetes – years during which patients are likely to be on costly medications and inconvenient treatments. Targeting obesity through weight loss surgery could prevent cases of diabetes and high blood pressure, reduce their effects in people who already have them, and prevent kidney failure, the need for dialysis, and early death. Searching for Fairness in the Medical Treatment of Obesity Your first barrier in your path to weight loss surgery may be your primary care physican (PCP). Some PCPs do not know much about weight loss surgery, or may be against it because they think obesity is your fault. Some PCPs take a narrow view of obesity, and feel that the only way to lose weight is for patients to “decide they want it badly enough” and “just eat less.” You already know that doesn’t work, so don’t let your PCP discourage you from learning more weight loss surgery if you think it might be the solution to your obesity struggles. Insurance coverage has improved for obesity treatments, especially for weight loss surgery. Medicare and many private healthcare coverage plans cover weight loss surgery if you meet their predetermined weight and/or health criteria. Some private insurance companies, though, take a short-term view because they want to make profits within 3 years. Since most weight loss surgeries do not pay for themselves within 3 years, some private insurers do not cover weight loss surgery despite the likelihood that they would pay for themselves within 5 or 10 years, and in addition improve your health and quality of life. Chance of Reduced Discrimination in the Future? The majority of Americans believe that health insurance should cover weight loss surgery, in addition to other obesity treatments such as dietetic and mental health counseling. The Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), though, is not the ultimate solution. In nearly half of states, obesity treatments are not required to be covered by plans sold on the health exchanges. This determination is based on the available competitive services in the region. Since the most obese states are the ones least likely to have competitive anti-obesity care, these states are also least likely to have obesity treatments covered under the Affordable Care Act. Overcome the Discrimination Discrimination is an unfair fact of life as an obese individual, and it unfortunately does not end when you decide to get healthy using weight loss surgery as a tool. These are some of the ways that you can keep going strong and overcome the barriers you encounter as you work to get healthy. You have the right to a second opinion if your primary care physician recommends against weight loss surgery but you would like to find out more. Do not take “no” for an answer from your insurance company if you know you are entitled to reimbursement for surgery. Do not listen to negative family members or friends who do not understand your obesity or interest in weight loss surgery. It is your life and health. Educate others as much as you can to try to reduce the discrimination. Chances are that they are only being discriminatory out of ignorance, not out of true mean-spiritedness. Like it or not, some discrimination remains as you go through your weight loss journey. You cannot prevent it, but you can change how you react to it. Expect it and respond as positively as you can, keeping your own health and goals in mind. Over time, as you and others prove that weight loss surgery can be a worthwhile treatment for obesity, discrimination by insurance companies, healthcare providers, and the public will decrease.

My doctor also recommended not drinking anymore, weight loss patients have been known to become dependent upon alcohol because it goes through our system fast. Meaning it hits us fast and then we sometimes feel like we sober up and go again. Which in turn can really harm the body. That being said I am almost four years out and drink socially. I drank almost an entire bottle of wine last night! The biggest thing is make sure you are getting your nutrients first before alcohol. Also start with liquor beer is carbonated and fills you up (not fun). Keep in mind it will hit you fast!!!!!

My surgeon / his team have never said, "No alcohol after WLS." Their program, however, includes information about the possibility of WLS patients developing cross addictions post-op. I see a tendency on WLS boards for participants to interpret "possibilities" as "probabilities" or, worse, "100% likelihoods." This applies to discussions about cross-addictions, post-op divorces, post-op complications, and weight loss success/failure predictions. My take on the "alcohol post-op" debate is that we should be observant / mindful about how alcohol affects us. We all recognize that alcohol may (or may not) have negative effects on our health post-op, including: alcoholism, liver damage, ulcers, GERD, lowering of inhibitions against eating, etc. If you wish to avoid any possibility of any kind of damage from alcohol use, then you can decide not to drink. For myself, I've chosen instead the mindful / observant route. Since Month 6 I've been drinking wine. I drink no more than one 5-6 ounce glass of wine per day and no more than 7 glasses a week, which keeps me in the "social drinker" category -- in which there are no perceived risks. I really enjoy wine, especially with food, but also don't want to wash down my meals with liquids. So I stretch out my wine over a couple of hours before, during and after dinner. Honestly, most nights I don't even finish the glass. And now at 18 months post-op, I'm happily and easily maintaining my 100-pound weight loss at 135 pounds. That's just one woman's story. Things could change for me, e.g., GERD could get worse, I'd start gaining weight, I could start drinking more, in which case I would have to re-evaluate the upside/downside of my alcohol intake. I just see this as one small aspect of living in Wearing Big Person Panties World.

For those of you that do Low Carb, Do you figure the total carbs in a product or net carbs. I know that the net carbs= carbs - the Fiber & sugar alcohol, but I find if I eat something that has carbs but low net carbs, I don't get the low carb benefit. Like I am still craving carbs and don't seem to lose the weight the same as if I was doing total carbs. What do you think? Thanks Wendy

Have you ever seen the movie, "The Princess Bride". My favorite character is the spaniard who is seeking his fathers killer. At some point he realizes that he has given his whole life to this pursuit... to slay the man who hurt him so badly... then when it is done... he has nothing. this is the classic "adult child of an alcoholic" that rages against that painful history but I think can sometimes apply to the formerly morbidly obese too. The Spainiard found a new life and I guess in some way, we all need to do the same. It doesn't mean leaving your family or going crazy, but it does mean finding a life that not only feels comfortable but perhaps more importantly supports a lifetime of fitness. I don't have the answers myself but i keep finding small building blocks of happiness and contentment and adding them to the construction material for the "new life" I am building. for me, the potential is huge. i have been stalled in my career. I think I can fix that.... I need a new career life! Girlfriends - well, a couple of my closest ones moved away. I still have alot of friends and activity partners, but I need a bff - I am looking for one and finally actually OPEN to one. Husband/partner - I have significant issues with mine (not weight loss related) but he is a good guy and I am trying to work them out. Activities - man, I just don't even want to hang with the TV watching, restaurant eating crowd even though I used to be their leader...lol. I just make small choices everyday that are slowly building a different way of living. Harsh reality is that even skinny people have to do their dishes and pay their bills - dammit and here I was hoping to be swept away like a princess once I was skinny (not really, but you know there is still that tiny fantasy of an easy life when skinny). The main advice I give myself is to just not go nuts and radical since sometimes my ENERGY is just so huge it won't fit in my regular life. I find outlets for that energy (60 minutes of spinning is an outstanding choice for that!) but it is still something I watch to not find a transfer addiction or something. Shopping has the potential, but I keep it in check...lol I find myself needing multiple outlets for my energy and desire to explore the world as a skinny person - I think that as time goes on I will settle into some sort of calm and boring routine like most people...lol

@@Annieof2 I too have multiple medicine allergies and now that I have had bypass, nsaids are completely out of the question. I also have stage 3 kidney disease in addition so surgeons are careful with me when it comes to medications of any kind. I used to give myself shots of torridol as a rescue drug for migraine and I can no longer use that either. I don't think it is unreasonable given your allergies that you know the plan ahead of time. In fact, I would insist on it. If it helps any, for me the bypass was not what I would call painful. There was discomfort. For the two days i was in hospital, they gave me liquid vicodin because I am allergy to percocet and NSAIDS were immediately off the table. I can take vicodin or even dilaudid if the pain is really severe but I honestly did not need it for this surgery. The only time they gave me that was in the recovery room when i woke up and my chest was hurting but once that was under control, that pain never came back. I took liquid vicodin 3 times per day, then went home. I took it one more day and by day 4 i was on liquid Tylenol. That stuff is horrible to drink after having stomach surgery because I think it has alcohol in it. I found that simply avoiding all of it made me feel better. Any kind of pain reliever was actually more of a problem than what it was worth. I used a heating pad and chewable gas x which helped with the gas pains when your bowels start working again. I walked the gas off that they use for surgery, honestly the pain medications did not help that discomfort anyway. I do have a high tolerance for pain but I have seen many many many posters like me that just did not have a great amount of pain. The gas is the worst part and meds really dont help with that. Lots of Water, walking, heat and gas x is the only thing that helps. Let me know if you have questions. I would be happy to help.

Sugar alcohols can also give some people really bad stomach pains, and funky poo.