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Just an FYI...even though the buzz feeling goes away, the blood alcohol levels leave our bodies more slowly so you shouldn't drive because your blood alcohol level will still be elevated even though you maynot feel the classic effects of being buzzed.

So my grief counselor has suggested I try Wellbutrin. Things have been especially bad for me lately because its coming up on the 1 year anniversary of my friend's suicide. We've also been exploring some buried emotions from my brother's death that I never really got over (apparently drowning them in alcohol didn't make them go away ;(. ). At this point I'm having difficulties experiencing any sort of emotion besides sadness.....most of my days are spent going through the motions and putting on a show for others and quite frankly I'm exhausted. She thinks the Wellbutrin will help me with the biochemical issues I may be having that are hindering my healing process. So I'm going in to see my PCP on Friday to get his OK for the Rx. So anyone else taking it for depression? How's it working for you? Just wondering if there are any weight loss/weight gain/appetite issues I could expect by taking this medication. Any other weird side effects? I've taken Prozac and other SSRIs in the past for anxiety and stress, but the main problem was I could not sleep while on them. Not sleeping was worse than the reasons I was taking them in the first place so I had to stop.

Well, here's my take... 1. At this point, if you can eat a whole yogurt, you are probably definitely full! I was on liquid only for two weeks after! A yogurt would have definitely filled me to the brim. 2. When you can eat more than you should and are still hungry before it's time for the next meal, you need a fill. 3. At this point, if you eat a solid you take the risk of moving your band. It is probably tacked in place but if you over fill your pouch or eat something solid, you could displace it and it wouldn't heal properly. Also, as you eat solids, your stomach will have to churn more to digest them and that could also cause problems. You have come to far...don't risk it! 3. Yes, you will likely be physically able to eat the things you love again in smaller portions. I was only banded in July, but I can already eat anything I want, really. (That is I haven't tried anything I can't eat if I chew well.) With that being said, only you know if you can mentally eat just a little. If you are a food addict, don't tempt yourself with something that would be like liquor to an alcoholic. Does that make sense? I LOVE pizza. Now I eat a piece (or two really small ones) of very thin crust if I must have pizza. Before, I could have and sometimes did eat the whole pizza. For me, this is the answer...what it's all about. I've lost weight plenty of times in the past by eliminating all "bad" foods. I can t-total it, but only for a while. Eventually, I would go back to eating whatever I wanted because I couldn't help myself. As a result I regained everything and more back. This time around, I am working for a lifestyle change. I will continue to eat anything I want, but in small portions. I can live that way forever, but I don't think I could realistically never eat pizza or chocolate again. Ya know?

Mine was really easy. But I really worked hard getting ready for it. I researched all the worst case sceneros. I did a great deal of emotional work ahead of time. I worked out and walked as much as I could. I weaned off caffeine and alcohol weeks before and stuck to my pre-op diet. I also tried all the foods I was going to eat post op, sampled many Protein drinks, practiced eating slow at lunch, found out coffee warmers would keep my food warm when it took such a long time to eat. There was always the very small chance that something could go wrong, and being a single dad, I also took care of my estate planning and worked with my business partners to set up contingencies in case something went really wrong. The end result, was I was on my feet and walking almost immediately after surgery and I was working on the internet the same day. Now I will admit, I was a fairly healthy fat guy, but there were enough warning lights going off to make me realize this wasn't always going to be the case. Plan, Prepare, Act and Evaluate everything going in. I self paid in Mexico so I did all this research myself. and to tell you the truth, knowing me, I think I would have been bored to death doing this through a typical program. But I still had fears the last week despite all of this. But in the end, could not have worked out better.

Discussed ad nauseam: https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=alcohol&sortby=relevancy&search_in=titles You'll find both sides of the argument explored and talked about in agonizing detail and breathtaking recklessness.

I don't drink often but when I do I just drink hard liquor on the rocks or with water. I have never been a beer or wine drinker really. I will have a few sips of wine with a meal if it compliments the meal. My alcohol tolerance is exactly the same. Insanely high. I couldn't get drunk if I tried.

I agree with you. That's my experience. I got to a point that alcohol wasn't affecting me. That was dangerous. I'm still learning to deal with that. Alcoholism among weight-loss patients is a very real danger. Good luck!

I gave up alcohol entirely because of the empty calories.

So when did everyone have their 1st drink? Be honest ppl

I only had a 4 day pre op because I had been traveling and my doc said he'd do it just after I got back- probably because I was a lower bmi. He said my liver wasn't fatty at all when he went it which totally surprised me- my gi had said a year before that my liver looked like an alcoholics liver even though I barely drink. I lost 6 pounds in those 4 days. Mich W Hw 223, SW 217 CW 199 GW 135

I only had a 4 day pre op because I had been traveling and my doc said he'd do it just after I got back- probably because I was a lower bmi. He said my liver wasn't fatty at all when he went it which totally surprised me- my gi had said a year before that my liver looked like an alcoholics liver even though I barely drink. I lost 6 pounds in those 4 days. Mich W Hw 223, SW 217 CW 199 GW 135

@@jenn1 - I am trying to boost my metabolism. I have increased my calories to 1400, and Protein to 180 a day, and then adding five days of intense exercise. Lost five pounds this week. It's a little counter-intuitive, but decreasing calories seems to slow down your metabolism. So switching my diet to get rid of crap carbs, alcohol, and other non-productive calories while ramping up activity seems to be working for me. Hard deprivation seems to work against you. I found this article which explained it to me... As a person becomes fitter and gains muscle mass, it is correct that he or she burns more calories at rest. However, some exercise enthusiasts have insufficient energy intakes, which do not meet the demands of their exercise programs. This imbalance may eventually reduce resting metabolic rate. https://www.unm.edu/...ontroversy.html BTW, several people have some good knowledge and experience and it is shared here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/387024-so-the-honeymoon-is-over/

Thanks for the input. My husband has my name tatootted all over his body if you know what I mean. He is great if I was 80 and needed my diaper changed. As far as romantic love we have some serious sex issues. He has errectial dysfunction and needs to be on meds to last more than 1 minute. This is of huge concern of mine because I am very sexual. The affair didn't help with this matter of course. The kids will be okay but I need hin to change, I just am not sure what to do other than therapy. I told my family today what was going on so that is good. i am mostly concerned about my older son who has dabbked in drugs. I meet his new counselor on Friday, My continued committment are my kids and my sobriety first (alcoholism) coupled with some individual therapy and marriage counseling, This is a huge breaking point for me. I almost left my husband 3 years ago so it is startng all over agai but I am much more serious this time.

14th September here. There's no pre-op diet for me other than one day of clear liquids on the 13th and NPO the 14th, but I've been weaning myself off caffeine, sugar, and alcohol and reducing the intake so that I don't go from, say, 2,700 calories a day to 300 overnight. Hungry but not as hungry as I thought I would be. Covid test is tomorrow (seems odd given that it's still 2.5 weeks until surgery), labs and scans Monday, pre-op meeting is 2nd September.

Hehe, I like that. I'm surprised even HR HAS to have your surgeon's name. There are all SORTS of HIPPA rules these days! It's really none of their business. Funny thing about my boss, I know she's an alcoholic -- or at least has an issue with alcohol. And is at times very promiscuous. I could tell stories -- that SHE has shared, no less. The you-know-what in me wanted to ask if her alcohol problem was still making her loose and slutty.

Last week I went for my first surgical consultation. I'm so impressed with the Dr & his staff. Everyone is so nice. They scheduled my appointment for my Upper GI, EKG & chest Xray, and they were done yesterday. My next appointments will be with the dietitian & exercise physiologist. I still have to set up a psych evaluation. So I'm moving right along... Doc was very encouraging and talked through some of my concerns. He took the time to hear my story and he agreed with me - he too, believes that the sleeve would be the best option for me. I had an "aha" moment...or actually, a weekend worth of it. We had friends in town to visit this past weekend. I knew there would be a good bit of alcohol involved in our visit. But I actually went completely off my wagon! My eating wasn't as awful as it could have been, but I wasn't following the plan. breads & potatoes were the biggest culprits. I even passed on ice cream...so I guess I wasn't so bad. But I certainly felt the difference. I gained 9 lbs from Friday morning to Sunday evening. Salty margaritas are my vice, so I'm sure most of that was water retention, but still - it made me feel horrible, physically & mentally. At the same time, I was able to recognize that I'm not going to be able to do this anymore. I don't need the alcohol in such mass quantities, I truly don't need the breads and potatoes - I would have been fine without them. I just have to work on finding better food choices when we're out and about. I'm back in the saddle again this week. And the water weight is dropping off already. I know I shouldn't be weighing myself everyday, but I have been & right now, I'm glad to see it going back down. Once I get back to where I was last week & see steady loss for a while, I'll stop weighing everyday. I've also called my insurance company to verify coverage and prerequisites for my surgery. I shouldn't have any problems, but I'm afraid of one bit of red tape. I'm supposed to have 6 months of consecutive medical weight loss (failure) documentation. I think I should be OK because I did take phentermine for several months and this was all documented, of course. And since then, I've regained every bit of the weight lost on that program. My worry is that "consecutive" word. I'm not sure that I was in the office exactly every month. I will be going to see her again at the end of the month, so I'll find out then. I really don't want to have to drag this out for 6 months. I'm hoping that I will be approved based on the records we have already established. I would be devastated to have to wait so long. I'm ready now. I want so much to start feeling better. I hate feeling so tired all the time! I hate that my back hurts from carrying all of this weight all my life. I hate knowing that I have only a 10% chance of living until I'm 65. Really? So my life is more than half over right now! Unless I can lose this weight, I won't have a life. I'm merely existing from day to day right now. I don't feel like I live at all. Who knows if I'll make it another 6 months? With my family history and horrible health as it is, I am simply a walking time bomb. I'm rambling...just some random thoughts that pop into my head.

The good news is my place smells like lemon/lime margaritas (minus the alcohol smell) and I dont stink of smoke I dont know if it is just as harmful as cigarettes or not (and i refuse to get into it), but whatever. It tastes amazing (im running through several different flavors right now (Pirates Cave (lemony/limey), Queen of Sex (skittles flavor/smell), Purple Savior (Kind of fruity with some spice and flower aftertaste), and Melon Blue (honeydew/blueberry flavor). I think hookahs make great conversation pieces and when my friends drop by, i can smoke while they drink and then they can try my flavors too.

I'm aware that my reply comes a little late, but thank you for sharing your story and shedding light on the dangers of transfer addiction. It takes a lot of courage to speak up about personal struggles, and I hope your journey towards recovery continues to be successful. However, dealing with addiction and withdrawal symptoms, such as described at https://sunlightrecovery.com/fatigued-after-alcohol-detox/, can be challenging. It’s important to understand that recovery is not a journey you have to go through alone. Seeking the help of experts in the field can greatly aid in the process of managing addiction and withdrawal symptoms, as well as starting a healthy lifestyle faster.

unfortunately, I've heard that story (or something like it) before - a few times, in fact. Alcoholism runs on one side of my family (my two maternal uncles both had it), so I've always been careful - and doubly, triply so after WLS because of the risk. sorry that happened to you.

Hi guys. Just came across this thread and wanted to say thank you for all the supportive words you've shared here. I'm currently on my way to quitting alcohol, so I really appreciate your help. Actually, I'd also be grateful if you shared more of your experience on giving up that ****.

My band and I are learning to co-exist. If I get a little out of hand, my band taps me on the shoulder (well, not exactly THERE!) and says, "Ahem...shall we revisit that last activity and talk about it?" and I say, "Oops, sorry buddy....I got ahead of myself and wasn't thinking" We mutually discuss what I did wrong to cause whatever consequence I experienced, I make a mental log of it and promise to adjust my actions accordingly. Shake hands...no hard feeling and go on about my business. My band is my little watchdog and I cannot CONCEIVE of life without it. No one is going to convince me that you can take the band out of a person and they have "learned their lesson." This is a physical and mental disease we have, like alcoholism. It does not "go away in time". You were born with it and you will die with it and you will cope with it forever (band or no band). I know myself well enough not to pull the wool over my own eyes and think for one minute that after 55 years of failure I could remove this watchdog and NOT go back to exactly the way I was before.

You hit it on the nail.......self destructive. For some it's alcohol, drugs, sex, and then for others it's food. It's about that mindset and it was clear to me that Pauline needed some serious counseling...probably lifelong....prior to surgery. Sometimes you have to see your behavior in others in order to get "it", I know that's what worked for me.....straight up, frank, & clear examples. That is what keeps my tail in line.

We were all conditioned to not waste food. Remember Mom saying, eat all your food there are people starving in(pick a country). I've learned that I don't have to waste food in order to not work around my restriction. (That's what we do when we are full and continue to eat) When I eat and my restriction kicks in (thank goodness after 4 yrs I still have a pretty good one) I stop eating, put the food in a container, store in fridge and eat the next day. I will eat the same thing for a few days so that I don't waste the food but most importantly so that I'm not tempted to work around my restriction. I went to a therapist. This therapist was recommended by others in my support group. I honestly didn't find her to be as helpful as talking and interacting with others who had the surgery. One other note to the OP, your family has to be in your corner 100%. Mom should not have had a large dinner with you only days post op. That's like a recovering alcoholic who has sit through a cocktail party. It will not bode well. I also find that drinking plain water or herbal tea helps control the craving to eat. It does two things, first the action of getting the drink takes your mind away from the food and the liquid helps to fill your stomach so that you eat less.

Suggest you clean your wounds gently with sterile Water / alcohol wipe or similar, and replace the bandages with steristrips (3M make them, ask your pharmacist) for a week or so. Put the steristrips on so that they run perpendicular to the wounds. They will provide some support to help hold the newly knitting wounds together, yet still keep the wound clean and allow it to breathe and dry out. If your wounds are infected (inflamed, oozing, etc), or you are at all worried about them, go and see your local doctor.

Momto6ix... I agree with most other posters who have responded to this thread, and I can appreciate the frustration on both sides of the issue. For people who don't struggle with weight, it is very hard to "get" what a struggle this is for someone who does. It sounds like both you and your husband could benefit from some therapy...both individual as well as couples...for him, it is critical to the self-discovery process that will help him understand the reasons he has medicated with food and work to employ new emotional habits along with the physical changes that surgery requires. For you, it might uncover some surprising ways in which your beliefs and actions could have been contributing factors, and without identifying those, could serve to drive a wedge between you and your husband While it might seem like an extreme comparison, replace "food" with "alcohol" as the thing your husband struggles with...my guess is that you more readily accept the concept that, for some people, they can't just have 1 or 2 drinks in the way that you and I do...both alcohol and food trigger feel-good receptors in the brain, and release natural opiates that make you want to come back for more. For some complex reasons not yet fully understood, some people appear to be more susceptible to the effects than others.