Alcohol?

[DeLarla 22]

Tig, I had to attend a mandatory seminar when I first considered the band. The local doctors here make you sit through 3 hours of lecture on band procedure vs. gastric bypass. They went through the pros and cons of both procedures and then made each patient decide which procedure they wanted. The one thing that stood out the most was that regardless of which procedure you get, yes, you have to stop smoking. I'm not sure why, but that part seems to stand out.

[DeLarla 22]

And if I was going to be someone's guinea pig, I'd expect them to do the surgery for free. If you are self-paying, why not go to an experienced doctor?

[DeLarla 22]

One last thought on alcohol. I still drink, but I don't get drunk. A comfortable buzz is the farthest I'll take it. I don't want to get so drunk that I have to puke. Vomiting is a no, no, no for banded people!

[tigk29 0]

I had to sit through the a seminar as well, and then when I went for my first consultation, I was there for 6 hours meeting with the surgeon, therapist, exercise therapist, and several others. Because the Wish Center is in partnership with the Hospital that does the surgery, the whole procedure is within a price range I can afford. My insurance wont pay for anything even though the docs are in network. I attended several different seminars with different doctors and the Wish Center was my favorite. I felt very comfortable asking tons of questions and the staff was very friendly.

As far as the alcohol goes the last thing I want to do is get really drunk and puke, Yuck! I just didn't know what people were told about having drinks in moderation.

[Penni60 45]

drinks IN MODERATION is a good way to look at the alcohol issue and being banded.

Actually drinks in moderation with alcohol and not being banded should be the way it is dealt with in all aspects.

[bbrecruiter2000 1]

hey Tigk,

I am a smoker and I was not required to stop. however, ny plastic surgeon told me I needed to quit or she would not consider doing surgery on me. Needless tosay, I still smoke. I promised myself I would try to quit when I ge closer to goal.

Babs in TX

334/214/170

-120

[DeLarla 22]

BB, just tell your plastic surgeon to go ahead with your surgery, and tell her while you're under the anesthesia, to remove your smoker. That way you won't be able to smoke when you get up. Maybe she'll fall for it.

[athykay 9]

tigk29,

I know exactly how you feel. I too was told that I should quit smoking but I have been banded now for 5 weeks and yes I am still smoking. Some fellow banders told me that there doc's said try to quit after surgery, one thing at a time. I know as we all do that smoking is not a good choice. But for now it is one that I am choosing to do. When I get my weight down further and am ready to quit I will. I don't really understand how it could affect the band and I have not had any problems so far. I would imagine complications from smoking could happen but so can overeating with the band. I guess it is your preference what you choose to do and not to do.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

Hope this helps with your decision.

Kathy

[DeLarla 22]

Hey Kathy.. is that all you have for us? No baby news?

[La_madam 20]

The reason for being asked to quit smoking before any major surgery is for healing purposes. You heal much faster when you are not smoking. My nutritionalist told me not to try and quit if you can believe that! She said one thing at a time, if your trying to lose weight the last thing you want to do is quit smoking. Too much at once. So I still smoke 5- 6 cigarettes a day., but to be honest after my surgery the last thing I wanted was a cigarette. I did not smoke for 3 weeks post op, but once all the gas and swelling were gone I started again.

[hagerteresa 3]

I'm with you Kathy. All of the doctors who did my tests gave me frownie faces when I told them I smoked but nobody ever said I needed to or had to quit immediately. It would have been way too much at once. I have a love/ hate relationship with smoking as I am sure all smokers do. I love smoking, but hate the cost, the smell and the fact it's unhealthy. I'll keep working on my weight first. Teresa

[leatha_g 4]

I quit smoking in September, before my surgery in May.

I'm a slow, deliberate sort of person. I sort of had all this in mind, with no deadlines or strict regimens. I contemplated it for months. I moved to California where they want your firstborn for a pack of cigarettes, not to mention how they look down their noses at smokers, so I had incentive - in addition to my horrid health at the time.

I left Philadelphia one day and smoked my last cigarette on the way to the airport. Got on the plane heading for Cali and haven't smoked since.

I have certainly missed it, but that, along with my lapband is probably the two best things I've done for my health in years.

Good luck to you.

Leatha

[DeLarla 22]

Leatha, you get double-whammy-triple gold starts. That's incredible! Losing and quitting. Good going!