Can we talk about alcohol?

Shhh! Don't tell my Dr. But I started drinking again. I'm still loosing, so I'm not concerned about the caloric part of it. I mainly feel guilty because he told me not to drink for a year. But I'm single, 30, loving myself and my new body and I've been a SHUT IN for the last 4 years! I want to go out and have fun! Don't judge.

If i do drink it's a wine spritzer or beer. I find that I get tipsy, then sober up real quick. I guess it goes right through me faster now and doesn't absorb like it used to?

Anyone else have similar stories to share?

@Veesoul....That's not true as you have read. My doc said no alcohol until a year after surgery. When you do you have to be careful because you will get drunk or tipsy really quick. You also could stand a chance of dumping if the drink is too sweet. Just be careful and if you decide to drink just remember moderation.

@Veesoul....That's not true as you have read. My doc said no alcohol until a year after surgery. When you do you have to be careful because you will get drunk or tipsy really quick. You also could stand a chance of dumping if the drink is too sweet. Just be careful and if you decide to drink just remember moderation.

DoubleD that makes total sense!

Terry I was (and am again) drinking one glass of wine before dinner - more days than not. But just to be clear' date=' I did not drink wine (or anything alcoholic) until one year post-op. I was diagnosed with the ulcer at about 13 months post-op. So, did the wine have anything to do with it? I really don't know. The doctors were aware that I was drinking wine and they didn't know either.

Some doctors advise their patients not to have alcohol for a period of six months following the surgery. So one year would appear to be on the conservative side. The anastomosis (which is where the ulcer was) should have been completely healed after that period of time. I was slightly anemic and a stool test picked up a little blood. There was never any pain or any other symptoms, just the anemia.

Following the endoscopy and the diagnosis, my surgeon increased my Prevacid from one capsule (30mg) to two a day. That was it. No other treatment. A second endoscopy about three to four months later showed that the ulcer was completely healed. I went back to my glass of wine and blood work was spot on at my 18 month check-up. Sunday will be my two year anniversary and I have an appointment with my surgeon on Tuesday. Lab work is already done so I'll know the results on Tuesday.

Ulcers are one of the more common complications following bypass and are usually the result of bacterial infection (H. pylori) as opposed to food (or drink) related causes. But that doesn't mean that alcohol is not an irritant and was not/could not be a contributing factor. It appears to be a difficult question to answer except in extreme cases such as alcoholism or family history of ulcers.[/quote']

Thanks DL! My doc says one year, too. I'm a rule follower so one year it will be. Because of my family history w/alcoholism I will definitely be extra cautious when I try wine again. I would gladly do without if it presents a problem. Alcoholism is one particular problem I can live without. I've seen what it does to people I love, two of whom are dead as a direct result.

Ok, be careful with the drinking. I got to goal and started getting looser and looser with the drinking. Eventually I was drinking every night. Finally one day I woke up and realized I had a problem. I stopped. I still feel tempted months later, but it was getting out of control and it scared me. A certain number of people with have problems with WLS and drinking. I was one of them. Be careful.