Wine

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

For those of us who drink socially (I do), once we start drinking again post-op we usually KEEP on drinking.

So it's not just "one glass of wine at Event X" -- it's more likely you'll drink a glass of wine most nights thereafter. Or you'll drink two or three glasses if you drink more than a social drinker does (7 glasses of wine per week for women). And if you did that ...

1. That's an extra 100 - 300 extra calories you'd be drinking every day. And since the first six months post-op is viewed as the "honeymoon period" (during which we will lose the most weight the easiest we will ever lose weight again), that's putting a brake on how much weight you can lose during that period.

2. That's also a lot of acid you'd be putting in your smaller stomach before it's completely healed. Most of us have been prescribed a heavy-duty antacid Rx to reduce stomach acid to help our stomachs heal better. Seems contradictory to drink alcohol at the same time.

3. Finally, drinking wine early on post-op may make an alcohol transfer addiction easier for a minority of WLS patients to acquire.

Everyone has the freedom to do what they want post-op. But those are some reasons why drinking alcohol early on post-op is generally discouraged by bariatric medicos.

Good luck to all.

[SleevePerry 248]

Every single doctor is different. My doctor said 6 weeks, my friend's doctor said 6 months, another doctor said a year, another said 3 months, another said 2 months. And, as every doctor is different, every patient is different, every patient's recovery is different.

At 4.5 months post-op, I now have a glass of red wine about 4 nights a week. I had my first glass of wine at 6 weeks, and had one or two glasses a week for that next 6 weeks. At 6 weeks post-op, I'd had no recovery issues, had not gotten ill (or even nauseous) once, and my diet was completely advanced at that point. I include the calories from the wine in my daily food log and have had no ill effects from the alcohol.

At 6 weeks, you may not be able tolerate alcohol. You may not be able to tolerate it at 6 months. There really is no right answer here; it all comes down to the individual.

Edited October 20, 2015 by SleevePerry

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

FYI, the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS - the organization that certifies bariatric "Centres of Excellence") has this to say about the use of alcohol post-op:

At https://asmbs.org/patients/bariatric-surgery-misconceptions

Misconception: Many bariatric patients become alcoholics after their surgery.

Truth: Actually, only a small percentage of bariatric patients claim to have problems with alcohol after surgery. Most (but not all) who abuse alcohol after surgery had problems with alcohol abuse at some period of time prior to surgery.

Alcohol sensitivity, (particularly if alcohol is consumed during the rapid weight-loss period), is increased after bariatric surgery so that the effects of alcohol are felt with fewer drinks than before surgery. Studies also find with certain bariatric procedures (such as the gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy) that drinking an alcoholic beverage increases blood alcohol to levels that are considerably higher than before surgery or in comparison to the alcohol levels of individuals who have not had a bariatric procedure. For all of these reasons, bariatric patients are advised to take certain precautions regarding alcohol:

• Avoid alcoholic beverages during the rapid weight-loss period
• Be aware that even small amounts of alcohol can cause intoxication
• Avoid driving or operating heavy equipment after drinking any alcohol
• Seek help if drinking becomes a problem

If you feel the consumption of alcohol may be an issue for you after surgery, please contact your primary care physician or bariatric surgeon and discuss this further. They will be able to help you identify resources available to address any alcohol-related issues.

[SleevePerry 248]

@@VSGAnn2014 Interesting. I don't seem to get intoxicated on one glass of wine. The danger in having two glasses (for me) is that I then want something to snack on. Because of this, I typically stick to just the one glass.

[Whitney1968 54]

I'm going out of the country for vacatio in two weeks and I will be post op over3 months. I'm gonna have a margarita or two or three. I'm just gonna be careful and not overdue it.

[cal2okl 37]

If you don't like my question don't respond. Good for you for remembering everything. Not all docs talk about every things. If they did I wouldn't have asked the question. Bye.

#GetOverYourself

Agreed!

[KarenLoh 128]

Another issue I've noticed with drinking alcohol of any kind is that it lowers my inhibitions and I revert to old eating habits within the boundaries my stomach allows. For instance, I had no trouble with the wine but thought, "what the heck" and stopped for ice cream. The ice cream didn't stay down. I've had a few drinks since then and always ended up having an extra Protein bar that I wasn't hungry for and didn't need or some other over-eating. It's not worth it for me to have that result after drinking. I love a glass of wine a week or a margarita but it's not worth it at this stage I don't think.

Just my 2 pennies. :-)

[2goldengirl 2,076]

This is a topic I'm glad to see, because it's something I wonder about. I enjoy a glass of wine (one!) with dinner most nights, if I stay up later, it may be two, maybe three at the outside (I have a non-drinking spouse to drive me home).

I have a friend who is 10 months post GBP and she hasn't had any alcohol yet. I have another who is 2.5 years post sleeve and she waited about three months.

I don't have a surgery date yet, but I wouldn't plan my first drink for a big holiday dinner or other event - I'd take it slow and see whether the surgery (and also my period of pre and post-op abstinence) had changed my body's response. No sense making a bigger fool of myself in public than I have to

Edited October 21, 2015 by 2goldengirl

[Daveo 485]

I don't remember them covering this topic before I had my surgery. I came here as well to see what others had heard. I got the same responses as you are getting, some harsh and some helpful. I think it depends on the person because I used to drink beer and mixed drinks but now I don't drink beer because of the carbonation, it fills me up fast. No mixed drinks as of yet because of the sugar in them. Haven't tried wine since I never really had it. But I may have to!

[Onmywaytothinagain 29]

My surgeon and nutritionist said to wait 6 mos but waiting year would be even better. Alcohol burns like sugar and your stomach is so small you will now be what he called a "cheap drunk".

[pimmar 30]

To answer Libby's question not everyone has to go through psych evaluation and go through hoops to have surgery. I had my nut meeting via phone and then preop day before surgery, so I got my answer the day before surgery. However I was a little intrigued by the question because I wanted to see if anyone out there had had a glass before the 6 months. I am not saying I will or I won't, as each day is new and there maybe things my sleeve won't tolerate. I occasionally take NSAIDs for bad osteoarthritis...I have not since surgery but my doc said to avoid ulcers I can take carafate to prevent that so I was curious if NSAIDs are ok on occasion why not a glass of wine around the holidays.

[Babbs 14,680]

Is this the thread where someone wants validation to drink too early post surgery and gets mad when they don't get it?

I thought so.

[libby43 136]

To answer Pimmer question. Taking medication for a medical reason is on thing but wine doesn't treat medical condition that couldn't be handled with proper medication. You are comparing apples to oranges here. But think you for answering my question.

[4MRB4PHOTO 3,899]

My wife's favorite wine (whine) is: "Waaaaah, you never take me out".

Before you self-righteous, soapbox standing people (we know who you are) condemn me on this remark, it is a joke, lighten up!

[LipstickLady 25,682]

If you don't like my question don't respond. Good for you for remembering everything. Not all docs talk about every things. If they did I wouldn't have asked the question. Bye.

#GetOverYourself

in turn, if you don't like the answer you get, ignore it. Not every answer is going to meet every need. Take what you want, leave the rest. That's how the internet works.