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Alcohol?

TracieSue

By TracieSue, in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums

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TracieSue    36

TracieSue
Posted

I know this is a big no-no, and I'm not a big drinker anyway, but why is alcohol so bad post-op? Is it because it takes up room in the pouch where the good stuff with Vitamins and nutrients should go? Is it because the pouch is sensitive to alcohol and the healing process is impeded? Is it because the sugar content will more than likely cause dumping? Maybe it's all of these things, I just wanted some feedback so we could help each other make educated choices instead of just following the rest of the herd. Or even worse drink alcohol without knowing what can happen!

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SeaShells82    96

SeaShells82
Posted

All of the reasons you list are valid but there are 2 other big ones that should be mentioned:

1) Especially for bypass or DS patients, the re-routing that occurs during surgery means alcohol hits your bloodstream very quickly and will be very undiluted when it gets there. 1 drink can easily lead to unsafe blood alcohol levels and severe impairment because the normal absorption pathway has been altered. Sleeve patients aren't immune either because of the small volumes of food their sleeves can take. They're basically drinking on an empty stomach - all the time. Not a good (or safe) scenario for anyone, regardless of the type of surgery they've had.

2) It's also really easy to swap one unhealthy coping mechanism for another when food is no longer something that can be turned to in times of stress. There are even some studies that show an increase in the prevalence of alcoholism among post-op WLS patients. This obviously isn't an issue for every patient but it is a very real problem for a lot of people who choose to set foot on that slippery slope post-op.

All in all, drinking is not something that most surgeons support (generally not for the first year or so in sleeve patients and not ever for bypass and DS patients). Every surgeon is different though so if you have questions about your particular plan, I'd check with your team.

Hope this information helps.

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AmandaRaeLeo    2,146

AmandaRaeLeo
Posted

I am almost 4 years post-op and drink occasionally.

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TracieSue    36

TracieSue
Posted

SeaShells82- VERY good points made and I forgot about your #1 point so thanks for filling in an important gap! I'm glad you responded and you write very well. I didn't see any mentions of alcohol, and it's a pretty pertinent subject, so we may have saved someone from making a miserable mistake by bringing it up! Take care of yourself always

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catdaddy    232

catdaddy
Posted

Hey guys,

It's now to late for me because I'm now an alcoholic. Just to let you know it's intoxicatingly easy to fall into it if you go that way. You really don't want to do this. I've read that a GBP patient can easily fall into it but I ignored it. Now I have to figure out how to fix it. No need to preach because I'm not ready for that. I just wanted to let you know for me it was way to easy to fall into this.

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TracieSue    36

TracieSue
Posted

Oh, catdaddy! I'm so sorry!! I would never preach to you, I just hope you find your way out and soon. God Bless you and keep you, and take care of yourself always

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Go To Topic Listing Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums

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    • Alisa_S

      Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • KimBaxleyWilson

      KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • bellaamey

      bellaamey

      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
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      1. This update has no replies.

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