Going to be sleeved while in college, then studying abroad... input/advice?!

[brashleyy 3]

Hello! I officially started this whole journey back in early January, although my clinic says that my first meeting with the surgeon didn't count so my last appointment will be on August 9th (I'm going to call my insurance tomorrow to clarify - if there's any chance I can get it done sooner, it would help so much!) so I still have a bit to go.

I will be entering my junior year of college on August 20, so with my last appointment being on the 9th, I will definitely end up having the surgery during school. I WOULD wait and schedule it for winter break to have ample time to recover, but I am studying abroad in Prague for the Spring semester and want to be well adjusted by then. So, I will be communicating with my professors to have a week off during the semester whenever my surgery ends up being scheduled.

My main questions are:

1. Do you think a week is a long enough time for me to head back to class after the surgery? I only have classes MWF from 1-4 p.m. and will likely be working at my job as a desk assistant (literally sitting and watching Netflix the whole time) about 12-16 hours a week. I will have to carry a backpack that's about 7-15 pounds. I would love your guys' input on how realistic this plan sounds!
2. Do you think I should be worried about how adjusted I will be by the time I go to Prague? Even if I were to have the surgery as late as November and then leave mid-January, is that enough time for me to become used to how it all works?
3. Alsoooooo how long did you guys wait/recommend waiting to drink alcohol? I'm thinking when I'm in Prague it will be tempting to go to the clubs which would include drinking HOWEVER it is not a priority or necessity so if you've had awful experiences I am happy to avoid!

[allwet 868]

I wish i could tell you but there is such a huge range of recovery times. Some people are up same day as surgery and dont look back. others are laid up for days and take several weeks to get back into more normal routine.

You have your youth on your side and i would hope you will be in the up and going gang busters group.

All you have to know about "How it all works" is you need to eat very small meals and consume alot of Protein while drinking Water all the time. Dehydration is your enemy.

as to the alcohol - just remember that it will hit you much much harder than before. I recently read a study that showed a huge increase in blood alcohol level from the same amount of alcohol given to sleeved vs. non sleeved test subjects. So exercise caution and make sure your safe.

good luck and enjoy your time abroad

[Bryn910 519]

I had my sleeve while I was in college and it was my last year but I was only taking a few classes. I had it during spring break and was able to go to class. I spoke to my professors beforehand and they were lenient about me getting to class a tad bit late but I was never late.

I carried a backpack and was fine but I tried to carry as little as possible

[GreenTealael 25,598]

Not the same but i backpacked Europe 4 months post op. You may be too new for alcohol but ask your surgeon.

I would focus more on cooking your own meals, carrying as little as possible, avoiding getting hit im the abdomen at the club and testing new foods out privately near a bathroom. Enjoy Prague!

Edited May 25, 2018 by Tealael

[Creekimp13 5,841]

My kiddo sprained her ankle at college and found one of those wheeled book bags really helped. LL Bean makes a sturdy one. Maybe something like that would help in early days after surgery?

When traveling, plan for medical complications. It's rare, particularly in someone young and healthy, but strictures happen...margin leaks happen...obstructions happen. Have a plan in place, find a bariatric doctor where you're going to at least have a phone number, and traveler's health insurance for emergencies.

I would be extremely careful with alcohol and run the experiment at home first to know how you react.

Edited May 25, 2018 by Creekimp13

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

9 hours ago, brashleyy said:

1. how long did you guys wait/recommend to drink alcohol?

@brashleyy

alcohol, this is one of the many questions your doc needs to answer.

I've heard 6 weeks, months, or even a year.

as with any/all questions - different docs will give different responses.

At the end of the day listen to only YOUR doc/NUT (and me too of course!)

Recovery, Listen to your body as it will tell you as you are feeling better.

You will have a few months under your belt - slow, and steady, Prague,

here you come! You should do well.

one final comment /suggestion - take a nice, cute, smart, witty THIN

grammy to help you

What time should I be ready? anxiously waiting to hear from you!!

Have a great surgery, trip, school too.

good luck

your future tour guide

kathy

[brashleyy 3]

Thank you guys so much! MAYBE good news - I called insurance to verify the dates and everything and they said that my clinic had it wrong, so I may potentially be able to get the surgery before school starts up in August, giving me ample time to get used to everything before Prague and without missing any class! @proudgrammy If you happen to find yourself in Prague anytime between January-May, let me know!

I appreciate all the advice and input and will be sure to follow. Thanks again and wish me luck for a sooner surgery!

[luzazulmb 7]

Strong caution re drinking alcohol post sleeve surgery: the newest research is showing high vulnerability to alcoholism after a sleeve or bypass, because the stomach is so small that much more of the alcohol reaches the small intestine and is absorbed quickly into the system. Two drinks for the average person equal five drinks for someone with the sleeve. In addition, the peak impact of the alcohol is much faster - between 5 and 9 minutes, instead of over 20 minutes with someone with a regular stomach. And the weird thing that they don't understand yet is that risk of increased alcohol dependency continues for several years after having the sleeve/bypass done. Much of this is fairly new research, which they didn't know about even two years ago. I had my sleeve done in August 2016, and the last 4 months have really started having trouble with drinking; never had this before in my life, and had no idea how bad the withdrawals can be when you try to stop drinking. This is one of the better articles I've found about this problem - the statistics about alcohol absorption are about halfway through the article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171120133922.htm.

A doctor I saw last week told me that, because of having the gastric sleeve, taking a shot of tequila is now about equivalent to taking a hit of crack cocaine (which I've never done), because of how intense and fast the high is. And for this reason, we sleevers are much more vulnerable to addiction.

Before having the sleeve, I could easily have one or two drinks a night, or not have any alcohol, without a problem. Frankly, I think that given the recent evidence, our doctors need to be informing potential sleeve/bypass patients that those who never had a drinking problem before are at much higher risk of becoming alcoholics if they continue to consume alcohol after surgery, because that's what the new research is showing. And as far as they know at this point, that risk does *not* reduce over time.

Sorry to be a bummer. I used to really enjoy the occasional Corona or margarita, but looks like complete abstinence is likely in my future, because of the sleeve. That is, as soon as I find a recovery facility that accepts Medicare.

[abefroman329 704]

I highly recommend it, I did study abroad in England for three months and I could’ve easily done three years there. I’m six months out and can drink beer as well as I could prior to surgery (no chugging or funneling or shotgunning, though).

Two things to consider: Assuming you’re staying in a residence hall with a dining hall, the food is likely to be high carb; and the dining hall staff may be completely unfamiliar with the concept of someone not being able to eat high-carb foods.

Edited June 2, 2018 by abefroman329