Lauren, 

Bring a good pair of sneakers to walk the halls! Also, bring feminine products, I.e. pads, tampons, etc. I was not prepared for that post op. I guess the shock of the surgery brought on my period???

Many people suggest iPod, phone, books, but after surgery I just wanted to sleep with no noise. Didn't really have time to read or listen to music. The nurses at Barix will have you moving and grooving...

Just my two cents!!!

Good luck!

Beth

I decided that Monday would be a no grain day for me.  So I started off yesterday with my usual breakfast sans bread.  And that was fine, as was snack, lunch, snack and even dinner.  I had a banana and peanut butter for dinner, as I was planning on heading out to Zumba class.  Unfortunately, my daughter, Sheila, had a bi-polar meltdown and needed to go to the ER.  (She's been admitted, but that's another story.) 

Anyway, when that monkey wrench got thrown into my plans, instead of concentrating on my daughter, and what I had to do at the present moment, my compulsive eating disorder kicked in and all I could think about was fries, bread, a mcdonald's burger, a bagel.  Crazy time in Jill's head, folks!  I felt I DESERVED grains because I was under stress and I had to change my plans. 

I have no idea what powers were at work in the universe last night, but I recognized the crazy thoughts, and put them on a back-brain burner.  I got home at 10:30 pm and ate a little bit of the chef salad I had planned for after zumba, along with a SF pudding.  No grains. 

I learned that I still connect food with emotions, particularly stress.  I have no idea why sometimes I can say no, when other times I give in to those insane thoughts that tell me food equals comfort, when I know damn well a cheeseburger isn't going to change any given situation.

Thanks for letting me share.

Laureen,
As you know, I was already an alcoholic, sober for six years, when I picked up alcohol once again, a little more than one year post-op.  My crazy alcoholic thinking was, "I can always go back to AA and get sober again."  Not so.  I had the worst two years of relapse I could never have imagined.  I knew better, but had not fully worked my AA program, and let the insidiousness of alcoholism control my behavior.

I try to stay active on the Crossing to Transfer Addictions forum here at OH.  It is a slow board, but Jill and I are faithful to check in there.  I also am active in working my AA program, and share about the need to work all 12 Steps when I share, because it took me two years of relapse to realize I had not ever worked the Steps completely with my sponsor.

Hugs,
Trish

Lynn, the idea of what you stated, "it won't happent to me", I remember thinking when I saw others regain weight, that same thought, and from those that I've come to consider friends, people I've met on this journey of ours, I know that we have all felt that and then reality came to bear. 

The social aspects of life often revolve around food and alcohol and as time moves forward it is natural for people to test the waters, this way or that, not to mention, as we've spoken of often in support group, the factor that the first couple of years post-op are pretty much a slam dunk in that we will accomplish some, if not all, of what we set out to accomplish (lose the weight), but the test comes when and where we all failed previously, maintenance, and that is when what we have changed will aid us in continuing on.  We are a susceptible group of people, because of our addictive personalities, and if we've picked up new habits that don't work well for us, then we will just have another thing to deal with and where the component of alcohol and subsquently, alcoholism comes in, it is a very dangerous one for those of us on this path and can ultimately lead to death, quicker I'm sure then our former obese selves.

So, like Nicole is doing here, I am going to be bringing this subject up in support group, because I feel that the surgeons are not doing it in a way that speaks loud and clear to our population, it is serious, as I am very outspoken about my alcoholism and since I attend meetings almost daily, I have seen more and more people coming in who had WLS and have succumbed to this new scourge.

Why can't we just become addicted to exercise or something healthy (lol)!!! 

Have a great day!

Laureen, you are right about the social aspect of drinking and how it interfaces with the social aspect of losing weight. When we re no longer morbidly obese, a whole new world opens up socially....and it can involve drinking. On top of the addictive tendency....on top of the metabolic changes....wow.

What's the line from the old song....living in a powderkeg and giving off sparks!

I think the entire topic of transfer addiction deserves more attention both before and after surgery. We hear it mentioned, almost in passing. It might be gambling, shopping, yada yada. Well of course at that point we re all great guns ready to roll into the operating room. And it won't happen to us, will it?