DS on 3/18 - Nervous with questions!

Hello,

I am scheduled for a sleeve to DS revision on March 18th and I am getting a little nervous. I have some questions that I hope some of you can answer for me:

I take Levothyroxine for under active thyroid and singulair for asthma. Will I still be able to absorb these medications after surgery? My surgeon knows my medical history, but didn't say anything about how the surgery will affect these meds. Also, I have had to take prednisone for asthma emergencies in the past; would this be absorbed if needed? I have also had problems with anemia in the past and I am scared that this will become a big problem with DS surgery. 

How long did it take to get back to "normal" life for you after surgery? What I mean is how long was it until you didn't think about your surgery all or most of the time, bowel and gas issues subsided, vitamins and eating habits became routine, ect. I have had my sleeve for 3 years and it was about a year and a half ago when I got to the point where I didn't think about the surgery anymore, it was just second nature. 

I'm also curious about alcohol and carbonation. Does anyone here drink alcohol and if so how long did you wait post op? Does it affect you differently and does that change over time? I'm not interested in binge drinking in the future, but I would like to be able to drink socially again one day. Same question for carbonation.

I realize that these questions have probably all been answered before, but I appreciate anyone who will take the time to answer them here. 

Thanks! 

Hang in there, Amy.  The only problem meds I've heard about are the slow and time released meds. Most everything is absorbed ok but be prepared to make tweaks just in case. Spacing your meds and vitamins might be an issue but each med is different, so best get some medical advice there.

My DS still keeps itself front and center of my daily routine. It never lets me forget to take care of it and plan for it. I'm almost 5 1/2 years out.

I drink socially now with no issues. Just make sure you compensate for dehydration.

Good luck!

--gina

Like Mom said - time release meds may need some tweaking.  Others, no problem - and consult with a pharmacist about your meds interacting with your vitamins.  I would call the pharmacy and see when would be best to truly meet with the pharmacist so you can spend some quality time with this.

For alcohol, I catch a buzz halfway through my first drink, so you want to drink very slowly and make sure you have a wingman to keep you safe or from making an ass of yourself.  You're supposed to wait until your rapid weight loss is done before you imbibe, though.  The standard recommendation is 1 year post op.

Took me 4 weeks to get back to work....now at 7 weeks out I am back fulltime. I work night shift so the bathrooms are empty if I need to use them and I bring my sprays. I drink maybe one or two diet cokes a week and have no issues. I have not tried alcohol and do not plan to until I reach my goal. Got to watch what you eat....introduce the foods slowly. Some things make me gassy or run to the bathroom alot but once that happens I know that food is a no no. Good luck....you are halfway there;)

I'm almost 4.5 years out and while how I eat is "normal" to me now--I never forget about my surgery. I'm very conscious of how much I eat, what I eat, my supplements, protein, etc. I'm also very conscious of my bathroom needs but that's just me. :)

I have just run into this problem.  My CC is 75-80cm, apparently I malabsorb at a greater rate than most DSr's.  It is very individual.  I just spent 17 days on IV antibiotics because my system can barely take the amount I have to take to fight infection.  I have not used singulair since surgery have used my inhaler and nebulizer.  I was told as you, it only is affected by time released medications.  I think we are all such individuals that no one can guarantee anything to us ... it's only after having the surgery we know.  The Hematologist I picked has another DSr as his patient.  He said, I am so different than that person.  He said she will absorb as where I don't.  Who knows until after you have the surgery another YMMV.

Best of luck to you!