Nine years in recovery, want to have WLS
I have been reading a lot of posts in the past few weeks. I am hoping to have lap RNY, God willing. I have a class in about a week.
I have been reading about people with substance abuse problems and their surgery. Any suggestions? Will I still be eligible?
I am very active in my recovery. I have the same sponsor I have had for nine years, I sponsor two women who are doing great in their recovery and they keep me involved and accountable. I am GSR of my homegroup and getting involved in AA on the district level. My recovery is so important to me today and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize it.
Thank you for any suggestions. Jackie
I have been reading about people with substance abuse problems and their surgery. Any suggestions? Will I still be eligible?
I am very active in my recovery. I have the same sponsor I have had for nine years, I sponsor two women who are doing great in their recovery and they keep me involved and accountable. I am GSR of my homegroup and getting involved in AA on the district level. My recovery is so important to me today and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize it.
Thank you for any suggestions. Jackie
Hi and Welcome,
I see no reason why your participation in AA should interfere with you getting clearance to have RNY. I had about 5 years of sobriety when I had my RNY in 2006. Being in recovery is seen as a positive.
Staying in recovery turned out to be a challenge to me, and I take full responsibility for my relapse. I was not actively involved in service work in AA, and stopped attending meetings for all kinds of stupid reasons. I drank and the race was on. In the course of 14 months, I had the ugliest relapse possible, I hope. I don't intend to go out and find out if it can get worse.
My suggestion is to be honest during all of your evals. Stay close to your meetings, especially during the time surrounding your surgery, as you will definitely be on narcotics for pain. Get back involved in your service work ASAP. Use all of your coping skills that you have learned, especially as you start to relearn to eat, because food was my substitute for alcohol. When I drank, I introduced sugar back into my diet, and I cannot stop eating sugar since.
I now have almost 2 months of sobriety, and feel like such a newcomer, and I have been in and out of AA for nineteen years. You are working a good program. Don't let RNY change any of that.
Feel free to PM me if you need to talk.
Trish
I see no reason why your participation in AA should interfere with you getting clearance to have RNY. I had about 5 years of sobriety when I had my RNY in 2006. Being in recovery is seen as a positive.
Staying in recovery turned out to be a challenge to me, and I take full responsibility for my relapse. I was not actively involved in service work in AA, and stopped attending meetings for all kinds of stupid reasons. I drank and the race was on. In the course of 14 months, I had the ugliest relapse possible, I hope. I don't intend to go out and find out if it can get worse.
My suggestion is to be honest during all of your evals. Stay close to your meetings, especially during the time surrounding your surgery, as you will definitely be on narcotics for pain. Get back involved in your service work ASAP. Use all of your coping skills that you have learned, especially as you start to relearn to eat, because food was my substitute for alcohol. When I drank, I introduced sugar back into my diet, and I cannot stop eating sugar since.
I now have almost 2 months of sobriety, and feel like such a newcomer, and I have been in and out of AA for nineteen years. You are working a good program. Don't let RNY change any of that.
Feel free to PM me if you need to talk.
Trish
Seek always to do some good, somewhere. Every man has to seek in his own way to realize his true worth. You must give some time to your fellow man. For remember, you don't live in a world all your own. Your brothers are here too.
Albert Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer
Congratulations on two months sobriety! I am glad you made it back. So many people don't.
I know I eat for emotional reasons. I think that will be the toughest thing to get over. But I will have the support that I have had these past few years and I will continue to see my counselor. And try to remember to turn things over to God, my Higher Power. That's tough for me,too. Trying to take control of things better left in His hands.
Good luck on your continued sobriety and thanks for your reply. Jackie
I know I eat for emotional reasons. I think that will be the toughest thing to get over. But I will have the support that I have had these past few years and I will continue to see my counselor. And try to remember to turn things over to God, my Higher Power. That's tough for me,too. Trying to take control of things better left in His hands.
Good luck on your continued sobriety and thanks for your reply. Jackie
I wonder if it is safer for you to have the lapband surgery? I know that you have nine years into recovery (congratulations, by the way, that's wonderful!) but, once you don't have food to lean on, your body would absorb alcohol so much differently on the chance you were to relapse if you were to have RNY.
I say this because of the struggle I have gone through with alcohol since having had RNY. I have been sober for over a year now, but it hasn't been easy. I sometimes wonder myself if things would have been different if I had had the lap band instead?
Melanie
I say this because of the struggle I have gone through with alcohol since having had RNY. I have been sober for over a year now, but it hasn't been easy. I sometimes wonder myself if things would have been different if I had had the lap band instead?
Melanie
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