I hope i don't get into trouble for asking this and i am scared of the answers

Well i don't know where to start but.. I had a gastric bypass a year ago and in the last month i have started drinking again, before at 275 pounds i could out drink everybody and not feel a thing but now 5 beers and i am GONE or like last night for example i slammed 3 jaeger bombs and 5 or  6 beers, i don't remember what happened much after that i was way way beyond  gone.  Alcohol especially shot**** so hard so fast its rediculus.  I was told by another person if i abuse alcohol like that i will end up with an illeostomy or some other major damage from abusing alcohol .......i am scared and nervous i don't want anything to happen to me is this all possible?? Can someone explain all of this to me ?? I don't want to end up needing an illeostomy because i am young and want to have fun. Please help me figure this all out so i understand what might happen and why it might happen??

Hi, welcome to the board.  Drinking can be dangerous in many ways for "normal" digestive systems as well as ours- everyone's tolerance is different. I did a general search on illeostomy and this is what I found: An ileostomy, therefore, creates a temporary or permanent opening between the ileum (the portion of the small intestine that empties to the large intestine) and the abdominal wall.  It seems to be a severe last minute resort when other care has been exhausted.  Its treats bowel blockage, intestinal bleeding, etc etc. It is nice of your friends to be concerned, they obviously love and care for you.  If you must go out, why not test the beers and see where you can comfortably drink without getting careless?  I used to be a party animal... but lately, when I'm out I order one beer and sip it through out the night. (http://www.answers.com/topic/ileostomy?cat=health)

I am 9 months out and down 120 lbs. I too drink often and this actually finally served as an opportunity for me to research the physical raminfications of drinking. Heres what I found: http://www.beyondchange-obesity.com/obesityResearch/precauti onsWithAlcohol.html This site basically touches on the same things my surgeon mentioned...You get drunk faster, theres a chance of addiction transfer, empty calories-but i think its interesting that they mention it could also hinder vitamin absobtion and cause low sugar levels. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/14/health/webmd/main2 931805.shtml Basically...We get drunk faster I also visited a few other studies and websites and overall they all say the same thing. Personally I can't find anything that says it causes physical damage to the pouch or intestines of a GB patient (which is what i always am worried about). So obviously liver disease, vitamin deficiency, and addiction should be noted, but I didnt find anything about having to have an ileostomy if you drink. Personally shots BURN my stomach so I avoid them and instead choose Liquor drinks with no sugary mixers or juice...Vodka/Water with a lime, Soco with lime juice spla****s not for everyone but theres no sugar, carbonation or carbohydrates. So its not as bad as beer. I sip and take it slow and even now 2-3 does it for me. I also try to choose low sugar wines and find that they dont bother me. I would persoanlly stay away from yaeger bombs just because of the red bull and sugar. I just try to make sure I eat well, take my vitamins, an especially get in enough B12 before I go out. I will definitely keep researching this...hope it helps!

Thanks for the information!

An ilesotomy? Maybe, but I have no idea how drinking would ruin your large intestine....As far as the drinking concerns though, Yes, 5 or 6 beers and 3 shots is an enormous amount of alchohol for a post-op RNY'er. If I drank that much, err when I have drank that much, I also blacked out. There's a few things to know. First as you have already figured out, it hit's you faster. That's because when a drink enters your pouch it zips right through the stoma and into your small intestine and starts to get absorbed as fast as it goes down. With our old anantomies the drink would sit in the bottom of our stomach and be released through the Pyloric Valve at the bottom at a rate that our body dictated so that it could be absorbed properly... Also, you're much lightweight (literally and figuratively) now the same amount of alcohol is spread around a smaller body - so we are talking about a higher blood-alchohol percentage.... Some tips from my surgeon: Since the alchohol part of the drink is a sugar your body will release a lot of insulin to help the cells aborb that sugar from your blood. BUT a lot of times our post-op bodies will release TOO MUCH insulin and the result is hypoglycemia or a temporary low blood sugar. If you don't know what that feels like it is when you feel cold, clammy, shakey, dizzy, short of breath, queazy, etc....I have noticed this happening to me sometimes when I drink too much. So his advice was if I insest on drinking choosing the lowest-sugar content drinks available. So Red Bull wouldn't work, but Diet Red Bull yes...Also, he said Red Wine is the type of wine with the least sugar. Mixed drinks should be avoided unless you make it yourself with low- or no-sugar ingredients.  MGD Light is only 64 calories and only a couple of carbs...Also Guinness is only around 100 calories. Other lower calorie beers are Budweiser Select, Michelob Ultra, and Heineken Light. He also said to be careful, especially while you are actively losing weight because your liver has to work very hard to process the fat you are burning, and if you add processing a ton of alchohol ot it's work load it can be very taxing on it. Also, watch out with driving - don't even think about it if you have been drinking at ALL, because studies have proven you may very well be over the limit without even realizing it after only one drink if you have had a gastric bypass. Then there is the transfer addiction factor - gotta be careful with that one. And last but not least, you're getting no nutrition for your calories buck with alchohol so it isn't conducive to your goal of weight loss. With all that being said, there still isn't any reason that enjoyed responsibly with an appreciation for the risks and a knowledge of how to mitigat them, that someone who has had a gastric bypass can not enjoy an occasional drink or even a fun night out. Hope this helps!

One of my cousins friends had her surgery done when she was a teenager and now its been like 3-4 years and she drinks just like everyone else. She parties every night. Its crazy. But she has gained alot of the weight back just from drinking beer.

I personally have never heard of the 'illeostomy' and Ive been on OH and around WLS patients for quite some time... doesnt mean it cant happen. In my opinion the empty calories of alcohol are the biggest concern - you really HAVE to hold yourself accountable for what you are drinking - alcohol can easily cause your to not reach your goal and/or regain the weight.... 3 jagerbombs, if made with regular redbull pack a TON of sugar... as for beers - 5 or 6 of even the light or low carb beers is 500-600 calories alone... you really have to keep and eye on the drinking or that weight will sneak back on you. Yes you are young and want to have fun but that doesnt mean slamming shots/beers and blacking out - while drinking now and then is fine IMO getting wasted is just plain... well silly - sip on your beers, have a shot and have fun... try going out and not drinking - volunteer to be the DD to your friends and learn how to have fun without being drunk/buzzed. You have to keep in mind that you CANNOT keep up with non-WLS people... its just not possible. Enjoy youself but also think about your health, your life and your weight.