Question:
Is it true you can't drink alcohol after having gastric bypass ???
Is it true you can NEVER drink alcohol again after surgery?? I forgot to ask my surgeon at my consult. I'm not a regular drinker by any standards, but I like to go out and have a good time every now and then. Kelly — KELLY R. (posted on October 20, 2006)
October 20, 2006
Hi Kelly I had RNY july of 05 and I asked my nutrionist about this because
just like you i'm not a big drinker but like to drink once in awhile. You
can drink but you get drunk really fast like for example last night I had
a margarita and with not even drinking half the glass I was so drunk I
could hardly walk. Then it also wears off faster then other people.
Because our stomaches are smaller so it gets absorbed fast and goes out
fast to. My nutritionist said other then that it shouldn't effect anything
else and you should just try not to do it often. Always avoid carbonation
and very sweet things. I hope i've helped let me know if you have any
other questions. Jeannie
— jjeanniespets1
October 20, 2006
jack and diet coke, rum and diet coke, and lemon drop shots. Good times.
Just be careful. Keep something on your stomach, and take your time.
Definetely feel it faster and buzz is about half the time. Stay away from
the surgery stuff.
— HeidiMc
October 20, 2006
Hi Kelly,
I love wine. I waited 6 months with the advice of my surgeon. I ask for a
glass of wine and a tall glass of ice. I then pour small amounts into the
ice and sip on it. I usually can have 2 glasses of wine in an evening but
if I drink them fast they do hit me hard. Stay away from carbonated drinks
and sweeter drinks and blush wines are better than dark wines. At least
that's what my pouch will accept. www.obesityhelp.com/?m=726782
— Margie
October 21, 2006
You can drink, just take it easy on carbonation for a couple of years.
Many people will let their pop go flat or run their mixed drinks through a
blender to blend out the bubbles. I'd skip beer and anything fizzy for
now, but wine spritzers without bubbles and mixed drinks with diet mixers
should be fine. At a few years out my favourite drink is Smirnoff Ice
Ultra 1s. Tastes like original Ice coolers, but only has one gram of carb
and one gram of sugar per bottle (i.e. no dumping or farties). Vodka or
white rum and that Fresca Cherry Citrus is pretty yummy too. Just try to
do it in moderation, like everything else.
— j_coulter
October 21, 2006
I feel it may be different for other people I went out around 7 mths after
surgery and had about 4 sex on the beach drinks and 2 shots of snops and to
my surprise I did not get sick nor really drunk. But then again I have seen
others who have had this surgery RNY get sick and drunk and both so have a
driver and just like food and other drinks you take your chances good or
bad for ya.
— TracyDubyak
October 21, 2006
Hi Kelly: The only thing I'd like to add is I read somewhere that alcohol
can do harm in the early stages so check with your surgeon or nutritionist
to see when it's okay to have a drink. I'm a month post-op and I'm going
to wait until at least 6 months cause I don't want to screw up my surgery.
Hope this helps. Carol
— Carol A.
October 21, 2006
No, it is not true. You just need to watch your consumption because for
some bypass persons the effects of the drinking the alcohol hits them real
fast. My husband & I have this happen to us. We are both bypass
patients. We have a rule to not drink and drive because of it. We always
have a designated driver or we walk. The thing you need to keep in mind as
a PO is that the alcohol is empty calories. As an early PO many people will
make sure that they are getting all of their calories in as nutrient rich
foods and not liquids other than protein drinks. Your doctor will give you
his protocol as to when you can have alcohol PO, you will be able to have
it in good time. Chris
— ChristineB
October 22, 2006
— Netgoddess
October 22, 2006
Hi Kelly,
I am approximately 14 months post op and I am not a regular drinker,
however I have been touring the town lately showing off the new me :-)
Anyhow, I do have a drink here or there. I find that I get drunk really
quick (before I finish the drink) however it wears off quickly. I would
suggest that you find a drink that you like (not too sweet) and stick with
that for a while. Best of luck! New Lease
— Slimming Down
October 23, 2006
Yes, you can have alcohol. Empty calories are the least of my concerns if I
happen to have a drink, which doesn't happen very often. Shots will do you
in, trust me (and the other posters) on that one. Start with something
wimpy until you see how alcohol affects you. Carbonation won't stretch your
pouch, unless you have an outlet obstruction. But guess where that
carbonation goes, if you don't burp it out. I never have anything
carbonated if I am going to be in "polite company" (LOL!).
Seriously, you do need to be careful and know your limits. I have a (post
op) friend that started having shots and wound up in the ER. Fortunatly she
came around pretty quickly with some IV fluids and so forth, but she will
never do that again!
— koogy
October 24, 2006
You definitely NEED to check with your doctor about this. Personally I was
told that there is an issue with how alcohol is absorbed in our system
after surgery. Because most of the alcohol (using the term here as the
actual alcohol content, not as a generic term for alcoholic beverages) is
digested in the stomach of a normal person - using the bile and digestive
juices that we no longer have. Therefore when the alcohol hits your small
intestine, it is quickly absorbed into your system going directly to your
liver without the benefit of that initial digestion. (Which goes directly
to your liver.) Your pouch has no (or very tiny amounts) of stomach bile to
handle the alcohol, so it is passing through your system as is.
My doctor quoted me the anecdote that if you consume 2 mixed drinks every
week for 52 weeks, you will end up with liver disease. Not sure how true
this is for each individual person - but it's enough to scare me into not
becoming a heavy drinker. Definitely something worth checking on before
you indulge.
~Pam
— Pam T.
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