Question:
alcohol consumption
Just wondering about alcohol consumption, and what exactly it does to your body. I'm 3 months post op and was considering very small amounts of alcohol for this weekend, but not sure what the consequences are for it? — SATC_99 (posted on March 19, 2007)
March 19, 2007
HI Mandie.. I would stay away from alcohol at this point. first of all it
is kind of soon after the surgery and second of all, you may get sick.. I
had a small bit at 7 months out and became sick as a dog, havent touched it
since.. so I have become the "thin" designated driver, and I am
ok with that.. Good luck!!
— April
March 19, 2007
Hi Mandie, I'm about 1 and 8 months post op and I was never a big drinker
before the surgery maybe once or twice a year tops. I asked my
nutritionist about alcohol and she said you should try not to drink it to
much but once in awhile is ok. What she told me was that you basically will
get very drunk from just one or two drinks and you will get drunk very
fast. Which I had a margarita once while on vacation and I was in the
restaurant and couldn't stop laughing I was so drunk. They probably
thought I drank like 3 or 4 I didn't even finish one. I know some people
get like dumping syndrome or diarreah if the drinks are to sweet but I was
ok in that way. The only thing I found is that you get very very drunk
from very little and very fast. You definately don't want to plan to have
to drive at all. I hope i've helped. Jeannie
— jjeanniespets1
March 19, 2007
Yes, I received the same information as Jeanne that just a little alcohol
can cause one to become drunk. You might want to wait until you are a year
out and even then drink at home. I believe it also stretches your pounch.
I'm not a drinker either; however, my partner had the surgery and is almost
4 years out and she has gained 20 lbs back -- which isn't bad over 4 years
-- but still she knows she needs to lay off the beer and Mountain Dews.
— the7thdean
March 19, 2007
Alcohol can be very dangerous for us. My daughter and I bath had gastric
bypass and after several months had a few drinks. The problem is that you
tend to loose the ability to just have a couple. It is very easy to become
alcoholic because you just want to keep drinking. If I were to have the
surgery today I would not drink at all. Just be careful.
— rose2rose
March 19, 2007
A 36-year old female gastric bypass patient left a party after having only
two alcoholic beverages, drove her car into oncoming traffic, causing the
death of a 12-year old child. Her blood alcohol level was above the legal
limit for the operation of a motor vehicle and was far higher than would
have been expected from the two alcoholic beverages she claimed to have
consumed. Was the patient telling the truth about the amount of alcohol she
drank at the party or did her surgery affect the way her body absorbed or
metabolized the alcohol?
A recent study reported in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
found that the gastric bypass procedure significantly affects alcohol
absorption and its inebriating influence. According to the study protocol,
a group of gastric bypass patients, three years post-surgery, and their
non-surgical controls consumed an alcoholic drink containing 20% v/v
alcohol (95% ethanol), and blood alcohol levels were examined over a period
of time. The data showed that blood alcohol levels of the gastric bypass
patients were far higher and required much less time to peak than those of
the non-surgical controls.
The more rapid absorption of alcohol and heightened blood alcohol levels
would cause the bariatric patient to have a more pronounced feeling of
inebriation during and shortly after drinking. And, such effects could have
serious ramifications with regard to driving an automobile or performing
other skilled tasks such as operating heavy machinery, piloting a plane or
any other task that may influence the safety of the individual or that of
others.
Why would alcohol absorption be higher for someone who has had gastric
bypass (or any other surgical procedure that reduces the size of the
stomach and bypasses the upper portion of the gut)? With the gastric bypass
procedure, 95% of the stomach and the upper gut (duodenum and a portion of
the jejunum) are bypassed. Alcohol passes directly from the stomach pouch,
usually without restriction, into the second portion of the gut, known as
the jejunum. This portion of the gut has a large surface area and readily
and rapidly absorbs the alcohol.
In addition to anatomical changes in the GI tract that influence alcohol
absorption, the gastric bypass patient (or any bariatric patient) may also
be more sensitive to the intoxicating effects of alcohol because of the
reduced calorie intake that occurs after surgery. A number of studies have
found that alcohol absorption is far higher if fasting or when consumed on
an empty stomach than if provided with a meal or drank soon thereafter.
During the first several months following gastric bypass or any other
bariatric surgical procedure, total daily calorie intake is quite low.
Drinking alcohol, even small amounts, at this time, would increase
significantly an individuals risk for intoxication.
In the rapid weight loss period following bariatric surgery, alcohol
consumption could have far more serious consequences than inebriation,
namely brain damage, coma and death. How is this possible?
Muscle, heart, liver and other tissues use fat and sugar (glucose) for
fuel. The brain, however, requires sugar (glucose) to function. To avoid
low sugar, the body stores sugar in the form of glycogen. However, glycogen
stores can be depleted in a short period of time with prolonged work or
exercise, starvation or a diet low in carbohydrate. When this happens, the
body has two back-ups mechanisms that help to provide the brain and nervous
system the sugar required to function.
One of the mechanisms whereby sugar is produced is a process called
gluconeogenesis, a chemical pathway that converts certain components of
protein, lactic acid and other substances into sugar. Fat cannot be
converted into sugar. However, the production of sugar by gluconeogenesis
is run by energy produced by the incomplete breakdown of fat into ketone
bodies via a process known as ketosis.
Ketone bodies can be used by all tissues, including the brain, for fuel.
And, ketones can also be converted into sugar via gluconeogenesis. In this
way, the brain and nervous system can function normally, even during times
of low calorie intake, such as during the rapid weight loss period
following bariatric surgery.
The production of ketones is what causes the sweet or distinct smell in the
urine and on the breaths of bariatric patients during the rapid weight loss
period after surgery. And, during this time, it is extremely important that
alcohol NOT be consumed. Why?
Alcohol inhibits gluconeogenesis and ketosis. This means the brain and
nerves are depleted of the fuel needed to function. The consequences of
such fuel depletion initially are disorientation, confusion,
semi-consciousness, coma and, ultimately, death. The detrimental effects of
alcohol on the brains fuel supply can also cause accidents, such as the
hypothetical situation described below.
A bariatric patient, four weeks after surgery, had a couple of drinks and
drove to the post office. But, instead of walking into the post office to
get her mail, she drove her car through the front window. She claimed to
have "blacked out" before the accident and had no memory of the
event. People standing by said she was disoriented and, presumably,
intoxicated. Fortunately, someone provided her a beverage containing sugar
that helped her to regain full consciousness, preventing coma or even
death, as well as an evening in jail.
Drinking alcohol in the early postoperative period may have other adverse
effects on health. Frequent vomiting, low calorie intake, not taking
multivitamins and malabsorption may cause a number of vitamin and mineral
deficits, including thiamin. Alcohol further reduces the absorption of
thiamin, causing severe deficits and a condition known as Beriberi (see May
2003 issue of Beyond Change). Beriberi, in turn, may cause congestive heart
failure, nerve damage, muscle cramping and pain, crippling, brain damage, a
loss of memory and inability to learn, confusion, disorientation, coma and
death.
Addiction transfer is yet another precaution to be considered with regard
to alcohol. The prevalence of food addiction and associated eating
abnormalities, i.e. binge eating, carbohydrate cravings, are high among
individuals with morbid obesity. With bariatric surgery, the addictive
tendencies for food and aberrant eating behavior are considerably improved.
However, individuals with addictions often transfer their addiction to yet
another substance, such as alcohol. According to the findings of one study,
addiction transfer may occur in up to 25% of bariatric patients.
Drinking alcohol after surgery may also reduce maximal weight loss success.
Alcohol has no nutrient benefits and contains high numbers of calories that
may cause weight gain or prevent weight loss. One 12-ounce can of beer, for
instance, contains 150 calories; 3.5 ounces of wine contains 70 calories;
1.5 ounces of gin, rum, vodka or whiskey contains between 97 and 124
calories; and 1.5 ounces of liquer contains 160 calories.
Based on all the information provided above, should the bariatric patient
abstain from alcohol totally? The bariatric patient should absolutely NOT
drink alcohol during the rapid weight loss period and definitely not if
consuming no or low carbohydrates, not taking vitamin and mineral
supplements, vomiting frequently, or not able to keep their food down.
However, with time, there is no reason an individual should not be able to
enjoy an occasional drink, provided they are aware that it only takes a
small amount of alcohol to produce an inebriating effect. With such
knowledge, appropriate precautions should be taken, such as waiting a
sufficient length of time after drinking to drive or perform other skilled
tasks.
Article found @
http://gaduiblog.com/2006/08/04/gastric-bypass-surgery/
— fngrs132
March 19, 2007
A 36-year old female gastric bypass patient left a party after having only
two alcoholic beverages, drove her car into oncoming traffic, causing the
death of a 12-year old child. Her blood alcohol level was above the legal
limit for the operation of a motor vehicle and was far higher than would
have been expected from the two alcoholic beverages she claimed to have
consumed. Was the patient telling the truth about the amount of alcohol she
drank at the party or did her surgery affect the way her body absorbed or
metabolized the alcohol?
A recent study reported in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
found that the gastric bypass procedure significantly affects alcohol
absorption and its inebriating influence. According to the study protocol,
a group of gastric bypass patients, three years post-surgery, and their
non-surgical controls consumed an alcoholic drink containing 20% v/v
alcohol (95% ethanol), and blood alcohol levels were examined over a period
of time. The data showed that blood alcohol levels of the gastric bypass
patients were far higher and required much less time to peak than those of
the non-surgical controls.
The more rapid absorption of alcohol and heightened blood alcohol levels
would cause the bariatric patient to have a more pronounced feeling of
inebriation during and shortly after drinking. And, such effects could have
serious ramifications with regard to driving an automobile or performing
other skilled tasks such as operating heavy machinery, piloting a plane or
any other task that may influence the safety of the individual or that of
others.
Why would alcohol absorption be higher for someone who has had gastric
bypass (or any other surgical procedure that reduces the size of the
stomach and bypasses the upper portion of the gut)? With the gastric bypass
procedure, 95% of the stomach and the upper gut (duodenum and a portion of
the jejunum) are bypassed. Alcohol passes directly from the stomach pouch,
usually without restriction, into the second portion of the gut, known as
the jejunum. This portion of the gut has a large surface area and readily
and rapidly absorbs the alcohol.
In addition to anatomical changes in the GI tract that influence alcohol
absorption, the gastric bypass patient (or any bariatric patient) may also
be more sensitive to the intoxicating effects of alcohol because of the
reduced calorie intake that occurs after surgery. A number of studies have
found that alcohol absorption is far higher if fasting or when consumed on
an empty stomach than if provided with a meal or drank soon thereafter.
During the first several months following gastric bypass or any other
bariatric surgical procedure, total daily calorie intake is quite low.
Drinking alcohol, even small amounts, at this time, would increase
significantly an individuals risk for intoxication.
In the rapid weight loss period following bariatric surgery, alcohol
consumption could have far more serious consequences than inebriation,
namely brain damage, coma and death. How is this possible?
Muscle, heart, liver and other tissues use fat and sugar (glucose) for
fuel. The brain, however, requires sugar (glucose) to function. To avoid
low sugar, the body stores sugar in the form of glycogen. However, glycogen
stores can be depleted in a short period of time with prolonged work or
exercise, starvation or a diet low in carbohydrate. When this happens, the
body has two back-ups mechanisms that help to provide the brain and nervous
system the sugar required to function.
One of the mechanisms whereby sugar is produced is a process called
gluconeogenesis, a chemical pathway that converts certain components of
protein, lactic acid and other substances into sugar. Fat cannot be
converted into sugar. However, the production of sugar by gluconeogenesis
is run by energy produced by the incomplete breakdown of fat into ketone
bodies via a process known as ketosis.
Ketone bodies can be used by all tissues, including the brain, for fuel.
And, ketones can also be converted into sugar via gluconeogenesis. In this
way, the brain and nervous system can function normally, even during times
of low calorie intake, such as during the rapid weight loss period
following bariatric surgery.
The production of ketones is what causes the sweet or distinct smell in the
urine and on the breaths of bariatric patients during the rapid weight loss
period after surgery. And, during this time, it is extremely important that
alcohol NOT be consumed. Why?
Alcohol inhibits gluconeogenesis and ketosis. This means the brain and
nerves are depleted of the fuel needed to function. The consequences of
such fuel depletion initially are disorientation, confusion,
semi-consciousness, coma and, ultimately, death. The detrimental effects of
alcohol on the brains fuel supply can also cause accidents, such as the
hypothetical situation described below.
A bariatric patient, four weeks after surgery, had a couple of drinks and
drove to the post office. But, instead of walking into the post office to
get her mail, she drove her car through the front window. She claimed to
have "blacked out" before the accident and had no memory of the
event. People standing by said she was disoriented and, presumably,
intoxicated. Fortunately, someone provided her a beverage containing sugar
that helped her to regain full consciousness, preventing coma or even
death, as well as an evening in jail.
Drinking alcohol in the early postoperative period may have other adverse
effects on health. Frequent vomiting, low calorie intake, not taking
multivitamins and malabsorption may cause a number of vitamin and mineral
deficits, including thiamin. Alcohol further reduces the absorption of
thiamin, causing severe deficits and a condition known as Beriberi (see May
2003 issue of Beyond Change). Beriberi, in turn, may cause congestive heart
failure, nerve damage, muscle cramping and pain, crippling, brain damage, a
loss of memory and inability to learn, confusion, disorientation, coma and
death.
Addiction transfer is yet another precaution to be considered with regard
to alcohol. The prevalence of food addiction and associated eating
abnormalities, i.e. binge eating, carbohydrate cravings, are high among
individuals with morbid obesity. With bariatric surgery, the addictive
tendencies for food and aberrant eating behavior are considerably improved.
However, individuals with addictions often transfer their addiction to yet
another substance, such as alcohol. According to the findings of one study,
addiction transfer may occur in up to 25% of bariatric patients.
Drinking alcohol after surgery may also reduce maximal weight loss success.
Alcohol has no nutrient benefits and contains high numbers of calories that
may cause weight gain or prevent weight loss. One 12-ounce can of beer, for
instance, contains 150 calories; 3.5 ounces of wine contains 70 calories;
1.5 ounces of gin, rum, vodka or whiskey contains between 97 and 124
calories; and 1.5 ounces of liquer contains 160 calories.
Based on all the information provided above, should the bariatric patient
abstain from alcohol totally? The bariatric patient should absolutely NOT
drink alcohol during the rapid weight loss period and definitely not if
consuming no or low carbohydrates, not taking vitamin and mineral
supplements, vomiting frequently, or not able to keep their food down.
However, with time, there is no reason an individual should not be able to
enjoy an occasional drink, provided they are aware that it only takes a
small amount of alcohol to produce an inebriating effect. With such
knowledge, appropriate precautions should be taken, such as waiting a
sufficient length of time after drinking to drive or perform other skilled
tasks.
Article found @
http://gaduiblog.com/2006/08/04/gastric-bypass-surgery/
— fngrs132
March 20, 2007
Alcohol goes right to your liver, whereas before surgery it did not, it
processed some and then some of it travelled to your liver. Don't be a
fool, stay away from alcohol all together. You can kill your liver much
quicker than any non surgical person can. I have seen alcohol destroy a
wls patient. It becomes a quicker high, even in small amounts, and it
destroys your flesh. Stick with water, protein and exercise. If you want
to be healthy and successfull, you have to change your lifestyle forever,
not for a few months. If you squeek back to what "You" want to
do, then you will eventually regret ever having surgery. Sorry to sound so
tough, but alcohol is dangerous for us, just like anti inflamitory drugs
can cause harm, just like smoking causes more damage, and other things
cause more harm than with others. Protect your pouch and your new body and
please protect your health and stay away from alcohol. Take care, I do
wish you well. Patricia P
— Patricia P
March 20, 2007
Hey... have to agree with everyone else for same and some additional
reasons... You are too soon out of surgery. Alcohol is hard on the stomach
and don't run the risk of damaging that new pouch. The next reason is that
the alcohol is immediate in its absorption and subsequent physical effects.
Whereas, before the surgery, you had to wait for it to sit in the stomach
where some of the alcohol could have been neutralized by the stomach acid
and then gone through all of the small intestine... now it essentially
bypasses (pardon the pun) the stomach and dumps directly into the small
intestine being immediately absorbed into the bloodstream and more than
likely making you drunk. The danger is that one you can get sick, start
vomiting which is not good for the pouch and two it can affect your
judgement, possibly letting you drink more than you would have originally
done. Despite what the previous respondant said, everything that makes it
to your bloodstream goes through the liver. It is your body's processing
plant that removes toxins from the body. After nursing school, I couldn't
eat liver and onions after knowing what the liver filtered out. The
alcohol can also effect how you absorb your B-vitamins. You will do what
you want, but I haven't felt the absolute need to drink any alcohol since
my surgery. I have thought about it, then have thought about the potential
consequences and have deemed it unworthy of consumption. Also, the alcohol
will turn into sugar after it is metabolized and this may have an effect on
you as well. Just remember, you had this surgery for a HEALTHIER life,
alcohol is unhealthy. I am no prude by any means and have had my share of
drunken nights, but I feel that is all in the past now.... good luck....
— Kari_K
March 20, 2007
I was 4 months out the first time I had a mixed drink. I only had one &
drank VERY SLOWLY. You have to be careful b/c absorption is different now,
and most people find alcohol works faster & stronger now. In fact, I
was only a quarter of the way through my drink when I started to feel the
slightest of buzzes. I wound up drinking 1/2 - 2/3 & gave the rest to a
girlfriend. LOL Of course, you can't have anything carbonated, and if it's
mixed, make sure it's not one that's too sweet. Just be careful, and if
you're going out, make sure you won't be driving. Also, make sure you know
where the bathroom is in case it causes dumping or nausea. Some people
suggest trying this at home first to see how you handle it.
— byHizgrc
March 22, 2007
I don't think that Mich Ultra (the very-low carb beer) is the new heroin
for RNY patients, nor do I believe that each one of us has an inner addict
ready to jones for the first thing we find that can soothe the emptiness
that food once filled.
You do need to be mindful of a few things-- first, food never filled any
unmet emotional or psychological needs and alcohol (or shopping or
gambling) won't either. If you find that you need something to fill a
void, whether you turning to alcohol or shopping or gambling, by all means
talk to a counsellor. Secondly, our bodies after RNY do process alcohol
more quickly, so you need to be very cautious about drinking, you need to
limit quantities and you need to appreciate that you might be tempted to
drink more (particularly of low-carb alcohols) when you are out beause you
won't be snacking.
Given that you are only a few months out, the best advice would be to talk
to your surgeon and then make a reasoned decision about alcohol. And
remember, if you feel that you really need a drink, or that you really miss
alcohol, then you probably should talk to someone before having that first
drink.
— SteveColarossi
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