Question:
13days to surgery. Alcohol ntake more than I told docs....

Tell me how important this is...please!!    — Debby M. (posted on August 29, 2002)

August 28, 2002
Can you not drink any alcohol between now and surgery. If you can't easily abstain, then you have an addiction problem that needs to be taken care of before you have surgery. The other reason they ask about alcohol consumption, is because of liver problems. Take care of yourself.
   — faybay

August 28, 2002
CALL YOUR SURGEON ASAP! RIGHT NOW! Excess drinking post op can kill you, its literally that serious if you have a addiction. I am not trying to alarm you but make you aware of the risks.WLS does NOT work for those folks. Does your surgeon require a psych consult? ALL surgeons should to screeen for such problems.. Once the addiction is under control surgery can proceed, its not a never situation, just a necessary delay to save your life. ALL of this info from our supprt group meetings told to us by our surgeon and aproving Psych doc.
   — bob-haller

August 28, 2002
A nutritionist at a recent support meeting told me that as post ops our livers have to work 5 times more than before surgery to process each drink, because the portion of intestine that used to break down alcohol is now bypassed. So like drinking 2 drinks would be the same as drinking 10 drinks pre-op. That was the first time I heard that, but it scared me enough to slow my drinking to just about a stop. If you feel you have an alcohol problem PLEASE get help. Not just for you, but the people who love you. (I have a close relative who is an alcoholic...)Take care and God Bless. -Kim open RNY 7/17/01 -127
   — KimBo36

August 29, 2002
ThankYou for your responses! But, oh my gosh, my drinking is not that excessive! But it does sound like post op it will be a definite no-no. Won't any "abnormalities" show in my pre-op bloodwork?
   — Debby M.

August 29, 2002
I have read the responses to your question and I totally understand and agree where everyone is coming from. It's true, Debbie, that if you have a problem abstaining from alcohol, then you MUST take care of that problem before surgery because you cannot drink after surgery like you could before surgery. BUT I will tell you I was a partier and enjoyed drinking my wine at home in the evenings after a days work. I knew that part of my life would HAVE to change when I decided to have surgery. I had my last "party" night one week before surgery. My blood work came out normal. Everyone is different, but I am sure you will be okay thirteen days before surgery.
   — Sharon C.

August 29, 2002
I can tell you this, I had a very good friend who had this surgery years ago and did not give up her drinking. She was an alcoholic and totally lied to her Dr. I'm not suggesting you are an alcholic, but be honest with yourself about how important alcohol is to you. She did not lose her weight and has had many, many problems. She totally regrets the surgery and claims it doesn't work. I watched her sabatage herself and not do any of the things she was supposed to do. Bottom line, first figure out how important alcohol is to you and then decide about the surgery.
   — Kathy S.

August 26, 2007
Your surgeon and nurses need to know if you use alcohol, street drugs, etc. They don't ask this to be a pain to you, they need to know because when you are in the hospital, and say if you were addicted to alcohol, you would have signs and symptoms of withdraw. That can be very detrimental to you and your family. It's best to be upfront, so they can give you the best care they can. I'm a nurse and it is very common to see patients experiencing withdraw from alcohol and drugs. If we know your complete history before hand, we can give you the proper meds to help with any type of withdraw symptoms you may experience.
   — Angela213