Life After Surgery - Fluids / Alcohol
Fluids
After surgery it will be especially
important for you to be aware of your fluid intake. You will not be
able to drink large amounts of water all at once to re-hydrate you
when you are thirsty. You should be aiming to drink 2 litres (8
glasses) of fluid each day.
Fluid plays a part in every system of the human body, and therefore it is crucial that you drink enough of it. It regulates your body temperature, hydrates your skin, hair and nails, removes toxins and waste products from your body, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushions joints, prevents constipation, and dissolves many nutrients for the body to use. Fluid can also assist weight loss.
Alcohol
The Weight Loss Surgery patient should absolutely NOT drink alcohol:
- During the first 6 months following your surgery
- Especially if you are not taking vitamin and mineral supplements, or
- If you are vomiting frequently.
In addition to anatomical changes, the gastric bypass patient may 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.
Drinking alcohol in the early postoperative period may have adverse effects on health. Frequent vomiting, low calorie intake, not taking multivitamins and malabsorption may cause a number of vitamin and mineral deficits, including thiamine (vitamin B1).
In many ways, consuming alcohol defeats the purpose of weight loss surgery. Alcohol converts readily into blood sugar that can slow down weight loss and can cause dumping syndrome (which is when food is emptied into the small intestine too soon) and can cause vomiting or diarrhoea. Alcohol has no nutrient benefits and contains high numbers of calories that may cause weight gain or prevent weight loss.
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 Weight Loss surgery, the addictive tendencies for food and irregular 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 Weight Loss Surgery patients.
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