Dumb question from someone 8 months out!

Okay, sometimes I think I make stuff up in my head, and I have not been able to find an article to support my thinking!

I know that I should not drink during my meals - and my surgeon actually says for 1 1/2 hours after the completion of my meal and that is what I primarily stick to! 

However, my (dumb) question is - will drinking too soon after your meal stretch your pouch? 

I know drinking too soon after a meal can cause the food to wash out and make me hungry sooner - which could add to weight gain - BUT...will drinking with my my meals stretch my pouch? (expands the food to take up more room, cause the food to go out to quickly putting pressure ont he stoma - etc?) 

I don't want to change my habits, but if someone asks me a question, I want to answer them with the education that backs it up! :) 

 The biggest worry about drinking too soon after meals (or drinking while eating) isn't stretching out the POUCH, it's stretching out the stoma.  
  I just read an article on this, but I can't find it to link it.  (I was sure it was actually an OH article)... Anyway, the stoma can get stretched out until it's the same size as your pouch which, in essence, would give you a 20 ft long stomach!  
  There is no real reason not to drink BEFORE a meal, though.  There has been some debate as to whether or not it washes out stomach acid that we need, but my surgeon said that it was fine all the way up until we take our first bite of food.  
 Other common misconceptions about drinking after RnY: 1. "Drinking through a straw will cause excess air that will stretch the pouch".  Nah.. I don't know anyone that has trouble drinking through a straw post RnY.  That is how I get MOST of my fluids in.  2. "Carbonation will cause the pouch to expand."  Kelly can explain this better than I, but your pouch a hole in the top and a hole in the bottom.. the bubbles are NOT going to stay in your pouch and cause it to expand, blow up or any other crazy thing.  I can't drink carbonated beverages because it makes me uncomfortable, but I know plenty of post-op patients that do.  
  Wow.. 90 minutes after eating?!?  How do you get all of your liquids in?  
 

 I found the link!
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1669125/the_rny_rul es_no_drinking_with_meals.html?cat=5

No, it will not stretch your pouch.

Primary reason for not drinking 30 minutes or more after a meal is to prevent WASHING your food out of your pouch.  I saw a demo online: A man held a red funnel, saying this is "your pouch" in this demo. Food goes in the top, and comes out slowly the narrow end. He placed the funnel in a clear glass.  He put a lunch sized container of applesause in the funnel. "That was lunch" he said. Here is a sip of water, and he poured an oz of water in the funnel. The funnel initally dripped slow. When the water was added it dripped faster for a couple of seconds. "Now here is a bigger drink" as he poured in 3 oz of water. Faster dripping for 5-6 seconds then slowed down. Then he poured in several oz of water, simulating a several swallows of water. The funnel emptied within a couple of seconds. Perfect example of glasss of water within a few minutes of your meal. DAVE

 i'm curious about seeing this experiment with something more solid like chicken though. i may try it tonight since i have a piece that i'm pretty sure turned anyway. shred it up in the blender a bit and see what happens

That's just a "symbolic representation" of why you should not drink. No, your pouch won't empty out with chicken like with applesauce, BUT you still will not get the full nutritional benefit of that solid food. This demo also demonstrates why you do need to eat some solid foods, as opposed to nothing but shakes.  Sure, schred your chicken and do your own demo.  Idea is true, but results will vary with density of food.  DAVE

It was explained to me that we shouldn't drink while we eat because we'll wash the food through too quickly and we won't get the nutritional benefit of it - and that we would get hungry sooner and wind up eating more than we should. Makes sense to me.