I have my pre-op appt. on July 5th. My primary care doc suggested chewing gum immediately following surgery. She said that there have been studies done that it helps "move things along" after wls, and to ask my surgeon if I can do so in recovery. Has anyone heard of this or done it and thought it helped?

I seriously doubt if that would be permitted.  Most surgeons warn about chewing gum for several weeks/months post-op because of potential problems if you accidentally swallow the gum and you will be far too groggy to be sure you will NOT swallow it.  

Also, there is really no need to "get things moving" quickly after RNY since you will be on liquids fr a certain period of time (anywhere from several days to several weeks).  Likely the only thing you will permitted in your mouth is ice chips (and some surgeons don't even permit that right away).

Lora

I am sorry but I doubt any surgeon would every allow that as it could be very dangerous.  Immediately post op, your stoma is tiny - even smaller than an M & M plus the swelling from post op swelling and you arent talking much space.  If you were to accidently swallow a piece of gum and it will get stuck and could totally block up your stoma which could require further surgery.   If nothing can get through, it could be fatal.

At the beginning, you will be on liquids most likely for a couple of weeks, so programs shorter and a few little longer and then you progress to softer foods.. Once you get foods into you, things will move along no problem.  It is normal for us to not go for up 5 to 8 days postop because we have nothing in us but a little gum isnt going to push out what isnt in there.  You can get things going faster by drinking more protein drinks or creamy soups, puddings. until foods are allowed

Alot of surgeons will tell you no gum ever post op because of possibility of blockage of the stoma but I know my surgeon told us at 1 year it would be okay as long as we are alert enough to make sure we dont swallow it.  I basically told him that I hadnt swallowed any in the last 45 years, I dont think I have to worry now but when I hit 80, I will reconsider - he laughed

Your surgeon isn't far off the mark. Current research tells us that the sooner oral intake is started post op, the better the bowel function, and nutritionally are shown to heal faster. That said......the recovery room is not the time for us to have anything much oral aside from a mouth swab. You are not alert enough not to swallow, or choke on your gum. If you have laparoscopic approach, the intesinal gas from the surgery alone is enough, chewing gum will increase this as well. Once you are awake, sucking on ice chips, walking should suffice in the short term. The RNY pouch needs some time to heal. I'm not wholly convinced short of a documented stricture that swallowing a piece of chewing gum automatically means you will need to be scoped. Not many of us have that small of a stoma...but your surgeon would be the best judge. Should you chew gum? That's a personal choice guided by your surgical team's approval.

 I'm 6 weeks out and just recently heard the ' dont chew gum encase you swallow it" story.
I chewed gum ( normally I never do - mum told me a lady looks like a cow chewing in the field :) )
BUT my mouth felt awful, especially as dehydrated as we get post surgery. There is a rumor pepermint helps nausea ( and I had lots of that),. The gum helped me feel human, improved my breath, got rid of the 'slimies" or that saliva and foam that seems to come from the stomach in early days. 
I thought it helped a lot. One can be careful not to swallow, we arent idiots right ? :)

i chewed gum in the hospital, did not ask, just did it. I never swallow my gum!!