Carbonation Question - SodaStream

I really love carbonated water with lime juice.
I know carbonation is a "no-no" for RNY patients. Will I be able to have my carbonated water eventually after surgery? I'm thinking a year or more post surgery.
I just bought a soda stream to help me drink more water. But I'm pretty sure it'll collect dust for awhile until I think I can handle small amounts of carbonation.
Does anyone have any experience with consuming carbonated drinks post op and what they learned?

Carbonation is not necessarily a no no for RNY patients.  Carbonated drinks give some people painful gas, in which case I would suggest not drinking them.  They don't bother many people, though.  I have no problem with them.

Carbonation will NOT stretch the pouch, although that is a pretty common myth. 

I would suggest waiting to try it until your pouch has fully healed, so maybe three months at least.

Thanks for the info Kelly! You're a peach!

Definitely planned on waiting until I fully healed from surgery before indulging in carbonation. Glad to know it doesn't seem to be too much of an issue, except for gas... which I'm no stranger to!

i have never had a problem with carbonation and can have diet soda with no problems at all

I LOVE diet soda.  I keep it at room temp and add ice, which lessens how bubbly it is after I let the ice melt a little.  I get very uncomfortable if I drink it "full strength".

If I drink carbonated drinks I get more gas. And that can be embarrassing or painful - depends if I let it go or try to keep i in... lol.. 

So at the end - I choose not to have any... 

Kelly,
first off thanks for all your posts I look for them.
But of course I have a question, I was told in my pre-op class that it does stretch the pouch. Was that just a scare tactic or what? I really miss the diet Pepsi and would love to have one in the future. Only 5 1/2 weeks out so definitely too scared to try it now.
Does anyone know if there is some kind of documentation about this?

It is a scare tactic.  Other surgeons admitted to my surgeon (who encouraged us to quit drinking soda of any kind, but said if we did still want to drink it to not do so until 6 months out) that they find it "easier" to just tell patients that it will stretch their pouch than to give them a bunch of information on why they discourage it.

Your pouch has TWO openings.  There is no way, given the laws of Physics, that enough pressure can build up in your pouch (whcic is made form the least stretchy part of your stomach) to stretch it even temporarily, let alone permanently.  The gas will seek the path of least resistance, which is out through the esophagus as a burp or down through the intestines (which may or may not cause flatulence.  There are no studies on this because there is no reason to (why waste money on something that isn;t physically possible?) since pouch stretching would defy the laws of Physics which just does NOT happen.

Ask your surgeon to explain how it is possible the next time you see him.  I know one person who challenged her doctor on it and he admitted that it wouldn't stretch her pouch but he still "prohibits" his patients to drink soda.  I am not sure exactly how he thinks he can do that, since we are all adults who can make our own decisions, but the point sis that, when confronted with the science, he admitted it wasn;t true. 

Lora

I love science.

Thank you for your explanation. Me, and my love of carbonation thank you. :)

I suspect it is a scare tactic. Which I find highly unethical and unprofessional and inappropriate.  Lying to patients to try to coerce them into doing what a doctor wants is just plain wrong and it would destroy any trust I had in a doctor.

Ask them to explain HOW it can stretch to pouch.  As Lora explains, the laws of physics say it cannot.