Pop?

I know this question has been asked before and for some reason I didn't process the answer and so I still don't know why we aren't supposed to drink pop after surgery.  And in my mind I can't rationalize why we shouldn't have it.

My dietician told me that it isn't that I "can't" have it but that it should be an occasional treat only...like one can a week.  But I can't figure out why.

I don't drink a lot of pop...WAY less than I used to.  But if I go out for lunch on Fridays I will have a glass and on weekends watching tv I will have one or two glasses.  I don't drink after my meals and of course I only ever drink diet.  I know there is caffeine in it, but there is in tea and coffee as well.  I know it is carbonated, but I wasn't told that I can't have carbonated seltzers or water, so it can't be that.  So how does it differ from drinking water, or tea or crystal lite?  I just can't wrap my head around it.

Thanks for any opinions.

The Ontario system is a strong believer in the "carbonation causes the stoma to stretch" theory. Many surgeons do not believe this. There are no studies to confirm this.  It is a theory that it MAY cause the stoma to stretch. 

Dawn

I just finished reading my booklet I was given at my surgeons appt and it says that carbonation may give you gas which will lead to discomfort. It also said that after your pouch heals, its ok to have a little pop.

Anything carbonated will cause immense gas pains and pain, I agree also with Dawn, I only ever drank a can a month before surgery so I dont miss it at all....good luck

My Dietitian at TWH told me the same thing Dawn. "carbonation causes the stoma to stretch".
 I prefer not to test the theory, so no carbonated drinks for me

James.

I was told about the no carbonated drinks too during orientation but was told it was because it'll cause a lot of discomfort after surgery.  The dietician didnt mention anything about stretching the pouch.  She was asked that and didnt seem to be a firm believer that the pouch would stretch. 

ETA:  I was a 1L a day diet coke/pepsi drinker and quit the day of orientation and I dont miss it at all either.

Hi, I think it has to do with the carbonation.  You don't want to fill up your pouch with air when you can fill it up with something more nutritious.  Also, regular pop has a lot of sugar so I'm assuming you are talking about diet pop.  You are probably better off having a diet iced tea if anything.

Firstly while I am all for the "follow the rules" mentality I do trust my own instincts as well. Evidently some surgeon's believe this is important to success while others feel it is not.
TWH literature which I have right beside me states "Avoid carbonated beverages" and repeats it on each stage of the diet. It also states "sip - do not use straws". I note the difference of "do not" vs "avoid". Most likely I may like a sip of diet pop from time to time after surgery. I will probably avoid it for the first several months as I will be focused enough getting what I do need.
Can I not drink diet pop. Yup. I quit drinking it for several months last year. Yes I missed it. I know that pre-surgery I have used diet pop to avoid or satisfy the craving to eat and therefore control my weight.
Right now ... I drink diet coke to get that revolting taste of optifast out of my mouth. Thank god I can because the only other thing that makes that taste go away is throwing a couple dashes of franks red hot sauce into my chicken broth. And honestly that really doesn't taste that great but it sure gets any other taste out of mind.

Anyways ... just my two cents worth

Cheers, Chris

 I've been having a relatively complication-free recovery so far (I'm only 2 months out), but the worst pain I've ever had since surgery was from gas.

I'm avoiding all carbonation for that very reason. I never really had gas pains before, but now, I'l do anything to avoid them. This includes all carbonation.

For me....carbonation=sore pouchy poo.  It seems to fill up my pouch like crazy and makes me sooooo uncomfortable.  I can count on two hands the number of times i have had pop since surgery almost 2 years ago and mostly it has been when I have added a ton of ice and waited for it to go flat.