Is it true that you really can't drink with meals post surgery?
Hi,
My name is Maryellen and I am strongly considering the gastric bypass and I've begun the required doctors visits. Two things are bothering me.
1-Is it really true that you can't drink with meals post surgery? I've read about the 1/2 hour before and after. I've actually tried to begin it now. But I've been totally unsuccessful. I'm a HUGE water drinker. I drink atleast 4 glasses of water with dinner, and probably atleast 2 with lunch. My concern is (I'm not sure if this is just habitual) what happens if I do drink with meals post surgery? Can't I rip my staples/stitches? Will I be constantly vomiting? Please respond ASAP.
2nd-Although I've never had trouble swallowing food, I HATE to take vitamins! I know that I must take them after surgery otherwise there is a very big chance I can become malnurished, although this seems very hard to believe at the moment! Anyway, can I take Flinstones chewables ? Does anybody recommend any other chewable brands that don't have a horrible aftertaste? Please respond at your earliest convenience.
I've begun seeing some of the required doctor visits and these two things scare me the most. H E L P! (THANKS)
hi maryellen!
FIRST OFF....THE DRINKING WITH MEALS ISSUE... for me this is a rule set out by my surgeon that i follow strictly. ON rare ocasions after a meal i took a needed sip but never more. There are a few reasons for this rule. ONE the liquids will fill us to fast an no room early post op for enough food. Second it pushes your food thru faster and you will become hungry faster. Its great your testing these rules now, however, things are different some post op. Even my likes and dislike choices for food. I am for the first time in my life a very picky eater.
2nd question some surgeons say the childrens vitamins are okay, I actually use the chewable centrums. I have heard that some people dump from the kids vitamins. POSSLIBY try the centrum chewables. I also know that bariatric advantage has neat flavors of vitamins i just cant afford there prices.
GOOD LUCK!
and i look forward to getting to know you thru your posts
even more!
hugs
lisa
When you picture how much room 4 glasses of water takes up, and compare to how small your stomach is after surgery you can more understand partly why we can no longer do that. Also afterwards if you do drink and eat at the same time the pain can be tremendous. I will say that was the worst I have ever experienced. And that was only with a little drink, never again. Also for those who can not tollerate sugar Bugs Bunny makes a chewable that is sugar free and it tastes just like the flintstones. The centrum chewable also does a kids type that is cherry and grape flavored and they are good to. I tend to change brands so that I do not get bored with the taste.
Betty Jo
Lap RNY 7/11/03
399.5/210/150
239 inches gone
Yes it's true, we are not supposed to drink a half hour before and a half hour after a meal. The thought is that doing so will fill you up too fast and also wash the food out of your stomach too fast, making you hungry again faster. However, we all different. Drinking while eating may make one person sick, but not another. Drinking that much water will not rip your staples, but you might feel too good if you try to drink it all at once. It is a good thing, however, that you are big water drinker. We are required to drink at least 64 oz. of water a day.
As for vitamins, they are very important. My doctor recommended Flintstones plus iron right after surgery, but once I was all healed and tolerating food much better, he told me to switch to something for an adult. Flintstones are for children and do not contain enough of what we need. You would probably have to take triple the dose on a regular basis to get what you get in an adult vitamin.
I take a Centrum multivitamin everyday, along with 2-65 mg Life Fitness Iron tablets every day and 2-500 mg CVS brand Calcium tablets everyday. The calcium tablets are rather large, but I have never had a problem swallowing them and my calcium levels have been fine.
Joanne
Hey maryellen,
You mentioned gastric bypass...but which gastric bypass??? The answers to your questions depend on what type of surgery you have. With the RNY ..no you can't drink with meals. With the DS ...you will eventually be able to drink with meals. The reason being that the RNY is a restrictive sugery with a small malabsorbtion component, so that if you drink when you eat ...there won't be enough room in your pouch to get enough nutrition in. Plus because you have a stoma (a man made opening letting food out of your stomach), water or liquids will push food through at a faster rate causing you to be hungry much quicker.
As for the DS....just after surgery you will not be able to eat with meals.....although many on the duodenalswitch board do...but eventually you will be able to drink with meals. Reasons: the DS leaves you with a pyloric valve so liquids do not cause your stomach to dump food out. I am 3 1/2 months out and i drink up till about 5 minutes before i eat..and i start drinking about 5 minutes after i eat. Sometimes i drink with meals...but I try to avoid it this soon post op...because my stomach is still healing and there is only a limited amount of room.
As for suppliements...go with what your surgeon tells you....if having the DS you won't have to worry about dumping...but if your having the RNY....then follow the advice from the other posts....worry about the vitamins causing dumping..because i hear it's bad.
You might want to try bariatric advantage vitamins..they are pretty tastey..actually they taste better then the childrens ones IMHO. They sell them in the OH store i think..and they are made for bariatric patients..not children. For calcium..i like the caltrate soft chews...mmmmmm they taste like candy. But they do have 5 carbs per serving from sugar..so if you have the RNY you might want to avoid these again because of dumping .
Hope this helps
scott
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