Question:
Carbonation - will it stretch the pouch or not?
Not really a question, more of a theory I suppose! The only time I have had any carbonated beverages I have sipped them in the very smallest amounts - like a couple of drops over my tongue - and I have never had more than a couple of ounces. I've done this perhaps two or three times - usually at a party and very slowly. Anyway my thought is "how can carbonation stretch the pouch?" We (who have had the RNY)no longer have a pyloric valve so there is nothing keeping the fluid - or carbonation for that matter - in our pouches for any length of time. Beside the fact that the carbonation can escape via the stoma or the esophagus (in belch form)without much trouble, it seems as if it wouldn't be in there long enough to create enough of gas pressure to actually do any harm. As long as we drink it on an empty stomach/pouch. Physiologically it seems like it would be rather difficult. Does anyone else have anything concrete on this? I'm just really curious and no, I haven't updated my profile in a while. Will do so soon! Thanks to all! -Pamela — Pambylah (posted on January 31, 2004)
January 31, 2004
I was told carbonation will NOT stretch the pouch but rather cause painful
gas and bloating.
I have a a few ounces of a diet drink ever so often and immediately I can
feel the pressure and discomfort.
— JennA
January 31, 2004
I will be two years post-op next month and I don't drink anything
carbonated, I have tried it, but it hurts, so I stopped, I was told by my
doctor who did the surgery if I let the pop go flat,I can drink it, but it
tastes gross that way., so I will just keep on drinking my good old
water!!!
— bikerchic
January 31, 2004
My surgeon says drink all you want as long as it is caffiene free and diet.
He told me at 8 months I could have it. I drink it every day and have no
problems at all but I drink it on ice, never out of the bottle or can so
the ice removes some of the carbonation. You really should talk to your
surgeon as they all have different opinions on this..
— Sharon1964
January 31, 2004
Pam, you will hear all views on this. I've been here on this site for
around three years. Seems the same pet questions keep coming up and this is
one of them. And it brings alot of arguements too. No doubt someone will
come up with the "Ballon" theory. lol That one really makes me
laugh. As you said, we have two outlets (example bulch or toot) which a
ballon does'nt have. I'm almost three years post op and started drinking
pop a couple months out. I still did'nt like the taste of diet so I put
artifical sweetner in. That helped the taste but I found it also had a side
effect of taking most of the fizz out. I really enjoy it on the flat side
as carbonation still is'nt comfortable. But I don't believe for a moment it
has stretched my pouch as gas "Can and Does exscape". Ahem. And I
still don't eat alot and I could if it was stretched. (I drink alot of diet
pop too)! Having said this, personally I would recommend all of us (myself
included) to be safe and stay away from it as evidently it takes calcuim
from us... and really, what good is pop? But it's all I've lived on since I
was four. I'm not going to change that now (except I do diet and not
regular now).
— Danmark
January 31, 2004
I drink diet sodas and have since about 3 months out. My surgeon said it
was okay and for the very reasons you mentioned I never did buy into the
balloon theory. That said I have cut way back in comparison with preop
drinking. I do think that for some people and I am one of them that the pop
leads to cravings of other things and makes me want to eat more then I'd
eat if I didn't drink it. Mostly I just have it when I am out. Like out for
dinner I'll drink it while waiting for my food. I drink right up till my
food comes but not for awhile afterwards. Or if I'm riding a while I will
stop and get a diet soda. This is something I've always done and it's the
hardest time for me to not have one. I may drink one 3 or 4 times a week
now.
— Carrie D.
January 31, 2004
I actually use it as an appetite suppresant. I find that it keeps me
feeling full longer than not. There are no studies that show it stretches
the pouch and the studies that have been done show the opposite. It does
trigger cravings in some people and if you react badly to some artificial
sweeteners, it can slow down your weight loss. Other than that, if it
doesn't bother you (and your doc isn't against it, of course) then its your
decision.
— [Deactivated Member]
January 31, 2004
I was told by my doctor that I can never have pop again. The reason is
because it will eventually blow out the stomach. I know this to be a fact
as I have a cousin who had to have emergency surgery and they almost lost
her because of this. The doctor told her it was because of the pop. Drink
at your own risk but you may pay the price in the long run. I had surgery
11/26/02 and have never had pop since my surgery.
— Lana Rush
January 31, 2004
I didn't have any sode till 9-1/2 months PO and now drink it occassionally.
I'm still working on my 3rd 6 pack of 20 oz bottles since late Oct. I
have yet to drink a whole one in a day. It usually takes me 3-4 days to
drink one. Usually a few swallows and it's enough. Then I go back to the
non-carbonated stuff. I'm very careful not to take large swallows because
of the belching it can cause. I do like that I finally have something I
can drink when out with a group of people besides water. Although I cannot
get caffeine free when in a bar or restaurant. I drink the caffeine free
diet coke otherwise though. Most of my liquids are diet snapple or water.
I got so burned out on crystal light the first month PO that I rarely drink
it now, which is too bad because I have tons of it in the cabinet and it
ain't cheap!
<p>In my unscientific opinion I do not think it will stretch the
pouch as liquid moves right on through. Food is much more likely to do
that.
— zoedogcbr
January 31, 2004
Our surgeon is board-certified in bariatric surgery....one of the pioneers
of today's laparoscopic WLS techniques with over 2000 surgeries to his
credit....a friend and peer to other esteemed surgeons in this field such
as Drs. Wittgrove and Schauer. He states that it is an absolute myth that
carbonated beverages will ever "stretch" or cause a
"rupture" of the pouch. There are several things that ARE true,
however. For very early post-ops, carbonated beverages can create alot of
discomfort because of tender, swollen tissue at the site of the
surgery...so, why put yourself through that unnecessarily? But, if you
have craving that just won't be satisfied unless you have that soda, he
suggests letting it sit out to room temperature and letting some of the
carbonation die down...or pour a small amount over ice and sip very slowly,
never using a straw which will introduce too much, too fast. Most of us
"older" post-ops have tried our old favorites and just found that
the "thrill" was gone....or we have learned from experience to
sip slowly and avoid uncomfortable pressure. Another "sensible"
reason to avoid sodas (even artificially sweetened ones) is that it
re-awakens your desire or cravings for sweet-tasting things. As RNY
patients end their 18-month "window of opportunity" for rapid and
fairly effortless weight loss, it becomes critical to have developed sound
eating habits which will prevent the weight re-gain associated with a
return to grazing and eating "empty-calorie" junk foods. Lastly,
there is nutritional information that supports that these beverages can
deter proper metabolism of calcium which is also a critical factor for
"us" for the rest of our lives. I was a Diet-Cokaholic pre-op,
but sadly found that it never tasted the same post-op. My surgeon's
thought is that an occasional soda, sipped slowly, will not permanently
damage your body nor your WLS success. I would agree and add that one of
the great lessons we learn from our obesity and our new lives after WLS
is... "all things in moderation". Best wishes!
— Diana T.
February 1, 2004
I don't believe that carbonation stretches the pouch, but let me tell you
why I do not drink soda pop: It has been proven in study after study that
people who drink soda pop have more bone density loss than those who do
not. The authors of these studies believe that the phosporic acid in soda
pop (diet and regular) prevents calcium from being properly absorbed by the
skeleton and also leaches calcium from our bones. Considering that we, as
a group, are already susceptible to osteoporosis it seems dangerous for us
to drink something that will only increase our chances of getting this
disease.
— Kristen S.
February 1, 2004
I believe the bone density loss study was done on COLAS, not all sodas. Of
course I can't find the citation for this :-(
Nina in Maine
— [Deactivated Member]
February 1, 2004
Original poster here! Thanks everyone for your answers and opinions! As I
thought, most of you have plenty of reasons to believe the carbonation
theory is silly! To me it just seems physically impossible for carbonation
to 'blow out' the pouch - and that was the main reason I posted. I'm not
going to take up drinking diet soda like I used to; I honestly don't care
for it like I used to! I sometimes miss it and when I taste it the 'magic'
is just not there anymore! I've also read about carbonation causing
calcium loss and for that reason alone I started to limit myself even
pre-op. Again, thanks to everyone! I didn't mean to stir up any bad
feelings, I just wanted to see if there was anyone out there who would
agree with me! -Pamela
— Pambylah
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