What's Up With Caffeine Stretching The Gastric Sleeve?

[italianlady13 80]

I have been drinking coffee and other beverages with caffeine like a champ. i have been drinking alot of iced tea(no sugar) and a coffee a day (skinny cap nescafe)....now I'm watching youtube success videos and have come across a video from a doctor saying that caffeine will stretch the sleeve.....is this true? I'm four months out and am noticing ALOT of hunger and I can put it together with my consumption of coffee and iced tea.....I never never had issues with hunger until about a week ago when I began having a cup of coffee a day. Before when I drank coffee it would supress my appetite but now it seems to be waking it up. I'm not sure if this is because of the acid in the coffee making me have more acid in my tummy or what but if anyone can give me their two cents I would appreciate it sooooo much! Should I stop drinking coffee? Tea?

[Lissa 2,631]

I haven't noticed that tea or coffee affect my appetite. What I have noticed is that when I drink caffeine laden beverages I have darker urine and I read somewhere that caffeine affects Water absorption. My surgeon's booklet does say that we can have caffeine after a few weeks, but we still need to get in our Water.

If I drink Decaf tea and coffee, I count it as part of my water for the day. If I drink caffeinated (sp?) drinks, I don't count them as water. Is that as clear as mud? HTH

[italianlady13 80]

yes crystal clear...

I read that for gastric bypass patients it stretches their pouch. Is that the same for us? Will we stretch our sleeve???? Oh gosh I hope not, that's why I was curiuos about the hunger...

[Lissa 2,631]

Caffeine might stretch the pouch of GB patients, but I've never heard that before. Now, I have heard/read that carbonation can stretch our sleeves, but I don't know if that's true either. Either way, my surgeon says yes to caffeine if we want it and no to carbonation.

I've also heard that artificial sweeteners can increase the hungry feelings because they are so sweet. I haven't had that problem either, but it might be something to keep in mind.

I drink Decaf coffee and tea regularly and even decaf diet coke sometimes. I also like the carbonated flavored waters that Walmart sells, but I try not to drink huge amounts of it daily. Carbonated drinks definitely give me the burps. I haven't noticed increased hunger from any of the above items.

[sleeve 4 me 910]

Geez, I hope it's not true...or I'm in trouble. And I'm not giving up my Starbucks or diet pepsi LOL

[PdxMan 4,292]

No, I directly asked my surgeon if it was possible to stretch the sleeve. He said it will stretch a tiny bit, but nothing THAT noticable. He said I would really have to work VERY hard to stretch it and there is no way to stretch anywhere near the size it was. Only 15% of our stomach is left and it is not the stretchy part that distends when overeating. I read an analogy to a wallet. You can stuff it full of money and cards and it will stretch a bit, but not all that much in the grand scheme of things.

[italianlady13 80]

Sweet back to my skinny caps! THANK GOD!!! Great news!

[Kimmmm12345 0]

Hello all,

I am 4 weeks post op. and I can't wait until I have a real cup of coffee!! Decaf just doesn't hack it!! lol.

I hope it doesn't stretch the sleeve!!

My next question would be when can I have a glass of wine?

[italianlady13 80]

My doctor told me never never to drink....I have heard people getting into cross over addictions as well as gaining a whole heck of a lot of weight because they get a "buzz" and it goes away quickly because it slides through so to acheive and keep the buzz you have to drink more than you normally would and that means empty calories....

[lookingahead 7]

I'm so pleased to hear that you guys are drinking DP / DC. I had a root beer tonight, it was on my food fast bucket list, before my fast starts on Friday morning, and it was one of the first things that I've been sad about thinking "I'll never have this again". I'm not a huge soda drinker, but I do enjoy a DC every now and again. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

[Thomas CPA 496]

caffeine fine in moderation. And no, you will not stretch out your sleeve, you may feel bloated but likely you will feel it back up into throat before you stomach could move out and it will rebound if you do overeat.

[UXgrrl 29]

I wonder if caffeine affects us faster and more intensely now, like alcohol does?

I used to drink coffee all day, up to bedtime. Then I went on some meds for fatigue and had terrible RLS (restless leg syndrome) so I managed to cut down to a cup or two in the morning. Now I've tried drinking coffee twice, only about 1/4c. in my morning Protein shake, and I got such a case of the jitters! Like I wanted to throw up. No other sources of caffeine, except for the tiny amount in the diet Lipton Green Tea with Citrus that I live on.

Maybe I have detoxed from coffee? I've been drinking it for almost twenty years. Who would have thought it was possible?

[Rootman 1,101]

I've never hear about it before and it does NOT sound like it's real, however a simple test would be to STOP the caffeine and see if your symptoms go away.

[HDubSleevery 25]

I was at a Christmas party last night and had a couple of drinks (Malibu Rum and pineapple Juice). I have never been a big drinker. I may have something twice a year. I didn't find that it hit me faster than before, but I was very careful to sip slowly. My doctor said I could have alcohol in moderation but that I needed to be very careful because it would take much less for me to get drunk. I never liked the aftereffects of drinking so it isn't something that I miss.

[Indymom 132]

I've had a bit of caffeine here & there (for example, I really splurged at dinner with the family tonight and ordered a regular Coke!). I'm 4 months out, I probably had 5-7 sips of the Coke before dinner and only one during (because I was eating spicy and needed a bit of a cool-down). In general I'm avoiding caffeine and carbonation, but like the treat every once in a while. I really miss my regular iced tea, but I know that when I start drinking tea I like too much of it so I'm just not giving into the temptation at all. I wasn't a big soda drinker pre-op but love a taste here & there.

My surgeon never said anything about carbonation or caffeine stretching my sleeve, just that both should be avoided.