Drinking at meals

[dalmania 10]

Because of certain medications my mouth is always dry. I drink a lot not because I am thirsty but to swallow without gagging. So I also drink at meals as well as during the day. My concern is whether drinking at meals on top of my 'cup' of food max is stretching my stomach. I am not more hungry or anything. My surgery was Sept 19.

[mrsto 2,925]

The reason for not drinking with the band, is because the liquid diminishes the effectiveness of the band. if you drink with meals, you will get hungry a lot sooner than waiting ½ hour to an hour to drink. I don't think it will stretch your stomach. The Fluid will go right through, and take whatever you're eating with it. If possible, it's best to wait. If dry mouth is an issues, maybe try eating things with some sort of sauce. If you eat eggs, put a little bit of sautéed mushrooms & onions on them. That adds a lot of moisture, which should help with the dry mouth issue.

[lisacaron 5,075]

The Fluid will go right through, and take whatever you're eating with it.

This statement is the main reason to not drink and eat at the same time with the band. You can swallow your bite and allow that food to pass through the stoma to the lower chamber of the stomach and then go ahead and have a sip. If you are drinking and eating in the same mouth full then you are going to be pushing the food through the stoma quickly and not giving the esophagus muscle the chance to stimulate the band as it pushes the food past the band and through the stoma into the lower chamber of the stomach.

Think of an hour glass and the sand flowing through it. If you give it more pressure from the top the sand flows through to the bottom faster then it would if you just let it move through at the natural pace. This is what stacking bites and drinking do, they increase the pressure at the top. Eventually if you stack bites enough you could cause a dilation if the food can't process through the band fast enough.

So if you can take a sip before a bite, then take a bite chew and swallow give it a moment to pass through the band, usually a minute or two is sufficient and then another sip as needed before another bite.

Also for issues with dry mouth from medications etc.give biotene a try it really does help!

Edited November 10, 2014 by lisacaron

[meggs353 118]

My dr told me the reason for not drinking while eating is bc it puts you at risk for throwing up if the food hasn't passed through the band yet. She said it's not bc of the thought that it "washes the food out". I've definitely read that in a lot of places (and my nutritionist said it too - contradicting the dr), but wanted to share what my doc told me. (I'm listening to my doc over my nut).

If this is true, then as long as drinking while eating doesn't make you puke then you should be okay.

You can see what your doc thinks about it too!

I would also say to listen to how your body feels: does it make you feel sick? are you more hungry? are you losing weight? That can also guide you towards good behaviors.

[B-52 7,113]

I cannot drink with meals, this theory of liquids pushing food through the band or diminishing the effects may hold true for some, but based upon my experience it is quite different.....

The band is there restricting the passage of food at a reduced rate, meaning there will be food sitting in my pouch...

Drinking Water will not push the food through, but instantly increase the volume of what is sitting there....which can result in severe pain..(pouch stretching?)...and since this increased volume as no where to go, it will over flow...meaning it can come right back up....not pretty when you have to get up and run to the bathroom...

However, early on when I was still learning..(the hard way)...getting stuck sometimes 2-3 times a day, drinking warm Water was something I learned to do from my support group to get instantly unstuck....just be sure to do it in the bathroom.

As a side note, I read posts everyday where people say "THIS is the way it is, THIS is what will happen or this is how the band works......

I wonder if people make these statements from personal experience, or are they just repeating what they heard someone else say...so they have adapted it....

I prefer hearing other peoples experiences....good and bad.

Just a pet-peeve of mine.....had to vent

[sengelken 51]

I agree with B-52. If I get stuck I can drink something to bring it up. And depending on what I eat sometimes drinking will wash it down. I don't normally drink when I eat.

[brianb 81]

As usual, I agree with B-52 as well. There seems to be a lot of misinformation around the band.

I think you are right to be careful drinking with the band. I feel pain while drinking Water and eating as well. I do drink Water, but I wait a couple of minutes then resume eating a couple of minutes later. It takes me a very long time to eat a tiny amount of food.