Drinking While Eating and Pouch Question

[🅺🅸🅼🅼🅸🅴🅺 296]

Sorry for the nOOb questions I know is probably explained well somewhere on here, but I want up to date feedback...

#1 Why exactly can't you drink while eating? Not even a sip to wash something down? What if something gets stuck in your throat and you need to drink? What's the thing with straws?

#2 If you no longer have your pyloric sphincter in place to keep food in your stomach/pouch, how in the world do you ever feel full? How does everything not just immediately go from esophagus to pouch to small intestine? How long does solid food stay in the pouch? Same with liquids?

EDIT: #3 How is food kept from backing up into the part of the intestine marked by #3 in this picture and moving back towards the old stomach?

Edited December 7, 2018 by Kimmie K

[GreenTealael 25,378]

4 minutes ago, Kimmie K said:

Sorry for the nOOb questions I know is probably explained well somewhere on here, but I want up to date feedback...

#1 Why exactly can't you drink while eating? Not even a sip to wash something down? What if something gets stuck in your throat and you need to drink? What's the thing with straws?

#2 If you no longer have your pyloric sphincter in place to keep food in your stomach/pouch, how in the world do you ever feel full? How does everything not just immediately go from esophagus to pouch to small intestine? How long does solid food stay in the pouch? Same with liquids?

These are questions you really should hound your team about. They will give you real science/medical based answers and statistical info which you can used to guide your a choices. Here will get anecdotal comments.

Safe Journey 🎈

[🅺🅸🅼🅼🅸🅴🅺 296]

6 minutes ago, GreenTealael said:

These are questions you really should hound your team about. They will give you real science/medical based answers and statistical info which you can used to guide your a choices. Here will get anecdotal comments.

Safe Journey 🎈

4

Hahaha! Girl, I already hound my poor lady over at the surgeon's office with insurance related stuff LOL I figure here, I'll get unfiltered, real life answers.

[GreenTealael 25,378]

I understand completely. As long as you fully understand everything and are willing to live with the outcomes.

I hounded my bedraggled team to the edge over Protein levels and vegetarianism, using a straw and coffee. I've made my bed. Lol

[mousecat88 2,281]

I can just tell you my personal experience with fullness.

I don't know specifically how long food stays in the pouch and I don't feel full in the same sense I did pre-op. When I am "full", I can feel the food almost pushing back up my throat a little bit, or I feel like a heaviness. That's how I know I ate just a little too much, so I stick with pre-portioned stuff 85% of the time. I know I am getting ready to be done because I burp a little. That's when I 100% know to stop. Liquids pass through super quickly. Like within a minute quickly.

You shouldn't eat and drink at the same time because a) overtime it will stretch your pouch (biggest issue), b) the liquid will make it so you can't eat more, which you should and c) you risk flushing things through, which may cause upset stomach or worse. And no straws because with straws you are sucking air into your pouch, again... stretching and taking up space... probably will make you gassy, too.

[mousecat88 2,281]

If something gets stuck in your throat, like what totally happened to me Saturday with the spices irritating my throat, taking a small sip to clear it won't kill you or anything. lol. They just don't want you drinking with your meal, regularly. But... please... if you're choking... drink something. Haha

[🅺🅸🅼🅼🅸🅴🅺 296]

3 minutes ago, mousecat88 said:

I can just tell you my personal experience with fullness.

I don't know specifically how long food stays in the pouch and I don't feel full in the same sense I did pre-op. When I am "full", I can feel the food almost pushing back up my throat a little bit, or I feel like a heaviness. That's how I know I ate just a little too much, so I stick with pre-portioned stuff 85% of the time. I know I am getting ready to be done because I burp a little. That's when I 100% know to stop. liquids pass through super quickly. Like within a minute quickly.

You shouldn't eat and drink at the same time because a) overtime it will stretch your pouch (biggest issue), b) the liquid will make it so you can't eat more, which you should and c) you risk flushing things through, which may cause upset stomach or worse. And no straws because with straws you are sucking air into your pouch, again... stretching and taking up space... probably will make you gassy, too.

Ahhhh OK, that fullness explanation is totally new to me ears/eyes That's so interesting! Everything else makes sense too. Thanks for answering!

[mousecat88 2,281]

It's really different the full feeling. It's an entirely new sensation that can't really be fully understood until you have the surgery. lol. It doesn't exist pre-op.

[🅺🅸🅼🅼🅸🅴🅺 296]

1 minute ago, mousecat88 said:

It's really different the full feeling. It's an entirely new sensation that can't really be fully understood until you have the surgery. lol. It doesn't exist pre-op.

So weirddddd!

[marfar7 1,533]

I think the technical reason u cant drink at the same time cuz it washes food thru and makes u hungry earlier. However, I physically can't drink when I eat, as it makes me vomit immediately. The food makes a cork inside and when I add Fluid to that, out it comes. Everytime I try it. I no longer do that. I also don't time my drinking (the 30 minute rule) I can actually FEEL when my food has left my stomach (or pouch) and I'm ready to drink. Depends on what I eat and it can take 25 mins or 40 minutes, depending.

I started with the lapband in 2009, it slipped in 2013 and I revised to sleeve. LAst 2 yrs I had severe, raging reflux and revised to bypass 4 months ago. I'm now 3 lbs from my 135 goal (when I get there, hopefully soon) I may make it 130 as my goal, as I still feel a little fat (my bmi is 23.4 so I know I'm not fat, but getting there in my brain is something else). So, I have a little experience with wls, drinking and eating. So please know that u WILL vomit the liquid (and food) u just put in if u drink right afterwards. When I eat something spicy, I swish Water in my mouth then spit it out. I'm sure 1 sip may be ok, as I've also done this on occasion. Just don't make it a regular thing u do

Good luck!

[🅺🅸🅼🅼🅸🅴🅺 296]

1 hour ago, marfar7 said:

I think the technical reason u cant drink at the same time cuz it washes food thru and makes u hungry earlier. However, I physically can't drink when I eat, as it makes me vomit immediately. The food makes a cork inside and when I add Fluid to that, out it comes. Everytime I try it. I no longer do that. I also don't time my drinking (the 30 minute rule) I can actually FEEL when my food has left my stomach (or pouch) and I'm ready to drink. Depends on what I eat and it can take 25 mins or 40 minutes, depending.

I started with the lapband in 2009, it slipped in 2013 and I revised to sleeve. LAst 2 yrs I had severe, raging reflux and revised to bypass 4 months ago. I'm now 3 lbs from my 135 goal (when I get there, hopefully soon) I may make it 130 as my goal, as I still feel a little fat (my bmi is 23.4 so I know I'm not fat, but getting there in my brain is something else). So, I have a little experience with wls, drinking and eating. So please know that u WILL vomit the liquid (and food) u just put in if u drink right afterwards. When I eat something spicy, I swish Water in my mouth then spit it out. I'm sure 1 sip may be ok, as I've also done this on occasion. Just don't make it a regular thing u do

Good luck!

Awesome info! Thanks so much for that. It totally makes sense...

[anonbaribabe 236]

1 hour ago, marfar7 said:

I think the technical reason u cant drink at the same time cuz it washes food thru and makes u hungry earlier.

This is one of the reasons my dietician told me not to drink while/directly after eating. Also, not all surgeons ban straws. My surgeon allows straws a couple months after surgery.

[🅺🅸🅼🅼🅸🅴🅺 296]

31 minutes ago, anonbaribabe said:

This is one of the reasons my dietician told me not to drink while/directly after eating. Also, not all surgeons ban straws. My surgeon allows straws a couple months after surgery.

If I can keep my straws I’ll be the happiest camper LOL Since I was a teenager I’ve drank every single thing through a straw because I hate ice touching my lips and for whatever reason I can’t drink without dribbling something down my face or gulping too much air and choke-burping...apparently I have issues ☺️

[Orchids&Dragons 9,047]

19 hours ago, Kimmie K said:

Sorry for the nOOb questions I know is probably explained well somewhere on here, but I want up to date feedback...

#1 Why exactly can't you drink while eating? Not even a sip to wash something down? What if something gets stuck in your throat and you need to drink? What's the thing with straws?

#2 If you no longer have your pyloric sphincter in place to keep food in your stomach/pouch, how in the world do you ever feel full? How does everything not just immediately go from esophagus to pouch to small intestine? How long does solid food stay in the pouch? Same with liquids?

EDIT: #3 How is food kept from backing up into the part of the intestine marked by #3 in this picture and moving back towards the old stomach?

OK, I'll give it a go. Take all with a grain of salt, please!

#2 (Helps explain #1) They turn your stomach into a "funnel". There is no valve at the bottom, but they control the size of the opening between the pouch and the intestine. So the food collects in the pouch until it has time to dribble through the opening into the intestine. Liquids pass right through the pouch. I'm not sure how long solid foods stay.

#1 If you drink while eating, the food in the pouch becomes much more "liquidy" and slides through to the small intestine more quickly. Hence, no feeling of fullness and the food has less time to be broken down by the grinding action of your pouch, so you can increase your malabsorption tendencies. If food gets stuck, a sip to clear it is fine. Straws - some doctors allow them, some don't. They don't cause me to swallow any extra air, so I use them. But, that's the main reason given to avoid them.

#3 Your Intestines have muscular contractions that move food from your stomach down through the intestinal tract. That's what keeps everything moving in the right direction. Hope this helps!

[🅺🅸🅼🅼🅸🅴🅺 296]

38 minutes ago, Orchids&Dragons said:

OK, I'll give it a go. Take all with a grain of salt, please!

#2 (Helps explain #1) They turn your stomach into a "funnel". There is no valve at the bottom, but they control the size of the opening between the pouch and the intestine. So the food collects in the pouch until it has time to dribble through the opening into the intestine. liquids pass right through the pouch. I'm not sure how long solid foods stay.

#1 If you drink while eating, the food in the pouch becomes much more "liquidy" and slides through to the small intestine more quickly. Hence, no feeling of fullness and the food has less time to be broken down by the grinding action of your pouch, so you can increase your malabsorption tendencies. If food gets stuck, a sip to clear it is fine. Straws - some doctors allow them, some don't. They don't cause me to swallow any extra air, so I use them. But, that's the main reason given to avoid them.

#3 Your Intestines have muscular contractions that move food from your stomach down through the intestinal tract. That's what keeps everything moving in the right direction. Hope this helps!

WINNER!!! Best answer yet! I was super curious if peristalsis kept working in the bypassed bits so that’s interesting to hear. Thanks so much!