perrier....anyone?

I am a little over 6wks post op and I am always looking for something new to increase my liquid intake. Has anyone had any perrier? I heard that the carbination might be a problem at first. Anybody know any different? Holly

Perrier, at least straight out of the bottle is out of the question for me forever. It would be interesting to try it flat to see if I still enjoyed the taste. Having lived through the worry of stretching out a pouch once I will not do it again. My dietician and surgeon say no carbonation and I'll follow that rule. You may already be having trouble staying warm like many of us but how about some iced herbal tea? I can't stand it warm but it isn't so bad cold. Of course, that only works during those rare times in the day when I am actually warm. I'm trying to use as little artificial sweeteners as possible so I have my decaf teas and herbal teas plain and haven't found any I'm crazy about yet. It is just a matter of trial and error. So far my most successful liquid is still water with a little juice added to it for flavor. Whatever works...hope you find something! Molly

Molly, Why did you have a revision? I looked on your profile and didnt see why. What was your first surgery? And how did you strech your pouch? Thanks Barb

Hi Barb, I guess I should have made that more clear. It was the wrong kind of surgery for the type of eater I am. I had Vertical Banded Gastroplasty which was a pretty standard surgery for many years until the RNY became the 'gold standard'. And when I had it, the lap band was still not approved by the FDA and only available in Mexico. My pouch started out at 3 oz and ended up at 1 1/2 cups capacity, which actually isn't terribly stretched for that type of surgery but it was waaaay too much for me. The VBG is only a restrictive surgery and I really need the malabsorption factor and the built-in aversion therapy that the fear of dumping provides. I think a lot of the way I stretched my pouch was from drinking diet sodas and drinking with my meals. The weight regain came mostly from eating foods that were too high in calories and slipped through the band without discomfort. I didn't have a long-term support group to help me get a diet plan under control to live with the restriction comfortably. This time feels so much different with the medical support my doctor's staff offers and the support group. And I really marvel at the fact that this is the first time in my life I'm in control of my carbs and not overly tempted by sweets. That fear factor really works for me so far and when the going gets tougher I'll be leaning on my support group and you here on OH pretty heavily for help. Molly

Hi Holly. It's pretty much the general consensus that carbonation at any time post op is a no-no. Carbonation causes your stomach pouch to stretch. In the beginning, this early out of surgery, that can cause the staple line to become torn and you can develop a leak. However even years out they say not to have carbonated beverages becasue it causes your pouch to stretch out which will in turn make you either slow your weight loss, or even worse wind up putting weight back on after you've lost it all. There are tons of non-carbonated beverages that you can drink. I personally love diet iced tea, but there are a million varieties of crystal light, skim milk, etc etc. Just stick with non calorie beverages or beverages with calories but nutitional benefits (i.e. skim milk) and you'll do fine.

my doctor also told me that carbonation is a no-no. i'm actually aranoid b/c by the time i found out carbonation can stretch my pouch, i was throwing back sudar-free red bull and other diet energy drinks like there's no tomorrow for 3 weeks of so (i started about 3 weeks post-surgery). i stopped cold turkey but now take an occasional no doze caffeine pill, which is also not good but at least it won't stretch my pouch ( i hope)