CARBONATION- stretch pouch?

Does anyone know for sure if soda / beer etc really stretches out the pouch? Thanks.. T

Hi Tina, I can not say for SURE 100%...but I really can't see how it can be. I have seen the demo using the balloon. However, if you stop and ythink about it, the balloon is sealed shut...our pouches are not sealed shut. Any excess gas would leave the way it came in or the way food empties. It can cause bloating if you are prone to that but I would think that any expansion due to gas/ carbonation bubbles would go away rather quickly.  I'm thinking that dense food would probably expand the pouch longer than soda bubbles would. Once again just my opinion but I think more in question would be: 1. Does it increase cravings for sweets? 2. Does it take up space that would be better used with something more nutritionally dense? 3. Does it eventually dehydrate rather than hydrate you? 4. Is it your main source of liquid? 5. Is it something you have occasionally as a treat? I tend to fall in number 5. If I want a diet pepsi evvery now and then I go ahead and have one. I don't drink it every day. Maybe once a month, I really don't count. I just know it's not very often. Like all things, I think moderation is best. If something is triggering you to escalate into eating something more that you really shouldn't have than absolutely swear off that item completely, but if not, go ahead and have a bite or a sip if you are able to stop there. We are all so different in what we can and can't handle and how our bodies react. it's all trial and error and even more so ( i think ) when you get to the stage we're in this far out. Common sense goes a long way I think! Hope this helps, Linda

Hi Tina, I was told by my NUT that carbonated beverages create a few different problems in our pouch, the first being irritation of the staple or suture line with RNY patients.  Also, usually with carbonated drinks there are alot of acidic properties, especially in sodas, and since we are already at a higher risk of ulcer we should not partake of carbonated drinks.  Gas is a problem also, but I agree that our pouches are not airtight, so it would eventually escape. I enjoy an occasional diet pepsi or diet mountain dew, but I sip it very slowly, and never right out of a can or bottle.  I pour it into a glass of ice and by the time I get to the end of it, it's flat and watered down.  If I have to drink it right from a can or bottle, I shake it down to get some of the gas out.  Another thing to consider is how it makes us feel full...we should always get our requirements in first, then have a soda treat. KathyG