A question abou****er

I am scheduled for surgery in April. WHen the weather gets hot I am very active and often take a big guzzle of water or sugar free decaff iced tea. I am having the lap band. Does this mean I will never be able to take a big gulp of water after a long hike? Darline

Dear Darline, I did not have lap band, but diod have gastric bypass, so things might be different. But in the very beginning all you can do is sip, sip, sip. After several months I was able to gulp water and asked the doctor about it. She said that was normal because the water goes right in and through the little hole. Now this can only be done if I haven't eaten for awhile. My pouch has to be empty. Otherwise the pain is really bad. I drink alot of water or crystal lite iced tea 9It is 98%caffeine free) and have no problem. But those times that you have to wait are critical. It also depends on the type of food that you have eaten. The more dense the food, the longer you have to wait. I can drink a 20oz. bottle of wataer in a mater of a few minutes. But as the saying goes, "When in doubt, ask the doc's" God bless, Pastor Faye

I could gulp water without any problems after my surgery. When I got my fill I couldn't because I would get the hiccups bad. That was for a few weeks. Now that the fill is a bit lose I am able to drink more and more without problems. If I eat too fast now that is when I get food stuck and I get hiccups and the pain in the middle of my chest. Eating slowing and drinking slowly wont cause any problems at all. Hope this helps......

Hi Darline, Just as Pastor Faye said in the beginning you can only take small sips and you won't want more but as time passes you will be able to take in larger amounts as you drink fluids. I wish you all the best with your surgery. Take care. Prycey Lady RNY 2/2/05 373/213/??

I'm 6 months out. The first 4 months or so I had to sip. If I gulped it either came back out or made me feel crappy. Now I can take normal drinks. I DO NOT recommend gulping anything. When you swallow too much air, it has a tendency to either make it come back up or gives you some pain. Gulping & eating things too fast is one of the factors that got me to the point of having surgery in the first place. Slow down, enjoy your foods and drinks. I find now that I am way more intuned to the flavors I eat & drink. Never was much on spicy foods before. Now I LOVE them!!! Right now I'm totally hooked on Diet Arizona Green Tea with Ginsing. I drink it hot and cold!