water... yes please

I am told by my medical team sip, sip, sip. well I want a DRINK. sometimes a big drink. I feel like over everything at this point, I will miss when I am wanting to quench my thirst, is being able to pick up a cup of nice ice, ice, ice, cold water and drink half of it in 1 drink! but nooooooo I will have to sip,sip,sip SLOWLY for the rest of my existence....Sorry that I am so angry abou****er and lack of gulping in the future.

It does take some getting used to, but give it some time and as you heal you might find that you can gradually take bigger swallows of water. I am 9 months post op and I don't sip or gulp it down, but drink what I would consider normal amounts. If you gulped down half of it you may regret it big time as it could be rather uncomfortable or painful and possibly come back up. Just be patient with your tummy and kind to yourself.

it's nice to know I could drink reg one day :-)

Oh yes, I had the same thought about gulping down something cold. But even though you can't just chug a quart of something, you can eventually drink enough at once to satisfy that thirsty feeling.

Once you are about 6 weeks post surgery, you cannot hurt anything by drinking faster. It may be uncomfortable if you drink excessively fast, but you can't cause any damage.

Most of us drink normally fairly quickly. We won't win any chugging contests, but we do drink normal.

I don't sip anymore at 7+ months and haven't for a few months. I couldn't down a full glass in a few gulps like I used to, but it's not that annoying tiny sip thing anymore. I can take a decent gulp when really thirsty.

I can put down at 16 ounce bottle of water in one shot - have been able to do that since I was about 6 months out. Before that - if I drank too fast it made my chest hurt, but by 3 months out I could drink a cup of water at a time with some gulps. Just be careful and listen to your body. Depending on when your surgery was, you will be sipping for a while, but then, you'll be able to drink normally.

I pounded back a 20 ounce PowerAde zero after fencing last night after changing out of my gear -- I think I came up for air once because i had been sweating so much. Be patient. You've got this.

You won't have to "sip slowly for the rest of your existence."

Well, sipping often is important in the early stages. You will eventually be able to drink as you did before. I have water all day long. Just be patient. I keep water in the refrigerator so its icy cold. Just keep at it all day long. gl. diane S

I know how you feel. It was getting on my nerves too, I just wanted to drink like a normal person does. I have noticed that I'm starting to take more than a sip when I drink and so far it's going down alright. Personally, I'm looking forward to using a straw again.