is it bad to drink DP and coffee on the pre-op diet?

I planned on cutting back on my Diet Pepsi and coffee but I haven't, well I cut back from 4 DP's a night to two!  I know I won't be able to have it after surgery, but am I doing myself a major disservice by drinking it now??

Diane

I'd try to cut it down as much as possible before surgery so its easier to quit after surgery.  There is some debate about whether caffeine increases your appetite or not, but coffee will probably irritate your pouch, especially at first.  Soda after surgery definitely a no-no and quite uncomfortable from what I understand.  Right now are you doing yourself a disservice, no probably not, but you aren't doing yourself a favor either.  Practice drinking more water at night, you are doing to have to make it a habit anyway after surgery. 

I was a big diet coke drinker. I started weaning myself off  the diet coke about a week before my pre-op diet. I think it made it easier for me.

I am on day 9 of my 3 week liquid diet and I am not allowed any carbonated beverages or caffeine.  Everyones surgeon gives them different pre-op instructions. This is what I have had to follow:

The first 19 days I will be following this plan:

1 scoop EAS protein powder in 8 ounces of skim milk, 3 times a day. 1 - 8 ounce cup of 100% fruit juice, once a day. 6 cups or 48 ounces minimum of any of the following: Water, Decaf coffee or tea, Broth, Sugar Free Jello, Sugar Free Koolaid, Sugar Free Popsicles, Crystal Light, Fruit2O, Diet Snapple or Diet V-Spash.

Then on July 28 & 29 start clear liquids: No protein drinks. 8 ounces - 6 times a day (48 ounces total) Apple Juice, Cranberry Juice, Grape Juice, Regular Koolaid, Italian Ice, Regular Jello, Regular Popsicles. 6 cups of: Water, Decaf coffee or tea, Broth, Sugar Free Jello, Sugar Free Koolaid, Sugar Free Popsicles, Crystal Lighte, Fruit2O or Diet Snapple.

It hasn't been easy! My husband has been wonderful cooking for himself and the kids so I don't have to be around food, because if I am cooking I will be too tempted to snitch some! I have lost 12 pounds in 9 days, I am sure it is mostly water weight, everything goes right through me.

Diane,

Every dr. says something different about coffee and diet soda while on liquid diet and post-op.  I was a big soda drinker and started to cut down prior to my liquid diet, started my liquid diet with a can of pop every couple of days, went down to no pop by the end of it.  After surgery I'm advised to wait 6 weeks before trying diet pop and that will be next week.  I'm allowed to have pop now if I let it go flat and I tried that the other day and didn't like the taste (I think it's because of all of the Crystal Light that I drink being much sweeter than pop).  Anyway, in the past 5 weeks I've had 3 sips of soda which I didn't care for.  I still want to try some Diet Sunkist again, but I'm guessing that for the time being I will have less than 1 can of pop per month.  I'd try to wean off of the caffeine as soon as possible so you're not going through withdrawal while recovering from surgery.

Luvey, sounds like you're doing great on your LD.  Keep up the fantastic work!

One of the things I heard in my Pre-Op seminar was that you can't drink with your meals (once you get to the food stage)

This perplexes me because I can't imagine NOT having a drink with a meal. Not only that, I am diabetic and on certain meds that keep me thisty all the time. I have a cold drink in my bag, in the car, beside the bed at night, basically wherever I am, I feel like I have to have something to drink. If I don't my mouth dries up and sticks together, literally. I use a dry mouth paste and mouthwash but it doesn't help much.

I don't like plain water so I am drinking Lipton Diet Green Tea and Crystal Light. I used to drink a lot of diet soda, but have managed to wean them off. I do crave the taste now and then, tho. I've been caffiene free for yrs now.

My surgeon's program asked us to stop all caffienated products two weeks prior to surgery so you weren't dealing with the withdrawal headaches and such while in the hospital and after your released since dealing with the surgery is so much to deal with.

Personally, I knew I wouldn't be drinking the soda and coffee post surgery, so I found it part of my commitment to just stop during my pre-op diet.  I actually stopped a month prior to sugery.  Figure it this way, the only person you are cheating is yourself.

At 6 months out, I finally broke down and called my nutritionist becuase I was DYING for my morning coffee again, and got the okay to start drinking it again.  I was so happy.  I have never again had carbonated beverages since surgery.

Good luck next week!

I was a HUGE diet coke/diet pepsi drinker.  I tried weaning down from my 6+ daily intake before my preop diet began.  I was down to 2 a day and stopped completely the first day of my pre op diet.  since then I have had one BIG swig from one and it burned going down so I'll finish off my pre op diet pop free and I'll probably never have it again.

I'm ok with that.

good luck!

thank you all so much for your sharing, I guess, you're all right, I am cheating myself. the DP is gone now, and the coffee will be too, but I love my coffee and I can't imagine not drinking that ever again!

Diane

I do drink coffee post-op, with milk.  I started at about 2 months out, and I limit it to a cup a day or a 1 latte or something like that.  It is allowed within my plan, with the understanding that it can be irritating to a healing pouch, make you more prone to ulcers, and possibly make you hungry.  My surgeon asks that we limit it to the "morning cup of coffee" if possible.  I limit it to 3-4 times per week because if I have coffee daily I am quickly re-addicted to caffeine and get a lot of headaches.  I have always been quite sensitive to it.