Question about Drinking and Eating...Looking for the Vets help here

In speaking with the Dietician yesterday at the surgeon's ofc, she said something different than what the NP had said in class.

She said it was ok to drink right up until you ate.  To wait 20 minutes after you finish eating to drink.

The NP had said in class "Do not drink 20 min before or 20 min after".

I asked the dietician "what exactly does it do" if you drink while eating?  She said "It fills you up"

I explained that sometimes it takes 2 hours for me to eat something.  She said "In that case, it's ok to drink because you can't get dehydrated."

When I got off the phone (she's very hard to reach), I realized I had another question.  Tried to call back, she was already on the phone with someone else (she returns phone calls but sometimes it takes a few days).

So, here is my question......

If I am taking a long time to eat, then if I have some water or tea with it, will it affect what I absorb (good or bad)?

Thank you

Separating food and drink is a RNY recommendation, not DS. Drinking won't affect your absorption.

Thank You!

Drink! When you're new you won't have room but in a few weeks you can drink a little with your meal too.

--gina

If I drink too much before I eat, I don't have room for food.  A few sips during or after are fine but if I drink too much after, then I can feel my stomach is empty sooner than if I drink less so then I need to eat something else to get rid of the empty feeling so more room to take in calories.   I have been advised not to over think it.  Just listen to your body.

There are only two things that are actually absorbed in the stomach---aspirin and alcohol. Everything else gets absorbed in the intestine.

AMEN!

That is RnY education.  What ELSE have they told you that is RnY info and WRONG for those with the DS?  I always consider the eating/drinking issue to be a red flag and make sure you look very carefully at ALL the advice they are giving you.  If they don't understand the DS well enough to know it is OKAY to drink when you eat then they don't understand the DS.

Of course early out drinking will fill you up so try to eat protein but STAY HYDRATED!!!

~Becky

What you absolutely do NOT want to do early out is get dehydrated.  it takes time to work up to your food capacity with a DS.  Immediately post op, my sleeve had a capacity of 2.8 ounces.  I can now hold an 8 to 10 ounce meal at one sitting.

I drink with meals now, but early out, I had no room.  In the first year of your new DS, your sleeve is going through what is called a "maturation" process.  Unlike the RNY pouch, the DS sleeve is designed to stretch to accommodate larger meals.  DSers need to eat more, especially protein,  because we are more malabsorptive. 

Early out, the rule is fluids first, protein next, supplements last.  If you were on a pre-op plan to build up vitamin and mineral reserves going into surgery, you will be all right until you can eat more, plus, the protein shakes also count as fluid intake, so you can kill two birds with one stone there.   You will also have to work up to taking the full doses of your supplements.  For DSers dry tablets are better, but early out, you might want to go the liquid route, at least for the multi and your calcium,  since there's not a whole lot of room in there yet.  NOW and Lifetime have some pretty decent tasting liquid vites and calcium, respectively.

By the way, I quarter *all* my vites and supplements.  This gets the coating out of the way so your stomach acid can go to work dissolving the important stuff inside as quickly  and thoroughly as possible.  If your tablet is smooth, shiny and/or colored, chances are it has an enteric coating. Get a pill cutter and cut it in half, then cut the halves in half.
If the tablet is dull and has a pwdery feel to it, it probably does not have a coating.  Don't worry about opening up capsules.  The stomach acid makes quick work of dissolving the gelatin the capsule is made of.

With the RNY, drinking will wash out the food, thus rendering a hungry pouch all over again.   With the DS, we still have a working plyoric valve (NOT a stoma) controlling the exit of food.  Fluids will fill you up if you drink too much, though, so I recommend sipping sparingly if you must.  My first year, I would sip a little, and save any significant drinking until after I was eating.  Today I eat and drink plenty during my meals.