Thoughts on Carbonated Drinks

On doctor's advice I will not be drinking anything carbonated for 6 months from the day of surgery. After 6 months I would like to drink diet soda again, but I will not if the carbonation is going to impede my progress. Do any of you know if its ok to drink carbonated beverages or will it someone stretch the pouch or undermine the surgery? Having seen many post WLS people drinking soda and others who never, I will assume there is more than one opinion on this subject. Any thoughts? Thanks P.S. I may post this same question on the main RNY board to broaden the audience.

Personally, my surgeon told me this and I agree: Carbonation = BAD Carbonation, after you drink it, expands in your stomach and stretches your pouch, and you can end up fitting more food in it. Someone on here a while back, said something along these lines about carbonation: When you take a new baloon and blow it up, it's tough to do. But after you've blown it up and let the air out enough times, it gets easier as time goes by, and the baloon streches out. The same idea works with your pouch. I have no desire to have anything carbonated ever again. And this is from somene who had a 30-40 two-liter of diet Pepsi a week habit. Good luck!

DON'T get Dx Started, please. Just kidding. Perhaps he could post his carbonation post. There is a lot in it that makes sence to me. My opinion: It is up to you. I drink the occational diet sprite and very occational diet coke. I just drink it slowly and usually shake it up a bit first. What has really changed that particular habbit for me is how caffine makes me feel. I don't like the caffine so I now try to stay away from it. This is why I have gravitated to the sprite. Just don't go chasing your soda with pop rocks and you will be fine. Again, my opinion. Scott

Scott: This is a tough one... There are some who say the "will expand your stomach" warning is a myth.. others swear by it... As for me... different carbonation ( the size of the bubbles ) in a particular beverage is different.. diet coke for example seems to have large bubbles... diet sprite seems smaller.. diet red bull is lightly carbonated.. it is the smallest... I wonder what the fellow men find if they try beer again ? Currently I have fewer than 3 or 4 diet sodas a month... Diet red bull..7oz. 3 or 4 a day.. so far so good. Just my experience.. I do not recomend it for anyone else.. My Dr. says no caffine, and I do not follow that dictum.. It is hard to follow absolutes.. no.. never... none.. where do I draw the line ? It is a day at a time journey.. Kevin M.

"When you take a new baloon and blow it up, it's tough to do. But after you've blown it up and let the air out enough times, it gets easier as time goes by, and the baloon streches out." This holds true for a balloon, but with all due respect, to me, this doesn't make sense. Our pouch is a pouch not a balloon. There is a hole in the pouch going to the rest of our body. Try taking that same balloon, but put a hole (aka stoma) in it, and then try blowing it up. I think the results would be different. My doc left the choice up to me. I will sometimes have a beer or soda. Now, by no means is it as much as I used to, but I do drink them sometimes and have not had any issues. I have noticed the sweetness of a soda (I only drink diet) does give me more of a temptation to snack. Not sure why, but it does, which is why I keep that as minimum as possible.

Erik is right, I think the "make your stomach bigger" is a myth. The bubbles would come back up as a burp or go out the bottom into you intestine and add to your farts. My nut at Duke has said to avoid sodas because of the caffeine in them which help dehydrate you. He recommends diet 7UP or ginger ale or the like. He has never said anything about stretching your pouch. The area of your stomach they use for the pouch is the very top. They do that because it does not tend to stretch very much as compared to the rest of your stomach. I am 10 months out and I can eat about 6-8 ounces of dense food now. I use to eat the whole cow. I use to drink a 2 liter of diet Pepsi every day and now I have a soda a couple of times a month. I drink coffee, tea and lots of water for the most part. Soda taste a lot different to me now, more chemical so I avoid it. Regards, Tim

Pre-op, I used to drink 4 liters or more of diet coke a day. Now I have maybe 20oz per month.. why? It tastes like raw, unwashed butt crack to me now Tastes change...you might find yourself int he same boat.

Man, I just wish that I had waited until after the SuperBowl before my RNY surgery. I would've loved one last Guinness, with a few buffalo wings. Although, I thought that stuff would be completely out of the question. Now I see that maybe by next SuperBowl, I can have that Guinness, and a wing, or two.

well i was a 3-4 lt. a day diet pepsi drinker, no h2o no milk no coolaid only diet pepsi during pre diet i had some due to cravings but after rny only h2o and crystal light , have not missed diet pepsi and don't crave it right now, hard enough to get enough h2o in... think of your kiddneys as a filter, they are you know, poor h2o through a white cotton ball, then poor diet cola through, wow see the problem, how much can your kiddneys take!! since no diet soda, I've seen a decrease in edema, no more lasix and hctz also am sleeping most of the night without being up 4-6 times to pee!! so good luck phil

Hey Scott... For me....it ain't worth the pain....I personally don;t beleive inthe stomach stretching thing.....but when this stuff swirls through you pouch....it don't sit there and give you time to burb up the bubbles...it goes down and the bubbles get trapped....and for me it's like that fresh post op hell again....I may take 1 swallow if nothing else is available... bu this is just my oponion....and all opinions taste like "raw unwashed butt crack" russ