So I asked my family doctor about leg cramps because it seems to be more frequent lately and so he said to drink tonic water. Well I came home and googled it and everything I read is it's amazing for leg cramps because it has Quinine in Tonic Water which is an alkaloid and acts as an anti-inflamatory.... so of course ya'll know what my question is :)  Is this something we WLS patients can have?

Regular tonic water is high in sugar and carbs. About 110-120 calories, but roughly 33g sugar!  There is the light version without sugar. But remind me, isn't it carbonated?  If so, then that's a no, not suitable. 

DD

It's carbonated - so no, not good for us which is a shame because it also helps with headaches!

Is there.an option to make it flat and drink it for those benefits?

that was what I was thinking to do make it flat. But the calories and carbs and sugars scared me off. Leave it to a Family Doctor to "prescribe" something not suitable for WLS patient

In fairness to your family doctor, he may not be very informed about WLS patients. Best to call your centre to see what they recommend...they are the experts in WLS. (When I was at the ER at 3 weeks post-op with persistent vomiting, the surgical resident wanted me to eat something after a few hours in observation to see if it would sit well on my stomach and suggested a muffin or toast! And this was at the Civic...the same hospital I had my surgery! She didn't have a clue that I could only eat protein...)

Tammy

Hi Kerry

IMO we have to use a little common sense with our rules the further out we get.  I believe you are past 2 years?

I can tolerate carbonation if I am careful and do not chug.  Small sips and wait until it gets all the way down before taking anther.  Carbonation can hurt a bit if the bubbles get stuck somewhere down the rainbow.

I drink carbonated water in a wine glass sometimes instead of a glass of wine ( I never have a drink if I am driving) and can tolerate a beer on occasion if I sip it slowly.

Find the diet tonic and if it works for you have it on occasion. 

I'm sure you've probably been down these avenues already, but just in case you haven't had your BW checked in a while, is it possible that your potassium/magnesium/calcium needs to be upped?  Any of these can contribute too.  I see alot of people talking about calcium on these forums but I don't see as much time spent on magnesium or potassium. Personally when my magnesium gets low my legs are a nightmare and when I exercise a lot I need to up my potassium intake.  Just an alternative thought to the tonic water was all I was thinking

Agreed re: magnesium and potassium. I was getting terrible thigh cramps. My personal trainer suggested a magnesium supplement in addition to the potassium. It seems to have done the trick. And my centre was supportive when I did my three year check-in. 

I personally can't tolerate carbonation, and for some who can tolerate it, it might be a slippery slope, even years out. 

DD

I love tonic water. For the last couple of years I have not tried it but recently went back to it. I find it is very low carbonation. I often mix it with something so that lowers the carbonation as well. It is not like you are going to start chugging the stuff. AS Barb said moderation