Question:
Does drinking water too soon after eating really wash the food out

of the pouch faster (on a Lap/RNY)? My doctor never said that was the reason to wait to drink after eating. And, if it is true that the water will wash the food out does that mean if you made a bad decision and ate something that you shouldnt have (cookies, cake) can you drink water to wash the food out faster and possibly prevent some of the bad effects of the unhealthy food you just ate?    — [Anonymous] (posted on July 11, 2001)

July 11, 2001
It can go either way. You can wash the food out too soon and bypass the feeling of satisfaction that we so need OR it can make you hurl. Either way, this isn't something you want to be doing. The worst is that it can potentially cause funnel syndrome, which is a stoma that is stretched to the point that you will never feel full or satisfied. Not a happy conclusion. Now, if you eat sugars or overeat? The very LAST thing you'd want to do would be to flood that intestine with water. AS it is, the offending substance causes dumping when it hits the intestine, not the pouch. It reacts by trying to equalize the fluid inside & outside the intestine! What a mess! So, hence the dry mouth, cold extremtities, etc. To try to drink it out only intensifies the nasty feeling, so not much help at all, and is ultimately self-defeating, no matter WHAT you do. I know, I was also a drink-with-meal person. Now, I drink up til the first bite, and then not for a half hour after. It is still hard to do, but it IS worth it.
   — vitalady

July 12, 2001
I have my own reason I have discovered eating and drinking together is a no no. Diahreah. (fun!) I found when i was at a party, grazing, eat a bit, drink a bit, even though i was not eating much, the food WAS getting washed throught the intestine. Remember, your stomach doesn't really digest food any more, most of your digestion is done through chewing, or inthe intestine after the Y limb reattaches. (for an RNY). If you hurry it through the intestine with liquid, it doesn't get the chance to digest, and it leaves in the same state you chewed it. (sorry for the image, but this is what I found). How is that for a good reason? i tried that theory about pushing the bad stuff through - if it didn't work before LS, whats to ake it work now? the calories are all asorbed, and the sugar usually hits you pretty fast, so you are SOL on that, just gotta avoid it!
   — M. A. B.

July 12, 2001
Yes, it is absolutely true that drinking will wash the food through. And NO, drinking after a bad decision won't help the consequences. The consequences you speak of occur when the 'bad' foods hit the intestine, by drinking, you'll only hurry along the inevitable. If you eat too much sugar or fat with most RNY surgeries, you'll get the 'dumping' regardless. The tip about not drinking too soon after eating is only to help you stay satisfied with smaller amounts of food (the main idea behind RNY). You can 'override' the surgery by figuring out how to get more food in -- like by drinking with or soon after your meal. Now, sometimes if you drink with your meal, you'll get pain because the food is trying to exit and the liquid causes too much pressure and you'll be temporarily blocked or may cause yourself to throw up. That is another reason not to drink with your meal. Either way, it isn't a good idea but both are certainly possible to do.
   — Cindy H.

July 15, 2001
I too, have trouble not drinking when I eat. I drink right before I eat and try to wait an hour after. I sometimes take one tiny sip when I am finished and have found if I rinse my mouth out with water after that helps too. Also try and eat more wet foods seem to have them go done easier.
   — Shawnee R.