Question:
How do I know if I have drunk to much liquids even in small sips?

I was operated on Feb 11th 2010 . I have no pain ,did not get gas, No difficulties with the anesthetic nor any extreem tiredness. HOWEVER.... I did end up with thrush in my mouth from one medication for asthma the the hospital gave me. @ days after the surgery on a visit for clearance to travel I mentioned this to the doctor and she said since it was in my mouth it was for sure in the new pouch too! YIKES. Good news is Meds to take care of that are in liquid form and not horrible to swallow. Now that the Fungus is clearing up I am now feeling my new pouch fill and empty. The doctor said that I really needed to be careful not to over fill the pouch. Am I able to take regular mouthfulls or one ounce divided into 3 sips like in the hospital? I feel tired of always having to take tiny sips and it takes so long to get in 3 cups of liquid. I have lost so far 13 lbs since the day before surgery and feel really great. I even like the vanilla shake ( I use powder in water.)    — OntarioSilk (posted on February 17, 2010)

February 17, 2010
Hi Pam, and congrats on your surgery. Not sure which procedure you had, but I had RnY in Nov and the way my doctor explained it to me was that as long as you sip periodically, you will be okay. Apparently when your stomach has liquids in it, the sphincter muschle at the exit from your stomach relaxes and allows the liquids to slowly and continuously flow from the stomach (another reason for us not being allowed to drink while eating). So as long as the sip are spaced out a minute or so apart, you should be fine. Good luck to you...thrush aside, you are off to a great start!
   — Karen K.

February 17, 2010
Hi, your profile said you had RNY... so as you may know, liquids pass quickly through the pouch and into the intestine through the new connection made by your surgeon. This is why we are told not to drink for 30 minutes before and after meals, as liquids can push food through the pouch quickly and leave us unsatisfied. I'm not a doctor, but I think maybe your doc meant solid food when he said you need to be careful not to over fill the pouch. And I think you'll probably get pain or vomiting as a sign if you go too far... as long as you are NOT drinking liquids with your meal. This is a big deal, because a normal stomach has a valve at the bottom that holds food in while it is pre-digested. After RNY you no longer have such a valve, so if you drink with meals you really do make your food leave your stomach too quickly before you feel full. My support group says you can drink as fast as you can tolerate... and that if you drink too big a gulp you'll be sorry right away due to pain. Some can drink faster than others... I'm only a week out from RNY and I seem to be able to drink faster than I expected. Hope some of this was helpful.
   — Greg K.