Question:
Why does my stomach hurt after drinking water?

Every time I drink liquids or mainly water, I get a very bad pain in stomach that last for about 3 to 4 mintues, sometimes longer. I hope that I do not have a plug, and can you tell me just how I would know if one is there. And no bowel movement in 3 days. I am 12 DAYS post op. Please tell me if anyone else experienced this pain from drinking water or any liquids. I have talked to my doctor but he was no help, he says it happens.    — LANIE M. (posted on May 8, 2001)

May 8, 2001
Lanie, this happened occasionally with me post-op, and with almost everything that my husband drank after his RNY. Our surgeon related it to spasms in the still tender and swollen pouch area. He stressed the importance of "pushing" liquids in those early weeks and encouraged us to simply experiment until we found what worked for us. He also cautioned us to SIP, SIP, SIP! Drinking too fast or gulping the liquids (the way we could pre-op) also caused that same discomfort. For some strange reason, water made me very uncomfortable, but I could tolerate any other liquid (particularly Crystal Lite and tea) as long as it was room temperature. My husband found that although water and other liquids made him uncomfortable at room temperature, he could drink them without any problem if they were ice cold. For us, it was just a trial and error thing, but it did go away after the first 3-4 weeks post-op and has never been a problem since. Just "play" with it and try to find the combination that allows you to get plenty of fluids each day. As far as the bowel movements go, remember that at 12 days post-op, there is not a lot of stool in your intestinal tract. I found that my bowel habits changed dramatically after surgery, going from a daily bowel movement to only 1 or 2 per week. Keeping your fluid intake up will also help prevent constipation. If the problem persists, contact your surgeon for his suggestions on stool softeners or laxatives. Good luck!
   — Diana T.

May 8, 2001
My stomach only liked warm drinks when I was newly post op. Cold drinks caused spasms and pain & remember to sip.
   — Lisa B.

May 9, 2001
I found that ice cold beverages out of the fridge will cause spasm-like pain sometimes (but not always). So I pour my water or Crystal Light into a glass and let it sit for a little while so it gets closer to room temperature. That seems to help. Also warm drinks such as tea don't cause this problem for me. I am 3 wks post op RNY. As for the BM, I am having one about every other day. Wouldn't worry about 3 days as you are probably not eating alot and maybe even still on liquids or pureed foods? But if your concerned call the doctor.
   — Karen F.