Question:
I am 5 wks out of RNY and have this gurgling/involuntary burping

whenever I drink liquids...why and how long does it last?    — dwdeborahmd (posted on June 24, 2008)

June 24, 2008
Your new pouch is like a funnel...Wide at the top and funnels down to a pencil width opening (stoma) When you drink (or eat) the liquid builds up faster than it can funnel out and like anything else, air must release in order for the liquid to flow... Turn over a bottle of dish soap and you can see the process that is similar to how your pouch works. If you sip slower, it won't be as noisy because air will go down and come come right back up without being blocked. Imagine when you eat denser food...That food sits much longer in the pouch and takes about 30 minutes to funnel out...If you drink water with your food, it will leave the pouch faster and cause you to be hungry sooner...If you drink AFTER you eat the water sits very heavy on top of the food before it dilutes and could stretch your stoma too fast causing pain and make you uncomfortably full for too long and then hungry again too soon. There is a reason for all the rules and madness! LOL Sip slower...and don't use a straw...With a straw, you tend to suck in more air and that has to come back out...as burps or worse...gas and bloating... Eventually, your stoma will stretch from a pencil width to about a nickel...and at that point you won't have as much burping and you'll be able to swallow pills better...This takes a good year or more...so sip instead of gulping so not to swallow so much air and don't use a straw for now...Hope that helps....
   — .Anita R.

June 24, 2008
I am almost 3 years out now and still have the gurgling when I drink but don't have a problem with burping. For some reason the gurgling is almost always after drinking coffee regardless of whether it is regular or decaf. Not much gurgling otherwise. A small price to pay for this wonderful new lifestyle! Best of luck to you.
   — sunny99

June 26, 2008
I don't have a problem with gurgling- 3 years out, but I am very careful to drink slowly- after trying to swallow too big of gulps (thirsty or in ahurry)and passing out! But I do burp if I drink too soon after something that is giving me trouble digesting; sometimes certain meats, especially in the summer and I work outside and am hot (live in Florida)I burp alot when I am getting ready to regurgitate. also if I haven't been staying well hydrated- I get into trouble when I try to eat. So just take it slow and pay attention to what your body tells you.
   — Cdavis226