Question:
WATER, HOW MUCH CAN YOU DRINK AT ONE TIME?

My husband drinks alot, I mean alot of water and he is considering this surgury and he wanted to know if he could still drink his water and if not how much will he be able to drink at once? Has anyone ever dehydrated from not drinking enough after surgury? Also, one more, can you drink beer ect... after and how much of it?    — DBXX (posted on April 17, 2002)

April 17, 2002
Ok this is just my personal experience.. this is NOT the best advice.. Our dr. just wanted us to sip on 3 oz of fluid an hr. I was so dehydrated that I couldn't stand it.. so about week 2 I started to drink as much as I wanted.. TRUST ME IF YOU DRINK TO MUCH YOUR STOMACH WILL HURT> ... you can drink a few oz every 5-10 mins and get away with it..I can put away at least 64 oz of water a day. I have heard not to drink alcholol as it goes straight to your liver after bypass.. I don't know if this is right or not.. I am not a drinker...Good luck!
   — Allie A.

April 17, 2002
At first you will only be able to sip around 3 to 5 ounces over a 45 to 60 minute period. But, it does get better with time and by 5 to 6 months out you will be able to drink your 64 ounces of fluid a day pretty easily. I still have a hard time only because I forget to drink and eat sometimes. That is the other thing that changes with this surgery. I used to drink a 6 pac of diet pepsi every day and that didn't include my coffe and pop at work or any water that I took in. I had concerns about as to how much I would be able to drink post-op too. Well, your habits will change and you will most likely not feel the need to consume large quantities of water or anything else. And, yes, posties have become dehydrated because we haven't drank enough fluids, so you do need to get in as much as you can on a daily bases, using the 64 ounces as your goal. It is highly recommended that you do not drink alcoholic beverages post-op for several reasons. One, they are loaded with empty calories. Two, beer is carbonated and it could stretch the new pouch. Three, you don't want to fill up with fluids before you eat, as you will then not be able to consume the much needed food for proper nutrition, nor drink anything too soon after eating and become overly full. Also, drinking fluids with or immediately after eating may flush your food out of your pouch too quickly, causing a higher degree of malabsorption. Anyway, this is what my surgeon told me and I follow his advise very carefully and I have lost 100# in 5 months without any complications. Tell your hubby not worry about whether he will be able to drink beer or large quantities of fluids after WLS, because his tastes and needs will probably change. Beer may not even taste good to him post-op.
   — Susan M.

April 17, 2002
I drink at least 64 oz. of liquid or more per day. I am 1 month and 10 days out and have lost 59 Lbs. I drink primarily Kool-Aid with Sucralose or Iced-Tea and lots of Orange Juice (low-acid) because I get leg-cramps, it is quite a bit of sugar but I do alot of walking and exercising (nothing strenuous) I am not a water fan and to answer your last question not a drinker...granted my cousin is 5 1/2 months out and went back to drinking alcohol and it caused him major pains and a plateau in weight loss...after cutting down severely to almost quitting he has started to lose weight again. Good Luck!
   — Glenn M.

April 17, 2002
Hi! In the beginning it was VERY hard for me to drink my water. My pouch hurt whenever I drank. But steadily I was able to drink more and more. I can drink alot of water. I can drink about 16 ounces in less than an hour. I get most of my water in before 1pm. I am 8 weeks post-op Lap RNY. Once the pouch is healed it won't be a problem for him at all. The thing that's going to slow him down is that he cannot drink and eat at the same time after surgery. I wait 30-60 minutes after a meal before I start drinking again. So he will drink less simply because there aren't enough hours in the day to eat AND drink. Good Luck to you and to him!
   — Laura B.

April 17, 2002
My doctor has his pts. start sipping on fluid as soon as they pass the leak test in the hospital. We are told to sip water almost continuously. I am 5 wks. post op and have never had a problem with drinking. I can't take big drinks, but it has been easy to get in 64 oz a day. When I first came home, the docs order was 4-6 oz per hour. Lots of new post ops dehydrate and have to go to ER for IV fluids. Above all......Protein and Water!!! Good luck to you.
   — Bonnie H.

April 17, 2002
I drank over a gal/day of ice cold water pre-op. AFter surgery, I was not thirsty! Amazing. Now I know it was the sleep apnea making me so wildly thirsty, so perhaps as his diabetes or apnea abates, he will be less thirsty. I can drink a reasonable amount now (many yrs later), so that's not a problem. Just the first few weeks are kinda tight. I personally don't drink alcohol as that would ultimately reverse my wt loss (sugar), so not going there.
   — vitalady