Question:
I am 2 months post op and this week I have been able to drink larger amounts of water

and can eat more food. Is this normal? Last week I struggled to get in 30 oz of water and today I drank 60 oz with no problem. Also noticed that I can eat more than I could last week. When things like this happen, I start worrying about staple line disruption or a stretched stoma. I have lost 60 lbs as of today and my surgery was on 4/8/03. I am very pleased with my weight loss and just need to know has anyone else experienced this.    — Lisa S. (posted on June 13, 2003)

June 13, 2003
Lisa, this is very normal! I'm smiling at your post b/c I remember wondering the same thing when I was eary post-op, I panicked! lol You should be able to drink more, you have to be able to get in 64oz of water, its very important for us post-ops. And your eating will increase in size a bit, eventually to 6-8oz is the general norm, instead of 1-2oz. This is how we are able to eat all of our protein if we choose to w/o the protein drinks. You're doing fine, just make sure to get in your water. Great weight loss! :-)
   — Lezlie Y.

June 13, 2003
Yes! Very normal (for a post-op). I was SO happy when I was able to take 3 gulps of water without pain. Right after surgery it was painful to even sip water...and 3 months later, I'm really DRINKING water! : ) Enjoy your new freedom! ~J
   — Jillian C.

June 13, 2003
YES!!! This is a great breakthrough! You can now get in your minimum 64 ounces of water a day, which you need (and many of us have a hard time reaching in the early weeks). <P>Remember that once your pouch has healed up a bit, it will let liquids flow right through, so keep on drinking lots of that water; it won't stretch the pouch because liquid flows through.<P>As far as food is concerned, you will find there are stages where you can eat more. Yes, your pouch stretches; it is supposed to stretch as it heals. You cannot live on the few calories you can get in during those early weeks and months. It's a sign of healing that you can eat more, but the big issue now is, you can't just put anything in there without consequence anymore. Now is the time to be sure you're putting protein first, then "good" carbs, then the other stuff. It's not the size of the pouch, it's what you put into it, that matters (look up the "pouch rules" on this point).<P>Also, if you haven't been doing this so far, start following the pouch rules, meaning no drinking within thirty minutes of eating (before or after). Some folks wait even longer before drinking after they eat, to retain the "full" feeling of the food in the pouch.<P>To avoid groundless worries about pouch stretching, start tracking what you're eating so you know your calorie intake, and your protein and carb gram intake, on a daily basis. That'll tell you if you are where you need to be, and give your doc concrete info to pass along if you really start to be concerned about this issue down the road. Staple line disruptions and enlarge stomas are real issues, but still, they are relatively uncommon complications.
   — Suzy C.

June 14, 2003
My DH had surgery on 4/9/03 and is very happy that he can get in 64 oz of liquids during the day at work! He was always a big water drinker, can't really tolerate water as well, but does fine with Crystal Light and so forth, so that's what he has at work. Of course, he drinks more at home in the evening, but tries to get most of it in during waking hours and not so much before bed. The same happened for me. I can easily get in 4-5 cups of water before lunch. I also am able to eat more than him, so his smaller pouch actually slows me down! (I am 7 months out) (Whoa! Don't want to eat more than my husband!)You are doing fine!
   — koogy