This question is for the GBS and lapband folks. I know we have several here. Are you able to drink Coke, ginger ale and other artificially carbonated drinks? What about drinks with natural bubbles, like mineral water and champagne?
The reason I’m asking is, the surgeon who did my bypass advised against bubbly drinks, but he never said why. Somebody in my GBS support group said it’s because the fizzy drinks won’t stay down in your new little pouch - you swallow a glass of Coke and it immediately bubbles back up and comes out of your mouth and nose. Is this true?
The reason they advise against it is that there is a belief that the carbonation might encourage your “pouch” to expand and therefore defeat the operation.
Plus, soda is empty calories. It doesn’t fill you up the way solid food does, so you end up taking in more calories than you would if all your calories were from solid food.
As for personal experience, I have a lap-band. I swore off ALL carbonated beverages for about the first year, while I was actively losing weight. Now that I’ve had the band for almost four years, I’ve relaxed a bit and drink coke ON RARE OCCASIONS (for example, while studying late at night, I sometimes need a jolt of caffeine to wake myself up).
I have no problems from it. It makes me burp a little more than it did before, but no pain or any apparent effects on the integrity of my stomach.
However, I think one of the big reasons that so many Americans end up fat in the first place is because this society encourages habits like drinking coke as a daily beverages. I think if you are going to drink Coke, you should look at it as a special treat (it’s basically liquid candy) rather than a beverage to have with every meal.
It’s too easy to pack on weight without even noticing when you drink liquid calories. I strongly recommend making sure you don’t allow yourself to fall into the habit of drinking Coke-like beverages on a routine basis ever again.
I’ve gotten into the habit of drinking ice water instead, and I feel a lot better after downing a bit glass of ice water than I did from drinking coke all day.
I had laparoscopic gastric bypass 2 years ago in April. My surgeon only prohibits carbonation for the first 6 months. He is super-strict about other things (example – no white carbs at all until 12 months post-op), so I found this funny that so many surgeons say no carbonation forever. I asked him about it. His response was that there are studies that show a link between WLS patients who drink carbonated beverages and regain. The studies do not show why but the assumption is that the gas bubbles can force any food that may be in the pouch through the stoma – stretching the stoma. I have no cites for this – it is just what my surgeon told me.
That all being said, I stopped drinking carbonated beverages 1 month before my surgery and simply have no desire for them since. I have had carbonated beverages since – both times were accidental (hubby bought me mixed drinks not realising they had carbonated beverages in them) – and had no ill-effects.
Of course, in my book, only non-carbonated, non-caloric, non-caffienated drinks count towards my water intake, so I just don’t have enough time in the day to get all my nutritional requirements (water, protein, etc) in AND add in carbonated drinks just because, ya know?
AFAIK, there is no reason for a lap-bander to stop drinking carbonated beverages – I know many banded people who never stopped drinking soda and have done just fine.
I had my gastric bypass 3 1/2 years ago and I do drink soda once in a while. The sugar bothers me more than the bubbles, so I can only drink about 1/2 of a can or a 1/3 of a bottle. Or I can sip it over the course of a couple of hours.
As for carbonation pushing food through the stoma and stretching it, I wouldn’t have that problem. I’m one of those people who still can’t drink with my meal. I get sick if I do, even with water. My mother had surgery a year before mine and she’s been able to drink while she eats for a long time.
Everyone is different, but that’s my experience anyway.
I don’t drink and eat at the same time either. I have a micropouch (still holds only about 1.5 oz if I push it), so it would be painful for me. To clarify – the studies were specifically with people who did not drink/eat at the same time. I also asked about that, as I would assume that would happen with any kind of beverage, not just carbonated) and the thing is that we may still have food items in our pouches for several hours after eating before they pass if not chewed thoroughly – those are the particles that can stretch the stoma if forced through.
A regular stomach is flexible, and has quite a bit of volume; this moderates the effects of outgassing. Drinking pop can give you bad case of gas in very short order, plus leave you open to an episode of dumping if you’re prone to it. Prepare to belch a lot in any case.
I drink Diet Pepsi on occasion, but it’s not often, and I can’t handle a 12 oz can on my own anymore. Since my surgery, I drink water almost exclusively, and that’s caused me to lose my taste for carbonated drinks in general.
I also drank a beer once. I was trashed after a single draft. Burped a lot, and came out of it in about 2 hours.
Bullcookies. The only way it’ll come back up is if your stoma is plugged. If your pouch is empty, liquid will run right on through into your intestines without hardly slowing down. Once there, there’s not much of a way for the gas to get out upwardly, so you’ll bloat a bit, and then comes the air biscuits a couple hours later.
If you’re eating at the same time you’re drinking carbonated something, then the flow rate will slow down enough that outgassing will happen in the pouch, and you can belch.
For those who don’t know, a stoma is a surgical opening, and the one in question is at the bottom of the reconstructed stomach. There is no pyloric ring controlling the flow into the small intestine anymore.
I’m 2+ years post-op RNY. I gave up sodas pre-op on the requirements of my surgeon. I had one sip of diet Pepsi about 2 months ago and aside from the fact it tasted like crap, it made my pouch feel funny. Carbonation can be tough on a new pouch, but I don’t believe the GBS urban legend that carbonation can expand your pouch.
I just found it gave me discomfort, yet I can have champagne with no side effects (be careful about alcohol consumption post-op; how it affects you can vary wildly)
I’ve had an adjustable gastric band for the last two years. My team asked me to swear off any type of fizzy drink for good. Even champagne, which I love!
The reason given was that filling my pouch with gas and making it expand quickly could encourage my band to slip out of place, which would be bad. I’m encouraged to avoid anything that would increase my chances of having my band slip. I’ve stuck to it so far and think I’ve adjusted enough to avoid fizz for good.
I am nine years post-op on my gastric by-pass. (Fat Tuesday, 1998) This may sound strange, but I had not really thought about how much I have cut back on carbonated beverages! I wasn’t told that I couldn’t drink them, but I guess I found out by trial and error that they weren’t satisfactory. I usually get a can of iced tea or a bottle of coffee now that you mention it.
