Does anyone know why they tell you not to drink with your meal and instead tell you to drink 30 minutes after your meal? That is going to be a challenge as I'm so used to drinking water or iced tea in conjunction with eating my meals. Since I've always done that - its going to be hard to retrain my brain around that. Is there a medical reason for it?

The nutritionist told me the reason not to Is because it flushes the food out of the pouch faster which can lead to overeating or becoming hungry faster rather than every 4-5 hours.

It flushes the food through your system too fast and in my case if I've been drinking before I eat, the food will not go down and you'll vomit or PB. I'm in bandster hell right now - I think I'm too tight, but even a slight unfill will leave me hungry all day. Sigh. Every day is a learning experience and what works today, might not work tomorrow.

It will push the food down into the lower stomach faster. And you'll find that drinking while trying to eat some foods is disastrous. Things will get gummed up and plug the stoma. And when the food can't move through, the esophagus keeps working and working, but the gummy glob won't go through. Then there's no turning back. Either it comes back up or you sit with the "deer in the headlights look" until it passes through.

Like the others said it litterally washes it down. Pushing it down faster with drinking prevents the stomach for sensing and telling the brain- I am satisfied- ok to stop now. So, it's like your brain has no idea you comsumed that.

i never realized how important this is/was..once while eating with my ole man, i noticed he took a big drink after nearly every bite....i asked him why...and he said so he can make it go down and make room for more.....BOOM

good answer...

It will push the food down into the lower stomach faster. And you'll find that drinking while trying to eat some foods is disastrous. Things will get gummed up and plug the stoma. And when the food can't move through, the esophagus keeps working and working, but the gummy glob won't go through. Then there's no turning back. Either it comes back up or you sit with the "deer in the headlights look" until it passes through.

Ivy...I think part of my problem is drinking while eating and drinking too soon before eating a meal. I hate to get an unfill and I think I'm going to try to do things the right way before going in for an unfill. What do you think? My Protein shake is going down okay now.

I experience it differently.....food will sit in my pouch for. Certin period of time...add Water and it will instantly increase the volume in my pouch , perhaps instantly double it...causes a lot of extreme pain, possibly from pouch stretching, and in most cases I will spit everything right back up.

Think of a funnel with a narrow opening....whatever you put in the funnel will flow through the opening, how fast or slow depends upon the size of the opening..(restriction)... Now add water into the funnel with something already there passing through slowly....what happens...washes it through? More likely, overflow over the top of the funnel....

Of course, if you have a large opening, not in the Green Zone, then I can understand water flushing food through.....all depends upon howmnarrowmthe opening is....

I CANNOT drink while eating without adverse, and possible damaging (dilaton) side effects.

But that's how it is and has been for over 2 years now with me.

I have a friend that has dilated her pouch MANY times by drinking with her meals. She didn't think it was a big deal and has yo-yo'd for over 4 years now. Our doctor points to her drinking with meals as her single largest road block.

There is a video on You tube that shows what happens when you drink after eating with a full pouch. It pushes the food through faster than it should go down and you become hungry again. All the above postings are correct about that.

It will push the food down into the lower stomach faster. And you'll find that drinking while trying to eat some foods is disastrous. Things will get gummed up and plug the stoma. And when the food can't move through, the esophagus keeps working and working, but the gummy glob won't go through. Then there's no turning back. Either it comes back up or you sit with the "deer in the headlights look" until it passes through.

I agree with the "Gummy" thing...that's why I don't eat bread, among other things...but saliva alone is enough to do that.

And yes, all you can - WANT to do is get it back up.........

A little trick I do, when you get those types of stucks, is to drink Water...small sips warm water.....again the funnel analogy....when stuck, the water has no where to go, overflows, and it all comes up...once or twice and it will also bring up what food is causing the problem...

My doc is fine with a few sips with a meal. He said I would most likely not have room, and he is oh so right. Like B52, if I drink with food it tends to just cause me to get stuck. Do this over and over, and you find yourself not drinking with meals.

I thought there would be NO WAY I could possibly get through a meal w/o drinking, but over time I found that I just don't. If I drink something too soon after eating it might just come back up, or make me mighty uncomfortable. Negative reinforcement works.

I have a friend that has dilated her pouch MANY times by drinking with her meals. She didn't think it was a big deal and has yo-yo'd for over 4 years now. Our doctor points to her drinking with meals as her single largest road block.

Kind of on a different subject but when you said your friend has dilated her pouch many times. Can this fix itself? Or is it permanently damaged?

Ivy...I think part of my problem is drinking while eating and drinking too soon before eating a meal. I hate to get an unfill and I think I'm going to try to do things the right way before going in for an unfill. What do you think? My Protein shake is going down okay now.

How are you feeling today? Are you having an easier time?

I have a friend that has dilated her pouch MANY times by drinking with her meals. She didn't think it was a big deal and has yo-yo'd for over 4 years now. Our doctor points to her drinking with meals as her single largest road block.

Yo-yo'd with weight? Makes sense with a dilated pouch...able to eat more per serving....that is my warning sign, but instead of continuing I do my version of the 5 day pouch test to give it a chance to recover....

I'm surprised this person could tolerate and eat/drink beyond the pain....

Yo-yo'd with weight? Makes sense with a dilated pouch...able to eat more per serving....that is my warning sign' date=' but instead of continuing I do my version of the 5 day pouch test to give it a chance to recover....

I'm surprised this person could tolerate and eat/drink beyond the pain....[/quote']

What is your "5 Day Pouch Test"?