I was reading the board last night and came across one of the long diet links that had been posted here. I can't remember which one it was. It said straws are a no no. Can anyone tell me why please? Is it because of not being able to control the "gulping" of drinks and overpowering your stomach w/ liquid?

Right now I'm in the learning/reading phase. I had my first appointment on Wed and my surgeon won't touch me until I've quit smoking for 3 months so I'm looking at a surgery date of sometime in July. *sigh*

I've already got my appointments for all the pre-screenings with the different drs..psych eval & medical so I'm at least on the path now.

My postop diet from the doctor's office doesn't say anything about straw use. The info packet I got from the hospital bariatric unit only says that straws may cause you to swallow more air. I had decided against them based on what I heard preop about straws, but after reading this thread I asked the nurse about it at my 2 week appointment. She said it's pretty much individual choice.

So, I tried it yesterday and VOILA! I got a lot more Fluid in a shorter period of time without any pain or additional gas. I do get gassy if I drink too fast with or without a straw so I think that's a different issue. But, I'm excited about the straw helping me get my 64 oz per day.

I couldn't do it the first little while because I would drink too quickly and slime and it was nasty! Now its no problem.

6 weeks out and using a straw. Somehow the "chugging" part of drinking made me more nauseous than using a straw. I have no issues with it at all. One thing I would like comments on, though. Does anybody else have problems with STRAIGHT water? Drinking plain water makes me nauseated as soon as it hits my "stomach." If I flavor it with something like crystal light, no problem. I really liked drinking water before surgery - not now! lol Also, stopped any carbonated drinks Jan 2010 "just because" I was so addicted to Diet Coke before even considering any type of surgery. What is the reasoning behind no carbonated drinks at all. Sometimes just the tast of a Sprite or Fresca sounds so refreshing - I realize there would be more gas but.... (smile)

Oh my! I could have written that post, yes it is normal to have a weird reaction to just water. I have had some people say that its because of the change in amount of acid in our stomachs, I dunno. I do really well if it is ICE COLD for the most part the nausea part of it has gone away, it used to feel really heavy and get me almost every time. The carbonation thing as it was explained to me is because the carbon dioxide when it reaches a temperature change (98.6) it can cause your stomach to inflate. Some disagree with this stating that the portion of our tummies we have left are very difficult to stretch. I am choosing not to go back to diet coke because I have had lots of what I thought were health problems go away. Fewer headaches, no more IBS, and with diet coke I always want something sweet to go along with it. Good luck!!!

I wish I had a Sonic here! There is one by my house in Arizona but I have never seen one in Oregon.

There are Sonics in Salem, Hillsboro, Wilsonville and Tigard.

There are Sonics in Salem, Hillsboro, Wilsonville and Tigard.

Ahh no wonder I have never seen one. I rarely leave the coast, and if I do, it's to Eugene.

Ahh no wonder I have never seen one. I rarely leave the coast, and if I do, it's to Eugene.

When I moved here 7 years ago there wasn't a single Sonic in the state (I actually checked and Idaho was the closest one). I had no Sonic for 3 years, then they finally got the one in Hillsboro. The newest one is in Tigard and only about 6 blocks from my house. I thought it might be a real problem for me, but it's been there for 6 months and I only rarely eat there. Obviously, I'm still pre-op.

...lol.

I love Sonic ice, too! I buy bags of it! Thanks for all of the info on the straws! Something I never really thought of. Glad I can still use them since I love them.