hey I am three months out..and I am starting to miss pepsi..I used to drink diet coke and pepsi max..can I drink them now??I heared it could be bad for the sleeve..

Well I am probably going to get shot down for saying this, but I have a galss of pepsi max a day, however I drink it as flat as possible, and if I get a very fizzy drink I will shake it or stir it to get rid of some gas, and from the moment I could eat again I have had a drink at meal times.

I find that I feel choked, and get a lot of discomfort if I don't have even just a couple of sips of liquid when I eat, I am still satisified after the equivalent of a chicken breast, so I don't think I am stretching things, or over eating, its just one change too far for me I'm afraid.

Blast away here are my thoughts.

If I go out to dinner I will allow myself a coke. I never drink the whole thing. I do NOT buy it and bring it home though because I can drink my day's allotment in calories in just a matter of hours and I do NOT want to be fat again. I don't buy that it stretches your sleeve. It wouldn't even inflate a balloon and I don't believe that our stomach is as thin and stretchy as a balloon.

It's a slippery slope, like ice cream. Your sleeve will not keep you from drinking too much and if you are in the losing phase you should choose your sweets wisely. That said if I want a coke I want a coke, not Water, not crystal light, a coke.

There's just no realistic way that carbonated beverages are going to stretch your sleeve after it has healed. That's a very important point: the mechanics of the sleeve while it is healing (less than about two months) and afterwards are very different. Tissue regeneration CAN respond to subtle pressures and stretch out.

That being said, once your sleeve is healed and the scar tissue fully formed, it's simply NOT going to happen; carbonation will just got out either end (ie, you'll burp or fart) and won't stretch the sleeve, which I'm told has the consistency of football leather. Find an old football and try to stretch the pigskin on it -- you'll see quickly that a few cc's of carbonation just aren't going to budge that.

Still, I don't drink carbonated beverages because they tend to be VERY acidic, and long-term exposure to high-acid environments CAN damage your sleeve (leads to higher risks of things like gastric cancer and staple-line ulcers). It's all empty calories (or in the case of diet pop, just chemical soup), so why not take your sleeve as an opportunity to quit? Pre-sleeve, I drank nearly two liters of diet Coke every day. Now, I haven't had a diet Coke in nearly 18 months. The habit breaks pretty easy once you're past the first month or so

There's just no realistic way that carbonated beverages are going to stretch your sleeve after it has healed. That's a very important point: the mechanics of the sleeve while it is healing (less than about two months) and afterwards are very different. Tissue regeneration CAN respond to subtle pressures and stretch out.

That being said, once your sleeve is healed and the scar tissue fully formed, it's simply NOT going to happen; carbonation will just got out either end (ie, you'll burp or fart) and won't stretch the sleeve, which I'm told has the consistency of football leather. Find an old football and try to stretch the pigskin on it -- you'll see quickly that a few cc's of carbonation just aren't going to budge that.

Still, I don't drink carbonated beverages because they tend to be VERY acidic, and long-term exposure to high-acid environments CAN damage your sleeve (leads to higher risks of things like gastric cancer and staple-line ulcers). It's all empty calories (or in the case of diet pop, just chemical soup), so why not take your sleeve as an opportunity to quit? Pre-sleeve, I drank nearly two liters of diet Coke every day. Now, I haven't had a diet Coke in nearly 18 months. The habit breaks pretty easy once you're past the first month or so

I have long term WLS friend with whom I was first banded (SAGB) in 2000. She developed complications a good 7yrs ago and she went the revision to Duodenal Switch route. She's required re-sleeving once in the last 5 years and says she could probably do with another resleeve, but is currently unable to fund it privately. She's a major diet coke drinker.

We're all different. It's just doesn't take much to work out that with no carbonated drink addiction, my own band was not removed until February 2011. My pouch was intact, the port tubing was leaky. I was sleeved on the 18th Sept. and I don't expect to ever need resleeving. If I do, I can guarantee it won't be down to fizzy drinks since that's something which is absolutely under my own control.

I can't make anyone elses' choices for them, nor would I want that kind of onerous responsibility. Neither can I remain silent when I've seen first hand resleeving required in a big diet coke drinker.

I haven't had a mt. dew, dr pepper or a pepsi in 15 months. I don't miss them at all. Just like when I gave up smoking I was determined to walk away from that nasty habit. I did it in a week. Don't miss that at all!! Between sodas and cigarettes the money I saved went for a beach rental for a week, shopping, and saved the rest for Christmas presents this year.

Deb

I use to say Diet Pepsi was better than a Valium. And no I don't take valium. My husband would walk in the door with a D Pepsi for me when he knew I had a bad day. There is nothing like that first sip. Preparing for the surgery I gave it up 1 month ago. I won't say I will never have any again, if I am at a social function etc I may. But when you look at the health statistics they are not good. The weight lose for people drinking diet pop are slower than those that don't drink it. I do not know if the chances of ulcer increase with it or not either. I am doing the surgery to be healthier, I figured I spent about $500.00 /yr on Pepsi. I guess I can afford that Gym membership now.

I have long term WLS friend with whom I was first banded (SAGB) in 2000. She developed complications a good 7yrs ago and she went the revision to Duodenal Switch route. She's required re-sleeving once in the last 5 years and says she could probably do with another resleeve, but is currently unable to fund it privately. She's a major diet coke drinker.

We're all different. It's just doesn't take much to work out that with no carbonated drink addiction, my own band was not removed until February 2011. My pouch was intact, the port tubing was leaky. I was sleeved on the 18th Sept. and I don't expect to ever need resleeving. If I do, I can guarantee it won't be down to fizzy drinks since that's something which is absolutely under my own control.

I can't make anyone elses' choices for them, nor would I want that kind of onerous responsibility. Neither can I remain silent when I've seen first hand resleeving required in a big diet coke drinker.

I'm sorry your friend has had troubles with her WLS, but you don't know that carbonated beverages caused it. The fact that she had a GBP or a DS raises some red flags; the lap band and gastric bypass are very different, mechanically, from the sleeve. With the first two WLS'es, the tissue pouch that remains IS very stretchy and could conceivably be stretched out over time. With the sleeve, what's left of your stomach is the tough, muscular upper portion. The stretchy fundus (bottom) is removed entirely. What remains can be stretched, but only primarily by solid foods; ie habitually overeating can do it, but drinking some diet coke is very unlikely to.

So I'll stick by my original assertion: there's basically zero chance that carbonation, on its own, is going to measurably stretch out a lap sleeve after it's fully healed with all the scar tissue. That's what my surgeon told me.

That being said, you should ask your doctor, and make up your own mind. I avoid carbonated beverages because of the acidity, so it's not like I have some vested interest in promoting them

I used to be a huge Diet Coke fan. However, now I only drink one about once a month. The drink doesn't get me it is the caffine. I hated Caffine Free DC before but now I have to drink caffine free if I do have one at all. The reason is that if I drink any caffine I am up all night and have more energy than I can possibly handle. I lived on DC for that caffine before for the energy now it is the opposite. Isn't it interesting how our bodies work?

I started drinking diet pepsi/coke at about 11 months out and it was soooo good . I drink fountain drinks only, and usually let them sit at least 30 minutes before I drink (even if I'm not eating). I don't drink diet soda like I use to AT ALL. But if you can do without I would say, don't go back to it.