Why can't you have caffeine? I better be trying to get off coffee and iced tea.

You can have caffeine, just not recommended since you have a small stomach and should avoid things that may cause damage or ulcers. Talk with you doctor and see what he/she says.

Oh ok. So unsweetened ice tea in moderation may be ok.

I was told to avoid caffeine because it can cause dehydration and to avoid coffee of any kind at first because it can irritate the stomach. My diet said to drink decaffeinated tea.

I think that it's especially good not to drink caffeine in the beginning because it works like a diatretic and your doing everything possible at the time time to stay hydrated. Also, for some like me caffeine causes more acid in your stomach. Acid reflux happens to a lot of people even if they didn't have it before VSG. I started back on coffee/tea in the 2nd month. I'm sure they would like me not to drink it, but they way I look at it I can drink enough now to stay hydrated and I'm already giving up a lot.

Medically (I am not yet a clinitian only a student) but according to my proffesors and all of the information I have learned, caffeing in any form (pills, coffee, tea) is both a stimulant and a diauretic. It causes the lower esophageal spincther (LES) to relax (its the gateway that allows food to go from the esopagous to the stomach, without allowing it to go back into the esophagous, including keeping the acid from going up, the stomach linning is well equiped, under general conditions to be safe from this acid but the esophagous is not), all this being said if that sphinter relaxes when it should not it causes acid reflus, which can lead to many complications. The main reason that it should be avoid specially right after surgery is not so much that since you will be taking antiacids (prilosec, nexium and the like) for the very least two months (most studies recommend at least 6months) this types of medicines lower the stomach pH and also help keep the LES closed when needed. But the main reason like people said above is the dehydration, most of us with a complete stomach have a very difficult time consuming the recommended 64 oz of fluids a say, with a small stomach specially at first that is almost impossible. even though most of the consumed Caffeine gets absorved in the small intestine, it can also irritate the newly injured (any surgery is seem by the body as an injury) stomach. This is going to be very difficult for me since I need my caffeine! but the way I look at it is, I need my health more and this will not be forever (but at least for the first few months). Good luck!