I have had my 1st cola since surgery 10/30/06. Felt fine, anyone loosing and still drinking diet soda? They said it could stretch your stomach, but friend of mine lost 85lb so far(post band) and always drinks diet pop. I love this forum and appreciate you are all the experts. :clap2: I didn't go thru all this to screw it up w/diet coke:nervous . What do you guys think??

Banded 10/30/06

1st fill scheduled 12/4/06

My doc is fine with it but I don't drink it because it causes pain in my chest sterum area, I don't know why but it does. He says your stomach is a muscle and it's not going to stretch and he's been doing these a long time.

Carbonated beverages are on the "no" list from my surgeon so I haven't had any. Maybe you could check with yours and get a definite answer.

I can sip it very slowly, if I let it sit out and de-fizz a bit first. I can't chug-a-lug it, though, or it feels like I have a pouch full of Pop Rocks.

I can do it slowly (flattened first). I don't enjoy it much, it's often uncomfotable to drink and doesn't taste as good as it once did. My surgeon says "no" as it tends to trigger food cravings.

Shawn

My surgeon said "yes" but I believe it's several months out...not at first...I certainly won't try til several months as I was banded on the 11th of this month

my doc says if you are going to drink it let it sit opened for a while first. But who wants a coke that is not crispy???

I have not tried it. I have tried to follow my doctors post band rules very strictly. But every doctor has different rules. Things are working so well for me so far so I am scared to go outside my routine.

Carbonation is the one thing that my doc says is an absolute no-no. I guess the gas can get trapped in your lower stomach and you might risk a slip and drinking it over time might cause erosion. But all docs are different!

Yup, every surgeon is different on this one. Mine said that drinking a bit of Coke when something is stuck will help to unstick it (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, from my experience).

Like some of the others, whilst I'm allowed carbonated beverages, they hurt a bit, especially if I have good restriction. My favorite alcoholic beverage when we go out used to be vodka, lime juice and soda Water. The bubbles made it way less enjoyable, so now its vodka, lime juice and still water - much more refreshing and never have a hangover from it lol (not that I drink a whole lot anyway). I will admit to the very occasional half a can of pop though, when I just need a bit of sugar.

It's best to talk to your doctor though and see what he or she recommends for you.

My doc says NO way to soda. He said it can cause band erosion! I do miss it!

Hmmm, makers of the band, Inamed, say no carbonation because it might ruin the band. Personally, I'm not going to take a chance on ruining my band...not for something that isn't good for me anyway.

Did you know that bone loss is associated with drinking colas? They're not sure if it's because of the phosphorus content in the cola (which lowers Calcium levels), or the caffeine (which causes your kidneys to excrete more calcium), or because, when you're drinking cola, you're not drinking other liquids that are good for you (Water and milk).

But my thoughts are that I got banded to become a healthier person and that means drinking more water, too...and if I'm drinking a cola, I'm not drinking water.

My surgeon says no carbonation. That being said, I've never really given up sodas.

I finally quit after my last fill, but it was because I didn't like having the farts, I mean the gas has to go somewhere and when you are in a room with a patient there are only 2 ppl to blame and when the patient knows it wasn't him, that makes for an aweward situation. :girl_hug:

My new addiction... diet lemonade..