This is rather silly to ask, but did everyone stop drinking from straws? I quit caffeine and carbonated drinks months ago, but I'm sad to give up straws. My surgery date is september 11, so I guess I better get used to it with all the liquids I'll have to drink!

This is rather silly to ask' date=' but did everyone stop drinking from straws? I quit caffeine and carbonated drinks months ago, but I'm sad to give up straws. My surgery date is september 11, so I guess I better get used to it with all the liquids I'll have to drink![/quote']

I was told no straws because they cause gas bubbles. But every surgeon is different it seems.

My doctor said "absolutely NO STRAWS". You can inhale too much air while drinking with a straw. I always used a straw to drink my soda. I do not drink coffee or tea but would drink 6-8 cans of diet pepsi lime a day. I was freaking out a bit because I did not want to give up my diet soda but I had to. I took a sip of the diet pepsi line the other day and it tasted like a bunch of chemicals - I think my taste has changed as well.

I drink from straws regularly now. I am 7 months post OP and started again with straws at 4 months post OP. I don't have any problems or pain. I know I won't drink the water I need if I can't have it through my straw. Give it a try and see how you feel, it's really the only way you'll know. Good luck!

Maybe if someone has a swallow study-drink that nasty barium first with a straw, and then just drinking it...watch your pouch live and see what it does. I had one done two months ago, no straw, and it does stretch with large swallows, and swallowing air does the same thing. So, my doc had said no straws, so I use no straws. Do we want to fail all over a straw or carbonated drinks? Not I. It's not worth it. I don't want those 80lbs back.

Just met with my dietician and let her know that I do get in my 64 oz of fluid but it's hard without the straw. She said it was ok for me to use one but just beware of how quick you suck the fluids down. Each person is different. So I'm gonna try it.

My surgeon said no straws - you take in too much air which can stretch the pouch. I know some folks choose to use them but I think you have to be carefull about "expecting" some kind of pain or other physical response to signal you that there is a problem. You could drink from straws without suffering any obvious side effects but that does not mean that you are not stretching the pouch from the additional air that you're swallowing.