I thought I would post this topic because it may help others and I wonder if others are still waiting for hours to drink after they have eaten their food.

Someone just made a post about not drinking up to a certain time after eating.

Just think about it, if you "wait" and NOT wash the food down, it is actually sitting in your esophagus, "stretching" it over time, we lap banders do not have a pouch -- like Bypass people do, although we have called it that in the past, the band actually makes a little area above the banded stomach which is actually the lower esophagus.

Well there is a LOT of misinformation going on now about not drinking and eating at the same time. When I got my band over 8 years ago, we were given the 30/30 rule to drink up to 30 minutes before a meal and not drink until after 30 minutes after we ate.

NOW -- based on new evidence that MANY lap band surgeons and nutritionist are not aware of is waiting to drink IS NOT ADVISABLE - BUT CAN IN FACT CAUSE LAP BAND COMPLICATIONS.

Could this be why the lap band complication rate in the US is so high? Could be, there is evidence by the most skilled lap band surgeon who created the green zone that waiting to drink will actually CAUSE esophageal dilation because the food must be washed through each time we eat and NOT sit in the esophagus causing to stretch, FOOD should always pass through the band and not sit for hours or days inside esophagus.

Also I do find that if I eat and drink with my new band, I still get satisfied. Also if we can't drink right after taking a bit of food without vomiting the band is too tight, food and liquids should always go past the band.

Please read this article on this subject in its entirely, I also gave this article to my own surgeon for him to review it because MANY US surgeons follow the Green zone chart to prevent complications with the band.

One of the key lessons learned from Burton’s studies was that each bite of food should pass across the band completely before another bite is swallowed. There is no pouch or small stomach above the band and there should never be food sitting there waiting.

http://bariatrictime...1/#comment-2133

Gastric Banding and the Fine Art of Eating

According to the article the food goes completely acroos the band if we wait a minute between bites. It doesn't said anything about the food sitting in the esophagus if we don't drink and eat.

Quote from the article:

swallow, then wait a minute. The patient must wait for that bite to go completely across the band before swallowing another bite. Normally, it will take between two and six peristaltic waves passing down the esophagus, which can take up to one minute. This is probably the biggest challenge of educating the patient who has undergone LAGB. You must instruct the patient to eat slowly—chew well, swallow, and then wait one minute.

Even if the band is placed at different positions for different people,I still feel that drinking a little water or liquid with the food is certainly going to help as it will not only drain the food down into the stomach but also save the esophagus from getting irritated and thus throwing out the food that you have eaten.Also to stop the food to give the dry feeling in the food pipe it is always better to drink liquid along with your food.

Not trying to be mean here but Really? When does the advice on here contradict your own Dr.? I was told to refrain from drinking with my meals by my Surgeon.. he is very experienced has had a tremendous success rate and has tons of patients who are successful.. If he tells me to stand on my head and sing yankee doodle that is what I am doing.. New people to this site must get confused on a daily basis by all the so called experts.. It's okay to give general tips but telling people that it's okay to do something even when they were advised not to is reckless..

I was told by this by my first surgeon's office too, I've had my band long enough to question some of these US surgeons, they did not have clinical experience when I got my band over 8 years ago....NOW we KNOW the long term effects of doing things wrong --- which long term MOST US surgeons patient either develop esophageal dilation or pouch dilation, two different complications.

Thank god I do my own research outside of my surgeons office, it's good that you are doing well, and hopefully will continue to do well long term and KEEP good tight restriction long term.

My band is on my stomach. Below the esophagus , and below the Lower esophageal sphincter.

http://www.webmd.com...f-the-esophagus

Here is what a picture looks like of where a lap band should be.. and note in picture they even call it a pouch.

http://www.glorysurg...ds/lap-band.jpg

I'm sorry you had issues, and had to get re-banded, and you found information helpful to you. But its not a catch-all for everyone.

Also you never answered my 2nd question..

2- Why get a LapBand if you are going to wash the food thru the band to bottom of stomach, each time you eat.? its suppose to give you a full feeling. The full feeling switchs are on the top of the stomach, which is why you leave the food sit in the top part of stomach for a while. so you feel fuller longer.

-Debbi

Debbie,

Not to argue with you, but I just like to STATE FACTS here:

This is from the O'Brien literature THE LAP BAND DOES NOT HAVE A POUCH

SEE PICTURE ATTACHED AND LINK

https://www.google.c...surgery;660;447

If you read the writing in red in the below picture The lap band is placed over the cardia of the stomach within 1cm of the oesophago-gastric junction. In the picture below IT STATES there is "NO POUCH" of the stomach above, just a small cuff of the proximal cardia.

According to the article the food goes completely acroos the band if we wait a minute between bites. It doesn't said anything about the food sitting in the esophagus if we don't drink and eat.

Quote from the article:

swallow, then wait a minute. The patient must wait for that bite to go completely across the band before swallowing another bite. Normally, it will take between two and six peristaltic waves passing down the esophagus, which can take up to one minute. This is probably the biggest challenge of educating the patient who has undergone LAGB. You must instruct the patient to eat slowly—chew well, swallow, and then wait one minute.

He does say this in depth when you listen to his videos --- that he no longer recommend waiting to eat, because of the long term complications it can cause.

http://www.lapbandaustralia.com.au/eight-golden-rules.html

Hmmm....personally I'm not sure if this is appropriate advice to give. Interesting article, that's for sure, but to have online members disregard their SURGEONS and follow your unsolicited advice is asking for trouble if you ask me. Thank you for your opinion, because it is just that, your opinion, but anyone that choses to change their habits based on one article from an unreliable source has fate in their own hands.

If you are eating the recommended amounts of food, and following the protocol given to you by your surgical team, the percentage of problems is greatly reduced. No one's food should be sitting in their esophagus for days, and many of us have been advised to drink after about 30 minutes to aid in the digestion process.

Good luck to you.

I am not saying to DISREGARD what your surgeon says, but you SHOULD always question your surgeon.

Believe it or not THERE ARE MANY BAD LAP BAND SURGEONS IN THE US, could yours be one of them, I don't know, but you should be aware of your body....long term many US surgeons shy away from their patients WITH problems so be careful in believing that every word your surgeon says is gospel.

Remember -- THIS IS NOT FROM ME, this is from the most respected lap band surgeon in the world -- that ALL US surgeons respect and follow. I am just the messenger -- don't shoot the messenger ..LOL

YANNO THE GREEN ZONE EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT? -- THIS INFORMATION IS COMING FROM HIM O'Brien-- NOT ME-- I don't write lap band literature - its not my profession.

here is my take on this thread:

listen to what YOUR own doctor tells you to do-- PERIOD...if you want to know a specific answer, ask your own doctor as you can see, like a**sholes, we all got an opinion...

FYI, mine said to drink up to eating

stop when eating and wait 20-30 after...

and since he is my doctor, this is what i do..

i suggest we all do just that..listen to our own doctors.

these back and forths solve NOTHING

here is my take on this thread:

listen to what YOUR own doctor tells you to do-- PERIOD...if you want to know a specific answer, ask your own doctor as you can see, like a**sholes, we all got an opinion...

FYI, mine said to drink up to eating

stop when eating and wait 20-30 after...

and since he is my doctor, this is what i do..

i suggest we all do just that..listen to our own doctors.

these back and forths solve NOTHING

In reality we SHOULD follow our own doctors advice, in fact O'Brien said to do this too, until they learned that it causes esophageal dilation long term.

We all were taught this in the beginning until we learned the long term consequences. I know MANY friends from Obesity help over 8 years ago with dilated esophagus this is not a myth, hence the band has a very high long term complication rate.

The longer the food sits in the esophagus, it can create a second stomach inside the esophagus -- I guess a real pouch, which patients complain long term about vomiting and losing the sensation of satiety and the band has to be removed....I guess some surgeons don't care they can then revise you to the Bypass..LOL

each person is able to choose to listen to their doctors instructions or not...and have at it is all i can say..that is on (them)...i am concerned with ME.....i am doing what works for ME and what MY doctor told ME to do....everyone should also...

what is that saying, you can lead a horse or camel to Water but cant make them drink...

Even if the band is placed at different positions for different people,I still feel that drinking a little Water or liquid with the food is certainly going to help as it will not only drain the food down into the stomach but also save the esophagus from getting irritated and thus throwing out the food that you have eaten.Also to stop the food to give the dry feeling in the food pipe it is always better to drink liquid along with your food.

You might want to recheck with your doc or nutritionist? I know of no doctors including Dr O'Brien who recommends using fluids to wash food through the band and you're the first I've ever read who recommends this? It's seems it would be the antithesis of what the band is trying to accomplish. solid food passing through the "pouch" or area directly above the band is what stimulates the vagus nerve to give off satiety signals to the brain. Using water to flush the food through the band will turn all foods into slider foods.

O'Brien suggests we sip water one minute after a bite if we want/need it. This gives the esophagus' peristalsis contractions time to massage food past the esophagus and stoma. jmo

tmf

why start this post asking people this question and then bash all of the answers ? you are criticizing people no matter what they answer..

why start this post asking people this question and then bash all of the answers ? you are criticizing people no matter what they answer..

LOL...that was funny ...I guess it appears that I am criticizing because I am backing up everything I say with facts...and studies directly from O'brien.

Trust me, I followed the no drinking rule for a long time with my first band, I followed my first surgeons protocol, until I learned better, and learned the hard way that some US surgeons, don't have the experience....and my old surgeon is very popular here and a part of the center of excellence....

You might want to recheck with your doc or nutritionist? I know of no doctors including Dr O'Brien who recommends using fluids to wash food through the band and you're the first I've ever read who recommends this? It's seems it would be the antithesis of what the band is trying to accomplish. solid food passing through the "pouch" or area directly above the band is what stimulates the vagus nerve to give off satiety signals to the brain. Using Water to flush the food through the band will turn all foods into slider foods.

O'Brien suggests we sip water one minute after a bite if we want/need it. This gives the esophagus' peristalsis contractions time to massage food past the esophagus and stoma. jmo

tmf

If you listen to O'Brien's video he does suggest drinking while eating ...SO does Dr Simpson who follows Dr O'Brien...

Please take the time and listen to his video when he talks about this...

http://www.lapbandau...lden-rules.html

Please please research BEFORE you post.

O'Brien suggests we sip Water one minute after a bite if we want/need it. This gives the esophagus' peristalsis contractions time to massage food past the esophagus and stoma. jmo

I just want to clarify...I don't chug water when I eat...but if I feel like I need a sip of water, I take a sip of water. I still eat slowly, take small bites, chew really well, etc. But sometimes I just need something to wet my palate.

And I have informed my surgeon that I do this. He has said that if I'm filling full for the requisite 4 hours after eatting, that it's okay to occassionally sip water while eatting.

If you listen to O'Brien's video he does suggest drinking while eating ...SO does Dr Simpson who follows Dr O'Brien...

Please take the time and listen to his video when he talks about this...

http://www.lapbandau...lden-rules.html

Please please research BEFORE you post.

I've been posting Dr O'Brien's video for over year now and know it well. Obviously you never watched it yourself??? He explicitly requires his patients to take a bite, then wait a minute before drinking any fluids. Wise up and read and listen to yourself before you post. Here's the video FYI, watch it 2:20 minutes in: