I work the night shift, so staying awake can sometimes be a problem. Everything I've been reading says to stay away from caffeine. If that's the case, anyone know a good way to get energized at 3 in the morning?

My surgeon never told me to stay away from Caffeine. In fact I told him up front that if that was part of the deal it would be a deal breaker for me. Not that I drink a lot of it but my morning coffee is a must. Actually what I said to him was look doc at my age (67) there isn't much left, can't smoke, drink and sex is not what it used to be so if coffee is taken away I might as well give up..lol. he laughed.

I add mio tangerine to my water. It has added vitamin b12 and I swear it helps me. It could be in my head, but maybe that's worth a try.

I've been drinking tea while on shift. I'm not sure if it's the caffeine in that or just the overall weight loss but I haven't had a really hard time staying awake.

My doc says no caffeine for three months. I didn't drink coffee till about eight months because my earlier tries were a no-go. It tasted crappy for a long time. It's finally tasting good to me again and now only one cup gives me a definite boost. :-)

I was a pretty big coffee drinker before surgery, but I gave up caffeine per the dietician's orders. Funny thing is that my surgeon at my last appointment advised me that the belief that moderate caffeine consumption dehydrates you (the common reason we are advised to avoid caffeine) is a myth. He told me that he really doesn't care if I want to drink a cup or two of coffee per day after 8 weeks post surgery. He advised waiting 8 weeks because our healing space is small and there's little nutritional value. Also, coffee is acidic.

That said, I have only used decaf thus far -- and rarely at that. Coffee doesn't taste that good to me anymore and I am kind of glad I broke my caffeine addiction. I also worry about the acid and ulcers.

ANYHOW, my point is, perhaps you could ask your doctor if one cup on working nights would be acceptable?

There are natural energy boosters. Green Tea extract, ginseng, etc. you could ask your doctor if you'd be able to take one of these. I just started taking green tea extract. Couldn't tell you how well it works because I've only taken it twice.

I was allowed coffee from day 2. I am 2 months out and still have 3 cups a day. They suggest you stay away so you don't dehydrate but just make sure you still drink other stuff too and you will do fine

I was allowed coffee from day 2. I am 2 months out and still have 3 cups a day. They suggest you stay away so you don't dehydrate but just make sure you still drink other stuff too and you will do fine

I wasn't told to stay away because it dehydrated you....that's actually a myth. My nutritionist told me no caffeine for 3 months because it's acidic and will irritate your healing pouch. Every dr/nutritionist is different. It's best to follow yours.

Coffee is acidic?

I was told caffeine increases appetite and to stay away from it... Who knows

coffee is acidic?

Yep! My nutritionist actually said that caffeine is acidic. However, I found this online:

Taken from healthy.net...

The Acidity of Coffee Irritates the Stomach

Coffee is highly acidic and it can stimulate the hypersecretion of gastric acids. Decaffeinated coffee has been shown to increase acidity to a greater degree than either regular coffee or caffeine alone.

Both caffeine and coffee stimulate gastric acid secretion and decaffeinated coffee raises serum gastrin levels.

A study comparing the ability of decaffeinated coffee with that of a high Protein meal to increase gastric acid secretion and gastrin levels found that decaffeinated coffee was a more powerful stimulant of acid secretion and gastrin release than the high protein.

Coffee tends to speed up the process of gastric emptying, which may result in highly acidic stomach contents passing into the small intestine more rapidly than normal. This may lead to injury of the intestinal tissue.

There is a clear relationship between reduction of stomach acid and heartburn relief.

My dr. Just told me the same thing.. I had an ulcer and it healed but I'm still having the pain in the middle just under my rib cage. He did an egd and everything looks great. He asked me what I drink and I told him a cup of coffee and usually 2-3 16oz cups of hot green tea or peppermint tea.. He told me that could be causing the pain because caffeine is highly acidic!!