Hi there. I am having surgery on the 17th and I am curious what you veterans use to drink out of after surgery, especially since you'll have to carry your Water with you everywhere. It's just not convenient for me to have an open glass/cup everywhere, but most of my water bottles at home have some sort of straw which I know is not allowed.

I know someone mentioned using a tervis tumbler with the sip style lid, and I do have one of those, but I find them less than optimal and am wondering if anyone's found other options that they like.

I know we are not supposed to drink from straws, but I have at least 2 camelbak water bottles with the bite-tip that doesn't allow much, if any, air through. (Plus they have the nice feature of being guaranteed for life.) Has anyone had any luck with those? Does your doctor say it's okay? (I have my final meeting with the surgeon on Thursday and will definitely ask him then!)

Also, does anyone take their doctor's recommendation of buying small toddler-size plastic plates and flatware for eating after surgery? I am thinking of purchasing some of amazon. Does anyone find this helpful? What did you use?

Again my browser seems intent on posting my topics twice. Sorry about that!

I buy 32 oz. bottles of Water and refill them during the week. I always have about 3 on hand in the refrigerator. It is a great way to track your water- 2 bottles a day is the minimum I drink. After about a week or so I recycle them and get new ones. I have been doing this for about 8 months now and it really works for me. I never use a straw. I would caution on using the camelback.

My doctor recommended the smaller plates but I don't use them. I actually find myself using either the salad plate or the Cereal bowl most of the time. I douse a digital food scale and measuring cups to measure my food. I do this mostly so I can keep track on myfitnesspal. I do try to only use the smaller salad fork for my meals. My biggest problem since surgery has been eating too fast or taking too big a bite of food.

Best of luck on your surgery! You will do great!!!

I'm still home in recovery stage and am just using a cup, but I plan on using a nalgene type container when I go back (reusable, no straw). I've heard some people say the straw hasn't bothered them, but I don't want to risk it at this point. I know my team said the straws were bad also because they cause pressure in the belly while sucking, but maybe that's just during the healing phase.

And I'm glad you posted about the toddler items! It's funny, but I sort of unintentionally began choosing to use my daughter's tiny spoons for my broth. Seemed easier to manage tiny sips that way haha! Not sure I always will do that, but I will say I'm getting a new set of dishes as ours are massive and not conducive to good portion control (something I probably liked about them pre-surgery).

I've got a variety of water bottles. One I really like is the Rubbermaid shaker bottle. I take this one to the gym. It fits perfectly in the side pocket of my back pack. No straw and I like that the drink spout is screw top. I have the camelback bite tip bottle, but I would hold off for at least the first 30 days with using any type of straw. I also have a hydracoach water bottle that I only recently started using again. Give yourself at least that first 30 days. Your body is adjusting to a lot during that period and if you are one having trouble with residual gas from surgery or nausea I think even a small about of air from using a straw could be a problem.

@lily0327 - Another easy (and cheaper) option to buying new dishes is to just eat off the salad plates instead of the dinner plates.

I use my Tervis cups all the time. LOVE THEM!! I wanted a bigger one but 24oz is all I could find.

I ended up finding double walled 32oz cup at Target called Bubba (that is the actual name of the cup) LOL

With my Tervis cups I have both lids the hot coffee sip style and the flatter one that works with a straw. I never was told not to use a straw and had no problems from day one. (but like everything else you should follow your docs orders)

I cannot stand using Water bottles that sweat. I have two camelback type ones too that are 32oz but once you put some ice in them they sweat and make a mess. That is why I love the Tervis brand.

You will figure out what works best for you. In the beginning it seemed like all my hubby was doing was washing water bottles. LOL We had so many different ones I wasn't sure which ones I liked the best. But now that I have a routine we are good and I only have like four that I use on a regular basis.

Good Luck with your surgery and I hope that everything goes smoothly for you!!

I'm a fan of http://www.motivationalbottle.com

they are cute, measure the amount of Water and how much you should be drinking per hour

I use salad plates or those little snack sized ziplock bowls with lids for everything right now (on purees), and I LOVE those little plastic baby spoons. They probably look ridiculous but I eat a lot slower with them.

Still looking for that elusive perfect reusable cup myself, but one of my go-to's is a 16 ounce Cool Gear cup that looks like a soda can. It's dishwasher safe and there's no straw.

Good luck - if you find something you love, come back and let us know!

I got a toddler set of flatware...I basically just used the spoon. Mostly when I was on soft foods, occassionally I will still grab it if I think I am eating too fast - it just makes me more aware. I've always eaten with the salad fork, so I just continued with that.

As for dishes, I eat off of the salad/sandwich plate. I also use the Corning custard cups I have a lot. I know that filled to the bottom line is 1/4c and the top line is 1/2c. I used them so often I actually bought some more - this set has little plastic lids - PERFECT!

Good luck!!!

I found Tupperware has a great 3 section plate with lid that's for toddlers. I'm not to the point of using them yet. However, my mom had the surgery in May and they help keep portions small. I'm actually only a little over 5wks out and still in restrictions. I use a small condiment cup to keep the portions super small and my sister found me small o'hourderve spoon and forks. They are tiny and keep things from being big bites and make you go slow. So far I personally feel they are helpful. You have to find what works for you

I was going to buy a set of ice cube trays because I was told they were good for freezing pureed foods, but I actually found a set of 2oz babyfood freezer containers in a tray, you can remove them and they have a lid and are microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe. Those will be great for me when I go back to work and am on the mushy/soft food diet. I also got a set of toddler plates/bowls/cups/flatware super cheap (yes, at amazon). I'm sure they'll come in handy.

I ended up going with a Thermos Water bottle that @@Inner Surfer Girl suggested in the duplicate post! I got it here: http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-Nissan-Intak-Hydration-Bottle/dp/B001EGGQB6/ in magenta (for some reason the cheapest color, lucky me). What I like about it is that it's got a pour spout (obviously) and has a flip top with a button mechanism so I won't have to unscrew it every time I need a drink when I get back to the gym. Very convenient. It also locks in 2 different ways so it doesn't accidentally come flying open in your bag and spilling water everywhere. Plus there's a tracker built in to the lid so you can track how many bottles you've had that day, which is very convenient! Definitely recommend for others looking!

FWIW, I don't think the straw thing is hard and fast. In the hospital, I was given this big plastic travel mug thing.. with a straw. I had to finish it off before they discharged me. Some people have issues with straws causing gas. But a lot of people do better with a straw. So before you get it in your head that straws are bad, try one out first. You might be able to get your sips in better with one.

I don't think I would have had a problem with straws. I was using the one on one of my Water bottles after my 6 week f/u. It was my doctor who said do not use it. I guess chalk it up to different doctors, different protocols thing.

FWIW, I don't think the straw thing is hard and fast. In the hospital, I was given this big plastic travel mug thing.. with a straw. I had to finish it off before they discharged me. Some people have issues with straws causing gas. But a lot of people do better with a straw. So before you get it in your head that straws are bad, try one out first. You might be able to get your sips in better with one.

Yeah I was told that the no straw rule would be a lifetime change, but I was also told just this week by my dietitian that some people do eventually go back to drinking with straws and do ok, it's just not recommended.