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So I have heard contradictory stories.....why are we not suppose to drink from a straw?



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I don't know I am drinking out of a straw right now and I'm fine. I think I get more air opening my mouth gulping than I do through a straw.

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I am so glad to hear that I will be able to use a straw! It is soooo hard to drink from a wide mouth bottle in the car. My husband was driving the other day, and I was so thirsty, so I tried to take a drink, and ended up wearing it. (wide mouth bottle because I love lots of ice.)

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for me..In my preop classes we were instructed that the straw will cause "AIR" in the tummy an will cause less room for food AND it will cause bloating which will or can cause gas an belching. There was mention of its a possability it could stretch the tummy an this includes carbonation drinks . It appears that its not taught to everyone . I have tried to follow the no straw thing bc for me I prefer not to take the chance of anything irritating. at first it was hard breaking the habit of the straw an I would use it here an there unknowingly till I caught myself but I broke that habit along time ago. I'll never do carbonation again for sure and I don't care to...Im sure there will be all kinds of input on this subject..:)

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My surgeon doesn't forbid drinking from a straw. Just a few hours after surgery I was given a tray of several different kinds of drinks and I was offered straws if I wanted them. I turned them down because I have always hated straws, but my surgeon has no problem with them!

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I'm the rebel who is sipping my coke zero through a straw as I read this.

Drinking through a straw will not stretch your sleeve nor will carbonation. I'm fairly certain I'm proof of that as I am almost 2 years out and still only eat 1/4 to a 1/2 cup at most meals. It's rare that I can eat a full cup of food and never if it's all Protein.

Go ahead, tell me how horrible I am. I can take it. :D

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for me..In my preop classes we were instructed that the straw will cause "AIR" in the tummy an will cause less room for food AND it will cause bloating which will or can cause gas an belching. There was mention of its a possability it could stretch the tummy an this includes carbonation drinks . It appears that its not taught to everyone . I have tried to follow the no straw thing bc for me I prefer not to take the chance of anything irritating. at first it was hard breaking the habit of the straw an I would use it here an there unknowingly till I caught myself but I broke that habit along time ago. I'll never do carbonation again for sure and I don't care to...Im sure there will be all kinds of input on this subject..:)

I was told exactly the same as @@blondebomb :)

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I'm the rebel who is sipping my coke zero through a straw as I read this.

Drinking through a straw will not stretch your sleeve nor will carbonation. I'm fairly certain I'm proof of that as I am almost 2 years out and still only et 1/4 to a 1/2 cup at most meals. It's rare that I can eat a full cup of food and never if it's all Protein.

Go ahead, tell me how horrible I am. I can take it. :D

I say good for you! That's great news!

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I am 3 weeks out and drink from a straw. For some reason I get more fluids down that way

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My surgeon says straws are just fine. I specifically asked because of things I had read on here.

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I've been drinking Protein shakes with a straw because for some reason I can't stand to drink them straight from a glass (and even less so from the drink-blender bottle). I've been paying attention, and I think I actually introduce less (even no) air with a straw than I do drinking normally.

I keep the straw right at the bottom of the glass, and I don't try and suck up every single drop at the end like a child, so no air at all is coming up that damn straw. My dietitian advised against them, but I think this is the only advice so far that I'm going to ignore post-op. Sue me.

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So glad I saw this! I ALWAYS drank my Water with a straw pre surgery. 6 weeks post op and I'm having a terrible time getting my water in. My NUT says no straws !! I will definitely be using one tomorrow !!!

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My surgeon says no straws and I miss them! My nut said it's the air in the empty straw at the start of each sip that is bad for you and will stretch your stomach. It seems like such a small amount to me though.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

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        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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