I know pretty much everything I need to know to take care of myself. How to combat head hunger, when to eat, when to drink, meds you name it! So, tonight right after dinner without even thinking I drank some water. It took a total of 15 seconds to hit me. Horribly painful stomach ache and the feeling I was going to barf or crap or both. I ended up throwing up just a bit, and learned - NEVER DRINK UNTIL AT LEAST 30 MINUTES AFTER EATING!!!!

I drink before I eat, while I eat, and after I eat...the trick for me is to sip instead of gulp. I noticed that if I take a few big swallows of Water, even when I'm not eating, it often comes right back up or causes significant pain in my throat.

I am also 28 months post-op, so my stomach has a healed a bit more than yours.

I totally get you! It's awful! I feel like I need to throw up everything... But I realized.. At least for me, it was because it was too soon for me to be drinking right after food. I'm 4 months post-op, took me three months with only drinking 30 minutes after. Like three weeks to drink 15 minutes after, and now I am taking small sips after 5 minutes, but I don't push it.. I am very careful.

While working out i got real thirsty all of a sudden. I gulped water and immediately felt nauseous for about 15 minutes. Horrible feeling, i was about 2 weeks post op.

awwww! It was about 6 months til I could drink Water 'normally' (bigger than a slow sip) and it not hurt or anything. That was a bad feeling.

Sorry that you learned that lesson the hard way.

I am wondering about some of the responses here only because I want to make sure I don't have misinformation.

I have always been told one of the rules was nothing to drink 30 minutes before and after for life. The before is simply because that little bit of Fluid can actually make you feel full and therefore you may not eat a proper meal. The after however is really critical because it can flush what you have just eaten and you will be hungry again very shortly. Then you eat and gain weight.

It is not really about it making you sick although that can detonated happen.

Do I have this wrong? I have been told this one is for life, and sometimes I miss sipping while I eat. I have literally followed this rule religiously since surgery although once when I ate something really salty I had to take a quick sip.

Djmohr - that is what I thought too. 30 before, 30 after!

I was told 10 before and an hour after for life. Specifically so the food doesn't move too quickly through my sleeve and cause me to get hungry too quickly afterwards.

I was told 10 minutes before 30 minutes after for life. I just stop eating when I start cooking and wait the 30 minutes after.

First I have had the Lap band....

I CANNOT drink while eating, or immediately after....there is just so much that will fit in my pouch at one time, and drinking something only adds to that volume, quickly.....creating a very unpleasant situation.

At a restaurant, it is embarrassing to have to get up and run to the bathroom...

I have read where many people say drinking will wash the food down, letting you eat even more....that has never been the case with me.

But with the band, it is adjustable and perhaps they have their band adjusted to where they can eat more than the next person....less restriction.