Ok I am still in the pre-op stages, but I feel thirsty a lot and I normally drink a lot of Water in a day. The more I read about the sleeve it seems like it would take forever for me to drink the same amount of water I normally drink in a day. Am I going to feel thirsty and dehydrated ALL the time after getting the sleeve? What do you do if you get the "stuck" feeling, but aren't supposed to drink at the same time you eat? I don't think I've ever gone a meal without having a drink too... maybe that is something I'll have to start now.

Start practicing not drinking with meals. If you chew well, eat slowly, and watch to make sure you don't overeat, you will see you don't need to drink while eating.

Drinking is very hard at the beginning but now 4 months out I can drink fairly quick and have no problems getting my fluids in.

Not everyone will have difficulty with getting their fluids in after surgery. I'm one of the lucky ones. As was suggested, I started "practicing" no fluids with meals, chewing like crazy, etc., ahead of time. You'll have a much easier time and feel so much better if you're able to get your fluids in. I had that in my head as a major goal and did well. Good luck!

@TinyTink Good tip, I hadn't thought about practicing the chewing early.

I drank TONS of water pre-op. Usually a gallon a day or more. Post-op, it was initially a struggle to even get in the minimum 64 ounces, but it becomes much easier in the months post-op and I haven't had any trouble with drinking as much as I need since about 3-4 months post-op.

In my opinion, the massive amounts of soda, tea, milk, juice, etc. that I was drinking with each meal probably expanded my stomach, making it easier to be a "gobblegorp" and overeat.

Indeed, now is the time to begin practicing the new behaviors you will need post-op. You will need the head start to make the post-op transition easier.

It was hard at first to get that required 64 ounces in, but you just have to keep Water with you and take a small sip every few minutes. By six months, I had no problem getting about 100 ounces and now at two years +, I am closer to 120 ounces. I can drink a 10 ounce bottle of water in about 15 minutes, but I will never be able to be a "guzzlegorp" again and swig it all at once.

The only problem I had with not being able to relieve food stuck in my throat was when I tried Peanut Butter in the soft food stage. It took forever to get that PB washed down. I waited a long time before I tried it again. Testing foods at the various stages is truly an exercise in "trial and error" research.

One thing I did do without guilt was when I got to regular foods and started testing tolerance to spices and peppers, I would have a sip at the end of the meal to rinse out my mouth and then spit it out.

Your new tummy will forever be the boss of you, so you may as well practice submission now. When I would mess up and try something I was not ready for, Miss Tummy would make me miserable for hours.

If one reason for your thirst I'd high blood sugar, that will get much better as you lose weight. I used to be the person the waitress finally left the water pitcher for, and I don't miss drinking that much water at all. I'm VERY rarely thirsty.

If one reason for your thirst I'd high blood sugar, that will get much better as you lose weight. I used to be the person the waitress finally left the Water pitcher for, and I don't miss drinking that much water at all. I'm VERY rarely thirsty.

That's true. Unusually high thirst can be a symptom of pre-diabetes. It could also be to a very high sodium intake. Both of those issues would be alleviated post-op.

Thanks everyone. I'm definitely going to try to start not drinking with meals. I'm a dispatcher so I almost always have a drink especially when I have to eat right at the desk, so this will take some getting used to. But I'd rather start now to make it easier after surgery. I drink almost a gallon of Water a day now so it'll be a big adjustment in the beginning if I'm not drinking as much, but hey maybe I won't have to use the bathroom as much either!