I just cannot handle this. I have been practicing for a few weeks and I ALWAYS need at least 4 or 5 sips of Water while I eat. It doesn't matter what I eat. It like it gets stuck in my throat and I gag.

Any ideas? TIA.

I'm no expert since I'm not having surgery until May but I too need to drink when I eat now....however, after surgery you will be eating much less so my bet is it will be much easier to skip the drink then. :-)

_{You'll be surprised how much easier it is to not drink while you eat. one your stomach will not let you put too much in too fast anyway and eating and drinking will be so painful you'll avoid it to avoid the pain. I thought the same thing before I had my surgery but it is much easier than you think the only issue I have not is that after eating im so thirsty that I am clocking watching so I can drink :-)}

I wasn't able to adhere to this rule before surgery either. After surgery it wasn't hard. First of all the transition to regular food is slow. During the puréed/soft stage it's easy not to drink while you are eating your tiny little meals because the food is super moist and we are supposed to chew until it's mush so it doesn't get dry or stuck. By the time you get to regular foods it's almost a habit. Plus we still have to still take tiny tiny bites and chew a lot.

It really is a lot easier than you think it will be post-op. I had a VERY brief (like part of one day) period once I was on soft foods where I reached for my water while eating and had to stop myself. The first time I had tuna salad I really did have to take a tiny sip of water, because it was so dry. But since then, I have managed just fine and it's second nature now. The easiest thing to do in the early days while you are learning is just not have any water within reach while you eat.

It is kind of pointless to try now. Everything is different after surgery. Don't stress about it. One of the tgingd thats happens after surgery is you learn to eat again, like a baby. New habits come easier.

I'm no expert since I'm not having surgery until May but I too need to drink when I eat now....however, after surgery you will be eating much less so my bet is it will be much easier to skip the drink then. :-)

mines May 10th!!

It is kind of pointless to try now. Everything is different after surgery. Don't stress about it. One of the tgingd thats happens after surgery is you learn to eat again, like a baby. New habits come easier.

I agree.

If you feel you must practice, then don't put something to drink within arms reach while you eat.

You keep using that word "impossible."

I don't think it means what you think it means.

My doc and nut told me that a small sip with meals was ok. They prefer not drinking, but sometimes you need the moisture.