Finally had my surgery on 5/25, back home and doing good so far. Had one nice chuckle while I was being poked and prodded during my 3 day hospital stay. Had my surgery at OSU (Go BUCKS!). Due to heart problems and a couple of the meds I was on, my stay was in the heart step down unit, instead of the bariatric wing. My surgeon came to see me each day, along with a cardiology team, and nutritionists. This is where it gave me a chuckle...

After seeing a few different "straw topics" get posted in the past few weeks, I had asked my surgeon about it during my pre op. He said that he has no problem with his patients using a straw, and that excess air would not stretch out the sleeve. As I was taking my meds on Fri (using a straw to sip water), my surgeon and the cardiologist came in. A couple of minutes latter the nutritionist and bariatric counselor came in. She saw me sipping Water to take my meds and immediately told me I could not be using a straw. From there it was a rehash of every post I had read on here, between the 4 of them.

FYI, my surgeon and cardiologist won out.

Ah.....such a stellar thread.

It has started my last two mornings with grins.

Grins.....and a bit of science thrown in for good measure. And speaking of measure......good to know that big gulp straws are welcomed at #teamstraw. #wrinkleprevention.

@@CHM - It really was...ahem...a question for everyone to think about. I figured you would take the challenge on and answer

Which you did, perfectly!

So when I suck,

I should also blow (out the excess air)

and swallow (not spit)...

hmmm

I had surgery about 11 months ago. When I first got out of surgery, I had a huge problem trying to get enough liquids in. Even though the Dr recommended to not use a straw, I figured I would try because I was desperate at the time to not go back to the hospital for dehydration. Well, the straw did the trick. I still use them now. If I don't, I don't get enough fluids in. Also, I am not able to drink out of a water bottle without it. When I drink straight from the glass or water bottle, I either drink too much at one time or suck in too much air and it hurts.

I am able to drink more fluids using a straw, so I do. Nobody ever told me not to, and it wasn't until this forum that I even knew it was a thing not to.

Just because I could...because I'm a rebel like that

Edited June 3, 201610 yr by LisaMergs

@@RoachBug,

Every expert has his or her own opinion…gather them all and make your choice! I don’t think the issue with straws is so much that it would stretch your sleeve. I think the greater concern is that the extra air takes up space. That can be awfully uncomfortable, especially when surgery was recent and you’re already struggling to fit in all of your liquids and protein. I’ve heard that a straw is okay if you are careful not to suck in air with the liquid.

@@Alex Brecher

Luckily (for me at least), the tightness while swallowing after the VGS and hiatal hernia surgery eased up considerably after the first 2-3 days. Be it by the bottle, shaker, or glass, I can pretty much drink as normal. It was a definite relief compared to immediately after surgery.

As for taking in the all the advice and knowledge available and forming your own opinion, I whole heartedly agree!

I'm not sure who invented the no straw rule but I suspect whoever it was, never had bariatric surgery.

I have found since day 1 that drinking through a straw makes drinking easier and helps me drink more. I have never burped up mountains of air after drinking through a straw. I have an insulated plastic mason jar cup with a lid and a big straw. I use it every night and can easily get down 32 oz of water in the evening that way. If I just use a regular glass, I don't drink enough.

I think the no straws rule is bunk and silly and unnecessary and I plan to tell my surgeon and nut that at my next appointments. Fight the battles that make sense, leave the poor straws alone.

And just wait till they hear my thoughts on eating fat. Thank god for real butter and real mayo! (I will be elaborating on this in more detail when I share my successful stall busting stories.)

Edited June 10, 201610 yr by Shaydi.Laine

I'm writing this post while drinking my iced coffee through a straw. My surgeon and his team never discussed the use of a straw with me, and I only discovered that it was a debatable topic through this forum. I watched this video last August shortly before having the VSG, and it discusses the use of straws (starting at the 6:21 mark):

I've never experienced any problems with a straw, so I've continued to use them on a daily basis. If for whatever reason a person is uncomfortable using a straw, then don't.

Edited June 10, 201610 yr by Clementine Sky

I use a straw. I actually get less air when I use a straw. I drink 3x the fluids with a straw. Without a straw I struggled to do 20oz a day. I'm sure both ways are acceptable.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I know this thread was more about drinking with straws, but I thought I should throw this out there as it mentions caffiene(spelling).

http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/52-common-myths-and-misconceptions-debunked/

My after care advice from the nutritionist was no straws. I ended up in the hospital with dehydration and told my surgeon that I can only get enough Water in when I use a straw. His advice was do what keeps you alive and I have been using straws ever since.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using the BariatricPal App

Edited July 4, 201610 yr by Kissifur

BAM!