Question about drinking liquids before meals....

I understand why we aren't supposed to drink when we're eating and for 30 mins after eating but I'm not sure why we're told to stop drinking 30 mins before we eat. Wouldn't the liquid just flow through the sleeve/pouch and out of it, leaving it empty and free to hold food?  I'm sure that there is a simple explanation and I'm probably going to feel like an idiot for not knowing this but I'm clueless about it.  Can anyone shed any light on this for me?  Thanks!

Deb

i dont know if there's a simple explanation for why you need to stop drinking a half hour before. I dont do that. I try for like, 15 minutes. I've never had a problem with it.

Like you said, the liquid should just flow right through.

i don't know.

Thanks Mon - at least I know that I'm not the only person who doesn't know this - LOL!

Deb

You want your pouch to be empty and dry when your protein goes in.  You want your dense protein to form a plug at the stoma.  Even a little bit of liquid left in your pouch from drinking earlier will mix with the protein and make it move through you faster kinda like a tidal wave carrying it through.
Dawn

Hi Dawn! Thanks for that logical explanation - I wouldn't have thought of that.

See you at the support group meeting tomorrow evening!

Deb

there you go, now i know too!

It can't be "dry" FFS! LOL

Hi Deb,

Dawn's explanation is quite reasonable for a RNYer, but you're a VSGer. You don't have a stoma, you have a pylorus, the natural closing of the stomach, which regulates the passing of food from the stomach to the small intestine. There is no reason for you to be unable to drink shortly before meals (fluids drain out of the stomach within 15-20 minutes) or even with meals in the future as it won't impact your rate of emptying the way it does with a RNYer. It will however make you feel more full, so especially early on when you need to push yourself to get adequate protein in, it's probably best to avoid it.

Thanks Pat - I'm glad that you were able to clarify that for me and for Sandy. I should have mentioned in my post that I had a VSG, not RNY. I guess for now I'll still restrict my drinking as I am definitely having trouble getting my food in - it feels as though I am always full, so I definitely don't wan****er to make it worse, although I realize that I have to try to stay hydrated. Whew, this is quite a scheduling exercise! No matter, I'm SO happy that I had my surgery!

Deb

Except that VSGers don't have a pouch or a stoma. Yours is a reasonable explanation for RNYers but doesn't apply to VSGers as fluids don't appear to impact the rate of emptying in a VSGer due to the retention of the pyloric valve.