A couple questions...

1. When is it okay to chew gum again? I am afraid of smoking again and have slipped up a couple times since I got back to work. Gum usually helps me.

2. Anyone ever notice that the Chike Coffee leaves a film in the bottom or blender or shaker bottels that is a pain to clean? Any tips on this one?

I was told we aren't supposed to chew gum because of the danger of swallowing it.  My thought is, I'm not 2 and I'm pretty sure I haven't ever, in my memory at least, accidentally swallowed a piece of gum.  I'm not a smoker, but I think protein drinks make my breath stink, so I chew gum occasionally and haven't had an issue.  I would guess in your case gum is better than smoking, just don't swallow it.

I have never been given specific instructions re gum, so i chew all the time.  I have, however, changed preference from mint to cinnamon gum since surgery.

Inadvertently during the summer, I did swallow a cherry pit - panicked and nothing ever happened, lol. 

Never had chike, can't comment.

Sammy, this is going to sound weird because I thought it did when my surgeon told me. I LOVE my surgeon and have full trust in her. She wants me to chew SF gum after my surgery. In fact, she is going to write up a prescription for "gum" in the hospital! I guess chewing gum after abdominal surgery can stimulate the bowel. I'm nervous about chewing gum after surgery, afraid of swallowing it. I would still ask your surgeon about the gum just to be safe. Christine

Not much help on either of your questions specifically. However, just wanted to give you a tidbit of information about smoking that really helped me.

Smoking can cause or exacerbate ulcerations and ulcers. The most common place for an ulcer to form in the gut is on scar tissue. Since you have one long scar on your stomach and an ulcer can lead to surgical tissue removal it's in your best interest to not smoke. As my MD for my WLS program said, "If you smoke I can guarantee that you will get an ulcer. It may be next week or in 3 years, but you will get one, so don't smoke." The idea of needing a complete bypass was enough to keep me from picking up a cigarette. I've been smoke free for well over 3 years now. (My surgeon would not give me a VSG until I tested clean for nicotine in the system.)

I was allowed gum after 2 week check up (also solid food) and smoking is a no no for life it courses ulcers which are really bad when your stomach is so tiny

Been chewing gum since the first week out!  No problems...and I was a "swallower" all my life!  I am very conscious of not swallowing it...so I'm enjoying it and it helps me not to eat as much in between meals!  Don't know anything about the coffee...sorry!