How to Sip Through a Straw After Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery is intended to change your life. In doing so, you will have to entirely change the way that you eat. You will be limited to ingesting only liquids that can be sipped through a straw for the first few weeks. Recovery from bariatric surgery will be difficult, especially immediately after surgery when you are only allowed to eat through a straw. However, it will be rewarding and worth the hassle in the end.

Instructions

How to Sip Through a Straw After Bariatric Surgery

• 1

  Measure your liquids before drinking. One of the reason that some bariatric surgeons discourage patients from drinking through a straw after surgery is because it can be difficult to measure your intake. It is essential that you measure your intake precisely, especially in the days and weeks immediately after your surgery.

• 2

  Sip slowly. One of the reasons that some bariatric surgeons prefer that patients consume all of their nutrition through a straw is that patients tend to drink slower with a straw than without one. A patient's stomach is only about 3 ounces in size after bariatric surgery and cannot accommodate more than 2 to 3 ounces of liquid without making the patient feel nauseous. Use a narrow straw to make it easier to sip slowly.

• 3

  Aim to sip 1 ounce every 10 to 15 minutes through a straw after surgery. Though this may seem like a hassle, it is absolutely essential. This amount is required to avoid dehydration.

• 4

  Drink any medication that you must take through a straw. Contact your surgeon for advice if the medication is a capsule or tablet too large to pass through a straw. Your surgeon will likely write you a prescription for your medication in liquid form. Do not crush a tablet or open a capsule without being instructed to do so by your physician.

• 5

  Use a straw every time you consume nourishment after surgery until your surgeon instructs you to do otherwise. Keep straws with you wherever you go so that you are not tempted to drink without a straw.

• 6

  Consume only foods that can pass through a straw. Several weeks after surgery you will be able to slowly move away from a liquid diet and start to incorporate food. However, all foods should be smooth and able to pass through a straw until your surgeon says otherwise.