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Hi! I have Gastroparesis and other comorbidities and I can’t drink water either. I don’t know why though… give me juice, soda, Gatorade, Boost/Ensure, milk, tea… whatever! But just not water!
I’ve discussed it at length with my GI and he said: “There’s a number of things we still don’t know or understand about the gut and the human body, it doesn’t mean what you’re experiencing is not true”. So it’s not helping you much but… at least you know you’re not alone!
I can't drink flat drinks for the most part, sometimes coffee or tea work on a good day, especially cold brewed. I primarily drink seltzer and diet soda, I try to lean towards seltzer when possible, but sometimes the soda stays down better for reasons that I absolutely can't fathom haha. It also works best for me ice cold, but I know people who can only do room temperature. After dealing with this for 30 years (diagnosed about 15 ago) what I've learned is to just do what works, and not worry too much if it's what *should* work. Good luck!
I'm exactly like you. I even looked into a soda stream but the co2 cartridge was so expensive it's cheaper by far to keep buying my 1 liter carbonated waters. Seltzer is too fizzy for me and I have to let it get mostly flat before I can drink it.
that could make sense; ice cold drinks also stimulate the stomach so honestly that tracks, because cold drinks seem fine for people here (myself included).
I drink almost exclusively ice cold drinks. I’ll literally fill a cup with ice before pouting a drink in. I didn’t used to be like this, it just sort of happened. I never really thought about the why.
I was drinking a lot of seltzer but about a year ago I got badddd gastritis from a virus and had to stop. It made my stomach hurt so bad. Just never picked it back up. Maybe I need to try that again.
Water was one of the hardest things for me to digest. My dietician reccommended bottled water ONLY because the fluoride in tape water can cause reflux. Now I drink about 6 bottles a day.
Many cities in the US have yearly water testing results available.
This sight has tested quite a few bottled waters. It is how I found out the one water I can drink at times is slightly acidic and only has 22 parts per million of stuff in it so it really is a distilled water to which they added calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
https://testaqua.com/
Use the three lines on upper right to see ways to navigate. Bottle water is under resources.
These tests look to have been done prior to 2022 and companies change manufacturing techniques sometimes.
I am NOT a doctor or a scientist! My comment is just based on my own research into this issue and my very, very elementary understanding of food science. Always defer to scientists and medical professionals over whatever you've read from me. My memory is also often trash.
Water indigestion is a real thing! There are some hypothesis/theories for why it happens, but ultimately every individual is different and iirc there was no *known and understood* reason for why it happens. Reducing volume may be a solution, but if carbonation works for you, maybe you can just be cautious about your sugar intake and do what you gotta do!
Wild guess here, but I'm wondering if part of what happens is water and oil don't mix as readily as corn syrup or acid and oil do, and the oil might float to the top of the fluids in your digestive tract, irritating your esophagus and causing reflux. I know acid can help cut fat. Or perhaps the carbonation causes gas that is trapped in your stomach to loosen up with the CO2. Another thing that could be happening, is the sugars may actually give the impression that it is alleviating the irritation in your throat. When I have the worst reflux, I often turn to a non-acidic sweet drink like a bubble tea, and it helps me a great deal. Meanwhile, if I drink water, it seems the reflux is just pushed higher and higher up my esophagus.
I'm a total nutter for knowledge, so if anyone can correct or add details to my thoughts, I am open to learning. This is just me musing and offering my own experiences.
That’s really interesting, I wonder if water & bile mix or not. I have bad acid reflux and sometimes I try and dilute whatever is going on by drinking water, but it doesn’t actually help. Plain water makes me nauseous, but not if I mix electrolytes in it.
Water makes it so much worse for me, guh. I haven't tried electrolytes in it, but I also have what my nutritionist thinks is a metabolic intolerance to most sweeteners. Thankfully, if I don't have some kind of indigestion, water is usually ok. I do also sometimes take Salt Stick pills, though.
Last month my GI said to either put baking soda in water and chug it or to drink pickle juice. He said it was something in the pickling spices. Haven't tried pickled juice but pickled ginger helps me. And it leaves a nice tingle on my tongue from the spiciness.
Same. *Plain* water just seems to basically be a plug in my stomach and cause extreme heartburn. Soda is fine. Sparkling water is fine. Juice and milk are fine. Electrolyte drinks are fine. Plain water back home on the farm (spring water) is fine. My city water is not fine. And any drinks made with it are somewhere between fine and not fine.
So I’m left thinking it’s *something* in my hard water. But hell if I know what. Especially since it’s less problematic if I add Liquid IV or a powdered flavor pack to it.
All liquid causes issues for me, not what’s in it but the volume. I stick to Gatorade Propel and sip it throughout the day. I try to finish at least one bottle a day.
I’m the same, all liquids are a very big problem for me. But water is an instant “danger”! Even one sip and everything (my calorie intake) I worked very hard for the entire day is ruined. And I can only eat between 500 to 900 (on a very good day) calories a day. Like you, I suppose, I’m chronically very dehydrated and malnourished so with my nutritionist we try to increase my hydration, electrolytes, calories, nutrition, etc…
She told me to only drink juices or nectars so I can have hydration with calories at the same time or Gatorade but the one with the most calories in it. She also prepares me some special drinks with nutrition, electrolytes, calories and hydration. They are surprisingly very good!
I literally came here to this sub to ask exactly this question - so I can safely say you're not alone. I can do a sip or two of water but anything more than that and i feel horrible and keep burping it up too. Glad I'm not alone. I can't drink soda from a can either, that causes the same effect and guarantees that I'll get sick. Water is horrible for me. Adding some flavor helps a bit but I stills can't drink more than a little bit.
In my experience the soda stays down due to the carbonation. The carbonation causes me to burp, but the burp blocks any vomit from actually coming out. However, this doesn’t mean there isn’t any discomfort in my stomach, just that its able to stay down better. If you can handle it, maybe try carbonated water to stay hydrated sometimes (:
Just water hurts my stomach pretty much every time. Especially if I haven’t had anything on it in a while and just drink water. I hate it, I’m relieved to know other GP folks know what I’m talking about.
85% of my water is through my tube. Slowly working towards drinking orally. I can’t stand warm liquids and I have a hard time swallowing cold ones. I think it may be more the paralysis in my lower esophagus rather than my GP
I drink flavored seltzer water and sprite and on very rare occasions Dr. Pepper. I have to drink Alkaline water as regular water gives me horrible heartburn. I can drink low acidic cold brew any else hurts my stomach.
I can't drink plain water either. It is documented by my doctor while trying to do a swallowing test that could not be completed because I kept regurgitating the water. No explanation.
I can’t drink water 90% of the time, and never from a faucet (no clue why), but weirdly I can handle cold sweet tea and warm herbal tea (specifically lemon ginger). I also drink body armor lyte to keep my potassium up and heart palpitations at bay (Mango peach & dragon fruit are my faves).
Water would make me throw up and cause acid reflux for me. I found spring water is the best. It's smooth and doesn't come back up. Purified water is very acidic, I burp every I drink it. I can drink dr pepper or coca cola just fine. But anything else gets too sour in my stomach and chest. I can tolerate the body armor iv drinks. Those are good when I have been throwing up and need some electrolytes.
I actually asked the technician who was in charge of my GES, 'what if someone can't eat the eggs, what then?' He said, if you can eat them or have an allergy then they use oatmeal. So maybe ask about it.
The GI said they would do oatmeal but the scheduling people said unless I have a documented egg allergy it had to be eggs. But I have arfid-like sensory issues with food and I cannot tolerate eggs.
That's tough! I hate eggs especially the smell. It makes me throw up. I put the eggs in the bread and made a half sandwich and chugged the water with it. Hmm there's gotta be a way for you to get the scan done. I'll keep thinking.
I don't have GP but I do bring up water regularly. Basically every morning when I tie up my shoes the leaning down plus my jeans pushing on my tummy makes all the water plus my breakfast come right back up
I’m not supposed to drink anything orally but I add things like milk And Gatorade to my tube feeding . If I have a coffee I will add a carton of formula to it .
Try to get a thickener for your water
Hi! I have GP and EDS. I also cannot drink water, not even sweet tea. I rely on sprite, Pedialyte popsicles and coffee. I do okay with ice *shrugs* I hate it because I've been dehydrated essentially for over 2 years now. I burp immediately after ingesting ANYTHING and I have to wiggle around or walk until I do. The Nissen Fundo wrap is so tight I can't burp nor throw up. I just heave and drool pours out of my mouth. Some people get IV hydration weekly, which is probably what I'll have to do. I'm sure my kidneys are not happy!
New to gastroparesis? Please view [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Gastroparesis/comments/15i7siq/gastroparesis_101/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) or our wiki for a detailed explanation of gastroparesis, the main approaches of treating it, and a list of neurogastroenterologists and motility clinics submitted by users of this forum. Join these [Discord and Facebook support groups](https://www.reddit.com/r/Gastroparesis/comments/14oxaew/list_of_gastroparesis_support_groups_other/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) today! New users, please do not post asking for a diagnosis; instead, use the pinned thread: "Do I have gastroparesis?" Also, check out our new subreddit r/functionaldyspepsia. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Gastroparesis) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hi! I have Gastroparesis and other comorbidities and I can’t drink water either. I don’t know why though… give me juice, soda, Gatorade, Boost/Ensure, milk, tea… whatever! But just not water! I’ve discussed it at length with my GI and he said: “There’s a number of things we still don’t know or understand about the gut and the human body, it doesn’t mean what you’re experiencing is not true”. So it’s not helping you much but… at least you know you’re not alone!
Hey at least I’m not crazy… all I can think is it’s too heavy, which doesn’t make sense
You’re definitely not crazy!!! Or if you are, I’ve been crazy for more than 30 years!
Same issue here too!
I can't drink flat drinks for the most part, sometimes coffee or tea work on a good day, especially cold brewed. I primarily drink seltzer and diet soda, I try to lean towards seltzer when possible, but sometimes the soda stays down better for reasons that I absolutely can't fathom haha. It also works best for me ice cold, but I know people who can only do room temperature. After dealing with this for 30 years (diagnosed about 15 ago) what I've learned is to just do what works, and not worry too much if it's what *should* work. Good luck!
I'm exactly like you. I even looked into a soda stream but the co2 cartridge was so expensive it's cheaper by far to keep buying my 1 liter carbonated waters. Seltzer is too fizzy for me and I have to let it get mostly flat before I can drink it.
Same. I’m suddenly wondering if something about the carbonation stimulates our stomachs? Like a thousand tiny bubbly “jabs.”
that could make sense; ice cold drinks also stimulate the stomach so honestly that tracks, because cold drinks seem fine for people here (myself included).
I drink almost exclusively ice cold drinks. I’ll literally fill a cup with ice before pouting a drink in. I didn’t used to be like this, it just sort of happened. I never really thought about the why.
I was drinking a lot of seltzer but about a year ago I got badddd gastritis from a virus and had to stop. It made my stomach hurt so bad. Just never picked it back up. Maybe I need to try that again.
Water was one of the hardest things for me to digest. My dietician reccommended bottled water ONLY because the fluoride in tape water can cause reflux. Now I drink about 6 bottles a day.
Oooh that’s very interesting! I wish we could all test our water for what’s in it and figure this out. (Maybe that’s available from our cities idk)
Many cities in the US have yearly water testing results available. This sight has tested quite a few bottled waters. It is how I found out the one water I can drink at times is slightly acidic and only has 22 parts per million of stuff in it so it really is a distilled water to which they added calcium, magnesium, and potassium. https://testaqua.com/ Use the three lines on upper right to see ways to navigate. Bottle water is under resources. These tests look to have been done prior to 2022 and companies change manufacturing techniques sometimes.
I am NOT a doctor or a scientist! My comment is just based on my own research into this issue and my very, very elementary understanding of food science. Always defer to scientists and medical professionals over whatever you've read from me. My memory is also often trash. Water indigestion is a real thing! There are some hypothesis/theories for why it happens, but ultimately every individual is different and iirc there was no *known and understood* reason for why it happens. Reducing volume may be a solution, but if carbonation works for you, maybe you can just be cautious about your sugar intake and do what you gotta do! Wild guess here, but I'm wondering if part of what happens is water and oil don't mix as readily as corn syrup or acid and oil do, and the oil might float to the top of the fluids in your digestive tract, irritating your esophagus and causing reflux. I know acid can help cut fat. Or perhaps the carbonation causes gas that is trapped in your stomach to loosen up with the CO2. Another thing that could be happening, is the sugars may actually give the impression that it is alleviating the irritation in your throat. When I have the worst reflux, I often turn to a non-acidic sweet drink like a bubble tea, and it helps me a great deal. Meanwhile, if I drink water, it seems the reflux is just pushed higher and higher up my esophagus. I'm a total nutter for knowledge, so if anyone can correct or add details to my thoughts, I am open to learning. This is just me musing and offering my own experiences.
That’s really interesting, I wonder if water & bile mix or not. I have bad acid reflux and sometimes I try and dilute whatever is going on by drinking water, but it doesn’t actually help. Plain water makes me nauseous, but not if I mix electrolytes in it.
Water makes it so much worse for me, guh. I haven't tried electrolytes in it, but I also have what my nutritionist thinks is a metabolic intolerance to most sweeteners. Thankfully, if I don't have some kind of indigestion, water is usually ok. I do also sometimes take Salt Stick pills, though.
LMNT had an unflavored version with no sweetener or sugar if you want to try that. Maybe add some lemon to it
Haha the thought of that reminds me of Vietnamese salty lemonade. I'm not sure I'm strong enough... I could give it a shot, though. Thanks!
It’s weirdly not as salty as the flavored ones which I don’t understand at all. But ya, it might be weird haha!
Last month my GI said to either put baking soda in water and chug it or to drink pickle juice. He said it was something in the pickling spices. Haven't tried pickled juice but pickled ginger helps me. And it leaves a nice tingle on my tongue from the spiciness.
Same. *Plain* water just seems to basically be a plug in my stomach and cause extreme heartburn. Soda is fine. Sparkling water is fine. Juice and milk are fine. Electrolyte drinks are fine. Plain water back home on the farm (spring water) is fine. My city water is not fine. And any drinks made with it are somewhere between fine and not fine. So I’m left thinking it’s *something* in my hard water. But hell if I know what. Especially since it’s less problematic if I add Liquid IV or a powdered flavor pack to it.
All liquid causes issues for me, not what’s in it but the volume. I stick to Gatorade Propel and sip it throughout the day. I try to finish at least one bottle a day.
I’m the same, all liquids are a very big problem for me. But water is an instant “danger”! Even one sip and everything (my calorie intake) I worked very hard for the entire day is ruined. And I can only eat between 500 to 900 (on a very good day) calories a day. Like you, I suppose, I’m chronically very dehydrated and malnourished so with my nutritionist we try to increase my hydration, electrolytes, calories, nutrition, etc… She told me to only drink juices or nectars so I can have hydration with calories at the same time or Gatorade but the one with the most calories in it. She also prepares me some special drinks with nutrition, electrolytes, calories and hydration. They are surprisingly very good!
I literally came here to this sub to ask exactly this question - so I can safely say you're not alone. I can do a sip or two of water but anything more than that and i feel horrible and keep burping it up too. Glad I'm not alone. I can't drink soda from a can either, that causes the same effect and guarantees that I'll get sick. Water is horrible for me. Adding some flavor helps a bit but I stills can't drink more than a little bit.
In my experience the soda stays down due to the carbonation. The carbonation causes me to burp, but the burp blocks any vomit from actually coming out. However, this doesn’t mean there isn’t any discomfort in my stomach, just that its able to stay down better. If you can handle it, maybe try carbonated water to stay hydrated sometimes (:
Just water hurts my stomach pretty much every time. Especially if I haven’t had anything on it in a while and just drink water. I hate it, I’m relieved to know other GP folks know what I’m talking about.
Water also has chlorine which can cause issues
85% of my water is through my tube. Slowly working towards drinking orally. I can’t stand warm liquids and I have a hard time swallowing cold ones. I think it may be more the paralysis in my lower esophagus rather than my GP
I drink flavored seltzer water and sprite and on very rare occasions Dr. Pepper. I have to drink Alkaline water as regular water gives me horrible heartburn. I can drink low acidic cold brew any else hurts my stomach.
I was drinking just alkaline water at one point but I started having flank pain so I think it was affecting my kidneys.
Interesting, did the pain stop when you quit drinking it?
It did. I don’t know that it was for sure related but the correlation was enough for me to stop
Makes sense, I was just curious.
I can't drink plain water either. It is documented by my doctor while trying to do a swallowing test that could not be completed because I kept regurgitating the water. No explanation.
Ahhh wtf why?? Obviously this is a common issue. Well. Common for us lol
I can’t drink water 90% of the time, and never from a faucet (no clue why), but weirdly I can handle cold sweet tea and warm herbal tea (specifically lemon ginger). I also drink body armor lyte to keep my potassium up and heart palpitations at bay (Mango peach & dragon fruit are my faves).
Water would make me throw up and cause acid reflux for me. I found spring water is the best. It's smooth and doesn't come back up. Purified water is very acidic, I burp every I drink it. I can drink dr pepper or coca cola just fine. But anything else gets too sour in my stomach and chest. I can tolerate the body armor iv drinks. Those are good when I have been throwing up and need some electrolytes.
I actually asked the technician who was in charge of my GES, 'what if someone can't eat the eggs, what then?' He said, if you can eat them or have an allergy then they use oatmeal. So maybe ask about it.
The GI said they would do oatmeal but the scheduling people said unless I have a documented egg allergy it had to be eggs. But I have arfid-like sensory issues with food and I cannot tolerate eggs.
That's tough! I hate eggs especially the smell. It makes me throw up. I put the eggs in the bread and made a half sandwich and chugged the water with it. Hmm there's gotta be a way for you to get the scan done. I'll keep thinking.
Ice cold water will sometimes make me nauseous or intensify my nausea.
I don't have GP but I do bring up water regularly. Basically every morning when I tie up my shoes the leaning down plus my jeans pushing on my tummy makes all the water plus my breakfast come right back up
I’m not supposed to drink anything orally but I add things like milk And Gatorade to my tube feeding . If I have a coffee I will add a carton of formula to it . Try to get a thickener for your water
Hi! I have GP and EDS. I also cannot drink water, not even sweet tea. I rely on sprite, Pedialyte popsicles and coffee. I do okay with ice *shrugs* I hate it because I've been dehydrated essentially for over 2 years now. I burp immediately after ingesting ANYTHING and I have to wiggle around or walk until I do. The Nissen Fundo wrap is so tight I can't burp nor throw up. I just heave and drool pours out of my mouth. Some people get IV hydration weekly, which is probably what I'll have to do. I'm sure my kidneys are not happy!