I dont' know exactly, but what I know from a macrobiotic point, is that people with KIDNEY problems must not drink water with food.

I've read a few articles about this (but i can't remember where i read them!). I remember it said you should drink water about 15 mins before a meal. That way the meal can be digested better. Supposedly, the water will disrupt the food digestion (it will stir up the food). And it said drinking water before breakfast will act kind of as a "cleanse".

It dilutes your stomach acid making it harder to digest your food. This taxes your digestive system and it takes more energy to digest your food, energy that could have been better used for other purposes.

Avoid drinking 30 minutes before and 30 after meals - it dilutes your stomach acid. Food is not digested properly and you lose nutrition. Catch-22 is that your body may increase acid production and soon you're now reaching for antiacids! Sorta like the catch-22 of blood pressure meds - you take a pill to lower and the body needs to raise if the actual physical roadblock is not removed as well. Take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar 10 min before meals (I add a few drops of super hot cayenne) and chew chew chew your food!

From what you have described it sounds like your husband either has a hemmorhoid or suffered a small tear during defecation. The way to prevent this from happening is to make sure the stool never becomes too hard and passes from the body without strain...drinking sufficient water is one of the keys.