Stuck at every meal. any advice?

[Mickey527 0]

For the past few weeks I have been getting stuck at almost every meal.

I have the first bite, and get the stuck feeling. It is very painful with sliming, runny nose, burping, everything. I have to force myself to bring up the food and then I feel good again. I sit down and eat the rest of my meal without any problems and eat a good amount.

Because of this I haven't had a hot meal in weeks, by the time I get the first bite up my food is cold but I eat it all, a full plate.

I do make sure to chew the first bite totally, and take a small amount, it doesn't matter, it still gets stuck.

I have tried walking around the house, patting my chest to try and move the item, and chewing papaya enzyme, but nothing helps.

It is only the first bite so I know I am not to tight. Also, I haven't had a fill in about 2 months and this just started about 2 weeks ago. I have 2 1/2 cc in my band, not alot, I only had 3 fills but have been doing well without being too tight until now.

I usually eat frosted mini wheats or some other high Fiber Cereal for bfst. Lunches consist of scrambled eggs, tuna, refried Beans with cheese, etc... and dinner is meat and veggies. I always eat the Protein first so it is not like I get a veggie stuck. And no matter how soft the food or how well I chew it I still get stuck.

I am going to fl in a few weeks to be with a friend who is having cancer surgery and I don't want to be in the bathroom sliming when she needs me. I spoke to the NP at my Dr's office and she said she will remove some of the Fluid in my band but not all of it so I don't overeat while away, she said probably 1 cc.

anyone have any ideas what might be happening or what I might be able to do to prevent this. It seems like once I bring up the food the band stretches a bit and allows me to eat without problems.

[MrsShannonDennis 10]

Thats very interesting. Very strange seeinf that you dont have much fill in you. That happens to me a lot but I am super tight with 6 cc in my 10 cc band. For example: today for some CRAZY reason, I cannot get anything solid down without it getting stuck. Ive had to do liquids all day! That happens every so often. My surgeon said there will be some days your body reacts differently and your band will be super tight. Its just weird. I wish I has answers for you. I cant imagine the problem being youre too tight. There is nooo way. interesting....

[bingo-b 0]

Try drinking someting warm before you eat. Like hot tea or coffee. My surgeon told me that sometimes your esofagas(sp?) will be tight and this might help to relax it. Good luck to you.

[shelley2b 0]

Have you heard of first bite syndrome? Think of it like oiling an engine - apparently if you haven't eaten in more than 2 hours, you need to 'prime' your stomach before trying to eat anything real. So I had the same problem for months. Now I try to eat/drink a bite or two about 20 mins before I sit down at the table. Like a cracker, a couple of nuts, etc... It kind of oils the machine so that the rest goes down. Give that a try and let us know how you're doing...

ps - you might want to search for first bite syndrome to find out more.

[BetsyB 9]

I was going to suggest first bite syndrome, as well.

I'm sorry you're having difficulty--hopefully, you'll be able to figure out how to "prime" your stomach to prevent this from continuing.

(It's my understanding that fill level has little to do with it; it involves spasm as passes through the esophagus into the stomach, rather than stuck-ness as food leaves the pouch into the stomach below.)

Good luck!