I am worried about being able to swallow...

fiveholts714 · January 2, 2006

I have some problems swallowing food. It's been happening for about 3-4 years now. I have to dirnk a lot at every meal. meat and bread are really difficult for me. I worry that if i get the band, I will have to drink at meals to get food down but you aren't supposed to drink with meals! Anyone have any advice?

Jachut · January 2, 2006

Well I guess I'll reconsider after fills and on a totally solid diet but at the moment I dont have any trouble at all drinking with meals. I've only done it a couple of times - when I've been out over Christmas/New Year and wanted to have a glass of wine with dinner. I still got full and I still stayed full.

I have way more trouble waiting the requisite 2 hours after a meal to drink, I often want a cuppa sooner than that and to be honest I've just had it. Again, I stay full, it doesnt seem to wash anything through and make me hungry at all. I'm going to listen to my body on this one, if it doesnt make me hungry sooner, I'll continue to drink when I want to.

It may of course be loads different when I've had a fill and am on a more solid diet. But if I were you I'd take small sips throughout my meal and only worry about it if you appear to get inappropriately hungry too fast and/or stop losing weight.

Alexandra · January 2, 2006

Fiveholts, I'd talk with a doctor about this issue very seriously before getting banded. As you may have read on here and elsewhere, banding can contribute negatively to esophageal dysmotility, which is what it sounds like you already suffer from.

Please don't just run off to Mexico to get banded before having a complete workup here by a specialist. Swallowing will absolutely get harder for you if you get banded, and if you're halfway there it sounds to me like you could be headed for trouble. :confused:

Afterglow · January 2, 2006

I agree totally with Alexandra. Several people on this board have posted they like the fact that Mexican doctors dont require as much pre-op testing as some American doctors do. In addition to a cardiac workup, my doctor required an endoscope instead of the barium x-ray that most people get; at first, I was a bit upset about the hassle but I came to appreciate the fact that my doctor was ensuring that I was healthy enough to undergo the banding. I was self-pay and I originally planned to go to Mexico. However, the concern about finding good local aftercare made me decide to use an excellent local surgeon. The cost (including testing) was more than twice what it would have cost in Mexico and I had to take out a loan that means I wont be able to replace my 10-year old car for a long time. However, peace of mind is priceless.