IS GETTING "STUCK" NORMAL

[cat lady 10]

i have been banded since July 25th. The past month I have experienced 2 stuck episodes that were no fun at all. Is it normal to be getting stuck so much after 3 months out?? The first was on a piece of bacon while I was on vacation. That lasted about 18 hours before I found relief. Had to keep getting it up.....(sorry) until I got relief. The last episode (last night) out for dinner with friends. Got the stuck feeling after 2 bites of french dip (roast beef with gravy). Went to ladies room to get relief. Then started with the excessive indigestion....hiccuping....belching.....and foaming saliva which came up unvoluntarily. No fun at all. Last night's episode lasted about 2 hours. When I got home I made myself vomit to get relief. Is this normal????? Does a stuck episode usually last this long.\??? I have not had a fill and am happy with the weight loss, but not happy with these stuck episodes. I am chewing and careful what I eat. Any advice would be appreciated. Also, do you think I can damage the band by making myself throw up the stuck food? ? I am going to the dr. on the 15th and have alot of questions for him. CAT

[kll724 3,055]

It seems to be your choice of foods that cause you to get stuck. My surgeon suggests no roast beef, or pork. My very 1st stuck was roast beef, also. And it was NASTY! The worse part was I was at church party, and it just came with a burp. It wouldn't stop and I had to leave with my son. No, it isn't normal, but most folks have iti! Goodluck, Karen

[54Shirley 105]

Depends on a lot of reasons... Certain Foods need to be left alone period. Other foods like meat,, I have to have a sauce for them or they will get stuck.

How fine you chew (Applesauce) is back to the basics. How big of a piece you take. I stay smaller then a dime.

If you are under tension, or have a argument with someone. That will tighten you clean up, It's best to stay on fluids then.

A lot of Rain or Snow can cause it to tighten up also.

I'm going down state tomorrow for a slight unfill, everything is getting hung up for me, so I am to tight.

The sliming that you felt, I am having everyday. I was in the Hospital, and a Nurse shoved a bunch of crushed pills down my throat about 2 weeks ago.

It has been getting worse. So it's all swollen, and irritated. So I need some out.

Be careful ! You don't want something like this to happen to you.

I'm lucky if I can swallow Water.

So stay on fluids for a few days, and be careful on your choices.

[JerseyGirl80 12]

First of all, if you think you are having a problem that may or may not be normal, always ask your doctor. But from what I've seen and my experiences, what you are saying about your "stuck" episodes, that's how it happens for many people. I'm thinking that if you've been "stuck" free for months and suddenly it started, maybe you ate foods you normally don't eat and they're just things you either need to avoid or be more careful with. Sometimes when we are out somewhere we're distracted by what's going on or by conversation and we eat too fast or we forget or stop "listening" to our bands. A good tip while dining out is to eat mushier things, or things you normally eat that you know for sure you can tolerate, and eat slow. Put your fork down between bites and wait a minute or so before taking another. I'm very leery on trying new things while out and I almost always order a Soup or hot tea first, I find the warm liquid relaxes my stomach and "opens" me up making it a little easier to eat..

For me I almost instantly know when I'm going to have a problem, (a stuck episode) and usually within 20 minutes it either passes or comes back up. My boyfriends mom gets stuck often, a few times a week (this is not normal). Once in a while is to be expected but all the time is a sign that somethings wrong. She'll be throwing up on and off most of the night once she starts, to me this isn't normal. This is because she eats fast, goes for seconds before she knows she's really full, feels obligated to clean her plate, doesn't chew well and eats things she shouldn't be eating. I "throw up" whatever is stuck and I'm good, I don't continue to have pain or have to keep throwing up.

To go 18 hours in pain isn't normal to me, I couldn't have taken the discomfort that long, I would have tried to make myself throw it back up after a half hour. When I feel I have to throw up but nothings happening, I find kneeling infront of the toilet in barf position usually helps things come up easier. I even once knelt and leaned over the toilet and the food passed through the band right away, I didn't throw up, just my change in position helped move it along in the right direction. Throwing up often can cause damage to the esophagus and/or stomach or band slippage, so you want to avoid this as much as possible by eating slow and chewing ALOT. Throwing up is going to happen from time to time, I wouldn't call it "normal" but it happens. It's when it's happening often that you have to worry. I have episodes maybe once a month if that and it's always my fault because I rush sometimes and eat without thinking. Definitely talk to your doctor about anything and everything and always tell them about your stuck episodes, they'll know when it's time to be alarmed and if it's happening too often. And, BTW I didn't get my first stuck episode for a few months after surgery either, sometimes it just happens that way. Good Luck!

[highland 168]

I've NEVER been stuck and I have 6.5cc's in a 10 cc band. I have been banded 4 months.

i have been banded since July 25th. The past month I have experienced 2 stuck episodes that were no fun at all. Is it normal to be getting stuck so much after 3 months out?? The first was on a piece of bacon while I was on vacation. That lasted about 18 hours before I found relief. Had to keep getting it up.....(sorry) until I got relief. The last episode (last night) out for dinner with friends. Got the stuck feeling after 2 bites of french dip (roast beef with gravy). Went to ladies room to get relief. Then started with the excessive indigestion....hiccuping....belching.....and foaming saliva which came up unvoluntarily. No fun at all. Last night's episode lasted about 2 hours. When I got home I made myself vomit to get relief. Is this normal????? Does a stuck episode usually last this long.\??? I have not had a fill and am happy with the weight loss, but not happy with these stuck episodes. I am chewing and careful what I eat. Any advice would be appreciated. Also, do you think I can damage the band by making myself throw up the stuck food? ? I am going to the dr. on the 15th and have alot of questions for him. CAT

[54Shirley 105]

Your either very Lucky... Or, you are doing everything rite ! Good For You ! ! ! !

Because it is NO fun at all, trust me.

I could ring this Nurses Neck. As i was telling her that I could feed myself, she shoved it to the back of my throat, and it swallowed.

They came in because my Heart Monitor was all over the place. Well YEAH ! I just got done puking my guts out, and they were 4 huge crushed Potassium pills. The Dr. told me that I could have had a Heart Attack ! That was lovely News to hear ! But I B!tched a Blue streak about the Nurse.

Anyway sense then, everything is stuck, even Water.

So I go tomorrow for a slight unfill, and see what they have to tell me.....

Keep up the Great Work !

[byrd 28]

i had my surgery 31/2 months ago, and i get stuck with chicken breast, and at first 1 didn't. i never really bring it back up,but it hurt like hell for about 5 mins. like you i may have had three episodes the whole 3 months. u probably won't be able to eat that meat. i stopped eating chicken breast and started eating wings

[54Shirley 105]

I eat the dark meat instead, and drag it threw BBQ Sauce. It Works.

[shap 24]

why does rain or snow make the band tight?

[SageTracey 608]

I've been banded seven months and have only been stuck twice - both times were my own fault for eating too quickly and eating foods that I shouldn't. Although to be fair to myself, I didn't know that bread was going to be an issue until it happened!

[cat lady 10]

Depends on a lot of reasons... Certain Foods need to be left alone period. Other foods like meat,, I have to have a sauce for them or they will get stuck.

How fine you chew (Applesauce) is back to the basics. How big of a piece you take. I stay smaller then a dime.

If you are under tension, or have a argument with someone. That will tighten you clean up, It's best to stay on fluids then.

A lot of Rain or Snow can cause it to tighten up also.

I'm going down state tomorrow for a slight unfill, everything is getting hung up for me, so I am to tight.

The sliming that you felt, I am having everyday. I was in the Hospital, and a Nurse shoved a bunch of crushed pills down my throat about 2 weeks ago.

It has been getting worse. So it's all swollen, and irritated. So I need some out.

Be careful ! You don't want something like this to happen to you.

I'm lucky if I can swallow Water.

So stay on fluids for a few days, and be careful on your choices.

Good Luck tomorrow Shirley.....let me know how you make out. First time it happened I could not swallow even Water and I went to ER and was put on IV for fluids so I did not dehydrate. Was on vacation far from home.......and it kept up for about 18 hours. Was really bad. Hope you get good results with an unfill. I think at this point you are swollen and irritated. My doc said there are meds to calm the irritation down. Maybe you should ask. **** luck! CAT

[cat lady 10]

First of all, if you think you are having a problem that may or may not be normal, always ask your doctor. But from what I've seen and my experiences, what you are saying about your "stuck" episodes, that's how it happens for many people. I'm thinking that if you've been "stuck" free for months and suddenly it started, maybe you ate foods you normally don't eat and they're just things you either need to avoid or be more careful with. Sometimes when we are out somewhere we're distracted by what's going on or by conversation and we eat too fast or we forget or stop "listening" to our bands. A good tip while dining out is to eat mushier things, or things you normally eat that you know for sure you can tolerate, and eat slow. Put your fork down between bites and wait a minute or so before taking another. I'm very leery on trying new things while out and I almost always order a Soup or hot tea first, I find the warm liquid relaxes my stomach and "opens" me up making it a little easier to eat..

For me I almost instantly know when I'm going to have a problem, (a stuck episode) and usually within 20 minutes it either passes or comes back up. My boyfriends mom gets stuck often, a few times a week (this is not normal). Once in a while is to be expected but all the time is a sign that somethings wrong. She'll be throwing up on and off most of the night once she starts, to me this isn't normal. This is because she eats fast, goes for seconds before she knows she's really full, feels obligated to clean her plate, doesn't chew well and eats things she shouldn't be eating. I "throw up" whatever is stuck and I'm good, I don't continue to have pain or have to keep throwing up.

To go 18 hours in pain isn't normal to me, I couldn't have taken the discomfort that long, I would have tried to make myself throw it back up after a half hour. When I feel I have to throw up but nothings happening, I find kneeling infront of the toilet in barf position usually helps things come up easier. I even once knelt and leaned over the toilet and the food passed through the band right away, I didn't throw up, just my change in position helped move it along in the right direction. Throwing up often can cause damage to the esophagus and/or stomach or band slippage, so you want to avoid this as much as possible by eating slow and chewing ALOT. Throwing up is going to happen from time to time, I wouldn't call it "normal" but it happens. It's when it's happening often that you have to worry. I have episodes maybe once a month if that and it's always my fault because I rush sometimes and eat without thinking. Definitely talk to your doctor about anything and everything and always tell them about your stuck episodes, they'll know when it's time to be alarmed and if it's happening too often. And, BTW I didn't get my first stuck episode for a few months after surgery either, sometimes it just happens that way. Good Luck!

Jersey Girl: I think you are correct about trying new foods when out. From now on I will stick to the safe foods for me. The time it happened for 18 hours it was on scrambled eggs and bacon which I cut up in small pieces.....but I think the bacon got stuck. I was away on vacation and it lasted overnight till the next day. I went to the ER and they put me on IV fluids to ward off dehydration. This was on my Dr. orders. He wanted me home to do an endoscopy and it cleared up before I got back home the next day. So, I never did get the endo but I had a CAT scan and the band looked fine. I guess its trial and error at this point. Does not happen daily or anything like that. Probably three times in the three months I've been banded. I will try to be more careful of my choices. Thanks for your advice. CAT

[cat lady 10]

i had my surgery 31/2 months ago, and i get stuck with chicken breast, and at first 1 didn't. i never really bring it back up,but it hurt like hell for about 5 mins. like you i may have had three episodes the whole 3 months. u probably won't be able to eat that meat. i stopped eating chicken breast and started eating wings

Hi Byrd: I am close to your weight too. Had my surgery in July also. Lost 35 lbs. so far. Its funny I can tolerate the chicken wings too but not the dry chicken breast. I guess its easier on the band. Keep up the good work. Glad you didn't have to bring it back up .....its nasty. CAT

[cat lady 10]

It seems to be your choice of foods that cause you to get stuck. My surgeon suggests no roast beef, or pork. My very 1st stuck was roast beef, also. And it was NASTY! The worse part was I was at church party, and it just came with a burp. It wouldn't stop and I had to leave with my son. No, it isn't normal, but most folks have iti! Goodluck, Karen

Yes Karen, thats what happened this time. Burped and the slime came up. Good thing I had lots of napkins on hand. Mine was on and off for 2 hours till I made myself bring it all up. Then I felt relief. CAT

[54Shirley 105]

why does rain or snow make the band tight?

Anytime you are in a Low Pressure Front it can cause the band to act up.

Same as someone with Arthritis that say's Yep I can feel it, it's going to rain. and it does.