Awareness of food moving down???

[LapBandit 5]

I get the same feeling as you do but with me, It takes me about 10 min before I can continue to eat. Like you said, the food just pauses and then it's like the food is slowly sinking. quote]

That sounds like the food passing through the band. I feel it too once in awhile. That's what all of our food does now...its just that we don't always feel it while it's happening. If this process actually hurts then that's one thing. But, if you're just simply feeling it then woohoo, your band is doing it's job! If you feel it too much then you're probably not chewing enough and the food chunks are borderline for getting stuck.

[Elisabethsew 50]

Peristalsis is the process of the muscles moving food down the esophagus and into the stomach. When unbanded, I had no sensation of this. However, with the band and some restriction, I actually can often "feel" the food being moved along.

[Mvpo8961 1]

I completely understand this thread. I have an almost PAINFUL sensation of the food passing down and through. I am at 6cc in a VanGuard. I don't slime, pb or anything of that nature. I chew chew chew small bites and I still have the sensation.

The other day I ate a Lean Cuisine Sphagetti & Meatsauce and it took two hours.

Now I have to say that I am somewhat fortunate that I rarely feel true hunger. Yet at the same time I have to really watch my calorie intake or I won't get enough. Being a diabetic it makes it a balancing act sometimes.

Even mushy things like a baked potato, creamy chicken Soup I can still feel and it is uncomfortably painful. The amount of food I eat is definitely less that preband. But I have that painful sensation from first bite to the last bite.

M

[HarleyNana 10]

Not to alarm anyone, but one of our fellow banders just had emergency surgery for having the same feelings. Actually, she went to the ER because she thought she was having a heart attack. Come to find out she had gall stones and had to have her gall bladder removed.

I would mention this to your doctor and maybe he will do a test. Debbie's doctor said he was curious of the band had caused the severe case of stones, she had so many they were going into her system and had to be dug out :omg: . Needless to say, she's more sore with this surgery than she was with the band process. Good news, she still has her band in tact.

[Mvpo8961 1]

HarleyNana I wouldn't be at all SURPRISED if I had gallstones as I am

Fair, Fat, Fertile, Forty and Female.

I definitely fall in that demographic tendency for gallstones.

M

[carlacollins 0]

Happens to me allll time time...take a few bites...have to let it go down.....feel it go down.....and then about 10 minutes later it will go down and I can eat a little more.....think its just all a part of the band...slow us down from eating.....

Oh and by the way...I already had my gallbladder took out so that had BETTER NOT be the case with me.....:heh:

[EMOTS 0]

You seem to have had really good luck with your lap band. I had mine about 6 years ago and two years ago I asked the doctor to remove Fluid. Since the surgery I had had adjustments and alway had back flow of saliva in my mouth, pain in chest where band is and vomiting. He supposedly removed the fluid, but I have still had these systems since. I am worried that the pain in the esophagus might lead to scar tissue there, cancer, etc. Obviously all the fluid wasn't removed or something else is going on.

I am planning on going back to the doctor and have a chat with him. The pain is really bad and as you said you can feel a sensation of the food going down. I have figured that when I get this pain, that it is the food trying to pass through and I suffer through it knowing it is going to pass. Sometimes it will last a minute or so. Then at other times I just go to the bathroom and throw it up. If all the fluid is out then something else IS definitely going on.

I lost 50 lbs. before back for the undo. I think a lot of that was due to the fact that I was carefully choosing healthy food. As to date, I however, have gained it all back. So, I am back at square one.

I applaud your success and realize these bands don't work for everyone. Maybe mine was placed to high up because I don't get a sensation of being full. The food just usually backs up and then I have to throw it up.

My doctor did say that you have to prime the lap band by eating a little soft food before eating something heavier. At mealtime I try to remember that, but not always focusing on it.

You keep up the good work with your weight loss. You are one of the lucky ones.

[carlacollins 0]

I have been very successful and I appreciate your kind words. I would definitly talk to my doc about the situation if I was you. I have very little Fluid in my band and it works well for me. I have had very little fills and I have done well with that. I guess I hit my sweet spot early on.....as you can see I have updated my info and as to date I have lost 146 lbs. I eat alot of Soups and soft type of foods which works well for me. I still cannot eat bread or hamburgers or anything that is thick and full or "gummy" or whatever. I am assuming that you still have the band right? but just without any fluid?

[EMOTS 0]

Thanks for answering. I didn't really know if I would hear from you.

Yes, I do still have my band. The doctor supposedly took all the Fluid out, but I think there is still some in there. I still have the same sensations as before.

I do eat bread and more solid foods and that causes me problems. I am amazed at how well yours is working. Sounds like you are able to control what you try to eat a lot better than I do.

Do you prepare your own homemade Soups? I have a big problem with not eating enough green vegetables.

My big problem has always been the pain. I hear that I should not be having that and of course I worry about damage to my esophagus. Any insight on that??

I am going to get an appt. with my doctor and see what he has to say.

I have gone through a long time of disappointment with this and I guess I have waited too long to get back in there.

Again, thanks for answering. Your experience with the lap band is encouraging, so maybe I can get mine up and running the way it should be.

[carlacollins 0]

yes...i do prepare most of my own soups....for instance..yesterday I made a homemade broccoli cheddar soup...basically....boiled some finely chopped brocolli added a can of cream chicken soup...2 cans chicken broth some cheese and some shredded has browns and let it cook down to a thin/slightly thick and ate a bowl of that...I do NOT EVER eat bread period..no crackers..no bread type of products....nothing that can ever GUMMMMYYY up in there....I can however eat popcorn (I KNOW...go figure) and it goes down just fine....so i eat that alot as a snack...I love egg salad and I make that alot because it slides on down just fine...I am just very picky with what I eat...trying to make sure that I get Proteins in as much as possible. I simply dont eat alot..that is basically the biggest part of it...I can eat green Beans if I boil them down until they are almost mushy or whatever.....but I cannot eat Pasta of any kind...baked potatoes are great...well i am just rambling....would you like me to call you...I would be more than happy to call and we can chat if you like...if so PM me your number or I can talk to you on yahoo messenger if you like and we could discuss openly there about it...whatever you like...I am here to help....

[lisa_hawaii 1]

sounds liek what iu had and found out my band slipped -- was this a side effect of that? I have no clue, but I can say I felt that for a couple months and finally got an exray and found out about my slip.