Band affecting work

[jenns_history 4]

I have been banded about a year, had my 1st fill about a month ago. After the fill I have been having a lot of episodes of slime and getting stuck. I know it takes some getting used to but now it has affected my work. I have been told that it has been noticed when I have to run to the bathroom or a trash can when food comes back up after getting suck and it needs to stop or they will send me home each time it happens. I was told it is gross and unsanitary and I have put myself in this situation. I was made to explain how my body works and why this happens in front of a male supervisor. It was one of the most embarrassing I have even been through. They suggested for me not to eat the 8hrs I am at work, when I said that medically I cant do that, I was told that was my problem. I'm not sure what to do.

[terrydumont46 1,954]

I found your post irritating, making me angry even,.not at you but your employers. I don't know the particulars on your band. how much Fluid do you have in it and what size . once you have a stuck issue you know that your stoma can get swollen and you need to go back to liquids for a few days and than mushy etc. if this job is worth it to you I would bring a Protein drink and than something mushy for lunch time. remember even if drinking you have to drink slowly. if you are sliming and pbing with everything you really must see your doctor and ask for a barium swallow to see how the food is moving through the band. please don't ignore this problem. I did and ended up with a slipped band which was making everything worse.

[PuraVida37 715]

I agree. It is NOT NORMAL to PB. In my 8 months being banded I've NEVER had to PB even once. I've had a tight fill before that had to be unfilled.

Get yourself to your doctor as soon as possible. Until then, I recommend Soups and shakes. You can hurt yourself badly if you don't get this fixed! Take care of yourself and let us know what your doctor said.

[dream to be slim 33]

hi I agree with those above on all counts , get medical advice sounds like you could be too tight , in the meantime just take shakes to work and perhaps a yoghurt , if that's causing a problem then that's not right , get advice , goodluck , keep us all posted on your progress

[kpurdy68 25]

That is a terrible thing to here! I am not banded yet but work in a cubicle with 100 people around me. I would hope they would be encouraging! I am praying for you and yes I think I would be back at the Dr. myself. I have a question though. What is sliming and PBing?

[Jersrose43 837]

Please also speak to your human resources person and inform them of this conversation.

You are having medical issues and your supervisor may be in his right to send you home but even more affected is your right to work. Accommodation should be sought via the FMLA laws which protect you. Your doctor can help you document your meal plans and necessity to be near a bathroom and so forth.

Protect yourself as no one else will bother

[lisacaron 5,075]

@@jenns_history I agree that this post is very disturbing on many levels.

First I would like to address the issues that you are experiencing. As a few have posted above you should not be PBing and sliming constantly. This is not a "normal" thing for banded patients. We do experience it upon occasion if food has a hard time passing the stoma but it is not something that should happen daily or with each and every meal.

If you had gotten something stuck it could have caused the stoma to swell and make eating anything else more difficult causing more PBing and sliming with each new thing you consume. The best course of action after a stuck episode is to go back to a liquid diet for a few meals to give the stomach time to heal and reduce the swelling.

If this has been going on for long enough that people at your work place are noticing that you are having an issue then you absolutely need to see your doctor and have the fill reassessed and your band checked.

As to the issue of your workplace, I find their handling of this situation totally inappropriate and offensive. I'm sure you felt offended and embarrassed. Your employer handled this situation terribly, and their behavior is disgusting, that said you must take some responsibility for what is happening to your body as well. If you are experiencing a medical issue, you should not be in your office or place of work and you should be seeking medical attention. That is what you need to be doing now. Having to run to the ladies room or trash can for every bite is not proper band behavior.

So make an appointment with your doctor, and your HR representative!!

[2muchfun 8,927]

Addressing the stuck episode: Most of us only get stuck for two reasons, our band is either too tight or we're not eating like a Bandster. There are other reasons for getting stuck but those are best addressed by a medical professional.

If you're eating very slow, eating very small bites and chewing your food to mush and still get stuck, you're band is too tight. No one here can monitor people who post here so it's impossible to know if you're following the rules.

Your band won't cause you any problems at work if you follow the rules or assure that the band is not too tight. It's best to talk to your surgeon to know for sure?

BTW-Educating ourselves to eat like a Bandster is one of the hardest part of being banded. It's a serious problem and almost all of us have had stuck episodes caused by not eating like we should. It's not easy to change a lifetime habit of eating too fast and too big.

[Kimberly Cramm 0]

I have the same problem i am so tight in the mornings that i only sip on a protien shake at work and it has been 3 yrs no change.

[cheryl2586 3,053]

If you are throwing up every time you eat, then you are too tight or not chewing your food enough. You have to take a bite, put the fork down and wait for it to pass. If you keep pushing food it will get stuck. Fast and improper eating is usually the result of a stuck episode. On the part of your employer I would be serching for another job.

[pink dahlia 2,513]

Amen to the above posts ! See your Dr. and HR rep asap Kpurdy- PB stands for Productive Burping. It's when something is a little bit stuck, and a good burp or 2 clears the way. Sliming ? Thats when food is really stuck ! You have to throw up the food along with the normal saliva that surrounds your food, its very " slimy". Gross , but it happens as you learn to eat like a bandster. When this does happens occasionaly, you are supposed to go on liquids for 2 days to give your band time to heal.

[kpurdy68 25]

Thanks so much for clearing that up

[PuraVida37 715]

@@jenns_history Please check in with us. How are you doing?

[Bandista 7,466]

Hi there, such good posts here -- glad you will be addressing this issue so you can get your band working the way it should. I am nine months out and not hungry in the mornings so I don't eat. I feel "tight" and just have my tea until I get a hunger signal, usually around 11:30 bit sometimes quite a bit later. That meal is usually a yogurt with mix-ins. Every one is different, but I can't get a Protein Shake down early in the day; it's just too thick-y. Plus a Protein shake doesn't hold me, whereas a slowly chewed yogurt with granola definitely triggers my satiety then I'm good for 4-5 hours. Find the food that works for you -- maybe it's roll-ups of a deli meat and cheese or chili or tuna. Bit the eating very, very slowly is the trick. I was such a bolter and always thinking about what to have next. Now I really work on paying complete attention to what I'm having. After a while it becomes second nature but there is that learning curve. I want to address the environment -- this has become a stressful place for you and I know that I am sensitive to that. I can have episodes if I'm tense. Maybe you can eat elsewhere, on break or a lunch hour to avoid getting mindless about the eating and swallowing something too large because of the anxiety that something may happen...then it does happen and it's a vicious circle. Can you break the pattern by changing up when and how you eat while at work? It takes me twenty minutes to eat my yogurt and I enjoy every bite. It's important to me to savor it. There's no rushing with the band, and I can't multi-task now, like eating in front of the computer as I did before. Maybe you can get outside and nibble a Protein Bar like a mouse. Teeny tiny bites. Best wishes to you and do let us know how you're doing!

[Yadiordz 346]

Hi Jenn

That post just made me upset , what kind of people are you working with, It is wrong in all aspects the way they are treating you , the advise I will give you is to eat in a very small portiions and chew very well you should not have a issue if you do this or you are to tight and need a unfill, try to finish you lunch 5 minutes before you have to comback to work to give you chance to digest you food , drink planty of Water thru the day, so sorry this is happening to you.