No stomach acid in the pouch?

aubrie · June 22, 2007

I just read that there is no stomach acid in the pouch. How can that be? It's part of our stomach. How does the food degrade to get into the stomach? If the point of the pouch is to slow down the food getting there so you stay full longer, it HAS to break down at some point to get through the band. We can't drink Water to flush it down, so how exactly does that work????? :paranoid I'm totally confused.

giveyouthemoon · June 22, 2007

No, there is no acid since it's the top of the tummy. The esophagus pushes it through the band (as my dr tells me). Your saliva helps break down the food. What can't be broken down and can't be pushed through ends up coming back up, thus the magical PB.

aubrie · June 22, 2007

So how exactly does your body know it can't be broken down or pushed through and does the PB thing? How fast does the food go through the band? 5 minutes? 20 minutes? and hour? When do you PB? Immediately or after it sits there a while and doesn't move? Sorry for all these questions, but it's a mystery to me. When you PB, is it like a gentle blob just oozing up and out or is it like projectile vomiting?

musicalmomma · June 22, 2007

The point of the band is to create a small pouch...so a small amount of food STAYS in the pouch for hours, passing ever so slowly in to the main stomach, thus warding off hunger. If you drink with food, the food goes down much faster, leaving you hungrier faster. The only time I PB'd, it came as a surprise and came up very 'gently/easily'. I wasn't expecting it at all, thought I was just going to burb, and there the stuff was...had to grab a napkin quick and "bow my head to pray" while spitting it out. It wasn't a big deal, but I realized I was eating a little too fast. I just stopped eating at that point.

giveyouthemoon · June 24, 2007

So how exactly does your body know it can't be broken down or pushed through and does the PB thing? How fast does the food go through the band? 5 minutes? 20 minutes? and hour? When do you PB? Immediately or after it sits there a while and doesn't move? Sorry for all these questions, but it's a mystery to me. When you PB, is it like a gentle blob just oozing up and out or is it like projectile vomiting?

Your body knows it can't be broken down when the esophagus tries to push it through and it can't. Can happen right away or an hour later, I've had it both ways. It's why sometimes something goes down ok and sometimes it comes up. You'll see people here say that "gee, I've had that before and it was fine".

As aubrie said, it takes hours for all the food to leave the pouch. That's the whole idea, keeps you feeling full longer.

For me, when I PB, it is like vomiting, though not as convulsive on the ol' system. Sometimes I bend over and it comes out in a blob. Mostly it comes out in a heave.

Keep asking questions!!!

pjrugby · June 24, 2007

I am also interested in this.. i am 6 weeks post fill and with no restrictions... i am so hoping that following some more fills i will be restricted.

What does pb stand for ???

do you get a warning sign ? guess i am worried i may be in the company of others and it just comes up !!

i also worry that being sick will make my band slip.. obviously its not something i want to happen ....

does pb feel like being sick when you are unwell ?

cheers

annieM · June 24, 2007

pb=productive burp

The acids and bile that make a "sick" vomit so awful are not present with a pb. For me, a pb has never been something I would want to happen at the table. Not gentle at all. There is warning though and as you get to know how it feels (there is pain involved, so you won't want it to happen often), you know when you need to get to the rest room.

WASaBubbleButt · June 25, 2007

There is stomach acid in the pouch. The issue that makes many people believe there is no stomach acid is when we all PB it isn't the same, it's not half acid and half broken down food. The stomach acid tends to pool at the bottom of the stomach so when you vomit it is a great deal different from when you PB.

This is why if you PB or vomit you should always brush your teeth well. Some tend to PB more than others and they are more at risk for dental problems.

DBAGuy · June 25, 2007

I've been told that the critical aspect is chewing VERY WELL so that the food will go through the stoma, and eating VERY SLOWLY so that there is less chance of you eating more than the pouch can hold.

My understanding is that a PB is caused by food backing up into the esophagus, which triggers a reflex.

I can't say the pouch has no stomach acid, but I don't think it has much, since it would just drain through into the pool at the bottom of the stomach.