Tighter some days than others?

[Miss Meg 199]

Can anyone explain why some days our band feels tighter than others?? I've been going along just nicely for s fair while... Smaller portions, chewing more, stopping at full... Today though, I just can't seem to eat and have had a few stuck episodes.. I am much better now and just happy to call it a day on the eating for the day... Obviously still not used to the little surprises we get along the way.

[lisacaron 5,075]

For me different things cause my band to be tighter and/or looser. If I am congested, or have an infection...that causes my band to feel tighter as (nasty) stuff usually goes down my throat and can create more mucus around the stoma. If I have a stuck episode the regurgitation can irritate my stoma and cause swelling which then makes my band tighter and the more I try to eat and force food through the opening the more irritated it gets.

Also for me certain medications cause the opening to feel tighter as they may irritate my stomach I don't "feel" irritated but clearly my stomach is inflamed and the opening through the band is tighter. Also spicy food can do this for me as well.

It really depends on what affects you. We each have different reasons for why the band might be tighter than other times. My husband and I are both banded and he is totally different than I am he may be eating something with no trouble and I can't eat it and vs versa.

When we run into those issues or we just can't tolerate something I won't keep trying. If I know I have had a bad stuck episode the next couple of meals I will switch to liquids. I have had an issue in the past where I just ignored the stuck episodes and kept on trying to eat solid Protein and it caused a pouch dilation and I had to have my entire band emptied and it took me more than 6 months to get even close to the green zone again.

So my advice is to pay attention to what irritates you, and if you are stuck give your stoma a break and eat something that won't cause more irritation the next couple of meals. Then resume eating as normal. If you find your "tight" go easy with the meal and try to eat things that are not going to get stuck. For me when I am not feeling well and I have that extra mucus feeling something warm like coffee or tea helps tremendously. I usually start my day with a warm cup of coffee every day, but that's just me

[Miss Meg 199]

Lisa, I think you have just answered my question... It's a pretty cold winter here downunder and last week I was pretty sick with flu. Even though I am feeling much better, I am still finishing my course of antibiotics and still have a dry irritating cough. It totally makes sense that this could be why my band is a little tighter at the moment. I will take your advice and stick with more liquid foods for a couple of days. Thanks.