Graphic Shrimp Hurling Story

[Foofy 0]

Posted for the benfit of science.

Wow. Last night I ate some grilled shrimp wrapped with proscuitto. I was chewing very slowly, as usual. I felt a tightness in my chest, but kept going, because shrimp are pretty easy to pulverize with chewing. That was a bad mistake. Next thing I knew, I was slurping slime over the sink. This had gone on for about 10 minutes, with no relief, when I remembered TxArcher's tale of hurling. The pain wasn't going away, so I stuck my finger down my throat and hoped for the best.

I thought I emptied everything out, and it was all VERY well-chewed, so the plug surprised me. Then, about 5 minutes later, the burping and pain started again. I repeated the "process", and again got a lot of saliva and little tiny ground up pieces (I am not going into the detail of how I examined the expulsion, but you can guess). Once again, relief was short lived. About 10 minutes later, I tried a third and final time. SUCCESS!!! RELIEF!!! BLISS!!!!! The culprit seemed to have been the initial bite of shrimp. There was a piece that was about an inch long, but veeeeery skinny. All I can figure is that it laid across the pouch opening and everything else piled up in a slurry on top. Once that devilish piece was out, I was my old self again.

The hurling was actually not bad. There was no bile, and I hadn't eaten a lot of food and it was all very well chewed. All in all, it was a very acceptable means of declogging. I think I will not hesitate to do it again, if the need arises. I had been scared to do so, until I read TxArcher's post (last week?) about the success of his accidental hurl.

Sorry if this is too much information, but I thought it was good to know.

Edited May 6, 2008 by Foofy

[SuzanneG 1]

I had a similar experience with TWO bites of BBQ sandwhich. It was my first PB and slime experience and an educational one to be sure. I felt that bite go up and down my esophagus maybe 10 times. I think I have a sort of road rash from it. I'm still very sore.

That was Saturday and I have had only mushies or liquids since then and I am still tight and sore.

How are you feeling?

[Foofy 0]

No problems at all afterward. I think it was because I got it "out" of there, rather than burping it up and down for 30 minutes, as is my usual routine. I think a judicious hurl is an effetive tool in clog management. Hope you are feeling better soon.

[TxArcher 2]

Foofy,

beware... Lap band commandments say "thou shalt not barf"!

I would be VERY cautious if I were you. I know it is agony getting stuck, but the risks of prolapse are VERY REAL! If you prolapse, you will more than likely lose your band! You don't want that do ya?

It scared the crap out me when I puked! I was so worried. It turned out ok this time, but I surly don't want that to become second hand for me.

[Foofy 0]

Holy smokes. I never heard that about barfing being forbidden. I'll have to ask my surgeon. Shoot. It was such a great way to clear the clog. Drat. Rats. Phooey.

[hollyberries 2]

Holy smokes. I never heard that about barfing being forbidden. I'll have to ask my surgeon. Shoot. It was such a great way to clear the clog. Drat. Rats. Phooey.

Honey-

I would have done the same thing....relief is more important to me then sitting there in agony for awhile. I wouldn't worry to much because I don't think that you throw up on a daily basis. It happens! I have had it happen 3 times and it is so much better when it comes up. I guess the band is finicky even when we are following the rules. I will never figure it out...ever.

Cindy

[steph_co 9]

LOL...that sounds really pleasant. I haven't puked/PB'd yet...I've just had the stuck feeling and it WANTING to come up, but not doing it. I agree with Craig about the barfing thing. But I wouldn't freak out about ONE TIME. I just wouldn't make a habit of it.

But that's one of the things they were looking for when I had my psych-eval - that I wasn't bullemic because that can definitely cause your band to slip. You'll see a lot of threads on here about people freaking out because they have nausea and don't want to slip their band with all the puking. I even get nervous when I get hiccups that I'm going to displace my band.

[cindyg1212 0]

My surgeon gave me anti-nausea suppositories in case of a stomach virus. He said that vomiting is very dangerous for the band, especially right after surgery. The stomach contracts violently when vomiting and it can cause slippage and other problems. However, gently throwing up stuck food above the band may not be as bad I'm guessing. Definitely check with your surgeon.

[Foofy 0]

Hey band buddies, thanks for all the input. I've done alot of Googling about it since the "incident" and indeed most sites agree that "regular" vomiting is bad for the band (and is a sign that you are eating too fast or are too tight or something else). Also, vomiting soon after surgery is BAD.

It's been 6 months since surgery and it was an isolated incident, so I am not worried about my experience, but I won't be making it a habit. ;o)

For the interest of science, I will report that it wasn't the kind of violent hurling that you get with stomach flu or food poisening. There was none of that exhaustion or feeling of being wrung out. It didn't even seem to really involve my stomach (although it probably did). There was just a quick, fairly gentle "whoosh" out of my throat and the clog was gone. Then, relief.

Believe me, I am normally someone who HATES to throw up. It happens to me maybe once or twice a decade and I am usually sick as a dog. I will definately ask my doc about it, but it may be months before I go back.

Thanks for your support! Here's to a clog-free week!