Call Roto Rooter I'm stuck!!

[CoachCher 1]

How many times have you had a fill; then bam you can no longer eat like you could before? I hear this from clients all the time “I get stuck all the time”. After years of being banded I completely understand this concept and the frustration that comes with it.

I have discovered three golden rules to help minimize getting stuck.

Golden Rule One- Take smaller bites. Trust me this is a new concept for us bandsters. However our pouch is not designed for the larger bite any longer so please take smaller bites; this will help you avoid getting stuck as much.

Golden Rule Two- Chew your food to liquid form before you swallow. This is probably the hardest rule to follow; I know it was for me anyway. If you take too large of a bite and have to chew it to liquid form you are going to get frustrated, angry and dread eating. By following rule one makes rule two much easier to follow.

Golden Rule Three- Don’t eat if you are stressed or angry. The band is very fickle and will tighten up on you if you are stressed or angry. When you sit down to eat; try to be as calm and relaxed as you can. A lot of us start feeling anxiety right before we eat because we are afraid of getting stuck. This is actually causing a double negative. We are worried about getting stuck before we even eat so we cause an adverse effect with our band. Think back to your pre-band days and how relaxed you were when you would sit down to eat a meal. There was no stress or anxiety about eating, well guess what it should be that way now as well.

If you follow these three golden rules eating a meal should be much easier. Now of course if you are following “The Three Golden Rules” and you are still getting stuck you may very well be too tight. If this is the case contact your surgeon to have some of your fill removed.

As you are learning to eat with your tool be kind and patient with yourself. There is a learning curve you need to overcome. It is a foreign concept to us learning how to eat again after all these years. The more you follow the golden rules the more enjoyable your journey will be.

[yayamama76 0]

Thanks Cher!

I just got my 4th fill on Thursday (7.5cc in a 10cc band) and I haven't been able to keep any solid foods down. I really don't think I'm overfilled. I think I just need to make my bites and my portion sizes substantially smaller. Plus, at five months post-surgery, I think I'm finally seeing my band work well.

I need to follow the rules (no liquids 30 min before and 1 hour after) too before I determine I'm overfilled. Before now I really haven't had to follow the rules - just ate less and lost about a pound a week. If I do this right I think I'll be fine and loose more.

Thanks for your help and advice.

[CoachCher 1]

Hey YaYa,

I bet your right. If you haven't really had to pay attention before now you are probably taking too big of a bite and not chewing well enough. Just take your time to chew and concentrate on the smaller bite and you should be good to go.

Let us know how you do with this fill and let us know what you learned.

[Cblancha9 0]

It's been 16 months since surgery and I've lost 103lbs and feel great! I do have trouble with the 3 Golden Rules and boy do I pay for it. Does anyone know what happens when you have a band slip or an erosion?? I'm kind of worried about it. The last time I went to the DR. he said to be careful because I could cause a band slipage. I've been having trouble with acid reflux and take Prevacid. At night when I go to sleep I tried not to eat and it still comes up and I start to cough. Sometimes it's non stop; every 20 min. Then I'll go several days and everything is okay. Still get the acid reflux. Also take Gaviscon.

[sweetpea51 3]

Coachcher - Thank you for the tips - I have been getting stuck and worried that I'm not eating enough. I did have some of my fill removed but I can't eat alot of heavy things, meat included. So what's happening is that I started to eat fattening things that go down easier and I know that is wrong to do. Tonight I actually ate 1oz. of chicken, a small salad and 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes and finished it. Also, I get heartburn alot of the time, and I never got heartburn before so I'm trying to figure out what gives me the heartburn. Can I take an antacid if I get heartburn or will it do some damage? I have been banded for a year but I only got .5cc's the first fill, another .5cc's the second fill, and 1cc last week but then he took out 1/10 of that cause I was too tight. I know you're not a DR. but I would love to hear from someone who is more experienced- what do you think of how I'm doing and what can I do better? Thanks!

[CoachCher 1]

I would start by taking smaller bites so it's easier to chew to liquid form, this should make it easier on you to eat.

Taking an antacid is fine, but be sure to tell your surgeon about your reflux you want to keep him/her in the loop.

Anytime you have a fill be easy on yourself because you getting use to your restriction. Just keep the golden rules close by and you should do great.

[CoachCher 1]

Wow you have done amazing Cblancha. Band erosion or slippage is caused from constant throwing up. If you are throwing up all the time you need to let your surgeon know because that is not normal.

Practice the three golden rules and hopefully that will help you.

[kimmiep41 0]

Thank you Coachcher for the helpful hints!!! I was banded in Jan and had my 3rd fill this past Friday and have had a lot of trouble with solids getting stuck (the first couple of days even applesauce got stuck) I have always eaten really fast and taken too large of bites so this has been a major adjustment for me. :cursing:

[CoachCher 1]

Hey Kimmie,

Just be kind and patient with yourself right now. You will learn to slow down and take smaller bites, it's a life saver.

Let me know if there is anything I can help you with, I'm here for you.

[stace.smith 0]

My last fill on May 29th was the same way. I had to stick to Protein Shakes and liquids for about 3 weeks after. This has been my most successful fill out of 4 that I have had. I had a fill that was too much and I couldn't even swallow my own saliva! I had to go back and have 1cc removed then I was fine. There is a fine line between very tight and overfull!

[JoanieP 2]

Super advise that I, for one, tend to forget. I didn't know about the stress and anger thing...very informative...thanx!!! Joanie )

[ld0008 0]

does the band loosen up over time. It seems like I am eating more than usual. I wonder if I should go for another fill. the last fill I got, i thought was tight but now I think it loosened up. is that possible?

[CoachCher 1]

The band can loosen up, especially if you are losing weight. Think of it like a "BELT" the more weight you lose the more holes on your belt you have to adjust. The same holds true for the band.

Edited October 3, 2008 by CoachCher

[ld0008 0]

thanks CoachCher, that makes sense. It's probably time for a fill for me.

[EvnlyAnne 0]

I've had the band since January, I feel like either the band is too tight or too loose. It seems every time I have it filled it is either so tight I can't keep any solid foods down, even mashed potatoes wouldn't stay down, and then when I have it loosened I feel like I can eat whatever I want. After my last fill it was too tight, I've had it loosened but still seem to be getting sick too much. I find it frustrating that it never seems to stay at a happy medium, is there something that I can do?