Just curious to see how long you went without having the "stuck" situation. Is it possible to never get stuck?

More restriction = more chance of getting stuck.

Less thought about what and how you are eating = more chance of getting stuck.

Tighter does not always mean better because: chocolate and ice cream will always go through but if it is too tight the good stuff has to be left out....not so good.

I should think you could 'not ever get stuck' but your band would probably not be performing optimally or you would be an angel!!

I thought it was impossible to get stuck prior to any fills but I managed to do it yesterday. Just 11 days out of surgery and day 4 on mushies.

I didn't want to have to clean my blender or food processor. So, I just used a fork to mash up the tilapia I was eating. Well, I took too big of a fork full and didn't chew enough.

Thankfully, because I am so new, it only lasted 2 minutes or so.

Good luck!!

I got stuck for the first time on day 2 or 3 of Post-op...It was on my blood pressure pill...it must have gotten sideways or something and it gave me a heck of a time...lasted about 5-10 minutes...luckily for this forum, I knew what was going on as soon as it started...now I cut my pills up into smaller pieces and swallow them that way...I've been okay since.. I am still on liquids so I haven't had any "Food" stuck yet though....

I got stuck on a pill a couple of days postop, too. I haven't yet had any incidents with food---but pills still give me trouble. Gelcaps? No prob. Capsules? No prob. I guess they dissolve before they try to move through. But tablets/caplets? Those hard little pellets still plague me.

Like many others, pills plagued me about 3 days post-op. There was also a rogue banana 2 months ago that didn't go down well in the morning. It took six, insanely uncomfortable hours, for it to pass. Finally pineapple juice helped. I'm taking my fill process slowly (3.5 cc's over the past 3 months), so that I can really learn what my new "fullness" feels like and to avoid over-filling. From what I gather, the tighter you are, the higher the likelihood of stuck incidents.

Best,

Lauren

I thought it was impossible to get stuck prior to any fills but I managed to do it yesterday. Just 11 days out of surgery and day 4 on mushies.

I didn't want to have to clean my blender or food processor. So, I just used a fork to mash up the tilapia I was eating. Well, I took too big of a fork full and didn't chew enough.

Thankfully, because I am so new, it only lasted 2 minutes or so.

Good luck!!

Pretty much exactly what happened to me, except with chicken salad. I learned not to try to cut corners with the belending, and chopping. I am more incllined to cut everything really small now that I am on solids, so I can't take too big a bite or lose myself in conversation and get too big a piece. I get my first fill on Wed. and I know i have no restriction now and it is all willpower, I can't wait for the band to do some work!

You sound the same as me. I really really really did not ever want to get stuck or PB. I'm 3 months out now and have only had a handful of stuck episodes. Let me clarify that there are many different levels of being stuck.

Sometimes the food is going down, but you can just feel that it is not going down well. This is your first warning to stop! Wait for the discomfort to pass and then if you are really still hungry, continue your meal and chew chew chew and slooooowwww down.

Other times the food is stuck, hurts a lot, but passes quickly (under a minute). Usually this is enough to make me feel 'done' w/eating so I don't even want any more.

Then, the worst is when you get really stuck. It hurts and I excuse myself to the bathroom. You slime. You pray the food will just go up or go down. You really can't do anything until the darn thing decides to move one way or the other. I have never PB'd yet, but have wished I could PB to get over the episode.

The good thing is that you can avoid most of the worst episodes by being mindful while eating (chewing well, slowing down, taking smaller bites, avoiding foods you know could be a problem or adding moisture/sauces to some foods that may be too dry otherwise). The biggest one for me is to just to respect the early signals of discomfort and not just mindlessly eat past that. If I look back at ALL of the times I got really stuck, I did have some discomfort beforehand, but for whatever reason I did not stop.

I thought it was impossible to get stuck prior to any fills but I managed to do it yesterday. Just 11 days out of surgery and day 4 on mushies.

I didn't want to have to clean my blender or food processor. So, I just used a fork to mash up the tilapia I was eating. Well, I took too big of a fork full and didn't chew enough.

Thankfully, because I am so new, it only lasted 2 minutes or so.

Good luck!!

Btrieger I actually got stuck for the first time yesterday too. Only being the same amount of days post op, but Im a little further on my diet I am on my week of softs right before full bariatric. I was eating some string cheese and next thing I knew was I felt like I couldnt breath, and I excused myself to the kitchen thought I was gonna throw up but it passed through. It was only a short time as well. I think that even with no fills yet you still chance getting stuck!

Just realized that even w/my super long post, I didn't actually answer your question. LOL

OK, so the first time I could feel food not going down well was about one week after surgery. My doctor does not do a full liquid or soft/puree stage after surgery. You go straight from Clear Liquids to regular food on day 4 post surgery. Christmas dinner was one week after surgery and I did fine w/it. The day after, I had some leftover turkey meat that just did not feel good going down. Not really stuck, but my first feeling of any discomfort while eating.

I think it was about three weeks after surgery, that I had my first real stuck episode w/a roll. That cured my desire for bread! LOL

Since then, I have not had many really stuck episodes until my most recent fill. Now, I've been getting stuck here and there. I'll maybe get stuck twice over a three day period and then go another week w/not getting stuck. I'm still getting used to eating w/this level of restriction even though I'm not at my 'sweet spot' yet. I find that I now have to be very careful w/any meat that is dry or too big a piece.

Is it possible to never get stuck?

I guess the answer is "no".

We all do what we can to make it not happen but be prepared for when it does.

I guess the answer is "no".

We all do what we can to make it not happen but be prepared for when it does.

Btrieger, you said your op was going to be March 2nd. Are you two weeks into your journey of a lifetime? How is it going?

I was banded in September and had my first stuck episode about a week ago after my 3rd fill. It was BEYOND awful!:thumbup: I have had a few other small ones as well and have learned that now I can't eat solids for breakfast anymore. I should probably go back to the doctor and have some of the fill removed as I have now lost 11 lbs in under 2 weeks since the fill. Excited that I have lost the weight, but I know that is WAY too fast!:thumbup: