PBing...it sounds a little intimidating! I'm still in the decision making process of whether to get the band...but I just wonder, how often does it really happen, and can it be prevented? Thanks!!

I'm over 3 months out from surgery, and have had 2 fills. I have not yet had this experience. I think it depends on how tight you are, etc.

When a piece of food gets stuck at the opening of your band you feel a very sharp pain and slime comes out of your mouth. Usually by bending over the sink you can get it to come up. It's not like throwing up at all. I don't get stuck very often but sometimes when I eat too fast it happens. It happened last week and I couldn't get the food unstuck, so there was a lot of sliming action. Hope this helps. Best wishes!!!

PB = Productive Burp. So, if you have food stuck in your band and there is air trapped below in your main stomach, the air will push out the food and you will do a bit of a belch and the food will come up. It's not like vomiting because there is no stomach acid in it (so it doesn't taste gross).

I've been banded for 19 months and it's only happened to me a few times. It didn't hurt at all, and I could tell a few minutes ahead of time that it was going to happen, so I've always been able to get to a restroom in time.

"Sliming" (Slime-ing?) is what the poster before me is talking about. When you get food stuck, your saliva can't go through the band, so it basically bubbles back up and you have to spit it out. It doesn't hurt-- it's just a bit gross. That happens to me probably twice a week, if even that much. It's an extremely tiny price to pay to finally have my weight under control.

I hope that helps! Sorry for my obnoxiously gigantic before/after pic below -- I'm trying to figure out how to make it smaller!! :biggrin:

Best wishes for your success,

Catherine

Catherine,

There is nothing obnoxious about that picture, you look FABULOUS! Congratulations!

Jessica,

I only PB and/or slime when I eat too fast. Like Catherine, I know when the PB is coming and have plenty of time to get to a restroom. I have some control over it as far as being able to "hold it" for a little bit, unlike puking.

Angie

Just curious-This "sliming" just recently started with me, but it's also pretty painful (it feels like horrendous heartburn)-and lasts about 5 minutes. Do any of you have pain along with the saliva?

I have only had 2 small sliming incidents, which happen while eating an egg white omelet, on both occasions, for breakfast. I now know to stick to having a protein shake in the morning, no problems since doing that. My surgeon recommends always having a shake for breakfast. When I did slime it felt as if I had swallowed golf ball!

Edited May 17, 201016 yr by Vivinthewoods

Slime also occurrs when you have something slightly stuck in your band and your body is trying to lubricate it enough so that it goes through. If something went down at an awkward angle, slime can help align it properly and it will pass. Pain with slime usually means you are stuck to some degree. It doesn't always lead to PB incidents, but you get enough slime build up, it becomes its own PB incident because your pouch is full. Very often I don't bring up any food at all; food stays down and slime only comes up.

There's also a nerve at the top of the stomach that tells you you're full. If that nerve gets irritated by a piece of food or something, slime can happen. The band itself can also annoy this nerve so sometimes you can get slime incidents without having eaten anything.

If I slime or PB it is usually due to my error, eating too fast, eating too much, too big of bites, so it can usually be prevented by paying attention to what you are doing. I find it happens most for me when I am talking and not paying attention to what I am doing.

The other time this may happen is if I try to eat something I know I should not. i.e. certain things dont work for me no matter how careful I am, they are bread, flour tortillas, pizza crust, scrambled eggs, rice if it is dry, thick or chewy or al dente Pasta, puffy breading or batter.

As we retrain our eating habits it gets better, but we have a lot of unlearning to do so some are slower at it that others. Remember this is a life long change, and it does get easier as time goes on.

Getting stuck is uncomfortable, occasionally painful, and PB'ing is gross and inconvenient. But as Catherine put it, it's a small price to pay.