I have had my band since 2007 and I have lost 98 pounds along with my doctor and my insurance. I am presently searching for a new doctor. My problem is I can go for about 3 weeks without having a problem eating and then all of a sudden I will have a week where nothing seems to want to go down and everything gets stuck. I have even had problems sucking on a lollypop and the saliva does not seem to go down easily. I was wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this problem? Also, I have heard that stress can cause your band to tighten, has anyone ever experienced this?

3 weeks good and 1 bad, sounds like it is tightening with your menstrual cycle. Mine does this also. Check the dates.

Good luck

i definitely believe that stress tightens tghe band. i lost my dad in sept and since the week of the funeral i have had many instances of throwing up because my band will not allow food to get down easily. i haven't been adjusted so i'm pretty certain it's all about the stress. most days i am ok, but on my 'blue' days, the band is definitely not my friend!

How much fill do you have? Do you think you are at a good level or have you considered that you might be a little too tight? On days that you can eat, is it a normal band-size portion without being uncomfortable? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get a better picture.

I do have the same issues. My band has been on "lockdown" as I like to say for several days in a row now. I have started to think it is tied to a number of issues: hormones, stress, band fill, and who knows what else. It can be very frustrating. Some days, like today, I can not eat a single thing and even liquids don't seem to go down correctly. It's counterproductive for me because I reach for things that go down easily during those times, things that aren't the healthiest, and thus I don't lose weight even though I haven't really "eaten" that much. (nice run-on sentence there!) And then just as I'm getting ready to see the doc about getting an adjustment, I'll have a good week.

If you find any official explanations, please share. In the meantime, I think I'm going back to the doc and have a discussion with them. I'm frustrated enough to spend the self-pay price of $200 for a slight unfill.