I am scheduled for Lap band next week. While excessive chewing isn't a bad thing. Will I have To continue this type of chewing once I get passed the 4 To 6 week liquid, soft, mush food stages. I guess my question is to all the lap band patients more than 6 months post op or more than 1 year post op. How do you consume your meals. Thanks

I am scheduled for Lap band next week. While excessive chewing isn't a bad thing. Will I have To continue this type of chewing once I get passed the 4 To 6 week liquid, soft, mush food stages. I guess my question is to all the lap band patients more than 6 months post op or more than 1 year post op. How do you consume your meals. Thanks

The short answer is yes, you'll be chewing differently for the rest of your life. The way you eat, and what you eat, can change somewhat, but as you get more restriction with your band, you'll want to make sure you don't swallow anything large enough to get stuck right above the band. Being stuck is painful, kind of like having something caught in your throat, but it's lower down than that. After a few minutes the item usually moves through the band, but until then you can get what is called "sliming," where your salivary glands go into overdrive, trying to lubricate your esophagus enough to help the stuck item pass down into your stomach. It is not a pleasant thing, since your mouth fills with foamy, sticky phlegm. It's pretty disgusting.

You'll learn as you go along how to eat for your particular band installation, and how tight it is. You get used to it, and it's not that big a deal. Since your meal sizes will also get smaller, you'll be eating less than before, so taking smaller bites makes a meal last longer.

Good luck with your surgery!

Dave

I don't... but it depends on what your body can get down. I try to take smaller bites, but I don't do "pencil eraser" size bites or anything like that. Besides if you chew it to liquid then it becomes a slider food. You just don't want to take a huge hogish bite and chew twice and swallow.. which I know is I what I did pre band. When I'm at home I use baby fork and spoon to ensure I don't eat too fast. Also we only eat small portions, it's more satisfying to eat slower.

I think it may also depend on the degree of "restriction" that you have.....

I am almost 6 months post op and have just started having issues when I eat too fast and don't chew well. Not full blown stuck with sliming, just a really uncomfortable feeling.

So...I don't pulverize my food but I do need to chew it well and slow down.

I don't have any fill and I could probably chew normally but I do try to take smaller bites and chew a couple times extra. Never had anything stuck.

My band has been pretty tight for most of the journey. I've never had to chew my food to a liquid or gross consistancy and I've never put things in the blender that I normally would'nt. I do make sure every bite is well chewed. I don't count how many times I chew each bite. It is a learning process, but if you pay attention it's not too hard.