and how long does it last?

Well......... the smart-alec answer is ... YOU WILL KNOW IT WHEN YOU GET IT!

But, to be more friendly - it feels like REALLY REALLY bad heartburn - it can be very very painful.

And to answer how long it will last --- depends on you - and your body - and what it is.

Many times food will get "stuck" because it was not chewed enough and is too big to go through the band,

another reason is that the food was chewed properly - but too much too quickly was consumed and it all got

jammed up at the band location.

I have heard/read some people say to drink some fluids and the food will "wash right through" but that doesn't work for me.

For me, when I drink liquids when something is "STUCK" creates projectile regurgitation (some people refer to it as "PB" or productive burp).

If you can handle the pain - the food may work it's way through the band --

BUT if it is a TOO LARGE (not chewed well enough) piece of food -- it has no place to go but back up where it came from.

Hope this helps ---

The best way I can describe it is, have you ever swallowed too big of a bite and it hurts all the way down. That is what stuck feels like. You get a very sharp pressure in your chest and I also get in my back. As far as how long it will last just depends. As short as a minute or could result in you having to go in and have Fluid taken out of your band to help it pass through. I have read on here that people have gone days and then finally have to go have fluid take out.

My stomach produces an enormous amount of "slime" when I get something stuck and I usually end up throwing up. You should try to avoid throwing up because it can cause the band to slip, but sometimes it is the only answer. I have read that there is a papya enzyme you can take and also that pineapple juice will help disolve the food that is stuck. I have not tried either. I made the mistake of drinking Water the first time I was stuck, to try to flush the food through. Big Mistake... projectile vomit.

You can get stuck not only from not chewing good enough but I find if I am really hungry and eat too fast... 2 bites and I am stuck. Chew, small bites and eat slowly, will help prevent it from happening but inevitably... I think it is bound to happen to everyone.

It is painful but not excruciating.

I actually wentto lunch today with someone who has had the band for 3 yrs. (I get my band the end of the month).

Anyway, after lunch she very graciously excused herself from the table and walked to the bathroom. She was stuck and said it felt like heartburn and threw it up.

Yeah I got stuck on some chicken about a week ago. It was my first episode and I did the warm Water thing..bad idea! My stuck feeling is like a lump pusing out on my belly! Ive never really had heartburn so dont know what that feels like. However, depends on what I eat is how long it last. I have found its hard for me to eat chicken. of anykind. if its shredded it usually doesnt get stuck for too long. but if i am eating it grilled or baked it can be a nightmare! lol

stuck to me feels like i can't breath! It feels like there is such an enormous amount of pressure in my chest/diaphram that i can hardly breathe. Then my stomach starts to "slime" to try and get it down and it comes out my nose :-/ I just try and keep burping to get it down, i've never actually thrown up from being stuck, but it's scared me enough that I don't even try to eat those foods anymore.

stuck to me feels like i can't breath! It feels like there is such an enormous amount of pressure in my chest/diaphram that i can hardly breathe. Then my stomach starts to "slime" to try and get it down and it comes out my nose :-/ I just try and keep burping to get it down, i've never actually thrown up from being stuck, but it's scared me enough that I don't even try to eat those foods anymore.

As I was reading this, that is exactly how I feel. Not just pain in my chest, but feeling that I can't breath, too! I, however, once I start burping. know that the next thing is that I will have to pb. Usually after I pb, I feel much better.