wondering...

[sophinator 2]

Okay I read so much about the band before I got it but it seems you don't always know what to ask until you're in the middle of it. So...my question is ...if your food stays in the pouch for a while (people are always saying you don't want to stretch your pouch) why do you have the stuck feeling when you eat too fast? If its supposed to be in the pouch it wouldn't be passing through the band ...right? Just wondering if someone can spell that out for me because it is something I wouldn't have known to ask until I had it. Thanks for any input...

[elcee 3,343]

That is just one of the many things that has never been properly explained.

i agree with you - if food is designed to stay there for a while then it shouldn't hurt but believe me when you are stuck it hurts like crazy.

The latest theory is that food actually passes through the band quite quickly(within a minute or so) but again this doesn't seem to make sense - if it has passed through then how come it is possible to regurgitate food for a lot longer than this. (there is a big difference between regurgitated and actual vomiting and with the band most of us tend to regurgitate).

Also if the food passes through quickly what is with the not drinking and eating rule. Most Dr's tell you not to drink for at least 30minutes afterwards as it will push the food through quicker !

It would be nice if one day we were given a proper explanation of exactly how and why the band works and how and why the rules that exist are in place.

In the meantime it is best to just follow them and lose the weight even if neither us nor the Dr's fully understand how and why.

[Cocoabean 430]

I agree with what Elcee said. I don't think there have been studies of how things truly work. I believe assumptions have been made, and now they are finding that the band doesn't work exactly as advertised.

For me, I have had liquids with a meal and forgone them, either way the meal holds me about the same amount of time. I think surgeons have applied bypass rules to us without any real study/thought as to how different the two procedures are. With bypass, the pouch doesn't grind. They MUST chew their bites to absolute mush, then count on gravity to move things along. Our pouches grind, but we still need to chew the food to little pieces, or we run the risk of it getting stuck. For me, getting stuck is almost always immediate, which leads me to believe the pouch empties pretty quickly.

Someone posted a link to an article by a bariatric surgeon that said the upper stomach has nerves that get stimulated when food passes over them. Having the stomach cinched by the band gives those nerves (or whatever it was) more stimulation with less food as the regular stomach would need to be FULL for food to hit that tissue if unbanded. As the food passes through the stoma, it stimulates that area over and over sending the brain the false signal that we are full with less food. Don't know if it is true, but it makes sense in my pea brain.

I could be way off base, but these are my thoughts after living with my band for three years.

[sophinator 2]

I agree with you both as well. Cocoa I really don't know much about gastric way of eating to compare but definitely think the stuck feeling is food going through the band. I guess in time we will learn more. Have just been wondering about it for a while now. I'll keep an eye out for that article. Thanks for responding!

[Acadia 20]

The stoma (hole between your pouch and stomach) is usually around the size of a dime in diameter.

food will generally pass through easily if it's chewed well and eaten slowly. This is why you can eat 4 cups of popcorn without issue, it breaks down into tiny little pieces (just add Water to popcorn and see what happens).

But, if you eat something that has fibers (meat, fruit skins, citrus fruits) or is gluey (pasta, rice, bread) then it won't break down into tiny pieces and will start to form a 'clump' in and before the stoma. The first bite might go through fine but a few fibers will get stuck. Then the second bite will build on that, and so on. It's like trying to pour semi solid Jello through a funnel. Some will go through but the chunks will get caught.

Eventually your pouch is able to work the food through, but that entire time you have food literally stuck in the stoma and backing up in the pouch.

So that's why you get stuck. If you want to test the theory - which I don't recommend, but hey, some people like to do that:

1) Drink 1 cup of Water. It should go down without issue.

2) Eat a handful of Cheetos (puffs) or 2 cups of Popcorn. Both should go down without issue, they're all air and they will crunch down to virtually nothing.

3) Eat 1 cup of macaroni and cheese, sushi rice, a doughnut, or a soft dinner roll. These will make you feel like you're stuck. Not the first few bites, but a few bites in, not good. Take a drink of Fluid at that point and you'll likely vomit. Not PB, full on vomit.

If you're ever seriously stuck there are two things you can do to stop it moderately quickly:

1) Eat 1 Tbsp of meat tenderizer (it's just papaya enzyme), mix it with a tiny bit of water but don't stir it into a glass of water, you'll bring it back up if you do that. This can take 30-60 minutes to provide relief.

2) Take 2-3 large drinks of Fluid, you will feel HORRIBLE, you will salivate like mad, and you will vomit. This is a last resort method, but is safer than full on vomiting because you are providing something for your pouch to force out. If you do it dry you risk pushing your stomach up through the band. Relief is instant.

The above items aren't ideal, but in a pinch they will work.

[elcee 3,343]

3) Eat 1 cup of macaroni and cheese, sushi rice, a doughnut, or a soft dinner roll. These will make you feel like you're stuck. Not the first few bites, but a few bites in, not good. Take a drink of Fluid at that point and you'll likely vomit. Not PB, full on vomit.

!!!!!

In my experience this would still cause regurgitation not vomiting. The food would be coming from the pouch not the stomach. It would be in the same condition as when it went down. It would not be mixed with any stomach acids etc but would probably involve a lot of slime. However I have learnt that everyones band experience is different so possibly you and others may have actual vomiting.

If you're ever seriously stuck there are two things you can do to stop it moderately quickly:

1) Eat 1 Tbsp of meat tenderizer (it's just papaya enzyme), mix it with a tiny bit of Water but don't stir it into a glass of Water, you'll bring it back up if you do that. This can take 30-60 minutes to provide relief.

2) Take 2-3 large drinks of Fluid, you will feel HORRIBLE, you will salivate like mad, and you will vomit. This is a last resort method, but is safer than full on vomiting because you are providing something for your pouch to force out. If you do it dry you risk pushing your stomach up through the band. Relief is instant.

Again what works for some does not work for everyone.

I have tried papaya enzyme and it does nothing for me.

Trying to drink fluid can help to bring the offending item up - sometimes. I know a lot of people that also recommend drinking coke or something carbonated really quickly. I have never been game enough to try it but apparently it does bring things up quite quickly depending on what it is. It is more likely to work on a blockage made of lots of small particles eg rice than on something like raw carrot.

When I am stuck I normally try to bring the item back up. A few sips of water, just coughing or an old toothbrush can all help. However most of the time it takes ages to clear the stuck episode. The solution is never as simple as it should be. The episode can take hours to fully clear. I generally find that after a stuck episode sucking crushed ice is very helpful as it helps to reduce the swelling caused by trying to bring the item up.

Whilst the exact mechanics of the band may not yet be fully clear what is clear is that the band experience is different for everyone. Each bandster has to find what works for them and what doesn't.

[Cocoabean 430]

I agree with you both as well. Cocoa I really don't know much about gastric way of eating to compare but definitely think the stuck feeling is food going through the band. I guess in time we will learn more. Have just been wondering about it for a while now. I'll keep an eye out for that article. Thanks for responding!

Found it! http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

I have no idea what Dr. Simpson's credentials are. But he speaks of the pouch emptying quickly and satiety coming from the upper part of the stomach.

[elcee 3,343]

Not knowing the actual facts drives me insane so a couple of days ago, I emailed Allergan and asked them how exactly the band works, . I just got a phone call and am as confused as ever. I was told that food does not pass through quickly that the band was designed to slow down the passage of food and keep it in the upper portion of the stomach for a while. Unfortunately the person that called could not tell me how long a while was getting around that by saying it depended on what type of food it was. She didn't seem to know anything about vagus nerves and couldn't explain satisfactorily why you feel stuck instantly if the food is supposed to be staying in the pouch for a while!

So it seems that the band's manufacturers or at least one of them do not understand how their product works.

It was nice that they cared enough to call me but frustrating that the person that called seemed to know as much(or as little) as me!

[sophinator 2]

Thanks cocoabean...I will read the article soon! Elcee...that actually makes me chuckle that they called you after you'd written them but then didn't really know the answer...probably just a customer service rep but still you would think they'd have more information than that. I'm okay with not knowing completely how it works as long as it does work but now that no one really seems to know the exact answer I feel a little less dumb for not knowing myself LOL

[HeatherinCA 10]

3) Eat 1 cup of macaroni and cheese, sushi rice, a doughnut, or a soft dinner roll. These will make you feel like you're stuck. Not the first few bites, but a few bites in, not good. Take a drink of Fluid at that point and you'll likely vomit. Not PB, full on vomit.

I could do this, and I wouldn't puke. I eat sushi, I've eaten macaroni, I've eaten a donut, I eat bread. I occasionally drink with my meals. That isn't a good assumption. Every body reacts differently to the band. Getting "stuck" isn't what the band is there for, some people just have problems with certain foods, but it isn't the point of the band. The food passes right through regardless of what you eat. That is why I don't quite understand the "pouch" the food doesn't sit there. For me, I feel like crap if I eat too much and I get really gassy. But nothing is really stopping me.

Found it! http://drsimpson.net...estriction.html

I have no idea what Dr. Simpson's credentials are. But he speaks of the pouch emptying quickly and satiety coming from the upper part of the stomach.

Yea, I believe what he wrote. It makes the most sense. All the band does for me is kill my hunger, it's gone. I control what goes in my mouth, not my band. I think a lot of people are misinformed and think the band will RESTRICT them from eating, but it simply doesn't do that. That is why people lose less weight with the band, it's all about making the right decisions, not being hungry helps your make better decisions.. but if I wanna eat, I wanna eat.. it won't say no you can't.

Also yes what you said about being stuck. I've only been "stuck" once I swallowed a big chunk of bread, but it was immediate. So it obviously is immediately trying to pass through my band. Not just sitting there.