I had my 2nd fill last week and I can notice a difference in the amount of food I can put into my mouth. I am really trying to be more in tuned with the soft stop signals to avoid discomfort. But last night it didn't work. My family went out to dinner to Celebrate my last day of teaching summer school-my vacation officially began!

I looked at the menu choices and decided a sizzling steak would be a great option. It's not that big and I could easily bring half home. I had 1 glass of sangria and nibbled on the salad. The steak came and I had 2 pieces. I cut them up nice and small. Well all of a suddent I got SO sick-it sort of felt like heartburn, but with the need to throw up (gross I know). I made 4 trips to the bathroom within 15 minutes. I am not one of these people wh can make themselves throw up-it goes against my nature! I was slimming like crazy. I manage to throw up in the toilet a little, but that was no relief. I went back to the dinner table after my 4th trip and said I need to go home. Fortunately dinner was over anyway. I brought home my dinner. Outside I felt sick again and threw up slime. Then I felt sick again and stood outside the car. WTH! When I got home I felt better.

I kept thinking about my upcoming cruise and now I am thinking about not getting a fill for it. I still need to learn what my body can and can not tolerate. I am guessing a steak is a no-no! Maybe I should just stick with seafood (which I love anyway).

So I learned that there are 2 kinds of being stuck -I've experienced both:

1. Hard stuck- when it feels like a rock is caught in the middle of your chest. You are slimming like a rabid dog! This is so painful you feel as if you may have to go to the ER if things don't improve! This happened to me when I was standing over chinese take out and pooped a shrimp in my mouth whole (during my 1st fill stage). OMG- it was the worst pain ever-seriously!

2. Regular Stuck -this feels like really, REALLY bad heartburn with the need to vomit. Slimming happens at this point too. You can sit and feel a need to walk around.

I guess I am headed to GNC to stock up on some papaya enzymes to keep in my purse.

Does anyone have foods that they must avoid on the Band for fear of being stuck? What are good choices for dining out?

I had my 2nd fill last week and I can notice a difference in the amount of food I can put into my mouth. I am really trying to be more in tuned with the soft stop signals to avoid discomfort. But last night it didn't work. My family went out to dinner to celebrate my last day of teaching summer school-my vacation officially began!

I looked at the menu choices and decided a sizzling steak would be a great option. It's not that big and I could easily bring half home. I had 1 glass of sangria and nibbled on the salad. The steak came and I had 2 pieces. I cut them up nice and small. Well all of a suddent I got SO sick-it sort of felt like heartburn, but with the need to throw up (gross I know). I made 4 trips to the bathroom within 15 minutes. I am not one of these people wh can make themselves throw up-it goes against my nature! I was slimming like crazy. I manage to throw up in the toilet a little, but that was no relief. I went back to the dinner table after my 4th trip and said I need to go home. Fortunately dinner was over anyway. I brought home my dinner. Outside I felt sick again and threw up slime. Then I felt sick again and stood outside the car. WTH! When I got home I felt better.

I kept thinking about my upcoming cruise and now I am thinking about not getting a fill for it. I still need to learn what my body can and can not tolerate. I am guessing a steak is a no-no! Maybe I should just stick with seafood (which I love anyway).

So I learned that there are 2 kinds of being stuck -I've experienced both:

1. Hard stuck- when it feels like a rock is caught in the middle of your chest. You are slimming like a rabid dog! This is so painful you feel as if you may have to go to the ER if things don't improve! This happened to me when I was standing over chinese take out and pooped a shrimp in my mouth whole (during my 1st fill stage). OMG- it was the worst pain ever-seriously!

2. Regular Stuck -this feels like really, REALLY bad heartburn with the need to vomit. Slimming happens at this point too. You can sit and feel a need to walk around.

I guess I am headed to GNC to stock up on some papaya enzymes to keep in my purse.

Does anyone have foods that they must avoid on the Band for fear of being stuck? What are good choices for dining out?

Welcome to the life of Banding! LOL! Yes, steak is the one thing I have to really avoid. I can eat MAYBE one bite if it is not too well done and I have to chew, chew, chew until I feel like I have eaten the whole steak! lol! .......and steak always was and still is my favorite! I have been on this road 3 years and still have probs sometimes. most of the problems I have is when I slip into my old ways and do not chew as I should. Thankfully, so far (knock on wood), even with the slimming and PB'ing, I have not had a slip. but everytime that happens, I still get that feeling in the pit of my stomach taht I have somehow messed up my band and I am scared to death of losing it! When you get that feeling like you are going to have to throw up, if you can walk around a bit, sometimes it will go down (you can actually feel it when it goes down), and we all know it is better not to throw up if at all possible... good thing is, when you start feeling like that.. all of a sudden, you are not hungry anymore! Hard way to lose though! Good luck and keep us informed about how things are going for you! God Bless!

You poor thing!! Unfortunately all my stucks are Hard Stucks. You have formally been inducted into the bandster world!!!

Does anyone have foods that they must avoid on the Band for fear of being stuck? What are good choices for dining out?

Number 1 on my DO NOT EAT list is red meat! I also shy away from salad. If I don't chew the lettuce well enough, it's like someone put Saran Wrap over my opening. I usually stick with chicken. It doesn't normally bother me. I also always ask what the Soup of the day is.

Pork is a big no no for me, I had once and felt it sitting in my chest until it passed. Needless to say I have not had it since.

Well last night I waited until 8pm to have a SMART One. I was really hungry and pooped it in the microwave. I started nibbling on a bagel. I would say I ate less than half the bagel -just nibbling. Then it hit me again!! Second day of being stuck! Thank goodness I was home this time! Horrible. I should never ever stand and eat-that's what happened last month-standing and nibbling=stuck!

It made me think that maybe, just maybe the night before when I was in the resturant it may have been the bread I had (a small piece) that starting the "Stuck" process.

Urggghh! Okay so bagels are a definite no-no!

I was still making food choices based on my first fill-word to the wise: All fills are NOT created equal!

I guess the good news is that I have restriction.

I am really hestiant to goo out to eat anywhere now. We are suppose to go out the dinner tonight with another couple-I can't handle being stuck another night!

Do papaya enzymes really work for stuck episodes? I have read warm water helps, but if the enzymes really work I'd like to keep them on hand at all times.

I made tea but I couldn't even drink it-that's how bad it was...I am goingtio the mall today to get the some so I'll let you know if they work. I have read on here that they have helped a few-but I think you need to take a lot.

Thanks so much!

I made tea but I couldn't even drink it-that's how bad it was...I am goingtio the mall today to get the some so I'll let you know if they work. I have read on here that they have helped a few-but I think you need to take a lot.

This is what I went through yesterday! Yes, I also believe every fill is different. Some foods will be fine one time and other time, they will hit your band wrong.

I had a fill last Monday of 2.25 cc. I haven't had a fill for over one year. I was on liquids for 24 hours. I was eating small amounts, having fish, chicken salad, some salad, etc., doing amazingly well. Then I went to lunch with a co-worker. Oh boy. I had some quiche and a salad. Disaster! I was eating a small amount of the quiche and small amount of the salad. STUCK! I had this problem before with eggs on prior fills (long time ago). The egg got stuck. I had some sliming too. I had the waiter box things up. I also think conversing and eating may have done it too. Although, I ate very little and was chewing very well. You just don't know when it hits or what foods are the enemy. I noticed too that the salad dressing wasn't a good combo with the salad for some reason. I don't know why. Its almost like you have to stick with just certain food when you have a strong restriction. I haven't had this amount of restriction in a very long time. I am not going to get an unfil at this point because I can eat many other foods without problems and I get full quickly without sticking problems.

I have used the papaya tablets in the past and they haven't helped me. There are people who swear by them. I don't know if I don't use them correctly or at the right time or what. Its worth a try. I don't know about warm Water because if something is stuck, the water just goes on top of it. Coughing seems to help or walking and letting it slowly go through. All I know is that it is very uncomfortable and the slimming is so awful! It finally went down and I didn't eat until this morning. I just drank water (sipped). My stomach felt rather sore and my appetite was zero. I did not want to get dehydrated. I am taking it easy with foods today and staying away from anything questionable that may get stuck. I think meats have to be very, very moist and you have to take very small amounts and chew like crazy. Eggs are not good for me either right now (obviously).

Glad I found this... It sounds like we all have similar episodes. The thing that has blown me away this time is that I haven't had a fill in about 4 months... Was gonig along well, eating most anything I wanted and not getting stuck. All of a sudden, it was like my band tightened on its own again! I have had to go back to liquids and mushies this week (lost 5 pounds) but that is the hard way to lose! I am glad to see I am not the only one with a fickle band.. but it is still the best thing I have ever done for myself! Keep in touch. God Bless!

I would not eat steak in public for all the tea in china! I dont get stuck often, but steak is a high risk food for me. I dont eat out an awful lot, so when I do, my main focus is just something easy. I will go for the pasta/risotto/caesar salad every time. I dont eat the whole meal, its only once in a while I eat out, so I dont really care about the best nutritional choice, I just dont want an episode. I eat less of my meal than I would eat at home, stopping well before any possible overeating stuck episode can occur and enjoy a nice glass of wine instead.

Dare I say it, Desserts are easier so I might even only have a bite of a starter, and have dessert instead.

I would also never be game enough to order a steak out. I might have one bite of my partners but to order one for myself - NO WAY. A bagel is also not a very good idea. They are very dense and doughy. If you want to eat bread stick to the grainy varieties they are a lot easier.

As to Papaya enzymes , they have never worked for me. Generally the only way I can handle it when I am stuck is to try and bring the offending item back up. Unfortunately this normally involves repeated trips to the bathroom plus lots of slime and coughing. On the positive side it really is nothing like being sick and if you can get rid of the stuck item you get that feeling of relief. Waiting for the stuck to go down is not an option for me. It hurts too much . Also you get to the point where you are producing so much slime that you have to go and chuck it up because otherwise it feels like you will drown!

If I am out I tend to eat things such as Pasta, quiche, risotto etc. All the (for me) easy to eat foods. I will order a burger sometimes as well and I eat that very slowly minus the bun. Strangely fish often causes me problems. Not sure why as it would seem to be a soft easy to eat choice but last time I ate fish out I spent half the night running back and fore to the bathroom.

I always find that the thing that helps me after I have been stuck is sucking on crushed ice. It helps to reduce the swelling( Ice is the first thing that they give you after the surgery for this reason), a warm drink helps but only before you eat to help relax muscles etc , drinking when you are stuck will only make it worse.

I had my 2nd fill last week and I can notice a difference in the amount of food I can put into my mouth. I am really trying to be more in tuned with the soft stop signals to avoid discomfort. But last night it didn't work. My family went out to dinner to Celebrate my last day of teaching summer school-my vacation officially began!

I looked at the menu choices and decided a sizzling steak would be a great option. It's not that big and I could easily bring half home. I had 1 glass of sangria and nibbled on the salad. The steak came and I had 2 pieces. I cut them up nice and small. Well all of a suddent I got SO sick-it sort of felt like heartburn, but with the need to throw up (gross I know). I made 4 trips to the bathroom within 15 minutes. I am not one of these people wh can make themselves throw up-it goes against my nature! I was slimming like crazy. I manage to throw up in the toilet a little, but that was no relief. I went back to the dinner table after my 4th trip and said I need to go home. Fortunately dinner was over anyway. I brought home my dinner. Outside I felt sick again and threw up slime. Then I felt sick again and stood outside the car. WTH! When I got home I felt better.

I kept thinking about my upcoming cruise and now I am thinking about not getting a fill for it. I still need to learn what my body can and can not tolerate. I am guessing a steak is a no-no! Maybe I should just stick with seafood (which I love anyway).

So I learned that there are 2 kinds of being stuck -I've experienced both:

1. Hard stuck- when it feels like a rock is caught in the middle of your chest. You are slimming like a rabid dog! This is so painful you feel as if you may have to go to the ER if things don't improve! This happened to me when I was standing over chinese take out and pooped a shrimp in my mouth whole (during my 1st fill stage). OMG- it was the worst pain ever-seriously!

2. Regular Stuck -this feels like really, REALLY bad heartburn with the need to vomit. Slimming happens at this point too. You can sit and feel a need to walk around.

I guess I am headed to GNC to stock up on some papaya enzymes to keep in my purse.

Does anyone have foods that they must avoid on the Band for fear of being stuck? What are good choices for dining out?

I was told not to eat steak and grilled chicken. I have eaten chicken baked in oven and from kentucky fried chicken. The kfc baked went well one time and the next time it was dry and my body wanted it out. I find shrimp goes down well and hamburgers. what do the papaya enzymes do? Does it help break down beef?

I also have experienced the slimming thing. I noticied it more when I ate too much after getting my first fill.

???????

It made me think that maybe, just maybe the night before when I was in the resturant it may have been the bread I had (a small piece) that starting the "Stuck" process.

Urggghh! Okay so bagels are a definite no-no!

I bet you that's what it was, the bread. I found after my last fill that just about any bread will get stuck. I'm stubborn though, and keep trying even though it NEVER WORKS! I was a major bread-aholic before surgery and bread is what I miss the most, but even a flour tortilla will get me stuck. I've only had luck with Jewish Rye bread, sliced thin and toasted - and then only a half a slice max.

Starches are what get me stuck - rice, bread, stuffing/dressing, Pasta - it just doesn't work. I can still eat potatoes and sweet potatoes, thank goodness. For a while after my last fill, eggs really made me stuck, but that seems to have gone away. Oh, and shrimp - gawd, that's just horrible, it literally projectile vomits right out of me (sorry, I know that's gross, but true!)

I still can't eat in the morning, I usually have a Carnation Instant Breakfast with non-fat milk, or a small 90-calorie granola bar. Those are the only two things I can keep down.

Stay away from the bread and I bet you'll do better.