I am 6 days post op and wondering what are some things that I can do to cause myself less trouble once I start eating real food. I do not want to get sick or do anything to cause me unnecessary troubles. I already know that I will not be able to drink AND eat... Oh oooh. Gonna be a hard habit to break. Big is there anything else???

The number one thing I can recommend is chewing VERY thoroughly, then waiting a minute or two between bites (especially after the first few).

Also, making sure food is sufficiently "wet" helps me quite a bit. I add salsa, greek yogurt (mixed with Ranch dressing mix), a spritz of low cal salad dressing, etc. to help meat and bulky veggies go down.

Once all your post-op swelling is over, this may not be much of an issue till you have proper restriction.

I personally have never gotten really "stuck." But I have eaten too much too fast and gotten sick from it. It's not the end of the world, but it's not pleasant. I usually do pretty well, but occasionally in an unusual situation, I'll have an issue. Learn from my fail: if you're at a restaurant and you're having a problem, excuse yourself to the restroom until it is resolved. : \

Congrats to you! I had a really hard time with not being able to eat and drink at the same time too, but it's really not that big a deal. You are more concerned with chewing very well and getting the food down to worry about drinking. Trust me Every now and then I have to take a small sip of water if something gets a little stuck. But it is a big no no. That is something that you will get used to fast. Like Pixistix said, the veggies can be kinda tough to get down at times, but just met them wet with something. I don't have problems with any meats yet. I have been banded for 9 weeks so I am still a newbie to this. But every now and then I will put guacamole on steak and chicken if I think it is too dry. You will be fine. Good luck and keep in touch!