Getting Stuck- is it a choice?

[GLove 44]

I have not been banded yet. Looking at a Feb 2012 date. I started this journey last March and it has been delayed only because of my own procrastination. I am over being afraid of something stuck down my throat during surgery- I finally convinced myself that I will be asleep and wont even know. Im also done with worrying about Hair loss. Apparently it happens no matter how diligent you are about your Protein intake BUT it does grow back. What I cant get over is the thought of getting stuck. This terrifies me. I have had problems with choking and have had many a hiemlich administered on me. Although I know getting stuck is different than choking, I see it as the same. My question to all post band patients: Is avoiding getting stuck really in the hands of the patient? In other words, if you follow your Doctor's orders, eat small amounts and chew, chew, chew, can you avoid getting stuck? Also, will getting stuck be a life-long issue to be dealt with, even after reaching goal? This is a point that Im really having a hard time with. Thank you.

[Cazzy 725]

i have a small oesophagus so am used to choking sometimes, getting stuck with my band is really not the same feeling at all for me anyways. U arent fighting for breath and the pain/discomfort is much lower than when choking. Most episodes of being stuck i have been able to pin point why it happened, eating too fast, not chewing enough, the wrong food etc, my best friend is a very sharp knife and i do take my time eating and cut up food into small pieces. Being stuck tho is for me not a 100% predictable, on a rare occasion a certain food would get stuck that i was able to eat the day before but these occasions are rare. So to answer your question, for me yes it is a choice as to what you eat and how you eat it , but sometimes / rarely food can bite you back and get stuck for no good reason. I know some people prefer to have a very restricted band, and some struggle more in the mornings, but if you master your techniques for eating and choices of food you can eventually live wthout the band thoughts dominating your day

I would say that after 11 months being banded i have been stuck no more than 10-15 times in all and that to me is an acceptable level, most recently as the weight has been lost and i get more 'expert' at what i can eat then it happens only very rarely. The time for more caution is normally after a fill.

I would not let the concern over being stuck prevent you from taking control of your weight and life with the help of a band

[GLove 44]

Cazzy, thank you very much....especially that very last sentence.

[Corrigan 75]

Well glove, (strange name), your throat is kind of like a Y with one branch (esophagus) that goes to your

stomach and the other branch (trachea) goes to the lungs. A little flap (epiglottis) tells air or food which

tube to use. The band stoma (bottom opening) is below the little flap so air is not restricted by anything

getting stuck over the stoma. In other words, anything getting stuck, won't cause any difficulty breathing.

[123crod 170]

I get stuck a lot, but I know it is of my own doing not the Band's fault. I do not always chew enough or eat too fast. I get panic attacks all the time and the first few times I could not tell if i was stuck or going to have a panic attack. I kinda felt like both start out in the same area for me. But I have now learned the difference. I have been stuck for hours and had no trouble breathing.

Now once or twice I did have a panic attck at the same time and it was not pretty. My pills are very tiny and I just put them in my mouth and let them melt and soon it all stop and I am just stuck, but calm.

It is a little scary the first time but later you know what it is. But most people do not get stuck, you can help yourself by eating very small bites and chewing and chewing. It is not the norm for people to get stuck. But if you do it will not stop you from breathing it just sits there waiting to go down. I can drink some if i am stuck it just gurgles itself around whatever is stuck.

You will be just fine don't let that stop you.

Cheri

[project lisa 1]

I am pretty new to this process but in my experience if I pay attention to my body and follow the doctors instructions to cut meat small and chew everything very well I don't have a problem - it's when I gulp something down that causes issues. I forget sometimes like earlier this week I was very hungry and made a PBJ sandwich and just practically inhaled half of it ( old habits die hard) I'm talking two bites and half of the sandwich was gone - I immediately knew I had made a mistake - to correct it I began drinking Water and it quickly passed. Lesson learned - eat before I am starving hungry and pay attention to what goes into my mouth!

[54Shirley 105]

It sure is ! It depends on a lot of things. The tighter you are, the better your chance of making a mistake, and then getting stuck.

Eating to Fast, To Big of pieces, talking while eating like at a Restaurant.. (you lose focus at what you should be doing, then oops it went down, and your stuck !). These are just a few key factors.

I noticed then when I am not so tight, The food goes down easier, and I have a lesser chance of being stuck.

The downside to this is you feel hungry more often. So,,, you have to learn control, and to live with it.

If you get stuck allot, sometimes you end up getting unfilled, just so they can get the swelling down.

[SkinnyMiniMe 63]

I thinking that your fear is actually a good thing for you. I am sure that because you fear choking you will be extremely careful to prevent being stuck which BTW will most likely help you to follow the doctor's orders and lose your weight easily.

hair loss my biggest concern only because previously when dieting and exercising I experienced Hair loss. It grew back. I did take Vitamins but I had no idea it was from calorie, Protein intake and weightloss. Now going into this journey I saw that many experience hair loss. I put 2 and 2 together realize why my hair fell. I am not sure if after being banded I will be able to prevent it BUT its NOT stopping me from getting my band. I feel what is the point of having such beautiful long hair if of all my other beauty is being drowned out by my obesity. So I will take my Vitamins, drink my Protein which is all recommended anyway and is good for you and hope for the best LOL in my new skinny body.

PS any hair loss prevention recommendations are greatly appreciated. I actually read somewhere that taking prenatal viatmins is great for skin and hair etc.,

I have not been banded yet. Looking at a Feb 2012 date. I started this journey last March and it has been delayed only because of my own procrastination. I am over being afraid of something stuck down my throat during surgery- I finally convinced myself that I will be asleep and wont even know. Im also done with worrying about hair loss. Apparently it happens no matter how diligent you are about your protein intake BUT it does grow back. What I cant get over is the thought of getting stuck. This terrifies me. I have had problems with choking and have had many a hiemlich administered on me. Although I know getting stuck is different than choking, I see it as the same. My question to all post band patients: Is avoiding getting stuck really in the hands of the patient? In other words, if you follow your Doctor's orders, eat small amounts and chew, chew, chew, can you avoid getting stuck? Also, will getting stuck be a life-long issue to be dealt with, even after reaching goal? This is a point that Im really having a hard time with. Thank you.

[Patriceaa 16]

I think everyone experiences getting 'stuck' from time to time...its a learning experience for sure! It's so uncomfortable and I hate it when it happens, but when it does happen I know its my own fault; I just take too big of bites or dont chew enough ~ or I decide to try to eat something I know I probably shouldnt. My 'stuck' episodes have made me completely give up bread and certain meats. Kinda like when I was young and decided to get drunk and now will never touch brown alcohol . It's all a learning experience. It was all worth it to me.

[SkinnyMiniMe 63]

This is why I feel I need the lapband. I keep saying I need the Lapband to b*tch slap me and this is what I mean. I think it will help me be conscious of what I am putting in my mouth.

I think everyone experiences getting 'stuck' from time to time...its a learning experience for sure! It's so uncomfortable and I hate it when it happens, but when it does happen I know its my own fault; I just take too big of bites or dont chew enough ~ or I decide to try to eat something I know I probably shouldnt. My 'stuck' episodes have made me completely give up bread and certain meats. Kinda like when I was young and decided to get drunk and now will never touch brown alcohol . It's all a learning experience. It was all worth it to me.

[Noturningback15 45]

I have never been stuck before or PB from eating food. I chew, chew, chew, chew, and chew! I took an advil however and it felt like it was stuck or something and I could not breathe. I am not sure if it was fear or was it actually blocking my airway! Btw...this only happens when I take advil. I bought a pill crusher.

[kellyodoran 12]

About the hair thing.....I never lost hair in fact my hair grew like crazy 'cause of all the protien and Vitamins and all that water!

[TheRealSouthernBelle 22]

I had an extrememly difficult time with the concept of throwing up. I hate it, it disgusts me, and is one of the worst feelings in the world. I was a little scared the first time I got stuck. My throat and chest were hurting, my eyes were watering, my mouth was full of saliva, and I just felt like getting it over because I knew what was next. Once I spit it up (because you're not actually puking), I felt instantly better. It really is not so bad once it comes up.

Is avoiding getting stuck really in the hands of the patient?

Maybe, maybe not, it depends. Of course you will have to change how you eat. No more big bites and a couple of chews. Everytime you get a fill your food tolerances change. Sometimes you may or may not be able to eat what you ate before. It is possible to get stuck even with small bites and chewing because you are not used to that fill level or do not yet know what you can or cannot tolerate. You may even have to get an unfill after several days of struggling. For instance, after tossing my Cookies a couple times I learned that I can no longer eat food in the AM. I can't even drink really until I have my morning coffee, otherwise it hurts going down. The rest of the day everything is A-okay as long as long as I drink plenty of fluids.

Also, will getting stuck be a life-long issue to be dealt with, even after reaching goal?

I haven't reached goal yet, so I can't answer this so-to-speak, but almost a year out this is something I feel like I am going to have to deal with as long as I have the band unless it loosened up dramatically and I didn't get another fill.

Getting stuck is really no big deal (as long as it's not happening everyday, then you would need as unfill). If you learn the proper way to eat and monitor your eating after fills you will master it. I feel as though it's a small price to pay to finally be a normal size.

[GLove 44]

Well glove, (strange name), your throat is kind of like a Y with one branch (esophagus) that goes to your

stomach and the other branch (trachea) goes to the lungs. A little flap (epiglottis) tells air or food which

tube to use. The band stoma (bottom opening) is below the little flap so air is not restricted by anything

getting stuck over the stoma. In other words, anything getting stuck, won't cause any difficulty breathing.

[GLove 44]

Thank you everyone for your responses. They have helped immensely.