Ok, I want to know, in detail, about PBs.What causes them for you? How often? If it happens at a restaurant is it a mad dash to the bathroom or do you have some warning? What does it feel like? What kind of quantity? What was the first one like? How is it different from "slimeing"? (And what is slimeing?)

If I am going to do this, I want to know exactly how bad it gets. So bring it on!

Ooh, nitty gritty details. This could get gross. Prepare yourself:

First question: What causes me to PB? Eating too fast, hands down! I can actually take big bites if I chew really well and swallow a little bit at a time. I can eat all foods if I eat them slow. I have to eat white bread EXTRA slow so I just avoid that entirely usually.

PBing at a restaurant: I've done this one time. For me, it's not a mad dash. I realize about5 seconds after the swallow that it aint goin' down. I just sit quietly for a moment and then sometimes excuse myself to the bathroom if I can tell it's really not going to go down. It's not like projectile vomiting where you get this impulse right away to throw up.

What does it feel like: Feels like food not going down. Almost like a big lump in your chest, or like bad heartburn without the burn (?). Lots of pressure and tightness in your chest. If the food is not going down my mouth begins to fill with slime and I've got to spit it out. Sometimes if the PB is bad enough I start to try to spit up the food I've eaten. It's more like a forced burp to ease the pressure in your chest than your body forcing you to throw up (though I'm sure that happens). I've only PB'd about 5 times and really it was no big deal. I didn't want a repeat, but it wasn't like a heart attack. The longest one I had lasted a half hour. I can almost predict when they're going to happen because 1) I'm eating too fast or 2)I'm eating in the car or without thinking about what I'm doing.

I don't really know the difference between a PB and a slime. I suppose a PB is where you try to burp it up and a slime is just where it goes down on its own but you've had to spit out a bunch of slime.

I had the exact same question before I was banded. I was so afraid of the PB. Now I know it's not a big deal as far as pain goes. My PBs are further apart because I'm learning what triggers them. It's a learning process. Don't fear the vurp!

Sometimes I spend more time in the bathroom than the table.Ii have hd my band for about a year and i can never figure wht triggers it. to me it is very fustrating sometimes i can eat a type of food & sometimes i can't. i definatley know i cant eat chineese food even though i keep trying.It always comes bck up no matter what kind I eat. I gave up bread,potatoes,pasta & soda a year ago and don't miss them. Good luck everybody is different as to what foods they can tolerate.

A PB for me usually starts with that horrid feeling in your chest, then I cough up a bunch of slime, and whatever didn't go down right. It's always a cough, never a retch for me. I have only had one PB "accident" where I didn't get the bathroom quick enough - and boy, once you do that, you don't wanna do it again.

Sliming is your body trying to produce enough lubrication for whatever is stuck to slide down (I think). Sometimes it works, sometimes, I sit at the sink or toilet and spit out several mouthfuls of it. It's gross.

Graphic enough for ya? lol.

Awright. good info so far. First you got the Stuck feeling, where it gets at the stoma and is uncomofrtable at the least, painful at the most. If it can't go anywhere, your body does what Jill S said and makes lots of lube, saliva, only you KNOW at that point you cant' swallow it. I know I'm in trouble if I hesitate to swallow all the extra spit. So then you end up spitting it out...sink, toilet, and by golly, there's always SOMEthing in the car if you end up there. I put a tissue in a coffee cup once. Eewww.

Anyhow, your stuck, your sliming, and it still hurts, you end up PBing it. It's a wretch, an upper stomach vomit? It's hard to describe, but it comes up. One day a few weeks back, I was eating and got mad because I got stuck. We had family over for dinner and I was distracted by great conversation and got stuck...then slimes...I was mad because I was hungry and aggravated and I took a swig of Water...way too big. So when I went to the bathroom to PB (I could feel it coming) that upper stomach full of cold water that couldn't get past is what came up. THAT was wierd...cold water. Well, whatever was stuck either came up or went down and I was fine after that.

You are supposed to to to liquids after a PB, but I had this plate of food waiting for me! I took a 10 min break, then nibbled on a bit. Slow, small bites, chewing carefully. I was ok.

Like PuddinPie, I can take a big bite and spend lots of time chewing and swallowing little bits at a time. That seems to be what I enjoy most about eating is big bites. But it does take practice.

Hope that helps!

Just to let you know, not everyone PBs! I have been banded now for 6 months and have yet to PB. Oh, I ve been stuck a little, but everything has always worked its' way down! I have 7ccs in a Vanguard Band and the main factor is to chew chew chew!

I notice I PB if I 1. eat too fast, 2. wait too long before I eat (Get overly hungry), 3. Eat white bread or any kind of buns or doughy product.,4. McDonalds and any hamburger joint is a no no too, (Ugh PB's).

As for the restaurant thing, yes and yes I ran to the bathroom. I felt it coming on and excused myself. Now I know my limits and stop when I get that full feeling. It took me some time to learn, but you will too.

I have only slimed once and that was prior to a PB. It was similiar to coughing up phylegm but not as lovely colored or awful tasting. LOL!

Ok, please help- what does PB stand for?

Thanks

Productive Burping. It is such a lovely term.

I've yet to PB too after about 10 weeks and 2 fills but by golly I've had the slimes and the pressure in the chest a couple of times - always from eating too fast no matter what it is. But it's always gone down for me, although sometimes I swear it feels like whatever goes through has sharp corners.

We're having friends over for dinner tomorrow night and are doing a piece of beef hickory smoked in the Weber (Kettle BBQ). I've not eaten red meat in that form yet, and I'm actually really nervous. But slow slow tiny tiny bites usually works for me.

tvgrrl,

Here is the link to a thread that has LOTS of gross pb details... enjoy

http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=4170

I think I had my 1st pb today but I am not sure. I didn't burp but it felt like the food was stuck in the back of my throat and then before I knew it, I was spitting it out. It wasn't like I was throwing up but more like a baby spitting up. Was that a pb? I have had my band since 1/5/06 and today was the 1st day I actually ate something solid for breakfast. I have so much restriction in the morning but none at all at night is that normal?

i had my first pb this week, chest pain, ran to the bathroom and I threw up. I was eating too fast. I was banded in 9/05 and I have had chest pain 3 times while eating feeling like i was going to have a heart attack, I just walked, gasped and sipped and the food went down and the chest pressure stopped. I can not eat fried chicken, no bread products or eat in the morning.

I have so much restriction in the morning but none at all at night is that normal?

Yep, very normal. A lot of people drink liquids in the mornings and as the day progresses the band 'opens up' more. There are many theories about why this happens, from Water retention to eating too late at night.

I have never had any of these problems. Although, I've only been banded about two months. I guess I am so paranoid about it, I chew extensively and I never ever eat fast. It sounds to me like PB is pretty much avoidable. The lap band is not a solution, it is just a tool, and our behavior has to change in order for it to work. I suggest slowing down while you eat..put your fork down between each bite, and take small bites and chew chew chew....Also, I'm wondering when this happens, would taking a tums help settle the stomach?

Another possible cause for morning restriction is mucus accumulating in the pouch while we sleep.

Papillon - most PBs are avoidable, but sometimes they just sneak up on you, because we forget to pay attention, or we think the last bite was okay because nothing bad happened, but the next one proves us wrong.

Many people have found that their bands can be fickle - behaviour that caused no problems yesterday suddenly causes problems today. You learn to be flexible. lol

It is not a stomach upset, so no, TUMS would NOT help - once something is stuck in the stoma there is NO ROOM to put anything else in there. The offending particle either has to move on down or come back up.