Really Scared To Get Stuck

[Sombra1718 55]

OK i feel like such a whiner but this has been bugging me and you guys always seem to make me feel better. I have very severe anxiety and I worry a lot about everything and I find that I am having anxiety attacks when I eat because I am so scared to get stuck. I have not gotten stuck yet and I have no fills yet. I think my big concern other than the pain is fear of loss of breath or choking. I am not sure if this even happens with being stuck but I'm really worried and I can't be afraid every time I eat. I do chew really well. Can you tell me what it feels like to be stuck and is loss of breath an issue? Thanks so much!

[1shauna1 129]

Nope, no loss of breath. The food goes down your esophagus and you're breathing through your windpipe. So don't worry about not being able to breathe. I think we all hope we'll never be stuck but the majority of us are. The first time is the worst, for sure, but you'll get through it. I was just stuck twice tonight!

[twins4me2 15]

I seem to get stuck if I eat when my kids are acting like brats, because I forget to chew my food really good before swallowing in between having to get on to them. 6 year old twin girls.

[MsDuran 62]

You poor thing.. It may be uncomfortable until it comes up or goes down. I made the mistake of drinking to try and move it along and figured out quickly that was not the right thing for me to do.

They would not do this if it were going to choke, you will be ok.!!

[Cdillow 3]

You poor thing.. It may be uncomfortable until it comes up or goes down. I made the mistake of drinking to try and move it along and figured out quickly that was not the right thing for me to do.

They would not do this if it were going to choke' date=' you will be ok.!![/quote']

Okay, no one told me about getting stuck and my surgery is Friday! What happens when you are stuck. What does it feel like?

[MsDuran 62]

Like you just took a big bite of something and swallowed to soon. Honestly it's not a good feeling but I promise you ( for me ) it's not bad enough to have changed my mind about this surgery. I got stuck just yesterday on some chicken it passed and I was ok.

[Cdillow 3]

Like you just took a big bite of something and swallowed to soon. Honestly it's not a good feeling but I promise you ( for me ) it's not bad enough to have changed my mind about this surgery. I got stuck just yesterday on some chicken it passed and I was ok.

Thanks. that made me feel better! I,m definitely going in on Friday for my surgery! I am so tired of being so big and uncomfortable.. I need to get healthy.

[MsDuran 62]

Good for you.! I feel like a new person and soon you will too..!

[cbreeden28 23]

I have gottens stuck more than I care to admit. The worst for me is the first week after a fill. You have to re-adjust your eating habits each time. Small bites, chew really well, and pause between bites. Getting stuck is like something heavy sitting deep in your chest and it can be painful. For me, my mouth begins to salivate really badly, I start to have air pockets come up my throat, and I get the hiccups. It's all my body's way to try and dislodge the food. In the beginning, I didn't recognize the early signs of being stuck and would continue eating until I was stuck so bad that I had to vomit it back up. Now, I can tell when something isn't going down right and I immediately stop eating and get up to walk around. It has helped a lot. I still sometimes end up having to force it back up, but for the most part, I can get it to go down. The one thing you never want to do is drink something. That will definitely come right back up so be near a toilet if you do it....

[Mutti 1]

I used to have severe anxiety too. Real Bad!

Chew very well, slow and never drink to fix it.

I guess for me, it isn't really a vomit but a regurgitation. It doesn't have the stomach acid in it so it doesn't taste horrible. It is still no fun though. Ideally you should go on liquids for the rest of the day after you get stuck, to let the swelling around your band go down after it happens

. I used to think that I was going to choke and die but I have even had the flu a couple of times and I made it through. ( I have heard that liquid childrens benedryl helps for the nausea when you get the flu. You won't vomit as much but it will deffinatly come out the other end (diareha) and last longer.)

If you are following your doctors orders, you will be fine. I am 6 yrs out now.

[jennifer1 180]

There are some ppl who never have gotten stuck...but it's really self infliction..lol..if I am stuck really bad like eatn a too big bite..then I do have a hard time breathing..I know the food isn't in my windpipe..but it still effects me that way...I do encourage u to try to find ways to relax because when I am stressed it tightens my band...I was terrified of throwing up..but worse case scenario if u get stuck u can always bring it back up...no i'm not advocating throwing up but sometimes that's the only way to get unstuck...walking sometimes helps me...there are different levels of stuck for me..hope I didn't confuse anyone...

[Jackie's girl 32]

I have gotten stuck once thinking I had no restriction after surgery. I just had my first fill, but this happened before that. I don't plan on it happening again, it hurts like crazy, but it does pass. I have no prob

Em as long as I take small bites and chew chew chew!

[marfar7 1,528]

Okay, no one told me about getting stuck and my surgery is Friday! What happens when you are stuck. What does it feel like?

It feels like a bowling ball is stuck in your chest! Over the past almost 3 yrs, I've had a "stuck episode" about 3-4 times a week. I ALWAYS stick my toothbrush down my throat and bring it back up. It sucks in a pyblic bathroom cuz I hafta use my finger which doesn't work as well. PLEASE DON'T DO THIS. Let me tell you why:

About 5 mths ago, I started having the worst nighttime reflux ever known to man. I had to take 3 different pills and sleep propped up on 3 pillows and was still up coughing and spitting up stomach acid. I went in about 8 weeks ago to check for a slip. Yep, it was slipped. My dr said it was probably caused by my frequent vomiting (or PBing as most people call it). So I got about 1/2 of my fill out and left for 3 weeks to correct it. Went back in about 4 weeks ago to start the fill process again. I didn't request a follow up xray to make sure the slip was corrected. He put 1cc in. I was ravenous all the time. Usually my dr makes you wait 4-6 weeks in between fills, but he gave me another 1cc last week. I threw up my nightly pills tat same night. Then I threw up a couple days later from being stuck. A few nites ago, the reflux returned with vengeance.

I wish I had insisted on another xray to make sure my band was positioned right before starting to refill. I ave a feeling that either it was corrected in the first place, or the 2 times I vomited casued yet another slip. I'm now 1,000 miles away from home for the next 2 weeks suffering. Will probably have to have a complete unfill when I get home and go from there.

Moral of the story: try really hard to not get stuck. Tonite at dinner, I ate way too fast (as is the norm for me when I've waited all day to eat and I'm starving) and I got stuck. My husband gets really upset with me when I purposely vomit so I sat there and suffered until it passed - about 20 minutes. I broke out in a sweat and started shaking. But I made it without throwing up.

Good luck!

Marci

[SashaWLS 412]

OMG your story is terrifying, Marci!! I don't think Sombra needs to know about a massive band slip right now, since she's already so afraid. For me, the HUGE moral of your story is try not to throw up! And certainly don't make yourself...

Sombra, really, don't worry. I was also terrified of getting stuck. I imagined the worst horror story, with lack of breathing, huge bowling balls in my chest, having to go to the hospital, etc...

BUT IT'S NOT SO BAD!!! It's just uncomfortable.

The first time I got stuck I was eating mango and it accidently slipped down my throat before I got to chew it up enough. It was so slippery!!! And I knew the second I swallowed that it was too big, so I stopped eating and I just sat there, white knuckling it until I felt it stick... That particular food felt like having some extra suction applied above the band. Like a little flap that covered the opening. It was super annoying, but that's it. And after about two hours I felt a little SLURP and the pressure was instantly gone.

Have you ever eaten popcorn and have one of the little flakes stick in your throat? You know it's in there, it's annoying the hell out of you, you want to get it out, but you know it's just popcorn and it won't stay like that forever... That's sort of what stuck feels like. JUST UNCOMFORTABLE.

And whatever it is wants to go down, and it will eventually, but it's going to take it's sweet time to wiggle its way through. The best thing is to stay calm. And you can also try the following:

1. Drink super-hot tea. It stretches the band and 9 times out of 10 whatever's stuck will go down. In fact 10 times out of 10 whatever was stuck went down. This has worked 100% of the time for me. If one cup doesn't work, try two.
   
2. Touch your toes, try to burp, and raise your arms above your head and then back down to your toes again. Move around. The motion of your arms going up and down and your belly folding over can sometimes move whatever's stuck along.
   
3. If it's meat, try papaya enzymes and/or pineapple juice. I've never tried this, but I hear it works.
   
4. If all else fails, go to your doc and have them unfill you, let the food through, and then put the liquid back in.
   

But don't worry!!! You'll be ok.

The anticipation is WAY worse than the actuality!!

[Lovemythreems 36]

OMG your story is terrifying' date=' Marci!! I don't think Sombra needs to know about a massive band slip right now, since she's already so afraid. For me, the HUGE moral of your story is try not to throw up! And certainly don't make yourself...

Sombra, really, don't worry. I was also terrified of getting stuck. I imagined the worst horror story, with lack of breathing, huge bowling balls in my chest, having to go to the hospital, etc...

BUT IT'S NOT SO BAD!!! It's just uncomfortable.

The first time I got stuck I was eating mango and it accidently slipped down my throat before I got to chew it up enough. It was so slippery!!! And I knew the second I swallowed that it was too big, so I stopped eating and I just sat there, white knuckling it until I felt it stick... That particular food felt like having some extra suction applied above the band. Like a little flap that covered the opening. It was super annoying, but that's it. And after about two hours I felt a little SLURP and the pressure was instantly gone.

Have you ever eaten popcorn and have one of the little flakes stick in your throat? You know it's in there, it's annoying the hell out of you, you want to get it out, but you know it's just popcorn and it won't stay like that forever... That's sort of what stuck feels like. JUST UNCOMFORTABLE.

And whatever it is wants to go down, and it will eventually, but it's going to take it's sweet time to wiggle its way through. The best thing is to stay calm. And you can also try the following:

[*']Drink super-hot tea. It stretches the band and 9 times out of 10 whatever's stuck will go down. In fact 10 times out of 10 whatever was stuck went down. This has worked 100% of the time for me. If one cup doesn't work, try two.

[*]Touch your toes, try to burp, and raise your arms above your head and then back down to your toes again. Move around. The motion of your arms going up and down and your belly folding over can sometimes move whatever's stuck along.

[*]If it's meat, try papaya enzymes and/or pineapple juice. I've never tried this, but I hear it works.

[*]If all else fails, go to your doc and have them unfill you, let the food through, and then put the liquid back in.

But don't worry!!! You'll be ok.

The anticipation is WAY worse than the actuality!!

That is the best explanation ever. I get my 1st fill next week & im a little worried. I don't want any parts of being super restricted. I like being able to swallow my spit, so I think I'm going to go for small fills at a time. I would rather go slow than than being miserable.