I have never been stuck and was wondering "when" it happens? By "when" I mean is it as soon as you swallow the offending food? How long is is after you swallow the food that you feel stuck?

My next question is how long does it last? I'm guessing it can vary a lot. Then generally what happens? How does it feel? Do you start PBing right away? Are there anythings you do to help? I've heard of pineapple juice or some sort of enzyme.

I just want to be as prepared as possible. I hope it never happens but I know the odds are that it will! I have been extremely lucky with an easy post op and so far have not needed a fill. I figure my luck will run out sometime!

When> within 30 sec usually for me. The longest I've had was a couple minutes, but I guess if you really take a huge bite, it could be longer (I've heard of hours before). I can now tell if something is going to get stuck from listening to warning signals- if I stop and wait a few minutes and then chew better, I will avoid an incidence.

You generally know almost immediately although sometimes you realise afterwards that something is not sitting comfortably.

It can last from minutes to hours depending on what it was and how badly stuck it is.

In my experience pineapple juice does nothing. In fact if you try to pour liquid on it it just makes it worse. the best visula comparison(yucky but it gives the picture) is to think of a blocked toilet. You can add more Water by flushing it but it doesn't remove the blockage.

The best way to minimise the episode is to try to cough it back up.Sometimes that works, often it doesn't.

When I get stuck it's usually because I'm talking to someone and not paying enough attention to how big of a bite I just swallowed. This is how it usually is for me:

1. Swallow too much

2. Oh crap.

3. Pressure in chest/sliming/sweats

4. Where's the bathroom?

I've only actually thrown up a couple times. After a few minutes, the stuck feeling passes, but it feels like an eternity. I did try pineapple juice once and it helped, but I took tiny sips. Big gulps probably would have made the problem worse.

I agree, it can happen fast,I feel pressure, then sometimes I have to just go and spit, your mouth will start making more suliva in order to get unclogged. Then sometimes sliming.

I try now to take smaller bites, (lessons learned) and also stop between bites a bit more, that seems to help, so not I will just get uncomfortable in the chest area.

Sometimes it has seem to last for an hour and other times just a couple of min, if it does continue then I will also make some hot tea, it seems to help loosen things up, and relax the band a bit..

It sucks no matter what!! but it stops me from over eating that is for sure!!

Agree with previous posters. My episodes I've known immediately. It's been very dense crackers, salad one day--etc. always when I've eaten too quickly and always that feeling in my chest. I've stood up, bent over at the waist at a trash can and easily brought it back up each time. Am only at 4.5 in a 10cc band and it's happened about 4 or 5 times. Oh yes--fried fish was the latest offender. But like I said--I'm positive if I slowed down and chewed better this wouldn't have occurred.

I'm so impatient. After about 2 minutes of being stuck, I'm in the bathroom with my toothbrush down my throat to get it back up. Im here to tell you: Don't do this. My band slipped a couple mths ago from excessive vomiting. After being unfilled for a few wks and then slowly refilled, I got used to having no restriction again and ate too fast or too much. So finally when I got my good restriction back, I went to fast and ended up stuck. I was having dinner last week my in laws and I was finally patient. I sat there sweating, salivating, and miserable for about 5$50 minutes and it passed. Now I make double sure to slow down.

Moral of the story: try really hard not to self induce vomit. Causes many problems in the long run. It will eventually pass and all will get be right with the world again.

Good luck

Marci

I might hold a record for being stuck, last Christmas/New Years I was stuck about 4 day, yes 4 days. I could get liquids down pretty much but it gurgled all the way down past whatever it was I was stuck on. It did not hurt but was uncomfortable. Trust me that is not the norm. It was hard to see DR during weekend holidays and was not going to ER as I knew what it was and I could still drink slowly. I lived on these boards for 4 days looking for answers there is a whole thread about it.

Sometimes I get stuck but because I am not eating slow enough and the next bite goes on top of it (what is already stuck) and then it gets worse. Go slow and make sure each bite goes through before you eat the next one. The first 2 years if I got stuck it would never go through always had to come up. But now 3 years out it will pass in minutes or hours. It can be scary and I am prone to panic attacks so I just have to keep reminding myself I will be okay.

I never could figure out why it would NEVER go down, but I am not filled with saline like most people but Omnipaque that my Dr used on his people. My understanding is that is is thicker and is not as flexable as saline might be in the band. I ended my 4 day stuck with what someone called “drano”. I would not suggest it unless it is an emergency it was gross but I did it 2 times in ten minutes and it was all over.

“Drano”: Hot diet coke (not heated just not cold) mixed with meat tenderizer and lime juice. You MUST be in bathroom to do this. Drink a big gulp and it goes down and right back up like a rocket along with whatever is stuck. It is nasty but it works and after 4 days I would do almost anything. It worked but I would not do it except in extreme cases. I think it is better to let it pass on it's own. Nothing else has worked for me.

I have friends that get stuck and they say it hurts really bad and others who say it is just uncomfortable.

cheri

I have a number of friends that swear downing a carbonated drink quickly will have the same effect. I haven't tried it but it is worth keeping a can on standby for just in case.

I you can leave off the meat tenderizer and lime juice I would it is gross but worked!

cheri

I've been banded since January and been stuck 2 Times. Both times was because I was eating while watching tv and not paying attention to how my body was feeling. The other thing that helps me is to raise my hands above my head or lay on my left side and breath through it.

My nose will begin to drop once I've realized that I might have taken too big of a bite or didbt chew enough so:

1-swallowed too much

2-nose drips

3-oh crap

4-dear in headlights

5-question to self, " do I wait for a minute or make a beeline to bathroom?"

6-no time to think about contemplating just go and hope I make it as I'm clammy and sweating.

Mine eyes Water and I know to go to the bathroom even if someone is talking to me . . . gonna run almost

Cheri

Oops nose drips!