Not fun... But being Positive

[Bella9903 10]

Good evening all... So I read everyone's stories and experiences and tried to stay positive that I was gonna breeze through this...

Wow.... What an adjustment this really is.... I had surgery on Feb 8th... Lost 17lbs so far... I struggled with my incisions just now I think the port incision is finally healing... Thank goodness...

I have had 2 fills since surgery... First fill not so many issues... But boy oh boy is the reality hitting me.... I have tried to get thru but can't on my own.....

I'm sure I'm part of the issue but I now have to gag myself daily due to the wonderful stuck feeling that hurts n burns your chest

How do u teach urself to eat slow?? How do u retrain to chew chew chew.... It's getting to the point I don't want to pick anything up.... Again I'm sure I'm 90% of the problem... But is it possible it may be too tight??

I have 1 3/4 cc of a fill not sure but think I have a 10 cc band...

Any guidance would be great....

[0ldM3By3 33]

Oh you poor thing! It gets better! Unfortunately, all those painful experiences are great teachers... lol

On thing that really helps me eat slower is I take one bite (not a big bite either), put my fork down, slide my plate away, chew untill the food is litterally the consistency of watery mashed potatoes (this sometimes takes about a whole minute....crazyyyy I know), and then take my next bite. During this process, I do NOT drink while I eat.

In other words, it takes me about 45 minutes to eat.

I was banded November 2011 and it took me a longgggg time to get to a semi-decent routine.

Best wishes. It gets easier and the results make it worth it!

[donna12 742]

Like Miranda said, take your time eating and your bite size should be the size of your pinky nail and chew the heck out of it. You will find that some foods you will not be able to eat for instance, I can no longer eat bread, Pasta, rice and some days I cannot eat eggs, some days I can, just depends if I wake up tight or not. I miss these foods like pasta and rice but they get stuck and oh I'm craving steak and haven't yet got the courage up to try it yet. There are also some days I can't eat chicken, I will get stuck. Now canned chicken to make chicken salad I do ok with. It is a daily struggle with me too but it is also a learning experience too, I'm 9 mos post op and still learning what I can and cannot eat. Hang in there.

[Toddy 758]

I usually have to learn to re-eat with every fill. The first few days after a fill I'll struggle with regurgitation. Then I'll wake up one morning and my goal for the day is to NOT regurgitate anything. Since I make it my main goal for the day, I'm very focused on my eating and pay attention to every bite I put in my mouth -- very small bites and chew extremely well, and then pause long enough between bites to let the previous bite settle in.

When I make it through an entire day with no regurgitation, I feel like a winner, I have mastered eating with the level of fill I'm currently at and I just keep going like that.

[OnMyWay2Thin 45]

It's definitely a learning experience. You will start to understand how to eat because the way you feel will guide you. I usually take a long time to eat and I do it slowly. Yes, I'm usually the last one eating and still have food on my plate. My solution is I ask my husband to join in and eat some of my food, too. After a while, I really get sick of wasting or bringing home boxes every time I go out. Just take it slow, chew a lot, and let your body guide you. Good luck!

[line-dancer 810]

Go to the baby section in you local food store and get the spoons there. they are the perfect size for us banders. Do NOT gag or try to throw up this is very hard on the band and will cause it to slip I just went threw this and had to have my band emptied, I one of the lucky ones sometimes they have to remove it right away. For that reason take very small bits, chew the hell out of it and wait between bits you will learn from your body. Follow the doctor orders. If you feel stuck (which means the chest where the band is) drink something hot and stop eating.

[blondegal_ 1,028]

If you gag yourself daily you're just causing irritation again and again which causes swelling which might cause you to get stuck. A bad cycle to be in. Try to take smaller bites and chew more. Maybe if you can not gag you can heal and it will get easier.

[Terry Poperszky 2,784]

I bought myself a set of "dipping" bowls to use to eat my food out of, additionally I pre-cut my food before putting it in the bowls and use chop sticks to eat with. There is also a smart phone app call "Eat slower" that helps me slow down.

[Bella9903 10]

Yes def a learning experience... Not doing the gagging on purpose but sitting there for 15 to 20 minutes with something lodged in your throat and panicking is the reason I go and remove what is sitting there... After these episodes I def go back on liquids because of fear it getting caught again....

I am def gonna look for the app on eating slower I think that is my biggest issue.... And chewing has to be stepped up...

Baby aisle here I come for sure because this is not a joke and I don't want to live on liquids :/

Thanks everyone for telling ur stories and solutions to this same very issue it's great to have people who have been through it know their is a light at the end of the road if I comply with the demands of oh my little friend bandy!!!!! I can do it

Just takes time keeping a positive outlook it's a life long adjustment...

[morelgirl 177]

Small utensils help you take smaller bites, and there are aps you can use. What my nutritionist always said though, was, "chew the alphabet!" In other words, chew every single bite of food as many times as there are letters in the alphabet--26. Sometimes I did that, sometimes I counted out 30 chews. I did this for months before it really became second nature to thoroughly chew every single bite. Now, when I find myself starting to speed up my eating, I go back to counting. It seems silly, but it does help make sure you aren't swallowing any large chunks.

[donna12 742]

Small utensils help you take smaller bites, and there are aps you can use. What my nutritionist always said though, was, "chew the alphabet!" In other words, chew every single bite of food as many times as there are letters in the alphabet--26. Sometimes I did that, sometimes I counted out 30 chews. I did this for months before it really became second nature to thoroughly chew every single bite. Now, when I find myself starting to speed up my eating, I go back to counting. It seems silly, but it does help make sure you aren't swallowing any large chunks.

Thanks I needed this, I get stuck sometimes and its mostly because I didn't chew well or too big of bite or in a hurry and gobble it down (old habits). I just got a fill yesterday so I will try this method, thank you. I'm 9 mos post op and still have to remind myself to chew chew chew.