I have had my first real fill and have found that I PB just about every time I eat. I cook very soft food and chew and chew and it still gets stuck. I cut smaller pieces and it still gets stuck. I'm wondering if I have some sort of weird thing in my esophagus that is causing this. Once whatever is stuck finally goes down, I can eat without an PB. I'm considering just mincing everything in a food processor, but I figure it would still get stuck. I do know that I have no esophageal motility due to my heart medications. I had this checked out a few years ago when I had esophageal ulcers. I would like to avoid having more ulcers. Any advice about this problem?

Any chance you're overfilled?

Search for "first bite syndrome" and see if that sounds like you.

Oh no! It sure sounds like you are too tight! If you have mobility issues, this only makes things worse.

So not only are you likely too tight, you have probably irritated your stoma. The usual advice is to go on liquds for a day, and then try food, every so carefullly.

Please be kind to yourself!

If the things you're getting stuck on are anything more than a liquid you may just have some residual swelling. After a fill and after a PB, we are irritated and swollen. Try going back to liquids for a day or two then gradually moving back to the soft foods. I'd probably even do mushies for a day in there to give your poor tummy a break. You wouldn't want to keep irritating it and let it swell so much liquids hardly pass (including your saliva).

However, if you're having problems with liquids...........you're definately too tight. You may still be too tight, but until you get past the initial irritation phase which can last up to a week or more you'll have to wait to see how you tolerate foods.

The esophageal motility is probably only adding to this, but it's probably not the only problem here.

Thanks for your advice. I don't think I'm too tight since I can eat regular food and liquids just run right through. I'm thinking of just chopping up anything that is tough like steak and trying it that way. I think I have a total of 4 ccs in the band because I think at least 1 cc is in the little tube. I haven't had any severe problems with the band except for stuff sticking in my esophagus. I could feel the tightness of the last fill for about 12 hours and then I couldn't feel it at all though I got some restriction. I did liquids right after the fill and then got hungry the next day. But soft food seems to work best at the moment. I'd like to be eating much less than I am currently, but my fill person won't fill up very much at a time to avoid overfills. So I'll just soldier on and try chopping stuff up. Thanks for your help.

If eventually, the food goes down, maybe you could try drinking something hot before you start eating? Some bandsters say the heat softens things up.

Be honest with yourself - if you are pbing everyday that is not good - and you should call your doc for his/her advice. You risk a slip with too much throwing up and it's a vicious cycle - you throw up get swollen try to eat and throw up again, etc. etc. I was pbing alot in the beginning (and even now occassionaly) and mydoc has always said after a pb go on liquids for 24 hours to get the swelling down, you might feel ok in a few hours but your stomach/band is swollen still and you'll just keep irritating it. Also, protein (dryer meats) can really be tough even on a good day - maybe stick to mushies and luqids for a few days. goodluck this should pass!

I have first bite syndrome, I PB much more than is good for me. That said, my food processor has become my best friend. Steak and chicken don't go down unless they are chopped up into tiny pieces. And NO, I am not too tight, I can eat an amazing amount of food once I suffer through the first bite or two.

I seem to have the same thing. AFter the first or second bite, anything will go down. I have noticed the first few bites go down better if I chew more.

Dumb question, what happened to the forum for over 50bmi? I just posted a couple days ago, now can't find the forum! Am I going bonkers?

Also, what is PB mean? Don't understand some of the terminology yet.

ofps

PB means productive burp. When something comes back on you. I have'nt had a pb not saying I never will but I can tell you if you chew extermely well and don't try to eat things that you are not sure you can and to fast and to big a bite you probably won't. I might be able to have bread but I choose not to even try. The best to you.:grouphug:

If eventually, the food goes down, maybe you could try drinking something hot before you start eating? Some bandsters say the heat softens things up.

Great advice. I get first bite syndrome, as well. My nurse says sometimes our esophagus will spasm when we first eat food. Try drinking something hot, then take VERY small bites for the first couple bites and chew like hell. Then, if you're still having problems, after the first couple bites wait a few minutes before continuing to eat. To avoid a PB this is what I have to do. I don't do the hot liquids, usually, but I do take VERY small bites for the first two and then I wait 2 minutes before going on. This seems to work for me. I tend to think you're not overfilled, but probably still irritated from all the PB's.

I'm with Jack. I don't understand how you can PB everything you eat AND have everything just slide on down. I had my second fill a little over a week ago and find I have to chew chicken, steak, and even fish very well or I get that golf ball feeling in my chest. To me, it sounds like you were overfilled from what you wrote in the first post but then in the second post it seems like you have no restriction at all. I'm confused.

I don't know how I can PB and still eat, but I think I misunderstood PB. I don't vomit. I just get things stuck in my esophagus. I find that if I walk around and stretch a lot, it finally goes down. Sometimes, I get the slime if something is really stuck, but usually it passes and then I can eat just fine. I am very proud of myself for eating a salad. I was terrified of eating salad, but I tried it and it worked very well. Also I went out to eat today for the first time and didn't get anything stuck though I couldn't eat all the food they supplied. They had a gigantic roll and I ate about 1/3 of it with no problems. I must just be doing something wrong -- not chewing enough or something like that. But thanks for your advice.

In the beginning I never 'threw up' as I had such an aversion to it but the golf ball feeling would be horrible. Once I passed this point I'm sorry to say I have pb'd many times which I know is not good but I'm such a hard head and keep making the same mistakes over and over again. My second fill has been much more challenging then the first and I've had many rough days and several days of liquids and maalox to settle things down. Even today I was over hungry and ate 3 goldfish and am sitting here praying I don't throw up - I'm spitting my salivia into a napkin but don't have the needles in the chest which usually means throwing up is next so maybe just dry as a bone and they will pass. I'll never ever say I don't know why I am fat cuz the band has made that very clear to me now.