Question... what exactly IS PB-ing????

[Andi 0]

I had my surgery on July 27th. I've been cruising this site ever since and don't usually respond but I've learned a lot just be reading the Q&A's. But I really feel kind of dumb asking... what exactly is PB-ing??? It sure seems to be a common thing, everybody seems to have experienced it. It sounds gross whatever it is... I've never felt nauseated or thrown up. I hardly feel any restriction at all. I was doing great till I started eating tiny bites of real food. Now I feel that I can eat ANYTHING, I'm not feeling anymore restriction, and I don't get a fill until Sept. 5th. I'm a little discouraged and mad at myself. I certainly don't want to go through all this and feel exactly the same as I did before the surgery! I hope that I'm not one of those that I've read about who just don't have success because that's not what I want. I've been doing pretty bad on weekends but weekdays are easier. I drink my Protein Shakes and eat better. But it still feels suspiciously like all the other diets I've been on before... Thanks for any input. Andi:help:

[PhotoNut 7]

PB'ing (productive burping)

A misleading term but one widely used to describe an incident where food gets stuck because it wasn't chewed well enough or the texture is such that it makes it difficult to pass through the band. This usually produces a feeling much likened to a golfball stuck in your chest, behind the breastplate, and is sometimes accompanied by a mass production of slime by the body as it tries to lubricate the food and get it unstuck.

Sometimes, this can pass on it's own with a bit of stretching your arms up in the air or bending over. Sometimes it causes nausea and wretching. Not good. We don't want the stitches around the band to be subject to such strain. Other times, a simple 'burp' occurs which brings back up the food which was stuck. This is not the usual vomiting as the only thing that comes up is the food that has not yet begun the digesting process and perhaps some slime.

The key is to be aware of which foods to avoid, and to pay attention while you eat. Take small bites, chew well, and be very in tune with your body. Your new feeling of being "full" is going to be that pressure behind the breastplate. Pushing more food down past that point is likely to end up with a BP episode.

Food which commonly give bandsters the most problems:

Breads (the dough, no matter how well chewed, will glom together in gooey ball and can get stuck)

Red meats and chicken (cook these in crockpots so they are very tender and moist, and take very small bites, chewing well. dont be afraid to spit out a piece that is a bit grissly or fatty)

Fiberous fruits and veggies, and skins (potato skins, broccoli, pineapple, oranges, plum skins, grapes)

Everyone is different, so you will want to carefully test each of these foods. The more restriction you have, the more likely they are to be a problem.

[Andi 0]

Thanks for answering so quick Susan. I just posted that. It was helpful. I think I can avoid that after first fill by eating slowly and chewing thoroughly? What do you think of the fact that I can eat almost as much as before? Is this normal until the first fill? By the way, congrats on your weight loss. You're an inspiration.

Andi

[PhotoNut 7]

Typically after swelling goes down and prior to getting the first fill we are able to eat as we did before banding. The hunger could increase as well. The thing to remember is that this is not the time to be concerned about weight loss but rather about the healing process. Even though you can it doesn't mean you should. Putting stress on your pouch, the stitches around the band, your esophagus, etc can cause serious problems.

Just approach each new food with caution and chew well. Eat where you have few distractions. Be aware of any sign your body gives that you might be running into issues with the type of food you are eating, or even perhaps that you are full. I have been banded almost 8 months and have had a few occassions where I've experienced the golfball feeling but have never PB'd. Contrary to what many say, I don't think this is a necessary thing to go thru when banded. To me, its having a reasonable amount of restriction and eating carefully that eliminate that need.

[gonnabethin 10]

Ok Ive got the PBing what about liquids... your not suppose to drink with meals and I get the whole siphon, washing it thru defeating the band idea- what if youve got dry chicken in your mouth- can you wet it just enough to moisten it? Is it a hard transition to eat without drinking- unconciously I drink to wash down what Ive eaten!! Ive paid special attention lately in efforts to break this prior to surgery!

[PhotoNut 7]

What I do is cook the chicken in a broth so the meat is very moist already. I would think that trying to get dry meat down with liquids could backfire on you. Say the meat gets stuck, and then you try to wash it down with liquids. Well, the Fluid could possibly force the meat into a tighter situation or it could flush it through. Either way its going to be very painful.

Not including liquids with my meals has been one of the hardest things for me to do. I'll tell you one thing though... don't EVER take a drink of something COLD right after eating a bite of meat. Your banded belly will shrink like a guy diving into a cold pool, if you get my meaning. Nothing will go thru then! *laughs*