I have been feeling stuck since yesterday.:cry I got my third fill on Weds. Prior to that one I had no restriction. They gave me .5 cc. Later that night I had some Tomato soup and felt ok. Yesterday I tried some thicker potato/bacon soup and had the worst pain in my chest. Then later last night I had one chicken soft taco and I thought I was going to die...ended up pb'ing but still had the tightness in my chest even after the pb.:omg: This morning I got some coffee at my local coffee shop and they had some bananna bread that looked soooo good. I was feeling better and I thought maybe I could "prime" my band with the coffee and then eat the bananna bread. WRONG!!!! I ended up screaming at myself in the car like a lunatic, "NO BREAD...Damn it NO BREAD" :faint: all the way home. The pain in my chest didn't go away until a few minutes ago.

I decided to take Kathy's advice and go get some aloe vera juice. The one I got at a local health food store is made by Lily of the Desert and it's supposed to be specifically a stomach formula concentrate. I also got the papaya enzymes.

Well, I took it all at the same time so I don't know if one works better than the other but I feel alot better now!!:clap2: Thanks again Kathy.

I would appreciate any food suggestions for the next few days. Even the soups give me some tightening in my chest. Is this normal? I hope I'm not too tight.

Thanks, I am sipping some aloe mixed with water right now and it is sorta gurgling it's way down. I still feel that tightness in my chest even when I'm just drinking water. However, it wasn't that bad with just water on Weds. so I probably just have an irritated stoma right now and need to stick with liquids for a few days. My TOM is coming in a few days too so maybe I need to see how things are after that.:puke:

Alright, I need some help on this one. I understand no bread in the sense of baked bread -- loaf of bread, banana bread, etc. But, bread takes many different forms i.e crackers, cookies, croutons, cornbread, cake, etc. So when you say no bread, are you talking about a certain consistency of bread or bread and bread products period?

Randi, it's a personal thing and you may just have to experiment and see what works. Many people can eat a couple of crackers where one bite of a bagel would stuff them up completely. So it's really just a try-it-and-see thing!

The "no bread rule" is a hard one to learn, and unfortunately one that the band loves to enforce. I am almost 2 years post-op and still rebel at times. Last night I had Starbucks after dinner (grande non-fat latte), then decided (at home) that I should have a chunky chocolate chip cookie. Well....I shouldn't have. After about the third trip to the bathroom my husband said, "I'm really glad you enjoyed the coffee. I love spending $3.82 so you can throw it up a half hour later." Do you think it would have been justifiable homicide?

Jack have you tried Dreamfields pasta? It is coated in protein then fiber so it does not stimulate hunger. It actually has a lower glycemic index since the body gets to the fiber layer and ignores it. So the pasta layer never gets utilized. Interesting science behind it. Saw it on the science or discovery channel. The taste is far better than the whole wheat mess.

Dont know who it will work with the band/stoma. Not as goey as regular pasta.

Jack have you tried Dreamfields Pasta? It is coated in Protein then fiber so it does not stimulate hunger. It actually has a lower glycemic index since the body gets to the fiber layer and ignores it. So the pasta layer never gets utilized. Interesting science behind it. Saw it on the science or discovery channel. The taste is far better than the whole wheat mess.

Dont know who it will work with the band/stoma. Not as goey as regular pasta.

Where do I buy this? Sounds too good to be true, but I am certainly willing to give it a chance. My Irish/Italian husband misses his pasta.

http://www.dreamfieldsfoods.com/find-dreamfields-pasta.html

Hi all, I went on liquids with aloe for 24 hours and yesterday afternoon I was able to get a bowl of mash potato and gravy down and then last night we went to a friends house for a BBQ and I was able to get a bite each of hamburger meat, chicken, salad, and pie...my friends looked at me kinda weird and I think they thought I didn't like it but I said I was on a diet and my son is a growing boy and sorta blew it off like that...

This morning the water/aloe is gurgling down. I think I am going to stick mostly to liquids again today.

Move slowly Laura! Good idea to stick to liquids today, then move to mushies tomorrow for lunch and stay there for at least a few days before you try chicken, hamburger, or salad again. And not all at once! One item at a time per meal, so you see how your band reacts to each of the solids. Some folks are fine with salads...some can do hamburger...if there's one you can't do and another you can, you need to know so do the process of elimination thing.

And keep up with the aloe vera. Am I the Kathy you are thanking? LOL I think perhaps it's me, since I've been the Aloe Vera Junkie here on LBT! There's no need to Water it down. The more pure juice you get sitting on your stoma gurgling down the better, I'd think. I'm no doc, just another bandster, so take what you want and leave the rest.

Listen closely to your band. You ARE too tight! But if you stick to liquids, then move slowly through your mushies, you may end up just fine with good restriction. Now is the time to be extra careful. If you aren't, you could lose some (or all!) of your fill getting stuck on something. Too tight is NOT good! Just get rid of any swelling with liquids and aloe vera, and avoid getting stuck. Slow waaay down on your eating.

Hang in there, and don't be afraid of a small unfill if you need it. Bandsters shouldn't be living on liquids long-term. You should be able to comfortably and slowly eat real nutritious foods. Good luck! I'm glad you like the aloe vera. I have heard papaya enzymes are great for unsticking foods, too. I haven't tried it, but I'm thinking you have a great combination there. Yay you!

Thanks so much Kathy! Yes! It was you...you aloe junkie.:clap2: How long should I stay this tight before I know it's time for an unfill?:rolleyes My TOM is next week so I am thinking maybe I should wait until the following week and see if the combo of possible weight drop and TOM being over will open me up a little.:phanvan I will try to stick with liquids. Should it be clear liquids or are shakes/yogurt, creamy soup type stuff ok?

Yes, wait till after next week when the TOM has passed you by. And Full liquids...not just clear. Egg Drop Soup is great, any cream Soups (blended), yogurt, thin mashed potatos, guacamole, etc etc. Keep it super soft with small bites and ride this out. If it doesn't get better, time for a small unfill.

That's what I think anyway. If you have a hunch I'm off-base, or something just isn't right, call your doc. Don't listen to some bloke on the internet, okay? Drink your aloe vera ! LOL

Thanks Kathy! You are so funny but so true!! I was able to get a few creamy and soupy things down today. I'm not sliming or pb'ing my plan is to ride it out and see what happens unless I can't even get liquids down.

I am burping pretty bad... maybe I am sucking in air with my food or something...

I will stay on the aloe. The one I got actually doesn't taste that bad either.:Banane10:

I understand completely where you're coming from. I too try with a vengence to eat bread but no-can-do.I've tried to drink those shakes and although I don't mind them at all they do not satisfy my appetite at all and leave me starving for any kind of real food. Hang in there it will get better.

I just got my 3rd fill on Thursday. At the office I figured I was too tight, but it took him a few pricks to find my port, so I told him I would try to live with it and see what happens. While I have trouble with clear liquids (until 3 o'clock--then they go down fine??????), shakes and smoothies go down fine. The only "solid" that I can seem to tolerate are puffy cheeze doodles...they sl8ide right down. I tried a cracker earlier and I think I am going to die! Everytime I think I am unstuck... I am not!

I have to get some aloe today. I am going to wait until the end of the week...only drink creamy things and by them by TOM will have passed and maybe I will have relief!!!!

okay I went and got some of that aloe vera juice, now please someone tell me how to take it and what is it all about?

I had the pb's this morning and boy almost died, (not really) but feel really bad from that boiled egg getting stuck, it lasted about 2 hours and finally I made myself throw it up.