I have had my band about 7 months now and I hear everyone talk about getting stuck but it sounds so much more dramatic then what I thought my getting stuck is. When I think I am stuck I get the hiccups with some pain and burp once or twice and it goes away. Is that stuck? People talk about going on liquids after that for some time but I can just start eating again and I just know to slow down and chew more. Am I getting stuck or am I experiencing sometime else?

I think what you are experiencing is a bit of a stuck episode. When other get stuck they well and truly stuck. The food does not pass for a while, if at all and they need to see the Dr. to remove Fluid and sometimes they will PB or vomit and that is why they then go on liquids to allow the stoma some time to recover from any swelling that might have been caused while the food was stuck in it or above it.

I have had minimal stuck issues similar to what you experience, but my hubby has gotten well and truly stuck and had to vomit to remove the offending bit of food. The pain I have is short lived and usually I am able to pass the bit of food after a minute or two, or after a drink of something warm like tea or coffee.

If it takes too long for the food to pass, the next meal I will do a liquid Protein shake or something soft to allow the stoma to relax from the trauma but that's just me.

It is a very mild stuck. If you don't have sliming, not a serious stuck! Just slow down and chew more.

There are degrees of stuck.

MILD (Typically because you ate too quickly or a smidge too big of a bite)

You may feel a nagging discomfort in your stoma area due to the increased pressure on the stoma

You may get some kickback signals like hiccups, PBing, or even referred pain as the vagus nerve is being stimulated

The food particle may easily regurgitate, or pass quick enough that no intervention is necessary

MODERATE (Typically when you eat too fast, bites are too big and food on top of the stuck particle is causing compounding pressure)

You can feel a heavy sensation on your stoma

This sensation can turn to be uncomfortable or painful if the food tries to pass the stoma and stretches it

If the particle is blocked from the bottom (stoma passage) and top (subsequent food) symptoms typically progress from kickbacks to:

1) Sliming which is the bodies normal response to removing a stuck particle in the throat. Unfortunately the slime has nowhere to go and causes additional pressure. This is usually regurgitated to keep the pressure off. Many times regurg dislodges the actual stuck particle as well

2) Additional pain (ie referred pain in the chest, back) and stomach response like nausea. Most people will regurg as to avoid full fledge vomitting

Drinking Water will not help, it'll basically create a lavage instead.

SEVERE

Holy crap Susan you swallowed a meatloaf without chewing (smirk)

This is more typical of when you are eating like 'normal' large bites, one after another, no regard for the band. Everyone's threshold is different and correlates with how tight the band is at the time. For some a huge bite off a sandwich will do it, for others even small chunks of dry meat can do this.

Usually severe means your food particle truly is lodged. This is the equivalent of a solid piece that needs hours to be broken down through stomach churning. Rather it's sitting in your upper pouch where there are insufficient enzymes to break the food down. Depending on how large the piece is and how narrow the stoma is determines how long this bad boy is going to cause issues.

Usually you are feeling pain at the stoma, plus any kickbacks you normally get. Sliming compounds the issue and you are just in a miserable state indeed.

Try something like papaya enzyme to help break down that food

Regurg if you can, the less pressure on that stoma the better

If you cannot pass this particle, call the doc. It may be necessary to get a partial unfill to help the process

*** Please understand if you get to this point, sometimes even w/ a moderate stuck, you may have an inflammatory reaction due to the irritation on the stoma. Things will be tighter than normal. THe best most proactive response is to lay low and stick to fluids for a few days until it subsides. Get an unfill if it doesn't get better- especially if fluids can't pass. Further irritation causes further issues***

Slow your roll...these rules are here for a reason

If you are truly stuck you will never forget it because the pain alone is awful. Plus the excessive mucous that everyone calls sliming. Believe me you will know.

It took me 8 months to get stuck. Have had 3 in the last 3 months after I hit the green zone good and green that is. I get the stuck from Hell type. Slim like a rabid dog and I wish somebody would put me out of my misery when it happened. Have figured out that if I stop eating after the first hiccup and wait a few minutes then I am ok,but I have to watch out or I spend hours in the bathroom wishing I could die.

Thank you all for such an informative post! I am newly banded and hopefully will be able to avoid a stuck incident with all the great advice!