I was banded on 5/23/13 and I've had great success with weight loss. At least initially. I've got a 10cc band with 5 cc's of saline in it. I've been having problems swallowing things like chicken, rice and shrimp. My doctor thought it was weird that the food is stuck just trying to swallow but he drained my band for 3 weeks just to see if that was the cause. The swallowing problem got better but didn't go away altogether. The Dr didn't think it was related to the band and refilled it to 5 cc's and referred me to an ENT doctor. This Dr put me on meds for acid reflux, I've been on them for over a month but things only seem to have gotten worse.

My family doctor says sometimes when you restrict the stomach with the band the esophageal sphincter will constrict as well causing the swallowing problem. She suggested having a procedure to stretch the esophagus. My bariatric doctor says he's never heard of any such thing. Has anyone else had similar issues?

It honestly may just be that you need to get used to the band. It's a foreign situation. I had an endoscopy done and was told I didn't have any restriction in the band yet I FELT every little thing. I just ate very very small bites and eventually got used to it. That's the point.... You feel restricted when you eat. Even liquids need to be sipped. It's an adjustment but you won't feel like you did before the band.

I have heard of people having their esophagus dialated. Sorry you're having so much trouble. I was told that dry chicken, rice, and shrimp are all possible problem foods after the band. Maybe you should avoid certain foods fora while till your esophagus calms down.

Try moister foods to see if these will go down without sticking.

I'm at the same fill level and I know that if I eat things which are too dry, with my very small bites they just don't have the mass they need to go down. Prior to the band, I never noticed this of course...my bites had so much volume that gravity kicked in and they swooshed down without a second thought!

Sometimes I need a little sip of Water to get down the too-small bite of too-dry food (and that's ok). But to avoid this, I stick to moist foods like fish or chicken in a sauce.

I cannot do shrimp at all...the texture does not allow me to get it to a small-enough size to go down. So no more shrimp for me!

I have trouble swallowing tings that at times. I can't eat some lettuce, and can't eat apple skins. I, also, haev trouble with shrimp, as parrishel said. Best wishes, hope that we have helped at little. Karen..aka..kll724

Did you get a barium study?

One of the things I think of is esophageal dysmotility. Without a barium study, or knowing precisely where the food is stuck and for how long, it would be impossible to know. But you would definitely want this ruled out

I haven't had any kind of internal exam yet. I am scheduled for them to scope my esophagus on Friday. It sounds as if this may be a common issue. I guess if they don't find anything unusual I'll just have to change what I'm eating. Thanks for all of the input!

I am scheduled to have my esophagus scoped this Friday. They are looking to see if I need to have my esophagus dilated. Up until now I've done extremely well where food is concerned. I could eat anything with no problems. I guess if they don't find anything I'll just have to change what I eat. Thanks for all the input it's been helpful!

Where is food getting stuck? Top of the throat or near the sternum?

It gets stuck right behind my thyroid (where my Adam's apple would be if I were a man. Originally I'd thought mt thyroid was swollen and causing an obstruction. So it doesn't get down very far at all. In fact if I just stick out my tongue the food comes back up. Sorry if that's TMI.