How Much Pbing Is Too Much?

Ryanband07 · March 17, 2007

Hey Y'all,

I've been banded now for almost 8 weeks. Had my 1st fill 3 weeks ago and experienced pbing for the first time. It was so horrible I had to stick my finger down my throat and get the food out. Well now every time I get something stuck I do the same thing get it out as quick as possible. I'd say it's happened maybe........6 or 7 times in the past 3 weeks. I know it's bc I tried to eat too fast or didn't chew enough and i've really been working on it lately. Today I took to big of a bite of chicken and it got stuck so I relieved myself. Now my throat hurts and i'm totally freaking out thinking that I made my band slip or who knows what I could have done. I can still keep stuff down just feels like my throat is kinda being squeezed. If and when I get something stuck what should I do? I know that pbing isn't good for the band at all. I don't want to mess this up. Reading the threads about the problems some people have had w/ their band gets me very worried and scared. Please any advice would help so, so, so much.

BJean · March 17, 2007

I'm no expert but PB'ing isn't when you gag yourself to relieve the pain. That's a whole 'nuther can o' worms. PB'ing is a bit like having reflux only on a much bigger scale. It definitely is the result of eating too quickly or taking too big a bite. Or it can be from a certain type of food. chicken, especially white meat, is nearly impossible for me. Soft breads... bad! Fish, ground beef or turkey and crackers or tostitos go down much easier. But anything you try to eat too quickly or take a large bite of is going to probably cause you grief.

Making yourself gag to bring up the food that is causing pain, is not good. I've read here too many people who have done it that later worry that they've caused themselves to slip the band or something. You are probably really irritated, possibly swollen from the bahavior. The swelling will also exacerbate the problem and inhibit eating comfortably.

So cut it out now and know that meals are supposed to take at least twice as long (as much as 45 minutes - but no longer than 45 minutes) as it used to take you to eat.

Another tip, if you're getting so hungry that you're needing to get some food down quickly, eat less at each sitting and eat something more often. Once you get the area calmed down and working normally, you may not need to eat between meals. But smaller meals, smaller bites and slower eating is what you probably need right now.

Good luck!!!

stacy16 · March 17, 2007

My doctor told me that pbing is bad for the band and that too much could cause slippage. You should see someone.

Stacy

BJean · March 19, 2007

Stacy: Did you get your band? How are you doing?

stacy16 · March 19, 2007

Yes I got my band! I have been home since yesterday and feel pretty good. I just have a lot of gas. I have a hard time resting too. Dr. Ortiz is awesome. I very happy I got this done and can't wait to see results.

NVgirl · March 19, 2007

I feel stupid, but what is "PB'ing"??

BJean · March 19, 2007

NVgirl: Don't feel bad for not knowing what PB'ing means. We all asked that question and people who have heard the question hundreds of times may scoff and ignore you, but it is something we all were unsure of when we joined the forum.

PB stands for "productive burp" which is not exactly the right terminology for what actually happens. Sometimes when you eat something too quickly or it is a texture that does not fully get broken down enough before you swallow it, you can have a very uncomfortable reaction. You get a pain in the region of your upper esophogus or in your chest or throat. If the pain is intense enough (because sometimes you can get uncomfortable but it passes without a PB) your mouth will begin to Water and you notice that there is a lot of slimy liquid that you must spit out. The pain intensifies and there is more slime and eventually you have a sort of uncontrolled reflux of partially digested (or chewed) food. It isn't actually as much as when you vomit, but it is more than just normal reflux or heartburn. Once you "spit up" the pain is relieved.

This is something that I said I would never allow to happen to me. I would always be careful, chew completely (at least 20 to 30 times per bite), I would take very small bites and I would eat very slowly. One of the tricks is, by the way, to allow yourself some time after each bite so that you can know for sure if the food has actually gone past that area where it can cause a PB. However I have PB'ed. In fact I have done it several times. I believe almost every one does it sometimes. It helps to be able to get up and walk around, loosen your waistband and perhaps your bra, but if you've eaten too quickly, it is probably going to happen no matter what.

If you PB regularly, I have been told that you can actually get in the habit of vomiting and that is when you can cause the problem of band slippage and irritation of the site and possibly erosion of the area around the band. None of these things is good and you do want to avoid them! Besides, it is painful and no fun.

I hope this explains it and I don't want to scare you because as I said, I believe just about everyone experiences it, and when it's overwith you feel fine again. But I do want to caution you to eat very slowly and take small bites so that you can avoid PB'ing almost 100% of the time.

NVgirl · March 19, 2007

BJean,

Thanks so much for the indepth response!

That's one side effect I hadn't heard about yet... probably shouldn't have read your reply while eating lunch! LOL!:heh:

BJean · March 19, 2007

Oops. Sorry NV girl! We're so used to talking about it and dealing with it, we don't think twice about openly discussing it.

Hope you weren't too put off~!:rolleyes

NVgirl · March 20, 2007

Not at all! No worries! :biggrin1:

Oops. Sorry NV girl! We're so used to talking about it and dealing with it, we don't think twice about openly discussing it.
Hope you weren't too put off~!:rolleyes

BJean · March 20, 2007

Cute dog photo! A poodle? We have two Min. Schnauzers. They're a handful!

Are you on your pre-surgery diet yet? Or does your doctor require one?

NVgirl · March 20, 2007

Thanks! That's Baxter, he's a Cairn Terrier Mix that we rescued from the shelter. He's a funny little dude!

I'm not on my pre-op diet yet. I got the call from the scheduler last week with all my dates (pre-op class, pre-op appt, op day, post-op, etc) and she said I'd be getting a packet in the mail this week with all the details about the pre-op diet.

Dr. Gansert did tell me that I'll be on a 2-week liquid diet before the surgery - not sure what to expect of that!

BJean · March 20, 2007

I don't think the pre-op diet is that tough, really. The first few days are a big adjustment but after that it seems to get much easier. You know why it is important, don't you?

They want to shrink your liver so that it won't be so vulnerable during surgery.

I didn't even know that cutting out sugar, etc., would shrink your liver that fast. They told me I needed to lose from 7 to 10 lbs. I lost 7.