Hi all,

I'm 3 weeks post op and after reading alot of Lap Band Boards, I'm getting more afraid of PBing, especially after I have my first fill.

I think I better educate myself about what to do if and when it happens.

What do you do when food gets stuck? Are there things to do to help the food go down?

Scared in NH,

Bobbi

Ha! Great analogy though...I have been through both situations you describe and it's true!

....if you've ever been constipated and unable to move your bowels, it's like that at the OTHER end of your digestive tract....probably that doesn't make sense...

What do you do when food gets stuck? Are there things to do to help the food go down?

There are things that help some people... papaya enzyme tablets (to me they're just nasty and turn my PBs orange - they've never helped), meat tenderizer (by the time I'm willing to give this a shot, I don't think I could get it down), etc. For me if I get relief it usually comes from leaning over my island or pooping (more info below). As weird as that may sound, it's true. Sometimes - very rarely - relief comes in the form of holding my breath, but never in the later steps (information on steps below). You've received good information so far. For me, it begins with "slight pressure", and usually ends up in pain, though the degree of pain varies from - really uncomfortable, to spasms that make me cry out.

I never feel anything in the chest or the "golf ball" people refer to so frequently.

I have a 5-step pain program that I can clearly identify. I'll give you all that information, and a bag of chips!:

Step 1: Mild pressure in the esophagus, and slight discomfort in the abdomen. At this point it may pass, or it may progress. Nothing else going on at this time, just waiting to see what happens.

Step 2: Pain kicks in on either side of my bellybutton. Usually around this time I also get the urge to poop, that pressure in the bowels. Which is why I call them "PBMs" (PM, BM, haha). Sometimes when I poop that also seems to clear up whatever is stuck, but I don't know why. Maybe it has something to do with the way my insides are moving. At this point I will start trying to do things to alleviate the doscomfort/stick, such as taking breaths and holding them, or leaning against our kitchen island. For some reason, this can be a sort of magical position for me. More than once I've been |-| far from PBing, leaned on the island, and within a minute or two things have passed. But it's hit or miss.

Step 3: Pain has migrated into my hips, almost exactly where my hands are if I do the typical "hands on your hips" stance, and if the stick doesn't pass. About this time I also start with the excessive gurgling, hiccuping, and burping (sometimes the burps can get through, and sometimes they try but can't get anywhere. If I burp I usually feel a little bit better, for a very short period).

Step 4: The pain begins in my back, centered between my shoulderblades. I'm pretty much just hurting at this point, and it's when I will head into the kitchen and start "prepping" the sink (my PB spot of choice) - getting some paper towels out, turning the Water on, making sure the dog is out of the way, etc. Sad, but I have a whole list of things that help make it a little more convenient, like "preparing my workspace". Salivation is significant at this point, and I'm swallowing or spitting nearly constantly -- honestly, I'm usually spitting because sometimes that triggers my gag and can help the PB come more quickly. Also during this step I will start getting the "cry out loud" spasms, if I'm going to get them. Man, they feel like someone just kicked you. Usually when I get them hiccups kick in, too, so it's an alternating "Oh! Eeech! Oh! Eeech!". Husband always wants to check on me, but usually gets nothing more than a "Go away!" because I'm trying to salvage what little dignity I have left.

Step 5: Not so much pain as a weird thichkness/tingle sensation starts to kick in at the back of my throat, and it becomes REALLY hard to swallow. This feeling in my throat is the "ok it's time" indicator, and spitting out the slime will usually spawn the PB. If it doesn't it will at least make me heave, which - unfortunately - causes me more pain in the abdomen.

I am a "2 yaks" kind of girl. Rarely does the first one take care of it, and rarely do I need a third. Usually I know right away that all is well, and sometimes the pain persists and gradually tapers off. When this happens, I still kind of know I won't have to yak again, and will go lay down (they exhaust me when they're bad).

My best advice when people ask me what to do is to try benign things to alleviate it (holding your breath, bending, etc.), but not to do so much of the active things (taking a drink, eating a tablet, etc.) That's because IMO that just makes it worse. If I'm stuck, and throw liquids on top of it, I can proceed immediately to step 4, maybe 4.5. That's a big huge no no for me, but it works for some. Overall my best, best advice is to just relax and don't fight it. If it needs to come up, it will. If you try to hold it back (you can control this, unlike vomitting, at least until your esophagus is maxed out), you're just going to hurt more and for a longer time. And don't panic. Sometimes the pain can be so much that your body will hit a panic kind of state, and you really have to focus on breathing. This was more true early on, when I was still a tenderfoot. Not so much the case any more, but I can remember - a time at work, in the bathroom stall, leaned over the toilet where all I could do was think "breathe, breathe..."

And of course if I'm in a restaurant, Ijust sit there quiet, completely disengaged from the conversation & the workd in general, until it's time to head to the bathroom. My family/friends already know to leave me alone, that nothing's wrong, and that all will be well when I emerge.

I have a 5-step pain program that I can clearly identify. I'll give you all that information, and a bag of chips!:....

Step 2: Pain kicks in on either side of my bellybutton. Usually around this time I also get the urge to poop, that pressure in the bowels. Which is why I call them "PBMs" (PM, BM, haha). Sometimes when I poop that also seems to clear up whatever is stuck, but I don't know why. Maybe it has something to do with the way my insides are moving. At this point I will start trying to do things to alleviate the doscomfort/stick, such as taking breaths and holding them, or leaning against our kitchen island. For some reason, this can be a sort of magical position for me. More than once I've been |-| far from PBing, leaned on the island, and within a minute or two things have passed. But it's hit or miss.

Wheetsin, I'm glad you described Step 2. (Well, actually I'm glad you described all of it.) I've only had one incident where something got stuck, and I also had to have a BM almost immediately. I haven't heard any other bandsters talk about that, so it's good to know I'm not the only one. The BM did seem to make the situation in the esophagus feel better. Then I drank some pineapple juice and it seemed to clean out what was left of the roast beef in my esophagus. After everything finally went down, I suffered from nausea for several hours. I had another incident when I overate (green Beans of all things) and also had horrible nausea. So far, I've not PB'd, but then again my restriction isn't that great. I've been much more careful since the stuck roast beef because I can't imagine experiencing pain and nausea like that on a regular basis.

I was terrified of PB's too until it happened and I had a chance to experience it. Luckily I remembered everything I've read on this site and knew to stay as calm as I could and let my body decide what it wanted to do. Sometimes it stays in and eventually goes down and other times your body says no-way...this has GOT to come out! So, don't be scared--be prepared! Just stay calm and listen to your body.

That is GREAT information you all!! Can someone tell me what I've been doing. Okay food has never came up, only slime and spit. What could that be a sign of???

I slime and spit too! I pace around the house... Sometimes if I feel like somethings starting to clog I lift my arms up over my head and it seems to help - really attractive in a restaurant:-) I almost killed myself on two triscuits (they are the devil) and a tator tot another day. I am now learning parts of the day to stay away from solids - like morning - no way! I avoid PB's at all costs - they suck!