I just had my first big "stick". Without thinking I popped a piece of pork into my mouth and didn't chew much and swallowed. Immediately I was in a bad place. It hurt. I slimed a bit and had to stand over the sink for fear of throwing up.

My question from this worrier to you all is this: Did I do damage to my band? I've been scared since it happened. And I'll tell you this, I will do my darnedest to make sure it never happens again!

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

No, you didn't damage the band. About the only way to do that is to have violent vomiting for a long period of time, and it doesn't sound like you did. It does hurt like heck, though, doesn't it.

It takes most of us months to learn to chew and to quit that mindless "popping it in while we're cooking or cleaning off the table" stuff we've always done. Take Tiny bites and chew til they are pulverized. You might also try using sauces on the meat. I can't eat an egg unless I pour a little warm cheese dip over it....or sometimes some salsa. A few bad 's stuck episodes and you will be trained to remember. BTW...when something gets stuck you're first reaction is to grab a drink of water - that's usually the worst thing you can do because the stoma is blocked and the water will come right back up. (Also, if you have a bad PB or stuck episode, you might need to stick to warm liquids for the rest of the day and let the swelling go down in your esophagus....let it heal +_

Gayle,

Thank you so much for your reply. I don't know what happened, I just freaked out. This thing in me is a precious thing and I don't want to damage it in anyway. I was scared. I kept thinking.... I've ruined everything.. I've just failed, again.

Anyway, thank you again for your support. I really needed to focus and you helped me to do that.

As Gayle said, you didn't hurt your band....but you'll get 'stuck' again someday! That's a promise! LOL

I was just going to say the same thing. If you have only gotten stuck once, you're doing great. It's no fun and it teaches us to

take the tiny itty bitty bites and chew them until there is nothing left to chew.