it was hell!!!! I was so scared! I tried to take a drink to help the food go down but then it just made it worse. I couldn't breath and really started to panic! What are some things that you do to help through this?

WHAT did u eat to make it get stuck ?? What did it feel like??

beans but too fast I think.... I could feel it stuck in the middle of my chest and it wouldn't go down.

Just wait it out and either the food will go through and the pain goes away ... or it all comes back up. Whatever you do, don't drink anything because as you said, it only makes it worse! I made that mistake the first time I experienced "stuckage"

Walking helps. Walk around with your arms up in the air and put your chin up and stretch. Sometimes if I get stuck in a restaurant, I walk into the bathroom and stick my ams up in the air, and I can feel it pass through. If that doesn't work, you may as well figure that it's going to come up. If your mouth fill up with water, don't swallow it.

Spit it out.

I'm glad I'm getting the forewarning about not drinking when that happens - that would definitely be my first instinct. Yikes.

NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER TRY TO "WASH" STUCK food DOWN WITH LIQUID!!!! This is the cure-all for taking too big a bite for NORMAL people (we've done it all our lives....especially those of us who gulped our food on a regular basis). This is a recipe for disaster and I leanred it the hard way. There are only two things you can do when something gets stuck:

1. Stick it out, stand up and move around, stretch, don't eat or drink a THING until it is completely clear and there is NO MORE DISCOMFORT.

or

2. Head for a nearby bathroom and let it come up.

Those are your choices. Period.

im not sure how effective this will be for you but i recently read on the board that little tiny sips of pineapple juice helps...

I actually tried it once and it helped (but when i say tiny sips i mean itty bitty ones. if to big it will defeat the entire purpose):faint:

But your best bet is to avoid doing it at all by

---small bites

---chew chew chew chew.....

---fork down in between each bite to determine if your satisfied or still hungry...

It takes a little getting used to but i promise things will get better... just follow the bandster rules and you'll get into the swing of things:p

thanks. this is very helpful. My surgery is scheduled for 11/28 with Dr. Vohra. Anyone out there from NYC or Long Island? How ab out swallowing pills? What do you do post surgery?

If you were banded on October 17th of this year, and it is now only November 10th when I am replying, how is it that you decided to eat beans already? My doc had me on clear liquids for a week, then mushy soft foods that are low in fat and not too starchy(such as jello, sugar/fat free puddings, creamy soups, etc., for another two weeks, then bbaby foods for anothe rweek. This all to heal the banding site. ALso, you shouls always wait minutes between bites to make sure you don't get too full, too quickly. Hot liquids sometimes help loosen things up, but really you shouls avoid the liquids.

im from the poconos in pa, about 1.5 hrs fromNYC... but pills go down fine (any bigger than an M&M you should split)

If you were banded on October 17th of this year, and it is now only November 10th when I am replying, how is it that you decided to eat Beans already? My doc had me on Clear liquids for a week, then mushy soft foods that are low in fat and not too starchy(such as Jello, sugar/fat free puddings, creamy Soups, etc., for another two weeks, then bbaby foods for anothe rweek. This all to heal the banding site. ALso, you shouls always wait minutes between bites to make sure you don't get too full, too quickly. Hot liquids sometimes help loosen things up, but really you shouls avoid the liquids.

Mine was Liquids for 2 weeks... Mushies (refried beans) 2 weeks and the the 5th week real food.

I had my first one of these today!!! And here I thought my band wasn't working because I haven't had a fill....oh that was yucky!!! Lesson: Don't talk on the phone while eating..you forget to pay attention to what you are doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!UGH....and certainly don't drink anything!

I always walk around and pound on my chest (like tarzan). The walking makes me feel better. I have only been stuck 3 times. 2 times it passed. 1 time it came back up (immediate relief).

Saintluver.....my nutritioist recommended chewable papaya enzyme tablets ( i get mine at GNC or the Vitamin shop)... they have really helped me the couple times it has happened.....

eileen

I use papaya enzyme tablets and they help a lot of the time. For some reason, I noticed that the ones I got from Vitamin World work better than the ones I recently got from GNC. The GNC tablets taste really sugary too. I bought some @ Walgreens and I didn't really like those either.

The pineapple juice works too, but I haven't tried it in a little while.

I also do the arms up and stretching and that helps some too. I do this while walking around.