Well, it is official. I have just had my very first experience with a really stuck episode that lead to a huge sliming incident.

I should have known because since this last fill, I have been having some episodes of having things go down hard. I have noticed that is usually when I am hungry and I am not being careful with chewing and eating slowly. This happened to me tonight and boy the pain that I felt was so very very uncomfortable and I just wanted die. I have got to learn to slow down and chew or the next fill as going to kill me.

My problem is this. I am suppose to go in for a fill on Wed. this week and I know that I need some fill because I can eat more than I should be able to. However, I am concerned that it is going to tighten me more and that I will have more and more stuck episodes.

So I need to some advise from you Bandsters. Should I hold off or should I tweak it and get better at chewing and eating slowly and not getting myself so hungry that I cannot concentrate on eating. By the way, it has been 6 weeks since my last fill and I have lost 10lbs. in that time and floating 2lbs for possible 12lbs. in this timeframe.

HELP!!!!

re: "Should I hold off or should I tweak it and get better at chewing and eating slowly and not getting myself so hungry that I cannot concentrate on eating."

The 'get better at chewing and eating slowly' is VERY critical. I found when I didn't eat for too long, I tended to get back into gulping...and had many episodes of PB, sliming and the Flaming Golf Ball From Hell.

Usually by going on liquids for a few days my Os irritation would improve.

Congratulations on your progress!!!

Jack you are a breath of fresh air! I love reading your posts. I agree that I have got to get better at it or going to be on miserable Bandster. I am going to do liquids to calm things down a bit. I thought I was going to be Slime-free since it had been 3 months or so. No such luck...I think that I am going to get the fill but a tweak not an aggressive one. I know that if I don't I will need in a week or so. So I guess I am going back the toddler stage and relearning to eat. LOL

Cindy

I'd suggest still getting that fill and as jack said, retraining yourself to chew better and eat slower. Now that I've reached restriction this is a whole new game. I have to be a lot more mindful of how much I chew or I pay for it. But I wouldn't go back for anything! Don't let sliming scare you from trying to reach restriction.

By the way, you're doing AMAZING if you still haven't reached restriction! Wow! Everyone has been doing so much better than me lol.

I find the first few bites I take are the most important ones to go very slow with and when we're hungry those are the first ones we eat fast.

Once the first few bites go down well, everything after that seems a little easier. It's like I have to wake up the stoma that food is coming down.

I agree work on the small bites and well chewed issue until it's time for the next fill and just don;t get an aggressive fill.

Points well taken. I am going to have them give me a little fill and keep training myself to eat slower. This band gives us something new to learn everyday but like you Lizzie I wouldn't trade it for all the tea in China.

Thanks bunches!

Cindy

Man,

I read this a few days ago and thought, "right-right, chew slowly, of course, yada yada yada." Then, at lunch today, I got a piece of ahi tuna or rice or brocolli (left over from last night) S-T-U-C-K!!!

Oh cripes. It hurt like the dickens!!! I had tears, slime, burps, hiccups, and stabbing pain in my chest. I spit about a gallon of slime into the sink and hung from the bathroom door (to stretch out) while breathing deep and slow. My DH got so upset that he drove to the store and bought me papya enzyme (by the time he got back - it was over- but I love him for it). Even the pets were freaked out.

Nothing but slime would come up and NOTHING would go down. It lasted for about 30 minutes. At one point I was thinking "What if it moves up and gets wedged in my windpipe - I'm gonna die!!!!" In the end, there was a big flash of pain and then it was gone.

Dang!! I don't EVER want to do that again. I can't quite figure out what caused it. I was eating last night's leftovers and I thought I was chewing pretty good. It would be a great motivator if I could figure out what I did wrong.

Man,

I read this a few days ago and thought, "right-right, chew slowly, of course, yada yada yada." Then, at lunch today, I got a piece of ahi tuna or rice or brocolli (left over from last night) S-T-U-C-K!!!

Oh cripes. It hurt like the dickens!!! I had tears, slime, burps, hiccups, and stabbing pain in my chest. I spit about a gallon of slime into the sink and hung from the bathroom door (to stretch out) while breathing deep and slow. My DH got so upset that he drove to the store and bought me papya enzyme (by the time he got back - it was over- but I love him for it). Even the pets were freaked out.

Nothing but slime would come up and NOTHING would go down. It lasted for about 30 minutes. At one point I was thinking "What if it moves up and gets wedged in my windpipe - I'm gonna die!!!!" In the end, there was a big flash of pain and then it was gone.

Dang!! I don't EVER want to do that again. I can't quite figure out what caused it. I was eating last night's leftovers and I thought I was chewing pretty good. It would be a great motivator if I could figure out what I did wrong.

Sucks doesn't it. I kind thought the same thing...I am just eating food that I usually eat with not problem. This band is so finicky isn't it?

Cindy

Just a little update. I did go for my fill today and discussed with my doctor how we should proceed. He agreed that moving at a slower pace with the fills will be good to avoid getting over filled. I started with 1.5cc's from the last fill and they pulled out 1.2cc's (not sure where .3cc's went...hmmm) and he decided that we would put back 1.5cc's and see if the works for me. So I am at 1.5cc's in my 4cc band. I go back in one month for another fill so I think that this will give me a good idea if I am coming close to restriction or not. I hope so!

Cindy

My episode was mild but convinced me that I may get a slight unfill next week. I got stuck on a piece of biscuit. It only lasted about five minutes before it went down. I coughed a couple of times but it didn't come up.

My appetite has been so low that I need to be able to take advantage when I do feel like eating. But even if that wasn't the case, I probably would keep my level of restriction the same because I'm losing at exactly the average rate and pretty comfortable (when I'm more careful!)

My episode was mild but convinced me that I may get a slight unfill next week. I got stuck on a piece of biscuit. It only lasted about five minutes before it went down. I coughed a couple of times but it didn't come up.

My appetite has been so low that I need to be able to take advantage when I do feel like eating. But even if that wasn't the case, I probably would keep my level of restriction the same because I'm losing at exactly the average rate and pretty comfortable (when I'm more careful!)

Longhorn,

Hope you are doing well considering everything that you going through. I have noticed that when I am super over hungry that I get stuck on anything. The best thing is to track when it happens because sometimes it is the fill level it is the band rules...i.e., chewing, eating slower. One tip my Dr. did give me was to drink something warm prior to eating to help with the stuck episodes.

You are still in my thoughts and prayers. Take care!

Cindy

Cindy:

I do think that's what happened -- that I didn't wait long enough between bites. My appetite is getting better but I do another round of radiation next week. However, I can always drink shakes so I might just leave my fill level alone for now unless I start losing too quickly.

Thanks for the advice and support!

Kendra

Hollyberries, I think you and me are at the same point in our bandster life. For a week after my last fill I would slime once a day because I ate something a little too hard and not chewed quite well enough. Now it seems as though the fill has "loosened up" a little and things are going down a bit easier.

I've found having a bit to drink before I eat makes things go down easier too - it kind of lubricates things.

I'm having the same conundrum about getting another fill too. It seems as though I'm chewing as much as humanly possible, without which I would get stuck, and yet I can still eat way too much. So in other words, the fill is tight enough to make me slime if I don't chew enough, but not tight enough to give me satiety. I'm not getting the physical restriction that should be there with a proper fill. Any thoughts, fellow bandsters?

Linda

I'm in the same boat! I try to be really careful and chew slowly but I still get a stuck episode almost daily. I drink before eating but it happens anyway. On the other hand, if I eat slow enough, I can still get in a large meal before feeling full. I know I'm not restricted enough but I can't stand the thought of getting stuck more often than I am now. I think I'm going to have to leave the restriction alone and really try to diet which is not why I got this band. I have been going up and down the same 5 pounds for 2 months now. I'm getting discouraged and losing my focus. I'm not even posting on the spring challenge board. My "eating" demons are on my shoulder every night and I think the only way to chase them away would be to go to bed earlier. I'm a night owl so it's hard. Maybe a very small fill would be the answer. It could always be unfilled if there's a problem.

I'm in the same boat! I try to be really careful and chew slowly but I still get a stuck episode almost daily. I drink before eating but it happens anyway. On the other hand, if I eat slow enough, I can still get in a large meal before feeling full. I know I'm not restricted enough but I can't stand the thought of getting stuck more often than I am now. I think I'm going to have to leave the restriction alone and really try to diet which is not why I got this band. I have been going up and down the same 5 pounds for 2 months now. I'm getting discouraged and losing my focus. I'm not even posting on the spring challenge board. My "eating" demons are on my shoulder every night and I think the only way to chase them away would be to go to bed earlier. I'm a night owl so it's hard. Maybe a very small fill would be the answer. It could always be unfilled if there's a problem.

Yes, Cindy, this is EXACTLY how I feel!!! I feel the same frustration as you about getting stuck, yet still being able to eat too much, and having to diet through all this instead of being properly restricted. Where is that full feeling I'm supposed to have? I'm so confused.

I went back and read the first post on this thread. The advise seems to be to get a small restriction and see how it goes. We may need to do just a little at a time like .5cc or less and wait a month for another one. I can't do more than that anyway as the last time I filled 1cc, I had to get it unfilled 2 days later cause it was too tight. Even my last fill of just .5cc caused pain for a night and then went away. I thought I would need an unfill again. Maybe our esophogus is more sensitive than others? I just don't know. I hate that I'm not losing as fast as I was in the beginning.

I'm in the same boat! I try to be really careful and chew slowly but I still get a stuck episode almost daily. I drink before eating but it happens anyway. On the other hand, if I eat slow enough, I can still get in a large meal before feeling full. I know I'm not restricted enough but I can't stand the thought of getting stuck more often than I am now. I think I'm going to have to leave the restriction alone and really try to diet which is not why I got this band. I have been going up and down the same 5 pounds for 2 months now. I'm getting discouraged and losing my focus. I'm not even posting on the spring challenge board. My "eating" demons are on my shoulder every night and I think the only way to chase them away would be to go to bed earlier. I'm a night owl so it's hard. Maybe a very small fill would be the answer. It could always be unfilled if there's a problem.

Cindy/Linda

I would get the fill even if it is a very small one. I think that by going in and getting a tweak it will help you but you will definately have to chew, chew and chew some more. Also, eating much slower. I would also recommend drinking something warm prior to eating. This will loosen the band up a little. I am finding that I am eating crazy stuff sometimes at crazy times; i.e., 1 scoop ice cream sundaes or Cookies but I always have a small amount just to get the demon off my back. I think that if we try to stay away from our triggers it will make the craving much stronger so I find for me that it is better for me to have just a little to but the craving on ice.

It seems to work for me because I am down 88lbs.

I have also noticed that shifting my calorie intake every so often kicks starts my metabolism. For example, I might only eat 800-1000 calories for several days in a row and then eat at 1200-1500 for additional days in row. I might even kick it higher than that if I am hungrier than usual. It seems to work for me.

Keep your chins up your doing great and you just need to keep coming here for support. We are here for you.

Cindy