I have had my band for 15 months, and have gotten the hang of it, and have learned to embrace its fickleness. I did want to share this with any newer banders out there: HOT BEVERAGES ARE YOUR FRIEND. If you are not allowed to drink coffee, you need to embrace tea, whether caffeinated or not. I am an herbal tea addict, I admit. Stash teas are my favorites and I make 3-4 cups a day. If food gets stuck, or is having a hard time going down, and you become uncomfortable (and downward dog doesn't fix it), make a hot beverage, and sip tiny, tiny, sips... I also use the hot drink tip in the AM when I wake up, and also will preface my meals with a hot beverage. Prefacing the meals will loosen my band up a little bit, making food go down a bit easier. The hot drinks thing is well-known, but I wanted to remind everyone. My hot tea got me 'out of a jam today' and even now, sometimes I am amazed at how well it works...

What's downward dog? Is that the yoga move?

I noticed the same thing about hot drinks and the opposite from cold drinks. Sometimes a cold beverage, even water, will get stuck without any solid food. But I've had no problems and gotten relief from hot drinks. I was warned not to drink them before a meal though. It does open things up a bit and lets you eat more than otherwise. So I was told to hold off on any drinks 30 minutes before and an hour after a meal.

I also have been helped by hot beverages. I have had lots of inflamation and vomiting episodes since banding 14 months ago. By this I mean that I can eat lots of different foods and do just fine until one day I cant keep anything down. My digestive track becomes inflamed and I go on liquids for a week. I have just realized that I have had more of these "spells" than I realize so I have contacted my Dr. and dietician. If anyone else has had these problems please respond and know that you are not alone.

What's downward dog? Is that the yoga move?

Yes Downward dog is GREAT for when you get stuck. Do the pose, hold it for as long as you can, and get up and walk around... works well for me, often.

I noticed the same thing about hot drinks and the opposite from cold drinks. Sometimes a cold beverage, even Water, will get stuck without any solid food. But I've had no problems and gotten relief from hot drinks. I was warned not to drink them before a meal though. It does open things up a bit and lets you eat more than otherwise. So I was told to hold off on any drinks 30 minutes before and an hour after a meal.

I will drink about 20 mins before I eat... and it will be something hot. I like to keep a tight band, so this helps loosen it on a tighter day. I tend to stay away from cold beverages because they constrict my band so much. This summer I might have a tiny bit taken out of my band so that I can enjoy cold drinks in hot weather. Maybe... but I know in warmer weather, my band is looser too, so it might resolve itself just a bit...

I also have been helped by hot beverages. I have had lots of inflamation and vomiting episodes since banding 14 months ago. By this I mean that I can eat lots of different foods and do just fine until one day I cant keep anything down. My digestive track becomes inflamed and I go on liquids for a week. I have just realized that I have had more of these "spells" than I realize so I have contacted my Dr. and dietician. If anyone else has had these problems please respond and know that you are not alone.

I just went through this. My band got tight for NO REASON. I thought it was a slip. I had an Upper GI and all was well, we just took out .4 ccs and I am all better. I asked my doctor why I had sudden tightness, when it was FINE before (and last fill was 5 months ago), and he said he had no idea... it just sometimes does...