hi i havent had the lapband yet but i am wondering what it feels like when you get food stuck , can you drink when food gets stuck?

hi i havent had the LAP-BAND® yet but i am wondering what it feels like when you get food stuck , can you drink when food gets stuck?

Well Hi there I am happy to assist with your question. But keep in mind every one is different. I will share my 1st "stuck" experience. First your question was how does it feel... well it hurts. And No you can't drink.

About 6 months after surgery a took a bite of a biscuit, it would not go down all the way. I felt like it was stuck behind my sternum, my chest hurt, my throat hurt and at first I thought I would suffocate.

I had to walk around trying to dislodge it, I streched on the floor and on the bed. I was on all fours praying to God to please either let it pass or hack it up. All the while, my mouth salivated and I kept spitting which is refered to as "slimming".

It took about 15-20 minutes of walking and stretching before it finally came up.

LOL, hope this helps...

why thank you so much that does not sound pleasant at all i'm a little scared now lol

so this happen's when you eat too much or too fast?

why thank you so much that does not sound pleasant at all i'm a little scared now lol

so this happen's when you eat too much or too fast?

Yes, that time it was because the bit I took was too big.

LOL, and at least two more times after that and of course it was a biscuit every time.

It seems logical that drinking will help it go down, but during the experince you are very aware that "drinking" is the wrong thing to do! :thumbup:

Hi There!

For me it has always been when I was "mindless" while eating. I took too big of a bite, didn't chew well and WHAM I know it when it goes (or doesn't go) down. Saliva starts filling my mouth and you have such an overwhelming feeling to burp. For me, to the point that I don't care who hears it! :thumbup:

I think that it is part of the learning curve with the band. You have to learn how to eat SLOWLY and chew really really well. If I don't I get slapped by the band!

I am very happy with my decision to do it though, it has been 3 months and I have lost 38lbs. I even thought I had a bad month this past month where I was working a lot, not working out, taking care of my mom who had surgery and I found out I lost 7lbs! I always make sure to get my Protein, and I think it helps that I am not that hungry so I don't choose bad things.

Best of luck to you!!

You know, when I first heard about the band about 5 years ago, I blew it off because I heard about food getting stuck, etc...

And while getting stuck definitely sucks, it's something you forget about soon after it happens. Being banded reminds you that you're not going to pig out on food like you used to.

I've definitely been changing my attitude about eating the past few months since getting my band. Eating isn't as pleasurable for me as it used to be. Sometimes eating is uncomfortable. And I thought I would mind that more than I do. I've almost lost 50lbs and it feels great, it really does. People notice it, I feel different.

As for getting stuck.... it can hurt. When it happens, I don't want anyone talking to me. I just wait it out and eventually it goes down. Other people PB or slime, but I don't. I don't salivate any more than normal when I get stuck and I've never had any food or drink come up.

But honestly, it's not that big of a deal.

Well I guess I'm lucky, or unlucky depending on how you see it, I don't get stuck from eatting too fast. No, I just get stuck from eatting too much. It will usually go like this: I'll eat and then go hmmmm I want one last bite....and I do it....I'll be fine for about 3 minutes...and then hell starts. I start burping like crazy but non-productive, and I feel like someone is poking my esophagus from the inside, very unpleasant. And I basically have to walk around or just wait for it either to pass down into my stomach when theirs room or to come up...and yes sliming...ick. lol. Doesn't help the situation when you are naseous, but your basically becomes really watery.

I would say that getting stuck is enough to make you cautious of doing it again but not unbearable, especially since after about 10-15minutes of uncomfortableness you usually find relief...

I tend to eat very fast, and since getting banded I have had food stuck many times. You need to be careful not to drink a lot to wash the stuck food down. This may feel good and relieve the pressure, but it defeats the purpose of the band. When you endure the pain or throw up, it teaches you to eat more slowly and avoid foods that are hard to get down. Only when I learned not to wash food down did I start having consistent, significant weight loss.

Ugh not sure if I like this or hate this, but if I'm stuck I can't wash it down. If I try and drink it only makes things worse, MUCH worse lol

My first stuck came at my Dr.'s office after my first fill....He had put too much fluid in the band and I sat up to drink....could not get even a sip of water down. I was in pain and sliming bad. The nurse had to get Dr. to remove some of the fluid. I have been stuck a couple of times since then, but I can easily bring it right back up. It is painful for the moment, but not too bad.

I have had 2 different types of stuck.

One was where I ate 2 green Beans quickly and didnt chew them properly. I was so sick until the vomited. And it was a horrible sick. I was sweating and had a terrible pain in my chest. You get a very sick, panic-y feeling. I threw up foam and finally vomited the 2 green beans.

The second was eating the wrong food. I ate one bite of a chicken briand (french puff pastry with chicken) and it immediately got lodged in my throat. I didnt vomit with this but it was fairly painful for a good 30 minutes or so (as compared to the few minutes on the green beans).

I have to make sure I dont get over hungry. I am just so hungry all the time and if I go more than a couple hours between eating something, I eat like a starved dog and gulp. Believe me, once you have an episode of food getting stuck, you dont want it to ever happen again. :Yawn:

Got filled on Thurs. Had my first stuck food a little while ago. Went outside and walked around the block. Didn't even lock the door. Threw up slime in a couple neighbors yards. Thank goodness it's dark.

It feels like something is in my back. I began to salivate and felt nauseous. Had the salty taste I get when I feel like I'm going to puke.

BTW what's PB?

you are lucky when I am stuck I need to throw up, right away, I start to spit like a damn lama and hurt, OMG, it is painful, the thing with me is I can't even eat most things, eating is not pleasurable at all anymore, one day my band is ok and I can eat some things and others, nope I can only drink liquids....it's frustrating, does your band have a mind of its own...HELL YES!!!!

I am not saying don;'t do it, but please hear all sides I so wish my Doctor had been more open with me about things, and instead got this "its a wonderful thing to be banded and it's all roses and unicorns bull ****".....