I was banded the 11th of Nov. I recovered pretty quickly was hungry, did fine with liquids and mushies and didn't notice any restriction. I still felt roughly the same amount of hunger as before the band. My Dr. gave me the go ahead for solids, as long as I was careful, so that when they did my first fill they would know what things got hung up and such.

I didn't think I had any restriction until I started eating solids and now I get stuck a lot. Not horribly stuck, but briefly stuck. I'm not sure if I'm still getting used to chewing chewing chewing or if it's something else. The second part of it is that I'm still really hungry most of the time. So getting stuck a lot and being hungry all the time don't seem to add up to me. I'm worried about when I get my first fill if it will make things a lot worse.

Moxi,

Are you getting stuck and in a lot of pain...or do you just feel a bit of pressure in your chest after you've eaten a few bites?

I'm pretty sure it's getting stuck. There is some pain (I wouldn't say a lot) and a stuck feeling. Sometimes if it's bad (happened twice) I've had to spit out my saliva b/c it backed up. I do eventually feel the food slide down and then total relief.

It sounds to me that you need a fill so you can go longer between meals and feel satisfied with less food. It also sounds to me that you are dealing with behaviors you have not completely modified which is completely normal at this point.

It took me a couple of months to finally adapt to the excessive chewing and smaller bites. What helped me was to cut up my meat into fingernail size bites before I even start to eat. Chew completely then swallow. Set your fork down in between bites to make sure you don't eat too fast. It is eating too fast that causes most of my stuck episodes. You may need to eat alone in order to grasp the hang of it. Also, don't let yourself get to the point of starving. If you are starving when you sit down to eat, you will most likely experience "1st bite syndrome". I usually notice I am stuck at about my 3rd bite. Keep papaya enzymes on hand for when you first notice yourself feeling stuck. About 50% of the time the enzymes will work for you at the point where you start to slime.

Best of luck to you on your journey,

Donna

It If you are starving when you sit down to eat, you will most likely experience "1st bite syndrome". I usually notice I am stuck at about my 3rd bite. Keep papaya enzymes on hand for when you first notice yourself feeling stuck. About 50% of the time the enzymes will work for you at the point where you start to slime.

Thanks, Donna. I have noticed that it is almost always one of the first few bites that gets me, and then often I do ok after that. I'm thinking maybe it's just the reminder to chew like crazy. I do let myself get too hungry b/c I'm trying to keep my calories down thru willpower. I have a fill scheduled the end of this month. Hopefull that will make a difference for me.

Oh, and where do you get papaya enzymes??

Oh, and where do you get papaya enzymes??

You can find papaya enzymes at Walmart or any drug store. Like I said, they work about 50% of the time.

Good luck!

You should let your doctor know about getting stuck so much. I have to take very small bites and chew, chew, chew or I get stuck. I have complained to my doc about the hunger and he tells me that the band does not curb the hunger it is there to reduce the intake. I just had my 3rd fill yesterday and I am hoping that I get to my "sweet" spot soon!

You should let your doctor know about getting stuck so much. I have to take very small bites and chew, chew, chew or I get stuck. I have complained to my doc about the hunger and he tells me that the band does not curb the hunger it is there to reduce the intake. I just had my 3rd fill yesterday and I am hoping that I get to my "sweet" spot soon!

I disagree! It does curb the stomach hunger and enables me to feel satisfied on much less food then prior to banding. What it doesn't curb is head hunger.

I disagree! It does curb the stomach hunger and enables me to feel satisfied on much less food then prior to banding. What it doesn't curb is head hunger.

That's what I though. I know my hunger isn't in my head at this point...but I know that's part of the deal when you first get banded. Also, I haven't been cutting my bites up or taking fingernail sized bites, so it's probably my fault that I get stuck. I will try that.