That clogged up feeling :'(

Hi, My name is Jan and I have LapBand surgery on May 2, 2005. I found this site today and sure wish I had known about it before now. My progress has been good, I've dropped 38 pounds. All you LapBand patients: What do you do to stop the pain of getting food "stuck"? I recently did it to myself and thought I may be dieing! (can't breathe, pain, etc.) It seems to happen when I'm a little too hungry and then "inhale" my food instead of small bites and CHEW! Any suggestions?

I'm not a lap bander but I think you RNY-ers and Lap Banders suffer similar stuff. I've felt that way and sometimes I'd have to throw up. But as soon as I feel that I can take a sip, I sip chamomile tea (I sip down 4 oz). That seems to calm my stomach down fairly quickly. Others have suggested Papaya Enzyme Tablets (I haven't tried that since the tea works) and if its meat that's stuck, try meat tenderizer (I'm not sure how much though since I haven't tried that either).

I'm an RNY-er, also, but I definately know that feeling. I accidently swallowed a piece of chicken without chewing, because it was really hot. Just sort of a knee-jerk reaction. I literally felt worse than anytime after my surgery. I was in agony. Two things I've found/heard work: Papaya enzyme tablets - you can get them at health food stores, their used for digestion, Kathy of Kathy N Rich swears by them. You can also put a little meat tenderizer in some warm water and drink it, it will help the food dissolve faster and get rid of that "stuck" feeling.

I remember my first experience of not chewing. It was on Memorial Day and it was a bite of Hamburger on a bun (first of all I wasn't suppose to be eating solids)...but I was yacking and didn't chew...boy did I suffer. Seven or Eight hours to be exact!!!! Trust me, you learn your lesson real fast!!!