Why am I so odd?

My band was placed on 1-14-11. I've had 2 fills.  Skipped one last week and moved it to this Wednesday.  I had about 4 stuck episodes, 2 of which were very unpleasant.  My being tight is kinda all over the place but NEVER in the morning, like other people.  I always start with 2 cups of coffee.  After that about anything goes down easily. I try to stick with protein because I like soft cooked eggs with turkey sausage or bacon.  Lunch is a little tighter. (can feel stuff going down but it doesn't hurt)  IF I am gonna get tight, it's late afternoon and at night. I feel it much stronger going down, and sometimes it's uncomfortable.  I do still get hungry about every 2 hours, and my stomach growls and growls loudly. I have tried increasing my protein till I feel like I'm leaving out fruits and vegies.  All I know to do is tell all this to my doc when I go for a fill.  I don't know if I need one or not.

Are you drinking a lot of water through out the day? For me, if I drink warm, hot liquids before any meal, it always makes it easier to eat. And If I don't drink enough water I get tighter. Also, are you eating at least 3 oz of dense protein first? It really makes a huge difference for me. I only eat around 1/3 banana or 3 asparagus spears with my meals. I do take my daily vitamin and my blood work always comes back great. Don't be too tight for too long. Tell your Dr all you told us and I'm sure he will have some recommendations. Good luck!

Water is something I am consciously working on.  Warm drinks help me with things going down too.  My doc said the proverbial cup of food, half protein, split the other veggies and carbs.  And EAT PROTEIN FIRST.  I feel like I'm almost all protein and not doing a very good job on vegies and fruits.  I take a vitamin.  No bloodwork till June.  I will share all with my doc tomorrow, that is if I get to see more than the fill nurse.

I'm only 4 weeks post op, so I dont have any advice for you, sorry,  But I do hope you feel better soon and hit your sweet spot.  I'm having my first fill next Monday.  What were the two things you got stuck on, any particular food to stay away from?  and how much weight have you lost? 

I will be weighed on Wed. morning.  Last count was 15 1/2 lbs.  MAY be close to 20 when I weigh tomorrow.  Got stuck on chicken, shrimp, and roast.  No problems for me with breads or pastas like for some people.  Even though the lap band surgery is about the same for everyone, there is a lot that is individual, like what sticks and how man fills are needed. Thanks for the well wishes!  To you too!

Are you doing liquids for 24 hours after a stuck episode?  A stuck causes swelling and you need to give it time, so you don't get stuck again.  Also how small are your bites?  You have had 4 stucks since January.  That's hard on your band.  I've had 4 stucks all together in 20 months.  They are not fun are they?  Mine last from 1-2 hours.  I decided mine were from too dry of food.

Are you getting in enough fluids? 

Are you more stressed later in the day?  Some people say stress makes them tighter.

Good luck,
Kristi

I did not think to do the liquids, but naturally went to mushies out of fear.  Mine only lasted 10 to 20 minutes so maybe they weren't real stuck episodes.  They were  very uncomfortable, and only 2 involved PBing.   I never want to do that again.  I will work on more water, and smaller bites.  I'm not really a stressed person, since I retired from teaching this past year.  Chicken is usually my enemy, unless I do half pea sizes. I thought I had this all down, but rethinking my situation, maybe I'd le****er and bite sizes slip.  I did use papaya enzymes and they seemed to help. Thanks for responding!

A stuck episode can be just a few minutes, it doesn't have to be a long period of time.

Have you tried some salsa or sauce with your chicken?  I can't eat dry meat. 

I also get tighter in the evening, although i am tighter in the morning as well!

If you are getting hungry between meals, then that seems to imply you need a fill but being tight and getting stuck say you don't!! Are you really eating carefully? When the band is new and you are still learning it is easy to get it a bit wrong. You can relax once you are really comfortable with it, but not at first.

Each bite should be the size of a pea.
Chew until everything is a total mush
Swallow everything, wait a whle before taking the next mouthful.
Don't cut everythign up on yoru palte, cut each mouthful just before you eat it, slows you down!

Kate

Thank you for all the help.  I think I'm doing most everything I should, except for water, and that's odd to me because I'm a water drinker.  My doc wants me to wait an hour after eating before drinking, but I can drink up to the time I eat.   While waiting sometimes 2 hours slip away. And maybe I don't exactly understand a stuck episode, because mine only lasted about 20 minutes and PBing with only 2.  And after saying I'm never tight in the morning, I was this morning.  Besides water, bite size is another thing I have to work on, especially if I let myself get too hungry. Hindsight makes me think THAT might have been responsible for my stuck episodes.  Thanks so much for making me rethink.