Lapbanders: What does stuck feel like?

Hello BAF,

I am looking to understand what "stuck" feels like. I decided to eat some noodles today and I swear that it is sitting on my chest! I did not even eat a 1/4 of a cup and ofcourse I had fish in there so I could get some protein.

Thanks,

Chagrin

To me stuck feels like the food is just sitting under my left breast. I know as soon as it happens that I'm stuck. I can't wa**** down so I walk around flapping my arms trying to get it to move. Being stuck only two things will happen: the food will come up or go down. One lady on the band forum had something like the following as her signature: Being stuck is like the Big "O". You know when it happens  

Now my question to you is this: noodles one month out from surgery? Bread, rice and all types of pasta will get you stuck. Chances are you're still swollen from surgery. Once the swelling goes down some people still have restriction. I was one of them.

Make sure you're taking small bites and chewing enough. If you PB (vomit) go back to liquids. Your pouch is brand new. Please treat it with care. 

Thanks Joyous-

I am on to soft foods...I consider that soft...however...it may have been too big of a bite. It did just work its way down.

How long does one stay swollen from surgery?

Today was the first time I tried a noodle of some sort...

I will watch out!

It's soft. You just don't want to jump on the carb/doughy textured food wagon too soon. Protein, veggies, fruits and then complex carbs in that order. Introduce one new food at a time to see what you can tolerate. You'll be fine. I was able to tolerate everything after 6 months. I got a fill one year out. Rice and bread are not my friends. When they're digested they tend to swell up.

Thanks for the insight. Rice has not been a problem, but the noodles I will not do again.

noodles should never be consider as soft food.  Noodles should be consider possible trouble food.  The reason is that pasta has the tendency of swelling in  your stomach, which mean that a 1/4 cup of noodles could swell to 1/2 cup cause you to be over full and miserable.

Stuck to me feel like you got a big old ball in the middle of your chest like someone punched the living daylight out of  you and you are trying to catch your breath but can't.

Thanks. This is making sense to me now. I flet that big aole ball in my chest, but I could breathe...just laying off for now!

Sitting on your chest is one way to describe feeling stuck.  It can get worse than that.

I only needed it to happen once...My goal is SO not to repeat this one!

Yeah it sounds like you were stuck.  Its exactly like that for me.  I feeel like there is a huge knot in my chest and I cannot take a deep breath.  I start to slime (produce a lot of mucous like saliva).  Sometimes I have to just wait for it to go down, but those times it comes up I feel better almost immediately.

Be careful with noodles and pastas.  They get doughy like other bread products and can be hard to pass by the band.