Is this normal?

 Hi everyone.... 

I have a quick question about being too full. I had my band replaced in March 2011 after a faulty one was originally put in in December 2010. As of my last fill the end of July, I have about 5.5cc in my 10cc band and am FINALLY feeling restriction and seeing movement on the scale!! 

However.......almost every meal I eat, I have a sort of sharp radiating pain (but not really pain... sort of discomfort) in my chest. It's very hard to explain, but I know that people who have felt this will know what I'm talking about. After a few minutes and a few deep breaths, it goes away (I'm assuming the food goes down), and I can eat slowly and small bites but surely. 

I'm just wondering... do you think this means I'm too full? I had my first PB today, and it was only after a few bites of a cheeseburger (no bun, of course), which I have had successfully before. I also know that the band varies from day to day, meal to meal, and today might have just been a bad day. I'm just unsure of whether this is a normal feeling and if there is anything I can do to control it. 

Any of advice would be appreciated. Thanks for understanding and helping a newbie along!!

Sounds like your diaphragm reacting to me. The Vagus nerves run through there and get irritated by the band. You might do well to get a slight unfill to see if it helps alleviate the discomfort. The more the Vagus nerves react, the worse it gets. It can start to be a chronic problem.

Good luck to you.

Take care.

Nicci

I'm not sure of the mechanics, but I know that with me, sometimes I "feel" coarse meats, (like ground beef or turkey), hit the transition between the esophagus and pouch.  Usually it means I haven't chewed well enough or the bite was too big.

If you are consistantly pbing or having pain a small unfill should do the trick, otherwise, just be really careful with meat.

Best~
Lisa O.

I did have the same thing.  Others on this forum called it "First Bite Syndrome".  What I do is have a cup of tea or decaf before I eat.  Then my first few bites are something that is softer, like smashed up bites of the burger.  Chew really well.  Then I wait for a minute or two before I continue eating.  This gives the gastric juices time to work on those first few mushy bites before the solid protein goes down.  It has really helped me.  I hope it helps you.

 This is exactly what I am trying to describe! Thanks for the advice, I will try it and see if that helps!

I suffered on and off for years with esophageal spasms, chest pain, ear aches, and neck pain that was wrongly diagnosed as anxiety attacks/panic attacks.

What is esophageal spasm?

Esophageal spasms are irregular, uncoordinated, and sometimes powerful contractions of the esophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Normally, contractions of the esophagus are coordinated, moving the food through the esophagus and into the stomach.

There are two main types of esophageal spasm:

• Diffuse esophageal spasm. This type of spasm is an irregular, uncoordinated squeezing of the muscles of the esophagus. This can prevent food from reaching the stomach, leaving it stuck in the esophagus.
• THIS IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND because many banded people think that their food is stuck due to not chewing well or they think they ate too fast.
•  
• Nutcracker esophagus. This type of spasm squeezes the esophagus in a coordinated way, the same way food is moved down the esophagus normally. But the squeezing is very strong. These contractions move food through the esophagus but can cause severe pain.
• Again, this is often explained away by band surgeons and banded patients as eating to fast and/or not chewing well enough.

You can have both types of esophageal spasm.

After many ER visits, doctor visits, specialists, procedures and hospital admissions still being wrongly diagnosed. I was finally diagnosed with dysphagia ( difficulty in swallowing ), and esophageal motility disorder ( difficulty in swallowing,regurgitation of food  Many Lap Banders call this PB. PB stands for productive burp and there is nothing normal about productive burping. People without bands do not productively burp,and esophageal spasms )

What is happening to you started at about six weeks and got worse until I finally saw my doctor after about one month more when I could no longer swallow water without pain. He took out a small unfill. The problem re-solved over about another week. My espohagus had gotten badly irritated. I have found it often occurs after the first or second bite. If I sit quietly for a few moments, the pain goes away and I then continue with smaller bites and chew more thoroughly. Ground meat is one of the most difficult things for me. Despite all the chewing it tends to want to hang there. HOwever, I had no more PBs after my unfill. I have had two refills since then and I am still doing well if I remember to eat small and chew well especially the first bite. Warm liquid ahead of time helps too.