getting stuck

How often do you guys get stuck?  I get stuck about 3 times a week an have to vomit it up. I have been banded for about 9 months.

You are to tight!!!! You should never throw up. I would be getting to your docs office for a small unfill before you do damage to your band or to you
Has your doc ever explained any of this to you . The signs of being to tight . My doc tells me this every time I see him.

I only have 4  1/2 ccs in a ten cc band. I don't get stuck every day. The doctor says if I was too tight, I would be getting stuck at every meal.

Songbird,

Your doctor is wrong !!! He in the long run will cost you your band.  I dont mean to sound like a ***** but you are playing with fire with that doctor.

You should never ever throw up with your band at any meal.  Throwing up on meals mean there is a problem and most of the time its being to tight .

I have nothing in my band , its empty and if I go get a fill it will put me over the edge of being just a little to snug and its just not worth it.  It's much better to be a little loser then to tight .

Please got get another unfill and if I was you I would be finding a much better doctor .

If you are throwing up that often, you are too tight or you are eating wrong.

Either way, you be causing permanent damage.
You need to get a little unfill, or change your behavior.

After you have a episode when you throw up, are you going back to liquids?

The throwing up irritates the esophagus, and if you don't rest it, you are more likely to throw up again soon.

My doctor advises Adam of liquids and then a day of soft food following an episode of productive burping or vo tiring.

If the vomiting can be traced to "human error",then that should resolve it.if the vomiting is unexplained, or persists more than twice within a few days he wants to see us........period.

You are playing with fire regardless of how much is in there .... It is too much.

If you are throwing up that often, you are too tight or you are eating wrong.

Either way, you can be causing permanent damage.
You need to get a little unfill, or change your behavior.

After you have a episode when you throw up, are you going back to liquids?

The throwing up irritates the esophagus, and if you don't rest it, you are more likely to throw up again soon.

My doctor advises a day of liquids and then a day of soft food following an episode of productive burping or vomiting.

If the vomiting can be traced to "human error",then that should resolve it, if the vomiting is unexplained, or persists more than twice within a few days he wants to see us........period.

You are playing with fire regardless of how much is in there .... It is too much.

 Not true.... You are too tight. 3x a week is 3x's too many! Don't focus so much on the amount but focus on how you are feeling. If you irritate your stomach and cause inflammation your band will tighten on its own due to swelling. Take it from me... I just had my band removed due to severe gastritis that would not heal due to my band.... You do not want this!!!

Everything Steelerfan said!  Please get a small unfill. You can be feeling just fine but causing lasting and permanent damage to your esophagus.   The band loses its effectiveness when it is kept too tight. I was having the same problem last year for about 2 weeks and then got a .5cc unfill.  It worked great up until last month when I started getting hungrier (also 22lbs lighter since that visit) so he put the same amount back in.  All is well....no stuck episodes.    3 a week is not good for you at all.  

Do you drink something warm before you eat?   In restaurants, I always ask for "iced tea-no ice".  I found out the hard way once after drinking an ice cold drink right before eating.  Are you doing okay otherwise? 

You are wayyyy too tight!!!  You are on the road to slipping your band and possibly losing it all together.  I am 3+ years out and I have vomited a total of 3 times since my surgery.  All three times were during a time when I first got restriction and were my fault.  My surgeon was very clear....vomiting is NEVER normal and he should be called ASAP if it becomes consistent.  I can't believe your surgeon would think vomiting 3 times a week is OK...if he does...run as far away from him as you can!!!!  You should be able to eat 4-6 oz of lean protein and 1/2 cup of veggies or fruit at a meal...and not vomit.  

I think we should poll the "successful bandsters" as to how many times they have vomited.  I am betting not much.  I have lost 152 lbs and vomited 3 times in 3+ years.  I am just saying this to stress it's not good and will not help you get to your goal.  In fact may end up hindering you in the long run.   

 You have a low fill level....you might not be able to tolerate a tight band.  That happens to many.  It's not your fault...it's just the way some people are made.  But continuing to vomit is not a good idea.  I am sure some of the people with band problems will tell you that.    

 

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.

Check out this link and then see if your surgeon or PCP can order you this test.There is a lot of really useful links here.

What is achalasia?

www.medicinenet.com/achalasia/article.htm#tocb

Esophageal manometry

Another test, esophageal manometry, can demonstrate specifically the abnormalities of muscle function that are characteristic of achalasia, that is, the failure of the muscle of the esophageal body to contract with swallowing and the failure of the lower esophageal sphincter to relax. For manometry, a thin tube that measures the pressure generated by the contracting esophageal muscle is passed through the nose, down the back of the throat and into the esophagus. In a patient with achalasia, no peristaltic waves are seen in the lower half of the esophagus after swallows, and the pressure within the contracted lower esophageal sphincter does not fall with the swallow. In patients with vigorous achalasia, a strong simultaneous contraction of the muscle may be seen in the lower esophageal body. An advantage of manometry is that it can diagnose achalasia early in its course at a time at which the video-esophagram may be normal.