CHOKING!

I take too large a bite, i eat too fast, i don;t chew enough and its off to the races!

then i am hungry and frustrated because i can;t keep anything down after that. 

logic tells me i must stop at that very moment. but i keep trying trying trying and the more i do, the more i choke, the more i spit up.

and i'm five years post surgery!

any suggestions or encouragement? i already know the answer i think - STOP EATING!

Well..if you are 5 years post op, by now you shoulda had enough band whippings to know better..

And yep, your logic is correct, anytime you get stuck and get the "deer in the headlights look" it's time to stop eating, if you keep eating this will cause you to swell more and cause a vicious cycle of vomiting....

The normal routine after vomiting or getting food stuck is to go on liquids for a few days (3-5 days****il the swelling goes down and add a heat pad to your chest at night, and then slowly add solids, if this does not work you may need to visit your surgeon to check your band.

Good luck and slow down!

It looks like I better stop treating this as a "minor annoyance" and start treating it as the big deal it is! I knew there had to be swelling. I just took a barium swallow at last visit a week ago and and the band looked good.
Even tho I'm five years out, I gained 26 lbs back by getting back into my poor eating habits. I made a decision last week to finally finish what I started which is to get to my goal and do this right, which is why I joined the website and I'm asking questions. Thanks for the advice! Jennyjean

You are doing the right thing by noticing the problem, try to watch for signals of satiety with the band, if we slow down our eating and take pea size bites and wait until it goes down we can prevent food from getting stuck, this will help preventing getting food stuck. Also if we slow down we get to enjoy our food and we also get to notice our "soft stops" which sometimes can be subtle like a hiccup, burp, sneeze, sigh or runny nose.

Remember the bands job is not to stop is from eating with a hard stop of vomiting and getting food stuck, its job is to help us stop eating, if we constantly wait for it to stop us with getting food stuck and vomiting we can damage our insides and cause the pouch to stretch, which can result in another surgery.

Remember it's all about eating band friendly foods which are like moist proteins and slowing down and walking away from the table, not suffed but satisfied.

Thanks Nana! I appreciate your input

 

Eating with the Lap-Band

The biggest change will be in the size of your meals and the new eating behaviors you will have to adopt. The Lap-Band will help control how much food you can eat, but it will be up to you to make healthy food choices.

The LAP-BAND® procedure works best with solid foods to decrease hunger. Solid foods stay in the stomach pouch longer, so you should feel full after eating only a few ounces of food.

In order for your body to remain healthy and function properly, it will be important to choose foods are high in protein and nutritional content. Your diet will ideally include:

• low-fat proteins (select meats, fish, skinless poultry, eggs)
• fruits and vegetables
• healthy breads and cereals
• dairy products (good source of calcium, but choose non-fat or low-fat)
• heart-healthy fats

Your doctor will work with you in developing a new diet plan. Some of the important guidelines for eating with the LAP-BAND® are:

• Eat only three small meals a day - this is all you need. Do not snack between meals.
• Eat only solid foods at mealtime - this is how the LAP-BAND® works to restrict food.
• Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly, about 15-20 times a bite, until it reaches a liquid consistency - this will help to create the feeling of fullness and make it less likely for food to get stuck in the LAP-BAND® pouch.
• Stop eating when you feel full - eating too much can result in pain, nausea and vomiting. It can also stretch the LAP-BAND® pouch.
• Choose healthy foods - make sure you are getting enough protein and nutrients.
• Do not drink while you eat - this will wash down the food and you will not reach the feeling of fullness, defeating the purpose of the LAP-BAND®. Do not drink for 30 to 45 minutes before or after meals.

I wanted to say, I also had an Upper GI when I started having problems and it was perfect!  The band was in great position and my surgeon said everything looked great! 

My symptoms continued and I ended up gaining weight because i couldn't eat until late evening and I would eat stuff I shouldn't.  Slider foods worked best!  I couldn't eat any solid proteins anymore.  Finally, my surgeon said, he needed to get in and see what was happening.  The scar tissue was so great that he had to make holes in my stomach to get the Band out.  It was a real mess!  I revised to the Sleeve - and have no regrets!

I don't understand, choking is when something, usually food, is stuck in your esophagus and you can't breathe, turn blue, etc.  But what you are describing is being stuck.  Are you  seriously having breathing issues when you eat food?

Thanks. I meant "stuck" as in my esopagus

I made a point in the begining to cut my food into pencil eraser sized bites before I ever started eating, that way I don't get side tracked and forget. Another possibility is that your band is getting tighten from the scar tissue growing under it. After 3 years I started having to have fill taken out of my band because the scar tissue kept tightening it. I finally just had it emptied 2 years ago and have done much better empty than when I had a fill! You do need to go back to liquids after any stuck or choking episode to let the tissue relax and lower the inflammation. This can become a very serious issue, I know of at least half a dozen people who are no longer able to eat normally because their esophagus doesn't work anymore the way it should. So please take this very seriously!