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Why is it on some days I can't get anything down and on others I can't get enough? The last 2 days everything I ate got stuck and came back up. It hurt sooo bad. My poor family, I usually work 12hr shifts so I am not home for dinner but I have had the last 3 days off but every meal have spent the entire time in the bathroom trying to stop the pain from what ever got stuck! In fact I was worried that I had done some damage to the band. But today has been just the opposite, had cereal for breakfast no prob, then fish for lunch (one of the steamer sensations from star kist) thought it would be too much, before I knew it was gone the whole thing. then dinner was pasta with cream sauce and chicken no problem there and have wanted to eat all evening. So here is my Question, What is the deal????

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The challenge for me has been to be very careful on the days that you are able to eat. I use those as the days that I work on getting the vitamins that I need and then the days that I can't eat much, it doesnt really matter because I know that I have been watching to get the protein and vitamins that I needed. Also if I feel real tight, I baby my band. It is not good to throw up and get things caught. If you feel real tight, drink some tea and know that on this day, you may have to be on liquids and baby it. I did check with my dr and I had more days of being too tights so I got a little taken out and it really made a huge difference. I think the hard part also is learning to really watch how much I eat. Even on the day I feel like I can eat whatever, it is about control and not letting myself do that. The band has been a whole new way of life for me. I hope that helps some. If you need anything, let me know. I totally understand what you are going through.

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Thanks guys, will try to be careful.

Vicki,

I agree, the band does have a mind of its own. I have not been able to eat breakfast almost the entire time of being banded and now since my fourth fill, I can eat a little bit of food for breakfast , however, now seems like lunch and breakfast have swapped. I get stuck at lunch, so this week I have drank a protien shake for lunch....very weird. I just have to be very cautious of what I can and can eat and it is almost a day to day thing of what that might be.

Hang in there and you might want to write down which foods you are eating that you are getting stuck on and which meal that it happens on. Look back and see if there is a pattern with food. I dont do good with pasta, so I dont even try to eat it. Also my band HATES left overs....I think its the heat from the microwave drying the food out, but I DONT do left overs....

Good Luck to you!

Carrie

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Why is it on some days I can't get anything down and on others I can't get enough? The last 2 days everything I ate got stuck and came back up. It hurt sooo bad. My poor family, I usually work 12hr shifts so I am not home for dinner but I have had the last 3 days off but every meal have spent the entire time in the bathroom trying to stop the pain from what ever got stuck! In fact I was worried that I had done some damage to the band. But today has been just the opposite, had cereal for breakfast no prob, then fish for lunch (one of the steamer sensations from star kist) thought it would be too much, before I knew it was gone the whole thing. then dinner was pasta with cream sauce and chicken no problem there and have wanted to eat all evening. So here is my Question, What is the deal????

Vicki,

This is my THEORY, when the food gets stuck and comes back up at the first meal, it causes swelling and irritation in the esophagus. Then, when we add more food, even if it has been several hours, that swelling and irritation has caused us to close up and the next food sticks and comes back up. But...by the next morning, the swelling has gone down and we are able to eat again. If the swelling has not gone down enough from the day before, the whole scenario may repeat, until the swelling has a chance to go down. When I was first banded, I would put myself back on liquids for the rest of the day once food came back up. Some people were going on liquds for 3 days after PB-ing just to be safe with the swelling. As for why food gets stuck in the first place, your guess is as good as mine. Eating behavior could be some of it, not chewing enough, taking too big of a bite, eating too fast, and then there is the very common "too tight" for breakfast syndrome, stress, cold weather, time of month, fluid levels, etc. etc. etc. Not much help I know. Hope you are feeling better.

Dawn

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Hi Vicky - I agree with Dawn as well. Even though I am not very tight at all right now I experience this phenomenon.

Actually I just finished dinner and was very surprised to have a hard time eating a small meal that has been easy for me lately. This isn't really bad for me now, unless it indicates a problem with my band. But I think the issue is that for lunch I ate a big salad with lots of firm veggies - something most of you could NEVER do with a regularly tightened band, but for me right now is great because it helps me fill up, and I'm just trying to eat healthy.

So I think I may have irritated my stomach around my band with all those veggies going through, and even though it was okay going down, between lunch and dinner it probably swelled a bit. I guess I overdid it.

So maybe try to think about - not just the meal that you have a hard time with - but what you ate last, since the tightness may be a delayed reaction.

Best,

Susan

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I, too, agree with Dawn.

What we all need to realize is we are all different and the band works different for all of us.

Support is the most important thing we can give each other. Helpful thoughts go a long way.

Here's my deal -

I am always tight after sleeping - at night or naps in the afternoon. So I know that I need to drink warm things in the morning and afternoon. I usually drink a few cups of coffee in the morning, and then have a protien shake just before noon - sometimes around noon - then later I eat solids. Also I know for me when I get something stuck - I don't eat anything the rest of that day. I am too irritated, and learned that it's not worth the pain and suffering to try and eat in hopes of the food getting down. If I am ever feeling so hungry that I need to eat something after I've had something stuck, I make something more filling - like a latte with a little cream or a mocha or something - it's much more filling and gets me through until the next day.

I have never been able to eat a bunch iwth the band, and had some troubles along the way - but now that I've got things going again, I'm loosing weight and eating small portions. My hair isn't falling out, I'm not lacking energy and making sure I'm taking all my vitamins, etc.

Good Luck!

peace,

maggie

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Why is it on some days I can't get anything down and on others I can't get enough? The last 2 days everything I ate got stuck and came back up. It hurt sooo bad. My poor family, I usually work 12hr shifts so I am not home for dinner but I have had the last 3 days off but every meal have spent the entire time in the bathroom trying to stop the pain from what ever got stuck! In fact I was worried that I had done some damage to the band. But today has been just the opposite, had cereal for breakfast no prob, then fish for lunch (one of the steamer sensations from star kist) thought it would be too much, before I knew it was gone the whole thing. then dinner was pasta with cream sauce and chicken no problem there and have wanted to eat all evening. So here is my Question, What is the deal????

I am the same way. I usually have nothing in my stomach and I take one bite and up it comes. It is so sporratic that I never know when I am going to be stuck or not. I need to constantly keep a barf bag at hand. Does anybody else have these issues?

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