I want to PB but I can't

[sphynxmomma]

My first bites are killers....I'm too preoccupied with eating that I forget to chew so food get stuck and it hurts like hell, I think my body is trying to PB but I have such an aversion to up-chuck that my body keeps it down and it hurts soooo bad...kwim. HELP!!!! I need to learn how to PB....I know this is such a retarded question...but honestly this is the best way I can explain it...

[snowbird]

My first bites are killers....I'm too preoccupied with eating that I forget to chew so food get stuck and it hurts like hell, I think my body is trying to PB but I have such an aversion to up-chuck that my body keeps it down and it hurts soooo bad...kwim. HELP!!!! I need to learn how to PB....I know this is such a retarded question...but honestly this is the best way I can explain it...

I do know what you are talking about. When something gets stuck, I find it helps to get up and walk around briskly. If that doesn't work and the food doesn't pass through within 15 minutes or so, I lean over as far as I can and press gently on my stomach. That will usually bring the food up. Remember, it is potentially damaging to your band and esophagus to pb a lot, so do this as a last resort.

You might want to keep some papaya enzyme tablets on hand and chew a couple at the first sign you are getting stuck. Sometimes they help, and other times that just means the first thing I PB up is papaya enzyme tablets. They taste good, so that isn't a major problem.

Another thing you might try is putting your plate on the counter, taking one bite and going to a chair and sit while you are chewing. After chewing thoroughly and swallowing, wait at least 30 seconds before getting up and taking a second bite. Repeat this process until you are sure you are in the habit of eating slowly and chewing thoroughly.

This is all about teaching ourselves new habits. I have had enough "stuck" incidents that the pain is about the first thing I think of when I start eating, so it is easy to remember to chew and eat slowly. It takes some time to get to that point, though. I still get stuck frequently on the first couple of bites, so I have to stop eating and wait til the food goes down before resuming my meal. I have a nurse friend that told me that some people form a mucus "plug" in their stoma between meals, and they have to get rid of that plug before they can eat comfortably.

I attribute a lot of my success with the band with becoming negatively conditioned to eating too fast and too much. It hurts, and my head has finally learned that it hurts, to follow bad habits, so I have lost the desire to follow them. But that means I had to go through a painful and uncomfortable number of experiences before I reached that point. You may have to do this too before it becomes second nature to eat slowly and carefully.

[sphynxmomma]

This is fantastic information....Thank you soooo much!!!!!!!!

I do know what you are talking about. When something gets stuck, I find it helps to get up and walk around briskly. If that doesn't work and the food doesn't pass through within 15 minutes or so, I lean over as far as I can and press gently on my stomach. That will usually bring the food up. Remember, it is potentially damaging to your band and esophagus to pb a lot, so do this as a last resort.

You might want to keep some papaya enzyme tablets on hand and chew a couple at the first sign you are getting stuck. Sometimes they help, and other times that just means the first thing I PB up is papaya enzyme tablets. They taste good, so that isn't a major problem.

Another thing you might try is putting your plate on the counter, taking one bite and going to a chair and sit while you are chewing. After chewing thoroughly and swallowing, wait at least 30 seconds before getting up and taking a second bite. Repeat this process until you are sure you are in the habit of eating slowly and chewing thoroughly.

This is all about teaching ourselves new habits. I have had enough "stuck" incidents that the pain is about the first thing I think of when I start eating, so it is easy to remember to chew and eat slowly. It takes some time to get to that point, though. I still get stuck frequently on the first couple of bites, so I have to stop eating and wait til the food goes down before resuming my meal. I have a nurse friend that told me that some people form a mucus "plug" in their stoma between meals, and they have to get rid of that plug before they can eat comfortably.

I attribute a lot of my success with the band with becoming negatively conditioned to eating too fast and too much. It hurts, and my head has finally learned that it hurts, to follow bad habits, so I have lost the desire to follow them. But that means I had to go through a painful and uncomfortable number of experiences before I reached that point. You may have to do this too before it becomes second nature to eat slowly and carefully.