lap band blockage

I had my band tightened about 3 weeks ago, everything was fine. I ate something yesterday and ever since then I can barely drink or eat and my throat feels blocked, any suggestions????

Sudden tightness can be a mystery but if you can't drink and keep liquids down you are too tight and need to get a slight unfill.  Even .2ccs can make a huge difference!

Don't go too long with your band too tight.  Not only are you not getting enough nutrition, it's bad for your stoma and band placement.

See you doctor.

Lisa O.

I can get liquid down, just not food. If your band is blocked by something that you ate, will it pass? How long can that take. Like I said I was eating without too much problem the first three weeks.

Sounds like you've discovered one of the quirks of band adjustment - fills can take 2-3 weeks to kick in.

It is theoretically possible for food to block the stoma and stay there, especially if it is very fibrous.  Things like corn husks, dried coconut, celery strings, sausage casings, etc. take longer for digestive enzymes to break down, can accumulate in the stoma over time, and would have to be scraped out during an upper endoscopy if they refused to move.  But most types of food will eventually break down and pass through into the lower stomach.

I've had stuck episodes last 4 minutes to 4 hours.  Sometimes the discomfort and swallowing difficulty afterward isn't due to a blockage.  It's just that your esophagus and stoma are super irritated and instantly object to any more food.  If you keep eating, you will just perpetuate the problem, so it's best to stay on liquids for 24 hours, then slowly transition to purees then soft then solid food.  If at any point during the transition process you start having problems, go back to the previous stage for 24 hours. 

Since we're coming up on a weekend and it can be hard to get bariatric medical attention on weekends, I suggest that you call your surgeon's office today and tell them what's going on.  If you can drink liquids, you're OK, but you can't go on like that indefinitely and as Lisa said, a tiny unfill could make all the difference in your comfort without compromising your restriction.

Jean

Thanks for the advice!!!!