There are some things that get stuck in the lapband- and while that list is small, and consists of food that is either not healthy, or food that is not tasty, I always wonder why some lapband patients try to consume those foods. If you were allergic to peanuts would you try a few of them? Why not? What is the worst thing that could happen?
Peanut allergies can lead to hives, swelling of the tongue, and enough swelling that it becomes difficult to breath. In fact, the allergy could make it impossible to breathe requiring the person to have an operation – a tracheotomy, if someone can get to them in time.
People with an allergy to peanuts could die, if they ate peanuts. Most people know this. Most people with peanut allergies have no trouble avoiding peanuts, and are aggressive about asking if the food made for them has any nuts in it because of their allergy.
The list of foods that can become stuck include white bread, white rice, and sticky pasta. There is nothing on that list that says “healthy.” There is nothing on that list that says “weight loss.” Clearly on that list are a subset of things- like processed crackers, pizza dough, Danish, and the like.
If you eat one of those foods, and the food becomes stuck one of two things will happen-either you will vomit it up, or it will be painful until it passes and begin to stretch your upper stomach pouch. It could, even in the short term – lead to a band slip. The item could get lodged in the lapband, and force an acute band slip. Or, by consuming these over the long run and allowing the upper pouch to expand, could lead to a chronic band slip.
That could potentially mean an operation, days if not weeks in the hospital, and even lead to death. Then I wonder why people eat foods that have no nutritional value, the foods that only equate to empty calories and body fat. Why eat those things, when there are far more tasty, nutritious foods available? Funny enough, the foods I listed earlier, all fall into the no nutritional value category, and are full of empty calories and added fat.
If you don’t think you can live without things that might kill you, consider yourself allergic to them. Everything that can happen to people who have an allergy to those foods, can also happen to you.