diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a49c3b0b5..3a8b41eb4 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -57,6 +57,11 @@ is an example of one api being added to the Connection interface. It should have
 Going forward, when a release contains only bug fixes, it's appropriate to simply bump the patch. 
 But if an api is added, even one, then the minor version will be bumped.
 
+##### Force Reconnect
+
+There is a new `Connection` interface api: `void forceReconnect() throws IOException, InterruptedException;`
+If you call this, your connection will be immediately close and the reconnect logic will be executed.
+
 #### Version 2.17.4 Core Improvements
 
 This release was full of core improvements which improve use of more asynchronous behaviors including
diff --git a/src/main/java/io/nats/client/impl/MessageQueue.java b/src/main/java/io/nats/client/impl/MessageQueue.java
index a3c6c5e78..b7920eb38 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/nats/client/impl/MessageQueue.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/nats/client/impl/MessageQueue.java
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ class MessageQueue {
     protected final boolean singleReaderMode;
     protected final LinkedBlockingQueue<NatsMessage> queue;
     protected final Lock editLock;
-    protected final int publishHighwaterMark;
+    protected final int maxMessagesInOutgoingQueue;
     protected final boolean discardWhenFull;
     protected final long offerLockMillis;
     protected final long offerTimeoutMillis;
@@ -62,17 +62,17 @@ class MessageQueue {
      * If set to a number of messages, the publish command will block, which provides
      * backpressure on a publisher if the writer is slow to push things onto the network. Publishers use the value of Options.getMaxMessagesInOutgoingQueue().
      * @param singleReaderMode allows the use of "accumulate"
-     * @param publishHighwaterMark sets a limit on the size of the underlying queue
+     * @param maxMessagesInOutgoingQueue sets a limit on the size of the underlying queue
      * @param discardWhenFull allows to discard messages when the underlying queue is full
      * @param requestCleanupInterval is used to figure the offerTimeoutMillis
      */
-    MessageQueue(boolean singleReaderMode, int publishHighwaterMark, boolean discardWhenFull, Duration requestCleanupInterval) {
-        this(singleReaderMode, publishHighwaterMark, discardWhenFull, requestCleanupInterval, null);
+    MessageQueue(boolean singleReaderMode, int maxMessagesInOutgoingQueue, boolean discardWhenFull, Duration requestCleanupInterval) {
+        this(singleReaderMode, maxMessagesInOutgoingQueue, discardWhenFull, requestCleanupInterval, null);
     }
 
-    MessageQueue(boolean singleReaderMode, int publishHighwaterMark, boolean discardWhenFull, Duration requestCleanupInterval, MessageQueue source) {
-        this.publishHighwaterMark = publishHighwaterMark;
-        this.queue = publishHighwaterMark > 0 ? new LinkedBlockingQueue<>(publishHighwaterMark) : new LinkedBlockingQueue<>();
+    MessageQueue(boolean singleReaderMode, int maxMessagesInOutgoingQueue, boolean discardWhenFull, Duration requestCleanupInterval, MessageQueue source) {
+        this.maxMessagesInOutgoingQueue = maxMessagesInOutgoingQueue;
+        this.queue = maxMessagesInOutgoingQueue > 0 ? new LinkedBlockingQueue<>(maxMessagesInOutgoingQueue) : new LinkedBlockingQueue<>();
         this.discardWhenFull = discardWhenFull;
         this.running = new AtomicInteger(RUNNING);
         this.sizeInBytes = new AtomicLong(0);
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ class MessageQueue {
         
         this.singleReaderMode = singleReaderMode;
         this.requestCleanupInterval = requestCleanupInterval;
-        
+
         if (source != null) {
             source.drainTo(this);
         }
@@ -141,9 +141,26 @@ boolean push(NatsMessage msg) {
     boolean push(NatsMessage msg, boolean internal) {
         long start = System.currentTimeMillis();
         try {
-            // try to get the lock, but don't wait forever
-            // assuming that if we are waiting for the lock
-            // another push likely has the lock and
+            /*
+                This was essentially a Head-Of-Line blocking problem.
+
+                So the crux of the problem was that many threads were waiting to push a message to the queue.
+                They all waited for the lock and once they had the lock they waited 5 seconds (4750 millis actually)
+                only to find out the queue was full. They released the lock, so then another thread acquired the lock,
+                and waited 5 seconds. So instead of being parallel, all these threads had to wait in line
+                200 * 4750 = 15.8 minutes
+
+                So what I did was try to acquire the lock but only wait 5 seconds.
+                If I could not acquire the lock, then I assumed that this means that we are in this exact situation,
+                another thread can't add b/c the queue is full, and so there is no point in even trying, so just throw the queue full exception.
+
+                If I did acquire the lock, I deducted the time spent waiting for the lock from the time allowed to try to add.
+                I took the max of that or 100 millis to try to add to the queue.
+                This ensures that the max total time each thread can take is 5100 millis in parallel.
+
+                Notes: The 5 seconds and the 4750 seconds is derived from the Options requestCleanupInterval, which defaults to 5 seconds and can be modified.
+                The 4750 is 95% of that time. The 100 ms minimum is arbitrary.
+             */
             if (!editLock.tryLock(offerLockMillis, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)) {
                 throw new IllegalStateException(OUTPUT_QUEUE_IS_FULL + queue.size());
             }