My doctor told me the cardinal rule for the lap band is "Do not drink while you are eating!" Now, obviously, a little sip here and there is not a big deal to him, but that was his main rule for me. Well guess what? I have my own new cardinal rule that I think is much more important....

DO NOT EAT AND DRIVE!!

Even if you are used to your band and you are eating something that should be safe.

True story: I have had my band for five months now and am pretty familiar with it's characteristics and effects on my body. I also know my band is as moody as a Hollywood actress! Some days it wants to hang loose like a 70's stoner and other days it decides to be as tight as a Victoria's Secret model's clothing! For this reason, as I was running late to work and missed Breakfast, I grabbed a nutri-grain bar. Yes, it is soft but I still know I have to chew, chew, chew. Although I chewed the bite a million times as I was driving, I must have swallowed a large amount of chewed up bar at one time. Needless to say, it settled and stuck at the stoma and i started sliming, AS I WAS DRIVING down the highway! I had to hurry and pull over on a back road and lean out of the car to do my business. Had flashbacks of high school! Anyways, could have been a scary experience if I had been on the interstate or had my daughter in the car. Needless, to say, if I miss breakfast from now on, I just miss it!!

I so can relate to your post. It sounds like me..

Next time you need to eat on the run grab and Up and Go. They are a much safer bet.

What is that?

It is a breakfast drink in a box. Tastes like milkshake but also has added fibre. Don't know if you have them in the US , I'm in Aus.

Never mind found it online

Ok thanks deary

i had the same experiece once! yeah not fun at all!

Yeah, drink and drive is a way better idea for bandsters.

Oh, and I was not laughing AT you, I was laughing WITH you! Many of us keep ziplock baggies in the glove compartment for such events. I do think it could be dangerous in a bad "stuck" situation where you could not get to the side of the road.

I broke the eat and drive habit years ago when I was working for a major weight loss organization. We were talking about being aware of what you are eating, being in the moment, and enjoying your meals. I was driving down the road and saw a very obese person eating a huge gooey hamburger in his tiny car. His car was so small and he was so large that the car tilted to the driver's side. He looked over at me with burger guts all over his face. UGH, that was enough for me to say, "you know, Denise, you really don't need to eat while driving."

I know we need to multi-task sometimes, but that is not one of my multi-tasking choices.

Good advice!

Very funny (although potentially serious) post. thanks for the advice, and the chuckle this morning.

Funny you say that... pre band I ate at least 1 meal a day while driving. Since being banded I have eaten a Fiber 1 bar once for lunch when I was in a hurry.... other than that the only eating that gets done in my car is driving to work in the morning drinking my sugar free instant breakfast.

This happend to me just a few months after my surgery. I was traveling in a car (as a passenger) and we stopped at a convenience store. They didn't have any protein shakes so I got a protein bar instead. I thought I was chewing well enough, etc but apparently I wasn't. None of these people knew about my surgery and since I wasn't driving, I couldn"t pull over. I was too embarassed to yell...stop the car! Oh my, I learned my lesson. A ziplock bag in your purse is a great thing. I think my situation was aggravated by the stress and panic of the situation because I was trapped to some degree and that made the stuck thing even worse. I have found that eating with my hands/fingers in general usually spells disaster so if it's not on a fork, I try to avoid it! Good luck to all!

Wow, I thought I was the only one that vomited into a bag while driving down the freeway!

Ziplocs are my friends ( = I don't use them often, but when I need to I'm very thankful they are there.

Oh I've been there too! (Honestly, is there a bandster who hasn't?) It can be very painful and scary. I've slimed in coffee cups, lunch bags, plastic bags, the side of the road...ugh. I have an hour commute each way and I'm not open enough to eat before I leave for work, so I've started having my coffee in the car to open me up, maybe a protein bar if I'm open enough, and then I eat yogurt or cottage cheese when I get to work. I was running late one morning and tried to eat a sandwich in the car...IN THE MORNING! What the heck was I thinking!?!? That was not one of my finer moments.

OmG. Reading this pre surgery probably NOT a good idea!! Tell me its worth it, please! I'm lmao at cocoabean's "burger guts" incident!!!!