Hi everyone, just wanted to share my stupidity with you. I seem to be posting these "learn-from-me" novels every few weeks. I just want to help people avoid doing the same things that I do. :w00t:

I got my first fill a few weeks ago, and I have done well with it. I was eating a lot less, and as I added foods I enjoyed, I didn't seem to be having a problem. My issue is that I enjoy a lot of food.:eek:

My body has been trying to tell me to stop! I have never been "stuck" nor had any unpleasant problems, but over the past week, I have had stomachaches. I generally ignored the problem. Two days ago, I had not eaten all day and had to go to the grocery store. I didn't want to impulse-buy, so I stopped at good 'ol Jack in the Box and got a 99 cent chicken sandwich. The sandwich was really big for a value menu, and I was full after about a quarter of the way thru. But it tasted so good...I ate it. All of it. I had a lot of discomfort for hours after that, and I cursed myself and made a note to take off the bun next time.

Today I made a new recipe for my family. Skillet pizza. Yum, right? I thought, okay, I can control the crust on this so I will make it very thin, no problem. It was a quick crust recipe and so the dough didn't have to rise, 1/3 cup of beer was used. It also had very little cheese and was topped with tomatoes. Healthy, right? :confused2: I sat down with the fam and the pizza was indeed tasty. After about three bites I noticed it wasn't doing down well. After the fourth and fifth bites (well chewed) I HAD to stop. I started to have quite a bit of pain! I didn't let on to DH something was wrong, so I went about my chores.

About two hours after I ate, I was miserable. I thought for sure the food was stuck. Nothing seemed to be going down, and nothing was coming up. I was crying I was in so much pain. I called my doctor and he wanted me to go to the hospital to check for obstruction. I took myself at 10 at night. They wouldn't give me any meds until DH could make it. He wasn't planning on coming up, as he was staying home with our 17-month-old. I was in so much pain that he finally called his 82-year-old mom to come and sit with the sleeping baby so he could come to the ER so I could get some pain relief. He looked like this when he got the the hospital: :w00t:

After three failed IV attempts (painful) :thumbup:, an XRAY, and finally some meds, they determined I wasn't stuck. My upper belly, however, was very swollen. How embarrassing was it when it finally occurred to me what the by-product of yeast (beer) is when it ferments. Say it with me...G-A-S! :scared2: I had gas in my pouch that was going nowhere fast. The pain meds didn't help, and they won't help with G-A-S! So, I was sent home, humbled and ashamed in front of my (thin, never overweight) DH, afraid that he thought I was a pig, unable to control what I was eating, even being banded. He says he doesn't think I am a pig, but clearly I have been out of control on my portions and what I have been eating. :thumbs_down:

In conclusion, I am sitting here still bloated, my husband will only get four hours of sleep tonight, and I am ashamed that my elderly mother in law had to get out in middle of the night in order for me to cope with my bad choices. I will NEVER, ever, ever, ever eat doughy bread again, if I eat bread at all. :wub:

The moral of (yet another) story from me is please don't be overconfident like I have been. I am lecturing myself when I say pay attention to your body! I know everyone is different but I am still learning how to live with this band and I am learning truly the hard way that it is a lifestyle change. I love having the band, but I have to take care of it or it won't help me.

I hope I have possibly helped somone. God bless. :thumbup:

I too have had frequent gas build up problems, I drink way too much and often have Coke Zero with is a no no! I have found that when I am feeling really blocked up I take some Gas-X thin strips and it will disssapate that gas right away and give some much needed relief. My situation is wierd. I have not had a fill yet but have some Fluid in the band which was actually left during surgery. So I do have some restriction and gas has certainly been a problem for me.

The reason I was told not to have carbonated beverages is because the gas is not only uncomfortable but can also stretch your pouch. Have you started noticing symptoms of a stretched pouch already?