Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you guys know a little something that happened to me Thursday.

It started off a pretty normal day. Around noon Thursday, I started having some mild cramping in my stomach. I thought it was just where I had swallowed to much air drinking again and was having gas bubble pains. The pains I was having were persistent and getting worse. By around 6 that evening, I was doubled up in the fetal position on the couch crying like a baby.

My husband called my surgeon and the Nurse told him to take me to the nearest ER since I was in so much pain and would not be able to make it to the hospital they use because it was 2 hours away and she thought I was having a gallblader attack.

We got to the nearest ER, we waited for a half an hour, with me sitting in a wheelchair crying my eyes out and the pain getting worse and worse. After taking 3 people back that come in after I do, my husband calls the doctors office again and they tell him to take me to Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga...a longer drive but atleast they would see me, plus they have doctors and on call nurses that deal with the kind of surgery I had.

About an hour later, we finally got to Memorial and about 20 minutes I was back in one of the rooms. The Doctor was a really really nice lady, and saw how much pain I was in ordered an IV for demerol (she quickly became my best friend). They did tons of blood work, an X-ray and a CT scan. When they results had finally come back, she come back in to see me.

These where my following problems...I had nothing in my intestines but air...my vitiam levels were very low, and my blood sugar was at 60. OMG, I thought I was going to crap on myself. She ask if I had been eating well the last couple days. No I haven't. My band has been really tight, and I now know that it may be too tight. She explained by me not eating as I should, there was nothing behind the air in my intestines to push through and it was just building up and building up until the pain become unbearable. She then ordered a syringe of sugar water and vitiams to go into my IV and another round of Demerol because the other shot had worn off.

I had been told several times, that my band was to tight that I needed to have at least a little bit taken out. But, I didn't want to do it. My not wanting to do this, lead to a 7 hour stay in an Emergency Room with really low sugar and vitiams.

I have to make an appointment with my surgeon first thing Monday morning to have a little bit of my fill let out, and also let him know what happened. I am really worried that once I tell him this, I will end up having to have my band removed. I just hope that he doesn't advise that it be removed.

I surely hope that my experience with this will teach everyone else, that they need to eat right and if they think their band may be a little to tight (even just a little to tight) they will meet with their surgeon and have it loosened. I DO NOT want anyone to go through the pain that I had to go through Thursday night.

I slept all day yesterday and most of the morning today. I do feel alot better than what I did, but still a little tired. I guess that is expected with the major dose of pain medication that I was given.

I hope all of you are doing well.

Im so sorry you had to go thru that! I feel for you =(

I hope your doctor doesn't suggest to remove your band....I don't think he will, but he may want to do a complete unfill so that you are able to eat more and get yourself healthy again....

Hope you feel better soon and keep us updated!

Wow Stacy I am sorry you went though that. However I am glad you are doing better. Hopefully your dr. will remove just a little instead of a complete unfill. Good luck hon and keep us posted.

That is a lesson for us all.

Sorry you had to go through that, hope you are feeling better.

They must measure sugar levels differently in the US to in Aus as when I read your post I thought 60 was high. Normal blood sugar levels here are supposed to be between 4 - 8(what I don't know). 60 would be way high.People that are first diagnosed as being diabetic often have sugar levels in the 20s.

Just another example of how confusing differences between countries can be. Personally I think life would be so much easier if everything worldwide was standardised. Plugs, weights and measurements etc etc.

That is a lesson for us all.

Sorry you had to go through that, hope you are feeling better.

They must measure sugar levels differently in the US to in Aus as when I read your post I thought 60 was high. Normal blood sugar levels here are supposed to be between 4 - 8(what I don't know). 60 would be way high.People that are first diagnosed as being diabetic often have sugar levels in the 20s.

Just another example of how confusing differences between countries can be. Personally I think life would be so much easier if everything worldwide was standardised. Plugs, weights and measurements etc etc.

I agree with you, things should be the same. 60 here is very low.

I agree with you, things should be the same. 60 here is very low.

I think the low single digit numbers you mentioned sound like A1C (a lab test that gives your doctor a better "big picture" view of how your sugar levels are doing) , while the 60 was the test you do on a meter to tell you what your level is this second.

Thanks for explaining that.

so sorry to hear about what happened but thank you for sharing as we all learn from one another. Hope your MD understands and just give removes a small amount

Wow, I am so sorry you had to go through that. As a newly diagnosed diabetic, I am so glad you shared your story, it will help me remember that it's important to check my sugar levels even after surgery.

Hope you are feeling better soon,

Stacy

Its the same as cholesterol - we measure that differently here too.

I am glad to hear you are getting better. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I will consider it a cautionary tale.

Be well.