Brian-LA

Hi Monica & Lisa !!! I am doing fine / I hope you are both doing well. :blushing: -Brian

Hi All ! Sorry I have been gone / not posting for 2 weeks... I have been hard at work / working 7 days and doing some 12 to 13.5 hour days at work. I worked 24 of the 48 hours of Tuesday & Wednesday. Kinda hard to imagine I sent half my day at work / didn't really see sunlight for 2 days. I am doing well / pretty good. I had my first fill on Friday and it was painless / interesting. I got 4cc's put into my REALIZE Band. So far so good. I would like to say everything is going 100% gangbusters BUT that isn't reality. I have had a few slips / lapses into insanity - my previous self destructive attitude toward food. I did eat some bad foods and in amounts I shouldn't. My Band did stop me in a few occasions and didn't in a few. I have had some Band Instant Reality checks in one case I ate a steak sandwich at work - the steak went down ok but the hard bread stopped me cold and after 3 bites I threw up and threw it away. I had the same thing happen last week with an omelet - 3 bites and I just didn't want it anymore / I felt sick. Tonight I went to dinner with a special friend and I had a healthy fish entree but after 4 bites I was done ... at which point I should have stopped but I didn't so on the seventh bite I had to go to the restroom and throw it up. I guess the Band is trying to keep me sane / re-adjust my bad attitude with food. Overall I am still pretty good... I am close to 30 lbs lost. I should work out more / walk but I also walk 8-12 hours a day at my job and go 8-10 hours without a break or food too. But I know I could do better. I have gotten a few nice comments from people like " you look like you lost weight " or " I can tell you lost weight... your face looks thinner " ( I wonder did I have a Fat Head before ??? ). Anyway I am doing pretty good. I hope all of you other September Bandsters are going great !!! I will be back soon / back to normal here soon. -Brian :blushing:

Hi Cicigirl ! Wow thats pretty ingenious ! I also have a to take a couple of pills ( Metromin - I am Diabetic ) but luckily for me I am actually able to swallow all my pills no problem. I don't know how it will be once I get a fill but for now, I am able to. -Brian :thumbup:

Hi Sarah ! Long time no read ! I am glad you are doing well. On my Mushy stage, my doctor allows anything I can mush up on the roof of my mouth, he also allows soft flakey fish. So far so good. Are you basically back to normal ? I hope you are doing well. -Brian :thumbup:

Hi MissJoany ! Great Job toughing it out ! That is awesome you threw out the Klondike Bar... I also did a job " Sanitizing " my home of all bad food. It is a lot easier when the temptation isn't there. As for your Doctor... do you still have time to fill out the Disability forms and turn them in ? I already got my first check and hopefully will get my second check soon. I am lucky in that I get the maximum amount available but I did lose the first week as a waiting period. Hopefully All is well and I wish you the best. -Brian :thumbup:

Hi Kat ! Yeah believe it or not it is nice to be back to work. Strange as it sounds I actually started to miss it. Although it was nice to actually be a bum for almost a month... I have NEVER taken more then 2 weeks of being a bum before I start getting restless and bored. Of course when I am a bum I am a total and complete bum !!! And when I work I work like a machine. I hope your job is going smoothly and you have made a good transition back to work / that you are feeling better & back to normal. -Brian :thumbup:

Hi Lilkrazykat ! So how was it ? Getting filled ? Did they use the Flouroscope / X-ray or just poke around ? I get my first fill in a couple of weeks. -Brian :thumbup:

Welcome Monica / Hi Cathy ! Hi All !!! Well today was my first day back at work after about 1 month off ( 3.5 weeks Post Op Recovery , 1 day holiday 1 day pre-op ) and it was interesting. I got A LOT of " You Look Great ! ", " you lost a lot of weight ", " looking good ", etc. It was pretty nice and encouraging. I didn't get razzled like I thought I would and it turned out I don't think my 4 friends spilled the beans about me getting a REALIZE Band. Today was pretty typical / I jumped straight back in. I had a few crises pop up / I had to handle them / I found out what movies we are currently working, got my usual dose of stress being the boss, etc. Not a bad day . -Brian :tongue2:

Hi OC ! Keep your head up and keep kicking butt and you will go places. I started entry level at my job 8 years ago, worked extremely hard and was dedicated, I've have moved up every year until I got to my current position. Every department I went for I got / had a great reputation and everyone always wanted me in their departments. At one point I got as high as I wanted / my dream job there - working in Customer Service dealing directly with the Studios / Directors / Studio Executives / Producers / Movie Stars and after about a year decided I was nuts and it wasn't worth it for the extremely long hours / stress / crap and for the same pay I was getting for the level below. So I backed down to my previous level and I am pretty happy. Although going out to lunch at a Hollywood elite restaurant with a $1000 lunch tab that I didn't have to pay for was kinda neat:ohmy:. Going out to lunch every day to nice restaurants on the company was pretty cool. :tt2: People / Management always notice the hard workers and they also notice the slugs. Another GREAT benefit of working so much is the money. I worked so much overtime that I basically have no time to spend it / too exhausted to spend it and by the time I am done after a few weeks of long days for 4-6 weeks straight every day including time and a half Saturdays and double time Sundays... I usually have an extra $4-5,000 at least. I am not sure how much you make but when you are slammed by long hours I doubt you spend any and chances are you saved a lot of money too. Just trying to put a good face on it. :tongue2: -Brian :crying:

Hi Brenda ! Great news... I am not sure if you noticed it BUT there is actually a PREGNANCY WITH THE LAP BAND whole section on the main page just below Post Op Section a few rows down. You aren't alone and it has a good number of fellow pregnant Bandsters there too ! -Brian

Hi Wren, I am not a Doctor or knowledgeable BUT GO TO THE E.R. Bleeding and Pain isn't good. Go to the E.R. and get yourself checked out. I am sure it isn't life threatening but get checked out immediately to make sure you are ok / Put your mind at ease. Hope you are Fine. -Brian