Hey guys, I haven't been on for a few weeks and I apologize for that. I was banded 9/28 and since then, my life has gone through several twists and turns.

I would say the 2 weeks after banding went as smoothly as possible. My band was a little tight the first couple days, had my first "unfill" on day 3 and from then on was pretty good. I took about 8 days off of work.

Then it turns upside down.

I returned to work on 10/8 only to be fired on 10/10 (really out of the blue, too.) I've been working with a lawyer to get a settlement on my contract and looking for new jobs. Frankly, the past 2 weeks have been the worst of my life and they have NOTHING to do with my band.

In fact, I'm so stressed out, it's kind of good that I haven't had a fill yet because I'm really eating at a pre-surgery pace. I have always been a stress eater and I've never experienced as much stress as I have in the past couple of weeks.

I was self-pay, the first credit payment is now overdue (will they repo my lap band? <grin>) I talked my wife into quitting her job to stay home with our 5 year old about 2 months ago.

I tell ya, it's been about one Chevy truck and a dog away from a country music song.

The good news is that I'm still losing a little bit of weight. I may grab for the chips or fast food, but it's WAY less frequent than the old days. This still has very little to do with the band. I'm feeling little to no restriction unless I eat really fast.

Anyway, I just wanted to check in and those of you that are of that Faith if you could say a few words for me and my family to see us through the next couple of weeks as I attempt to rebuild my life.

Plus, my first fill is on Nov 2. So I'm not really sure how that will factor into all of this...

I'm still really struggling sleeping and having any energy, I'm falling into a little more depression after really feeling that I was coming out of it after the surgery.

All I wanted was a "normal" weight loss surgery (if there is such a thing) but I got way more than I bargained for. I am still excited about the band, but it's just way on the back burner right now.

But this, too, shall pass.

Wow, it really sounds like you're being put through the wringer. I can't really give any advice, just tell you to hold on.

Wow Chris, I'm really sorry about all that you are going through. Did they fire you because you took the time off work? If so, that's illegal because it was for medical reasons but I'm sure your lawyer has covered that. Good luck and God Bless. Things will begin to look up for you soon.

I will say a prayer for you and your family, that is a lot to go through at once. Be patient with your band until you get good restriction you are going to be able to eat more. They wont repo your band! Good luck on the job hunt!