tarrn13

hey kamicola, just saw your question for me from like 2 weeks ago, I was banded by Dr Ortiz in Tijuana on 3/25, have lost 25 since the preop, the previous 34 was lost on way before the preop started, I use fillcenters USA in case you were interested in auburn, mainly because they are all over and as a travel nurse if I move I would like all my stuff to go with me, I have been here in seattle working at the U for 10 months and am hoping to just be able to stay here in the general area for at least another year. your banding is coming up, you must be getting so very excited, it seemed mine was so far away and then all of a sudden it was the day before and time to pack and head off to the airport, it'll be here before you know it!!

tara

Hey,

I hear you on the 12 hour nights, it's the only shift I ever work and although I love it for the lack of families at my bedside (awful I know) and minimal extra staff around messing and stressing out my N-ICU pt, it is really hard at night, sometimes for the poor choices in food and sometimes cause you just don't think before you put that mini chocolate in your mouth (oops, that's me!!) here's a suggestion for you (one of my good nights) around 10p: almonds, or apple and string cheese, 1130: a starbucks bottle drink. 2am: dinner, usually a lean cusine or soup and raspberries&pudding (so I can have something sweet) that's usually it, I also sip on black tea and lemonade mixed throughout the night. I did just get my 1st fill today though so I may be cutting meals in half, we'll see. Just wanted to share what get's me through the night shift. oh and sometimes around 530 I have a yogurt cup but not always, depends on what i finished of my dinner.

hi brandy, just wanted to stop by and tell you that your puppy is adorable!!!

abby, I am happy with my band so far, it is really only this last week that I have not had any restriction so i am off for my 1st fill on thursday, and am pretty excited for it since right now I want to chew off my arm!! I have to say I was wearing a tight 16 before surgery and now already my 12's are VERY comfortable, it's been so worth it for me, some things kind of suck like not drinking with eating although sometimes you just gotta have a sip of something!! so I usually have a popsicle after dinner so I can have the cold.

As for keeping yourself from you bad behaviors post op, you have to be aware of your choices, there are certainly moments where I am weak and will eat something and then say why did I do that, but instead of just carrying on with the free for all, I just tell myself that the next thing that goes in my mouth will be back on track. At the same time I am not willing to cut all the "bad treats" out, just to have them in moderation like someone who has a normal relationship with food.

Are you thinking you'll go self pay or via insurance if you decide to have the surgery?

Tara

Hi pearlygirl, congrats on being banded and just wanted to stop by and let you know I loved what you wrote on the thread about what to say to people, love the idea of the myspace letter!!

Hey, I was reading a thread and read one of your posts about the scrubs, I too was so excited to go down and get rid of my bigger sizes, I got my eye on the smalls and I think it might just be attainable too, good luck to you and enjoy getting rid of the bigger sizes, I have been selling all my bigger scrubs on the unit and am loving the extra money (to buy the smaller ones!!)

abby, i just read your blog about goodby to food, OMG I could have written it, I was banded 3/25 and it is an adjustment realizing what full really is, not bursting, realizing that I don't have to eat everything I want RIGHT now since there will be another meal in a few hours, realizing what head hunger is vs true hunger, the list goes on and on and on..... sometimes I open the fridge and just stare and think how much I want to eat (not that I would admit that to too many people) so just quick hello and know that you feel what others feel too, good luck with kaiser, if your denied keep pushing and appealing, sometimes if you push hard enough, they'll give you what you want just to shut you up but really who cares what the reason is as long as you get it right!!

BTW I love your avatar, my myspace is pink skull and crossbones so your's made me think of mine.

Tara

hi losingjusme, just wanted to stop by and tell you good luck with your races, I'm doing my 3rd half marathon in october (i do the leukemia lymphoma nike womens marathon) and you can do anything you put your mind to, at my worst moments in the last races, all you have to say is just take 1 more step as a mantra and before you know that beautiful finish line is before your eyes and you realize what you've just accomplished!! so good luck to you, as long as you finish, you've won.

tara

Hey, looking for a good protein option is UNJURY, you can order it online, I have the plain that can be mixed into anything, the chicken soup flavour which was surprisingly good, chocolate, very good, and vanilla yucky it was too fake tasting. You must be getting excited since it is only a couple of weeks away!! Each of the packets of unjury have 20gms I think. I had alot of popsicles, chicken broth, the protein shakes, slimfast optima is pretty good too, mixed with ice and milk in the blender, kind ice creamy tasting. My biggest issue was Igot the flu 4 days after surgery and thought I was dying so the week I was sick I hardly took any cals in except for popsicle and felt horrid but after that it got better, I also would have soup and blend in cottage cheese into tomato soup which really adds up the protein too. I hope these suggestions help!!

hey just stopped by to see how're your doing, and see if you wanted to go to green lake one evening post work this week if of course it is not raining or snowing, i'm off till thursday, let me know if your interested.

If you had a csect then you do not have to worry at all!! I had no discomfort at all post op, just the gas which is fixed by walking walking walking but I will say that pre op I did and do exercise etc and have pretty strong abs but I have read people say that it feels like they have just done 675 crunches, I did not take any pain meds the day of surg, then i did take some prior to flying home but otherwise that was it for me. It should not affect you taking care of your baby, I have to lift my old dog onto the bed since she cannot jump and that was not a problem, she weighs 50lbs, front legs first then back end up onto the bed. when is your surgery scheduled for? I would recomend having all your post op food stuffs pre bought, I did that and it made a huge difference just knowing that I did not have to leave my house for any reason if I was not up to it.

tara

Hi Shannon, I had the band done march 25th in mexico with dr. ortiz, very good experience, I finally got to start eating real food this week as he is pretty conservative and we stay on full liquids for 3 weeks post op, since starting my pre op diet, I have lost 25lbs but figure I will hover around here at my current weight till I get my fills, I had also lost some weight prior to the preop diet, so I am actually down 59 so far. The part I am finding the most difficult is not being able to drink with my meals.

hey shannon, i too am a nurse from canada currently living in the US asa traveler, good luck to you on the begining of your journey, I think the band is a very effective tool.

I am from Quebec but have worked all over the US as a travel nurse, everywhere from NH to Alaska, currently I am in Seattle. I love the 32week babies, they are just in that perfect age range in the NI, usually not real sick so fun to hold and snuggle with, which sometimes reminds us of exactly why we do our jobs. I was banded March 25th by Dr. Ortiz in Mexico, it was a fine exp. aside from the fact that I got the flu a few days after surgery but surgery or mexico had nothing to do with my getting sick. So far it is a has been a good exp. I just started to eat real food again and that was so exciting since we are on liquids for 3 weeks post op.