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Thanks for the encouragement on the childcare issue. I have just seen some bad things. I have seen good too so I should tryi to focus on that. I use to be a nanny myself. I was totally in love with the children. There must be people out there who do a great job. I called the ymca and they don't have a program that will work. I did answer a few ads today. We shall see. I understand some of what your daugter is going through. I have been in there myself. It takes alot of want to from a person. If she admitted herself that is a great sign that she has it. I hope she will take the time to focus on herself and what it takes to get better. A lot of drama in those places but you can learn alot. Congrats on being hit on. What a NSV. LOL My uniforms arrived today and they are slightly big. I measured before I ordered them but I can take them in a bit. I will probably be doing that alot.

I am so excited. My uniforms are scheduled for delivery today. I will post pics when I can. Who doesn't love getting a package. The deal with the books is if you buy them new, you can access them online too. They have the entire book online and last semester I found that so helpful when studying. Plus talking with a student already in she said it really helps speed up writing out care plans. She copies and paste right from the book into her care plan. I want that but if I don't have the money I may have to just do without and buy used. We don't use credit cards. we use cash for almost everything. We are considering getting a small loan though. We can pay it off as soon as I get my financial aid. Just something we are considering. At some point today I gotta run my son to my MIL. It's and hour drive. She is gonna let him stay the night since we have the dinner tonite. My SIL just moved back in with them yesterday. It is kinda crazy over there right now. I just didn't know anyone else on such short notice. Sometimes people without kids don't think about things like this. I gotta make some friends close to here. We are very nervous about the babysitter thing. I do intend to pay my family for babysitting. You are right that it can cause drama though. We are really protective of him. He has only had 2 babysitters. My MIL and my Dads girlfriend. He has never even stayed with my stepmother or mother. We hear so many horror stories about babysitters. I am gonna ask my Dad's girlfriend first. If that doesn't workout I will look into hiring a professional. I wonder if the ymca would do a pick up at the school? I'll call and find out about that.

Thanks for the Apples update. Had a great dinner with my brother. He gets along so well with my husband. My husband and I have been invited to another business dinner. This time I an not gonna sweat it. Haven't pbed in awhile so I will just chew good and be fine. More nervous about the company and meeting new people but I will be fine. Nothing crippling. I actually just touched up my hair color today. Had like a whole day of beauty at home. Didn't realize we would be going out. I just know I am gonna be meeting alot of new people at school so I want to put up a good first impression. Next monday I will be meeting everyone in charge of the program and all my classmates. After that I'll get my books and start working my tail off. It's coming so fast.

A beach party sounds great. My son loves the beach. I will ask my family if they are willing to do that. Thanks Cheri. No plans today. Still waiting for one last thing for my finacial aid. I took care of it. Just waiting for someone to input it into the computer. I had to take a little class online about financial aid and loans. Just waiting for the goverment to notify my school that I did it. Found out yesterday that I will only have 480 dollars credit toward books and I will need to cover the other 300 up front. Then I will be rembursed in sept. Just another wrench in our plans.

Thanks guys, I really just want to invite 4 people to his party but even that is too much for our apt. The four people are just family. If we do have it at the museum I will invite some school friends. I don't have time to plan something big. Just pizza and cake. He will be entertained with his gifts and us adults can spend time together. My brother is coming over again tommorrow. I am so excited he wants to hang out with us. He is 10 years younger than me so I feel old but he is so excited to be around my family. He still lives with my mother and stepfather and they are awful. Maybe he just needs a place to get away sometimes.

Good morning, Got up kinda early this morning. My son crawled in bed with me but couldn't really sleep. Trying to get some plans etched out for his birthday next month. We wanted to have a couple people over but our apt is too small. I considered the club house. After talking to the manager I realized it is too expensive. I am thinking maybe I could do it at my dads house. I don't get to see or talk to my Dad much though. He is always busy. Not sure about asking. Also considered the museum. We are members so we get a discount. Gotta call about that today. I am trying to convince my husband to plan this since I will have so much on my plate. He hasn't put much thought into it though. Also trying to find a sitter. I will need someone to get Jake to and from school a couple times a week. The extended day program doesn't have the hours I need. I will be calling my Dads girlfriend today to see if she is intrested. If not I will have to hire a stranger. That is alot of work. Makes me nervous too. Also plan to get some excercise on my wii today and eat what my doc recommends. This morning I was fixing my son cereal for breakfast and out of habit almost grabbed a handful. Things tend to sneak in that way. Those are my plans for today. Hope yall's day goes well.

The test on day one has something to do with calculating dosage. Atleast thats the rumor. I will be having a test every Monday. Atleast it gives me the weekend to study. So sorry about the PBing in a porta potty. I can't stand to pb in public toliets cause the smell. Can't imagine the ports potty. Cheri, I saw inception too. We loved it. We walked out thinking WOW. I will definately watch it again. Went to the beach today. Got a little tan. No burn. My son was learning to use a boogie board. It is a small surf board that you lay on your belly and ride the waves. He was just so cute. Kept saying "that was so awesome". Then my husband tried but was too big for the one we bought. He kept getting a mouthful of water. We are trying to enjoy some family time before my son and I start school.

Thanks Peascorps, I have been shopping ebay. Waiting till hubby gets paid though. I have to pay up front and wait till sept to be reimbursed. Even for all my uniforms and stuff. It is costing a butt load. Good luck on going back to work. I have also been shopping for a new laptop. I found one that fits my habits at best buy. A 2nd semester nursing student recommended an itouch too. She has her careplans on it and can get her notes and grades on it. I am considering it. I like to have my notes on paper in class though. So I can add to them things the teacher may bring up. Not sure if it will be worth it. Did I mention I have an exam the first day? I can't get my books til the 16th but once I do I will be diving in. Mrs. Bubba, I wish I could come out there and help you with the wedding. I could bake with you and decorate. I bet we would have a great time. Remeber to take some time out everyday for just you. You deserve it.

Yes, I would love to see a pic of the purple streaks too. ADN is associate degree in nursing.

Thank you everyone for your insight. You are so right that she is using my insecurities against me. You know those things we may think but never actually say out loud. She will say them. Every once in awhile I will have a thought that this maybe too hard for me but then I remind myself of how much I have already accomplished and fight the negative thought. I guess when she says that stuff I should say the samething to her. I am going for my ADN right now. My cousin told me hospitals prefer BSN so once I graduate I will consider that. They asked me to get a Littman Cardio III. I have been searching the internet for one. Glad to know that they really last and are worth the money. Other than that I will just need a nursing watch. With the seconds and glow in the dark. I should be able to get that with my grant money. I did go to the docs office and ask again about my labwork. Turns out it was sitting in this pile of mail that was just delivered. The lab didn't fax it, they snail mailed it. So I got all my paperwork set and turned in. Now I just wait for the 16th where I will decide on my schedule. They do a lottery. We all draw numbers and the person with number 1 gets first choice and the rest of them will follow. LOL I just found out yesterday that I was awarded and additional grant from the state and was granted a subsidized loan. (the government will pay the intrest until I graduate) I should have plenty of money tho cover the cost and they will give me the remainder sept 30. I guess my husbands layoff last year really paid off. So sorry to hear about the troubles Apples has been having. I hope things turn around for you soon. I know the pink hair was a bit wild but thats what happens when I get off the meds. I did like it just not enough to risk a future job over. My brother who I haven't seen in 7 years came over to visit today. He met my son for the first time. We had a great visit. I hope we can build a great relationship. We didn't know each other real well growing up. I moved from my moms house to my dads house when he was a baby, leaving him behind. He doesn't remember much about our time together but I was responsible for changing, bathing, feeding and dressing him. That was part of the reason I left. I had too much responsability at too young of an age.

Another check in, I am a bit groggy from the meds. I gotta get use to them again. I am waiting for bloodwork results that I need for school. I called over and over and left 3 messages and the lady will not call me back. I am getting a little panicked. If something doesn't come back right I won't have time to redo them. I have to prove I am immune to chicken pox, measles and, hep b. My mother wasn't exactly concerned about getting us to the doc so I am not sure if I had the MMR shot. I know I had chicken pox and the hep b shot. I am going to the docs office tommorrow and sitting there til I get an answer. My son is doing great. His bowel problem is under control as long as we make sure to give him the med. He will be starting kindergarten in 2 weeks. I feel like I am turning him over to the "system". Like I will have less control over what happens to him and what he learns. Today he tried to choke himself by pushing on his throat. He said he learned it from a kid in class. So scary. Hubby is doing great too. He loves his job and is having a company dinner tommorrow. Employees only, I don't have to worry about it. I have my uniforms and stuff for school. All I need now is a stethoscope and my books. The stethoscope they want us to get is about $170. I have spent so much already. My MIL is trying to aquire one from a friend of hers. My MIL still has doubts that I can do this. She ask me all the time if I really belive I can make it through and then hold down a job. I have doubts once in awhile too but then I look at how far I have come. I have accomplished so much and was alot sicker then. I wish my family would help out some. I need someone to help get Jacob to and from school. I would hate to have to hire a stranger expecially when I have so many family members living close. They are just all to busy. During my little hiatus I actually dyed my hair pink. I really liked it but took it out so I could look professional at school. Thank you all for being there for me. All the encouragment and PM's mean alot to me.

Hey gang just checking in, I appreciate everything yall had to say. It is so hard to operate in this fog. I don't want to do anything but I have so much to do. I have been all over town all week getting my shots, blood work, drug test, uniforms and equipment. Also trying to get my son ready for kindergarten. I know I should not stop taking them but I truly do hate them. I really don't know why. It doesn't make sense but there are alot of things that don't make sense when I get lost in it. I just begin making excuses to not take them and slowly give in. Just like in eatting. I will make excuses to have something just this one time then gradually end up totally off track.

Hey Gang, Sorry it has been so long. I have been having such a hard time. My band got too tight and My doc took some fluid out. He was being a total pain about it and took way too much out. I have no restriction. Yesterday I went and his colleage put 2 cc's back in and I still feel no restriction. I quit taking my psych meds and have been off my rocker. My therapist also is moving her practice out of town. I did go back to the psychiatrist and got my meds again. I also found a new psychologist. So hopefully I will be getting my sanity back. I did want to let yall know that I got accepted into the nursing program and plan to start school aug 30. I am hoping my mental health will be back on track by then.

Thank you for the birthday wishes. I haven't had time to catch up reading yet. Sorry. I wish yall a great time in vegas though. I know it will be a blast.

I am still here. Just been reading lately. Not to much going on with me. I am really bored sitting at home all day. I can't take my son to the pool right now because of his bowels issues. I think later today we will go to the park though. I am not making the best choices in food lately. I am just in a funk right now. I am getting nervous about school. I had a hard time last semester and the next one will be twice as difficult with clinicals. I just need to get a grip.

I stalled 3-4 weeks at that weight. I think it was because I was having some emotional things going on and I was drinking alot. I lost another 3 pounds this week but I broke all the rules. I am trying to get back on the bandwagon. Had some emotionally trying things happen over the past week so I gotta use this as a time to practice not emotional eatting. My son has relapsed in his bowel training and I am really struggling trying to handle it with patience. He withholds going to the bathroom because he gets constipated and it hurts to go. Then he gets clogged up even more and little bits begin to leak out. He has been taking lactulose for a year now and was doing great until I went to boston in april. He ran out of medicine while I was gone and noone took care of it until I got back. Now he is worse than before. I am constantly cleaning it up. Whenever we go out he has an accident. I feel like I can't take him anywhere. He pooped in the pool today and they had to close it down for 24 hours. My husband wants me to keep at it another week and if no improvment take him to the doctor again. The doc told me I could increase the lactulose so I am doing that hoping we can get this resolved before school next year. I am just feeling alot of pressure about it.

I have 3 incisions. 2 really tiny ones and the larger one (port) is in my belly button. You can't see it or feel it. I love that my doc did that. I have attached a pic if you wanna see them. They are real faint. I am 5 months post op. I think my doc did a great job and am hoping It won't be obvious when I put on that first bikini.

The collage I have in my signature I did in paint shop. It took me some time to fiqure out. It was listed in programs under accessories. I had to resize each pic in paint and just placed them side by side. I did it that way because LBT wouldn't let me upload them all into my sig. Now when I load it into my sig LBT thinks it's just one pic. Once you get the pic into paint you can resize it by clicking on "image" and then "stretch/skew" Then type in what size you want it to be. I believe mine are 15% of their original size. Then just drag them where you want them and open the next one. I also like to open pics in paint and draw on them sometimes. Let me know if you need help. I would love to see a pic of your tattoo. We will be in Helen July 1-4 on the 2nd we are going to Deals Gap NC to ride on The Dragon's Tail with our motorcycles. Maybe we can get together on the 3rd. Are you busy?

Kurby, I just wanted to say welcome to the group. I have a story very similar to yours. After 2 years of trying to get pregnant with my second child I was diagnosed with PCOS. It lead to a deep depression where the docs discovered I was Bipolar too. I went into such a deep depression from everything. My depression started to lift but I kept noticing I was still exhausted all the time. Doc sent me to an endocrinologist who said I had metabolic syndrome. He recommended the lapband because I needed to get the weight off and diet and exercise were not doing the trick. I had my lapband done on Jan 4 and have lost 53 pounds from preop to today. I am not exhausted any more and have been in college the past 2 semesters. I also sent in an application for nursing school a few weeks ago. I have improved greatly in my mental and physical health over the past year. My lapband has played a huge part in me getting my life back. I hope you stick with this group of ladies and post often. Good morning ladies, I have had such a busy week. Wed my son had an awards ceremony in choir, Thursday I got my tattoo and Friday my son graduated from preschool. I slacked off abit but still lost a pound this week. I am getting back on track today. No worries. Hubby also got results back from his xrays. He doesn't have a buldging disk like the chiro said. It is arthritis and muscle spasms. No surgery. He did ride the motorcycle yesterday so I am hoping by the end of the month he will be ready for the long ride to Helen Ga. Here are a few pics from the happenings this week.

My doc told me it usually takes 5-6 fills before you feel restriction. Don't panic. We are all differnt and our bands are moody. Continue to follow the eatting plan your doc gave you and make sure you are getting in enough exercise. Keep at it and it will catch up with you. Our bodies are stubborn about weightloss which is why we got the band.

Well, Sorry I didn't get to your post sooner. I hope all went well. Sometimes insurance companies require a doc supervised diet for 6 months before they will approve. You can just give them a call and ask. Let us know how it went.

I had the same issue post op. I missed food so much. My doc explained it to me like this. You are in the process of divorcing food. You will miss it because it has played a huge part in your life but it is time to move on to a better way of living. Food is not a good companion. In the book Women Food and God, Geneen Roth helped me understand that it is actually "comfort food" that makes me so miserable. It helped me avoid feelings and added another problem onto them, morbid obesity. A healthy way of life makes me feel better. I traded guilt and shame for confidence and pride. Remember all the things that are coming to you as you lose weight. I watch many youtube videos of vloggers dancing in their new size 6 and 4 clothes. Being able to cross your legs, and run when you need to. Maybe even deciding you want to run a 5k. You are on your way to that. The stage you are in now was the hardest for me. I survived it and am so thankful I passed through it. Read up on all the NSV's people have had. It encourages me to see all the happy moments that are coming to me. I actually crossed me legs yesterday. I was so thrilled I could have sat there forever. I got my wedding ring back on. I can wear lace up shoes now. I was able to buy some cute underwear instead of granny panties. I was running and training for a 5k but got tendonitis. Once that heals I can't wait to get going at it again. I wanna feel the excitement of crossing the finish line of my first 5k. I FEEL so much lighter and happier with myself because I know I am making the right choices. Just try to focus on all the positive that is coming in your life. I had no idea what I was getting into and am so excited about my lapband. You'll make it through this and then the fun will begin.

Check out WLSFA.org.

I reached my goal of losing 10 pounds. I am now 208. Can't believe just a short time ago I was 260. I even hit my first 50 pound goal.

Afternoon everyone, Got to the fitness center this morning and worked out. Still resting my leg though. It was a little difficult because I didn't go this weekend and negative thoughts began to seep in. I fought them off and did it. Still working on eatting at the table instead of the computer desk. It's so boring over there. Had some junk yesterday and that's just what it tasted like. Nasty. My tastebuds are definately changing. Next time I will be more inclined to make the right choice. I was looking for soy crisp couldn't find them so grabbed a bag of regular chips. They didn't taste like I remembered. I actually checked the expiration date to make sure they weren't stale or something. Don's back is feeling a little bit better. Still can't ride the motorcycle though. Vacation is coming up quick too.