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Bariatric nurse Judy Tanielian recalls a bariatric patient success story.
Nurse Judy Tanielian:
This is about a young girl. She was 17 years old and she was about 150 pounds overweight. She was getting ready to finish high school, looking forward to college, but her social life was non-existent almost, and you could tell beneath the exterior that there was a beautiful young lady underneath. She was happy but somewhat withdrawn and her stepfather sold his sports car to pay for her surgery.
She had the surgery. She began losing weight almost immediately and she maintained an excellent weight loss through the first, a little over 12 months postoperatively and then was one of the cover girls on the calendar for the bariatric program – beautiful young lady.
When I watched her go through that transition I was maybe not as excited as she and her family, but I wasn’t far behind in my excitement. It is such a rewarding experience to see this transformation, to contemplate the changes that are in store for her because of this decision she made and because of her commitment to making this change in her life. She will be healthier. She will have so many more opportunities available to her and I think it bound her family together as a unit because they went through this together.
About Judy Tanielian, R.N., B.S.N., C.B.N.:
Judy Tanielian, R.N., B.S.N., C.B.N. has nearly forty years of nursing experience and six years of experience as a Clinical Director managing Bariatric Surgery programs. She graduated with honors from Portland Community College’s Associate Degree Registered Nursing program in 1973. She served as a nurse at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in The Oregon Burn Center for twenty two years, filling a variety of roles from bedside care to management. While at Legacy, Judy was awarded her Bachelor’s Degree with honors, through Excelsior College. During that time period, she was also inducted into the Nursing Honor Society, Sigma Theta Tau.