Honestly, Judi, if you are anything like the rest of us postops, the _______ that you wanted to sneak in just plain ol' won't taste the same as it once did. You will find ________ (fill in a healthy choice) tastes much better. I used to love ice cream, and I mean REALLY love ice cream....could eat it for every meal, and not just a small portion, but the whole container. Now, I cannot stand ice cream...it makes my pouch churn...even the sugar-free kind. My new favorite dessert is 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, 1 packet of Splenda, and vanilla flavoring to taste...and I might throw a few raw almonds on it to boot. Yummmmmmy. And healthy...and lots of protein. Head hunger has not been too bad of a problem for me. I never was too much for chocolate or anything like that....I was more of a potatoes and bread person...which now make me feel yuk, so I seldom eat starches. I LOVE Atkins Advantage Bars...usually have one for breakfast...and I LOVE ProPlete Gold vanilla pineapple protein much, which I get from Susan Maria at www.bariatriceating.com., as well as some other stuff I get from her site. Anyway, have a great day.....I'm excited about Tuesday for you. Do you have an angel? Teresa

Hi Judi! I'm pleased to meet you, too! When I started for this company, they were Transcriptions, Ltd., in Hayward, CA. They were bought out by - can't remember, it didn't last long, and then quickly by Medquist. The Hayward office has just recently been phased out and Sacramento is now the hub for the region, which is fine with me as I live here in the Sierra Foothills much closer to Sacramento than Hayward. Yes, they still send out the little Christmas gifts, and they really make working for them as easy as possible. Lots of support, referral bonuses, QA merit bonuses, production bonuses, new technology as it comes up, an education partnership program for new MT's, and always on time with the paychecks. Lately there seems to be a real shift in attitude at the management level which is shifting down to the local offices and ultimately to us, which is much more positive and upbeat, lots of strokes and much more communication about what the company is doing and what they need from us, including a company newsletter and emails at least a couple of times a day showing where the work is, what hospitals need help and how many minutes are being transcribed and dictated. It makes you feel like you're part of a team instead of sitting here alone at home with nobody really caring about what you do. So, just when I was *really* ready to quit last year (just because I'm so tired of medical transcription in general because I've done it for so long), I decided that maybe I could stand it for a while longer! Speaking of which, I'm in the middle of a report right now and better get back to it before it hangs up on me! Kim

Hi Kim! I love your posts! It sounds like we have a lot in common. I used to type for Signal out of Baltimore, MD which was then bought out by Medquist. I loved working for Medquist Mid-Atlantic (even though I live here in North Dakota). I also work for my local hospital and that work got to be too much and I couldn't handle doing both. Does Medquist still send out the gifts at Christmas? I still have my Medquist "Going beyond what's excpected is where we begin" clock and my Medquist ergonomic anti-carpal tunnel gloves (very fashionable electric blue color) which I use when I crochet. Well, glad to meet you!

Hi Karin! Welcome to this board! I was fortunate to be trained on the job in a hospital when I was 19 which was 30 years ago (save you the math....I'm 49!). So many people were so patient and kind and helpful to me starting out, it is a pleasure to help others starting out. One of the things I tell people to help them build up their speed is to put a radio next to their computer at home and turn it to a news or talk radio channel and then just start typing as fast as they can. Build your speed up and then work on accuracy. Maybe for 10-15 minutes, type as fast as you can not worrying about errors, just go for speed. Then the next 10-15 minutes, slow down and go for accuracy. Then 10-15 minutes try speed and accuracy at the same time. It's a cheap way of getting used to keyboarding. Good luck with your training! And welcome to the board!

Hi Susan, I've been transcribing for over 30 years and more than half of that has been at home. I do love typing in my pajamas! but I also do sometimes miss the interaction with other people. I loved Kim's idea of going to school. My surgery is Feb 3rd (yeah!) and one of my goals is that when I get thin enough to fit into a regular-sized desk again, I would love to go back to college and take a few classes. That's something I could do around my transcribing and family and church activities.