Frustrated/Tests

[Guest guest]

I have been reading the last 100 posts.

I was supposed to have my surgery on May 17th, but am still here due

to tests results not getting to the surgeons office in suffient time.

Talk about frustration!

I initially had bloodwork, an EKG, a chest X-ray, an upper GI

(barium swallow), an interview with the aenesthesiologist, and also

needed a psych eval. The psych eval wasn't accepted, as it turns out,

after paying the man $75.00, that he was a " psychotherapist " and not

what the surgeons office was wanting. The tests I had revealed an

abnormal EKG, showed I had the beginnings of diabetes, and they

didn't have a full report from the Upper GI. ( The upper GI was the

one test I didn't want to have to repeat, but realize that I will

have to have one after surgery as well - YUCK ). The doctor said I

was too anemic for surgery and have to increase my iron intake

quickly.

So, I am taking iron supplements in the dosage he told me to. I

spent another $100.00 for 3 sessions with a bonafide psychologist,

who faxed the eval over on the Thursday prior to my Monday scheduled

surgery. The first session was an interview of my diet and personal

history and background family issues. The second session was me

filling out a 500+ bubble questionaire, and the third was to go over

the results and get my eval. He thinks I am normal. (Go figure!)

I made an appt. with a cardiologist two weeks prior to my

scheduled surgery, and his office girl couldn't get me into tests

until the next week. I had the next Tuesday sevral tests: echo,

stress with Nuclear med type scans prior to and after the treadmill

stress test. They injected me with radioactive isotopes, and other

things various times during the visit. She said the tests would take

3 days to come back, and that put me in a panic. If they didn't fax

the results on that third day, I was SOL. We started calling the

cardiologists office the very next day to bug them. My surgeons

office was calling me and calling them and I was stressed to the max,

and broke down crying at work. The office manager at the surgeons

office told me that I didn't get my bloodwork done. I told her that I

couldn't just go do my own bloodwork - was I supposed to draw my own

blood? No one from the office did the procedure nor gave the

prescription to have it done from the lab - their MISTAKE. The

surgeons office faxed their bloodwork results over to speed up the

process, but the cardiologist wasn't there to read the results. Plus,

the echocardiogram results weren't back. She was waiting for the

results and wouldn't call to get the results because the doctor

wasn't there to read the bloodwork anyway.

So my surgery got postponed, and I want to kill someone, but after

crying, I lost all the stress that had been building up ( I was such

a moody B all that last week ). Now I am content to sit and wait for

my next appt. June 11th. 3 more weeks. All tests are done.

I was told to take Pepcid Complete after surgery for a year/two

years? I am taking that now anyway for GERD. I asked the dietician in

the surgeons office, and she said that even though it was calcium

carbonate, I was taking enough for ample absorption, and didn't need

to take the calcium citrate. She suggested me ordering Juice Plus

capsules, which I ordered. It contains tons of anti-oxidants and

benefits from fruits and vegetables that I will not be able to ingest

after surgery. I started with the one fruit capsule in the morning

and one veggie capsule in the pm and built up to two each. It

supposedly gives me fiber, and even though I have been taking large

amounts of iron, per MD, I have not had ANY trouble with

constipation. I was instructed to buy Champion Whey Protein, Centrum

chewables and liquid Iron supplements (can't remeber the brand). I

was also told BIOTIN for hair loss, but I don't care. I have

extremely thick hair and could stand to lose half of it!

I have a good deal of what I need, but still have to order the

iron and CHAMPION brand of protein whey. I have two containers of

other brands which I plan to take later as supplements, but thought I

should start with their preferred brand. I want to find a site that I

can buy EVERYTHING I need.

Sorry that this post was so long, but I think it helps to know we are

share some of the same experiences. Waiting patiently, Janet