Man.. the stuff those doctors put a woman through!

[Guest guest]

Ok.. So I have been reading all the posts for the past year and some months

about all the testing that a pre op gets put through to go for surgery.. I

have read about the PICC lines, and the stomach testing.. and heard about

how rough or easy it was for any one individual. and I also read about how

it was all worth it in the end...

So today.. or rather this whole past week.. let me tell you about mine..

Monday comes and I realize quite late, that I have not scheduled ANY pre op

tests yet.. and my surgery is MONDAY!! So I call the lab for the bloodwork,

the hospital to arrange an ultrasound of my gallbladder, and a chest

Xray.... and tried to arrange an EGD locally. *fat chance* I called all

over Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill to find a psychiatrist that was

familiar with psyche clearances for folks having WLS, so that he/she could

do that too.. I prayed a lot that day for all of this to work out.

Called Shautae at Dr Elariny's office, and she told me that if I could get

it all scheduled and done by Wednesday, that she would cancel my surgery on

Monday, and reschedule for some time in january. I freaked out.. and really

started getting panicky. My Mom took off work to be with me up there, and

Arno was waiting for my recovery to look for a job and thus get us out of

this living situation.. and too much was riding on Monday for it to fall

apart now.. Granted, I was stupid for not doing it WAY before then.. I just

had too much on my plate, trying to get him here, wedding, his parents, my

dress, the church.. the caterer.. Entirely too much to even think of testing

yet.. I did not think that it would be that much of a problem, especially

since there are 6 hospitals w/in spitting distance from me, and surely ONE

of those hospitals would be able to fit me in.. HA!

Anyway.. Tuesday.. I do the Psychiatriast clearance.. that was 2 hours

long.. in the morning, I go do the chest xray, and the ultrasound.. in the

afternoon, I do the psych stuff.. then.. Wednesday, I go have my blood drawn

at Labcorp, and just happen to be lucky enough to get someone that knows

bupkis about dealing with fat peoples hiding veins, and she sticks me 10

times to get nothing but bruising from hades.. and then another lab tech has

to come in and try again.. and she sticks me once, but has to chase the vein

down to draw one tube of blood.. My veins refuse to cooperate for the other

2 small tubes.. so they take the 1 tube, and split it for all of the testing

needed.. I was not happy with that first woman.. Grrrrrrrrr... OK.. so all

of it is done except the final EGD.. (the endoscopy w/the camera that takes

pictures of your gastrointestinal workings) On Monday, I called Dr E's

office, and got the name of the Doctor that he refers to for this procedure,

and begged that office to PLEASE schedule that for me, cause it was the last

hurdle.. I get that appointment on Friday, at 1030AM. Have to be at the

hospital at 915AM.

OK.. so last night, Arno and I drive to Arlington, VA for this last test to

clear me for surgery. the room has no air conditioning.. Can you believe

that? It is hot for November, and there is no AIR! showers help

tremendously. Go to hospital this morning, nothing to eat or drink..

(typical orders, I understand).. and go through this horrid EGD.. and it was

horrid, cause the doctor didn't use hardly any anesthesia on me because of

the sleep apnea.. he was not comfortable with that.. and sprayed some icky

stuff down my throat to relax it, and a very small amount of demoral in my

IV tube.. and off we go to gag city.. I gagged and cried.. no puking.. cause

there wasn't anything to do that with.. I haven't had the test before.. I

was calmed somewhat by someone writing earlier on the DS list that her

doctor put her to sleep for it.. this one didn't for me.. I was wide awake..

and my throat still is touchy.. I get out from that, and they start to let

me go home, and then come up with the doozy..

They may have to cancel my surgery, cause the bed that they normally do

surgery on isn't strong enough to accommodate someone of my weight!!!!!

Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!! they call Dr E.. He tells them to get a bed that will

accommodate me.. that is fixed, and I breathe easier..

THEN the anesthesiologist comes in..Ya know, I haven't ever liked those

doctors, cause it seems like they never listen to the patient.. Who else

would know their own body as well as the patient would? So this " person "

(for lack of a better term) comes in, takes one look at me, and decides that

he has to run more tests on me.. I tell him that I am driving back to NC

today.. and he says that he needs to run tests from a pulminologist.. (duh..

I found that to be a lung doctor.. I didn't know what the medical term for

those docs are) which include: a full capacity lung test to see how well I

breathe.. (he used a spirometer test, which was not a full capacity.. but

good enough) and an ultrasound of my heart to see if it pumps like it is

supposed to.. called that an echo cardiogram.. and then an arterial blood

gas test.. OMG! I hate those tests... they hurt so bad.. I actually cried

like a baby.. thank God for husbands today. All of that to verify what I

told him.. that I was FINE.. My lungs work great, my heart is a trooper, no

problems there, and my tummy is OK too.

heheheeh.. the woman is doing the ultrasound of my heart, and when I see it

on the monitor, it looks like a big monkey sitting there with its arms and

legs crossed, bopping back and forth to some unheard music, and doing the

happy dance cause soon it won't have to work so hard anymore! Of course, it

wasn't that... description, I mean.. I was just trying to inject humor into

a really rotten day.. I was starving, had a headache from lack of food.. was

very irritable cause my throat still hurt... several hours afterwards, and

they didn't want me to drive yet. I wasn't even tipsy! Of course, they

could not know that if I was tipsy, I would have slept before I drove.. but

the Nurse walked me out to the car, and didn't want me to drive at all..

wanted Arno, who had no license to drive.. LOL.. She didnt' like it when I

got in the drivers seat.. I thought, it has been 920AM since they started

the testing and IV.. and it was now 4PM.. and I wasn't high in the least..

Sooo.. the lung doctor comes in to tell me the results.. the " person " had

said that he would cancel if I didn't pass these tests.. So, I am holding my

breath for yet another clearance.. and the lung doc says that I am a healthy

woman.. just obese.. DUH!! I told them all that. that " person " was no

where around when I was leaving.. Oh.. if I just could have rubbed his face

in those test results.. that would have done me so much good.. I know I am

sounding like a childish brat rightnow.. I dont' vent often.. and I do feel

better now.. thanks for listening..

Bottom line.. I am totally cleared for surgery on Monday.. all systems go!

and I am home now.. going to bed, cause I am one tired puppy..

it is worth it tho, I think.. especially if being on the otherside will give

me even 50% of a better quality of life.. thank you all for getting this

far..

More later..

Love

Cia