Pre-Op Anxieties
My reaction to the news: What does 'abnormal' mean? Am I dying? Will this effect my surgery? Are abnormal EKGs common? Do most people who have abnormal EKGs before surgery have heart problems? Where do I get this stress test? Can it be done today? Will I have to wait until Monday or Tuesday to get the test done and if so, how will I get any sleep until then? How am I going to worry about my EKG AND worry about whether I'm doing my pre-op diet correctly without going insane AND worry about the eminent low-carb headache I can't take any NSAIDS for?
And then as soon as I hung up the phone, I received a voicemail notification from another nurse at my surgeon's office. The nurse's message was, "Your blood work shows you have an elevated white blood cell count and we need to recheck it with another CBC and urinalysis." I told her I've always had an elevated WBCC. It's been slightly outside the top range my whole life. Well, I still have to have it rechecked.
So now, not only am I worried about the EKG and all the other normal pre-op stressors, I'm also worried that my doctor won't be convinced that an elevated WBCC is normal for me and he'll want me to go out of my way to prove it with a bunch of tests that my insurance probably won't cover.
It's like I was getting so close and now that I'm almost there, an evil force is determined to make this surgery not happen.
I had an abnormal ekg and needed a stress test that came back good
it is a common thing in overweight people
if it was life threating they would have sent you to the ER
I also had elevated wbcc and had to go to a hematologist that seen It was the same for 10 years
you may need to propone your surgery to get everything checked out
I needed to reschedule my surgery when I had a small skin infection 1 week before surgery , and thought it would be rescuduled a second time when I got a rash , but it was done that time
Well, I went to the heart place on Tuesday and to my (new and first ever) PCP today.
The cardiologist had me do a stress test and I passed. It was quite the workout just getting my heart rate up to 176 bpm (I can't even imagine having to sustain it for 20 minutes). Apparently, the abnormal EKG was just a bad reading.
My PCP said that based on my HPI (history of present "illness") and his exam of me, nothing indicates I have an infection. He wrote a letter to my surgeon saying there is no evidence of an infection, that he referred me to a hematologist for further examination (to rule out leukemia), and that he believes I'm safe for surgery despite my elevated WBC.
The referral was really my idea for my own peace of mind. My PCP doesn't think I have anything to worry about and that the elevated WBC is probably just stress and chronic allergies.
Think that's good enough to avoid postponing the surgery? I have copies of everything to bring with me to the hospital in case I have to show it to anyone else at the hospital.
I like your weather widget. How do I get one? 😉
Hi
I was told by my Dr and the nurse in our class we had to take no flu shots 3 weeks before or 3 weeks after surgery due to your immune system being compromised, I would ask to speak to the PA or doctor and double check that, just to be sure, that could also be a delay. I hope everything works out and best wishes........
better safe than sorry
Smiles:),
Lisa
Thanks! I asked the PA this morning if I had made a mistake in getting the flu shot and she said it was fine as long as I'm not one of those people who has a history of developing flu-like symptoms after the vaccine (because then they can't tell if your symptoms are from the vaccine or if you really have the flue.
Apparently, I only have to do the treadmill. They're not going to make me run, are they? The test is on Tuesday and they said the results are instant so my surgery won't be delayed (if all goes well).
