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I had my appointment with Dr. Sherkin last Monday.  He basically wanted to make sure I was fit for surgery.  He sent me for an Echocardiogram, breathing test and I also had a sleep study done. 

Dr. Sherkin is a very friendly man with a great sense of humour.  He took my weight, listened to my heart and asked me a few health related questions.

In the end, Dr. Sherkin said that I was healthy and didn't see any problems with the surgery.  He started yawning and I joked that he should go to the Timmies in the lobby of the hospital (which is next door to his office).  We came out of his office and he said to his receptionist "the patient is sending me to Tim Horton’s.  I will be back in a few minutes".  And away he went.  It was funny and the receptionist was sitting there with a surprised look on her face.

I came back around 8:00 that evening for my sleep study.  The lab is right beside Dr. Sherkin's office so it was easy to get to.  Since I was the first one there, I didn't have to wait long. There were 2 people in the lab.  The woman was the technician and the other was a fellow in training (I forget their names – I was soooo tired that evening). I changed into my PJs and then came out into another little room to have all of the wires attached.  The technician marked out the areas on my body where the wires would be attached and then applied them with a sort of waxy substance.  This stuff is amazing considering the way that people turn and twist in bed!  She walked me to the bed.  I felt like Frankenstein!  

Once I lay down, she spoke over the P.A. and asked me to blink, cough and move my legs one at a time.  After making sure that all of the wires were attached, I was able to go to sleep.  I think I immediately DIED.  It was such a long day and I hadn’t slept well the night before.  About an hour later, I fully woke up feeling like the thing over my nose was suffocating me……..and I had to pee BAD!  I was walked to the bathroom and when I came back, the technologist was able to give me a different monitor for my nose that didn’t feel so confining.  I went back to sleep and woke around 4:00 a.m.  At that point, I was totally awake and asked if someone could come and get me up.  I went to the bathroom again and then began the process of de-wiring me.  I was then able to take a shower which felt good.  It was so hot and sticky the day before.  I was also able to wash most of the gucky stuff from my hair.  After my sleep study, I found out that I was not having any episodes of apnea which was not really a surprise to me as I had UPPP surgery 2 years ago.  Better to check though. After thanking them, I left and sought out a Tim Horton’s as the one in the hospital was not open yet.  I went to Steeles and the 400, grabbed a coffee and then an Egg McMuffin from McDonalds and was on my way.  This was around 5:00 a.m. so traffic was light and I was able to get out of the city before rush hour.

Most of the people that I came in contact with were very friendly......the Echo technologist, the lady in the breathing test and also the 2 people in the sleep study lab.

Next up is the Dietitian and Social Worker appointments in August.  We are going to make a weekend out of this trip and go to Wonderland.  My husband has never been to an amusement park so it should be a treat for him.  He will have a ball on the rides!  (Big kid that he is!)

Nothing much to add today.  I managed to get 2 of my required appointments booked for August 22nd.  I still need to make an appointment with Dr. Sherkin about my asthma...at least that's what I think it's for.  It could also be about my sleep apnea surgery that I had a couple of years ago.  I don't think I have any problems anymore unless I sleep the wrong way and squish up my neck too much.  Anyway, hopefully I can get it for the 22nd as well.  I am waiting to hear from his office as I left a message.  Then I will have to book a follow-up with Dr. Klein and hopefully get a date!

My daughter and I left for T.O. this morning at 7:00. We had to make a stop at Mickey D's for her but I didn't mind considering the early hour for her. The drive was pretty good although kinda cloudy most of the time. No rain though, thank goodness.

We arrived at the hotel with lots of time to spare so I gave myself an hour to drive to the appointment just in case we got lost or something. About 90 minutes prior I said to my daughter, "Lets go now". I was getting tired of pacing the room.   We arrived at Dr. Klein's office an hour early and walked into the hallway to be greeted by a hallway full of people. The thing about this office is that it is shared by four doctors so I guess that's why it was so busy. We managed to get by everyone and I registered at the desk. I asked Dr. Klein’s receptionist if it was always this busy and she said "Yes" then I asked if we could leave and come back and she recommended the coffee shop downstairs.    

One of the interesting things is these Doctors are General Surgeons so there were a variety of people there. Most people were not talking to one another except those who were most likely there about the WLS. it was obvious that some did not know one another ahead of time but were make friends in the waiting line. I thought that was pretty cool. The downside was that I was the smallest of everyone which had me worried. I carry my weight all over my body so people don't believe that I weigh what I do. I even felt a little guilty because most of these people need the surgery more than I do if it went by weight alone. I kept reminding myself of my high blood pressure and arthritis pain that needed to be reduced by weight loss.

We came back shortly before my scheduled time and waited about 40 minutes when I thought my bladder would burst. I went to the bathroom and guess who came out to call me??? Yup, Dr. Klein. My daughter told him where I was and then as I was walking back she said he called me. I threw up my arms and said "it never fails!" Everyone had a good laugh.    

Dr. Klein came back a few minutes later. He started to ask me a few questions which I referred to my questionnaire. Then he weighed me. I lost 3 pounds! lol I told him that I had done a lot of research so he asked what I knew. I started to pretty much babble an answer and then finally said "I am a nervous wreak and my brain has pretty much stopped functioning" He chuckled and went over the basics of the Lap and the RNY. He also compared costs where OHIP covers the cost of RNY but not the lap. He said the lap would be about $17000. I told him that I had heard the lap was not as good and the cost was a factor in my decision. I said "Dr. Klein, I have heard that you are to the point kind of person (I referred to some of the comments on this site) and I am not here to think about it. I have done a lot of research and have already made my decision and that is to have you say Yes to the surgery" I did this all with a smile so I didn't look like a complete idiot and I felt that he appreciated my honesty. He said that I was a good candidate and that he would do the surgery but I would still need to be approved by the social worker and the dietician. I said that although I do not make light of these appointments, I felt confident that I would be approved by them due to my research. I said that I felt like hugging him! We both laughed.    

I showed him my info that I had read and printed off about the risks of the RNY which he went over for accuracy in regards to his experience. I didn't expect that. Then he told me to see his receptionist and she would provide me with the info to book the other appointments. I have to book these and then book a follow-up appointment with Dr. Klein.  He will then give me a date.   

After I did all that, I had a hard time walking though the waiting area without jumping up and down. I saved that for the elevator but that made my daughter a little nervous as the elevator bounced too. lol   

When I got back to the hotel, I couldn't wait to call my husband. When he answered the phone, I didn't even say hi. I just said "He said Yes!!!" My husband was so happy for me. Like I said before, he is so supportive. No wonder I love him to pieces!   

Well, that's it. I think I will be floating on cloud nine for a while but I have to get down to business and make those appointments asap. I will have to remember to save all of my receipts for income tax too!