Pre-Op Testing - DONE!!!.... And a Health Scare

Feb 22, 2011

2/18/11 - Yesterday I was able to get in with my primary doctor to complete the final tests needed for approval for the surgery.

First, let me step back and say that I hadn’t actually talked with my doctor about doing the surgery because 1) it’s hard to get an appointment with her for anything less than an immediate medical concern and 2) because she is very gung-ho about losing weight the traditional way. I know, I know – I was being a HUGE chicken! I made my appointment with my PCP right after I had the initial consult with the surgeon, but it took over a month to get me in.

But to my surprise, when I went in with all of the pre-op paperwork my doctor was BEYOND supportive. She got teary-eyed (we go way back to when she had just joined her practice out of her residency and I was still in college. Our kids are about the same age and our kids go to the same preschool) and she was SO proud of me for taking this step. At our last appointment before starting down the VSG trail she threatened to put me on blood pressure medication (I’m borderline) and cholesterol medication (again… borderline) unless I lost the weight. That did it for me. It was one of the biggest reasons why I started this journey. I’m just SO happy to have her approval and her help going forward. It just helps me to solidify what a good decision that I’m making for myself.

All in all, the process was EASY. My doctor did the EKG in the office, she gave me a referral to get a chest X-ray and to get the blood draw for all the blood tests. I was able to run downstairs and get BOTH the blood draw and the chest X-ray completed within an hour. Cool, huh? I finally feel like I’m getting into the home stretch (or at least the 6th inning).

Now for the health scare. Last week you may remember that I had a mammogram done. I’m only 32 years old (I’ll be 33 in 2 months) but I was referred for a mammogram because my mother died at age 33 of breast cancer. My maternal grandmother also had breast cancer, albeit much later in life. So I know I have a high risk. To be proactive, my doctor had me go in for a baseline mammogram at 23 years old. My latest mammogram found an abnormality – although it is most likely benign, it scared the living $h!t out of me – for obvious reasons. I have only 2 months to go until I’m the same age my mom was when she died. So, in the midst of getting all the VSG testing done yesterday, I was sent for a breast ultrasound. Luckily everything came back looking normal, but to be proactive I have a follow-up MRI scheduled. You can’t be too careful and it’s better to err on the side of caution. I just hope that my insurance company feels the same

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