Got a call from surgeons office and...

my time was changed from arriving at hospital at 930am to arriving at hospital at 730 am!! I am glad b/c a) I won't have to be fasting as long....b) I will be first surgery of the day so I know my surgeon won't be tired...c) Getting it over faster and hopefully can recover faster!! Preop stuff went fine today (as far as I know)...so all is good!

Dear Rianne, YAY for you!!! I am so happy for you.  Being the first surgery of the day is great-because that way you dont have to sit and wait if they start falling behind later on in the day like some of our other poor girls have had to lately.  You always see the bright side of everything and you are going to do great!!!  Im sure your testing went just fine or they would have said something to you today!!  Good luck, sweety-and you are in our thoughts and prayers and we love ya!! Congrats again!!  Janet

Thanks so much :-)  **hugs**

Being first to go in makes the waiting easier!  Sitting around waiting for a 10:00 am surgery or whatever time sucks. Trudyt

Both mom and I are DEFINITELY excited....

RIANNE, I'M ONE OF THE NEW GALS ON THE BOARD AND WANT YOU TO KNOW I'M SO HAPPY TO KNOW YOU'RE HAVING SURGERY MON. AM AND EVEN THE FIRST ONE SCHEDULED.  YOU'LL BE IN MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS,,,LOVE AND HUGS,,,,,,,DAR

SO great to meet ya!  I hope you will LOVE this board.....the people here are just amazing and are SO supportive!!  (even if you do something stupid) Where are you in your journey??  Thanks so much for your prayers...I really really appreciate it! **hugs**

RIANNE,,YES I BEEN WELCOMED ON THIS BOARD MORE THAN I WOULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED. YOU MIGHT READ MY STORY AND FIND OUT LOTS ABOUT ME.  I AM WAITING ON DR. HOEHN BUT CAN'T GET IN A HURRY BECAUSE OF MY BARRETTS.  BUT THE LAST 3  DAYS HAVE BEEN GOOD SO I'M THANKING GOD FOR THAT.   I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH DR. HOEHN SINCE I TURNED IN MY PAPERS APRIL 10TH. HOPEFULLY I WON'T NEED TO HAVE SURGERY FOR BARRETTS AGAIN AND I CAN PROCEED IF THE DR. WILL OK ME.  SO AGAIN BEST OF LUCK TO YOU AND CHELLE, YOU'RE BOTH IN GODS HANDS AND HE'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU.   LOVE AND PRAYERS,,,,,DAR

I have never heard of Barrett's so I looked it up and found this great link on the mayo clinics website....and I think your surgery will only HELP your Barrett's b/c this is what I found:::

Self-care

You may eliminate or reduce the frequency of stomach acids flowing up into the lower end of your esophagus by making the following lifestyle changes:

• Control your weight. Being overweight is one of the strongest risk factors for heartburn. Excess pounds put pressure on your abdomen, pushing up your stomach and causing acid to back up into your esophagus.
• Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Three meals a day, with small snacks in between, will help you stop overeating. Continual overeating leads to excess weight, which aggravates heartburn.
• Loosen your belt. Clothes that fit tightly around your waist put pressure on your abdomen, aggravating reflux.
• Eliminate heartburn triggers. Everyone has specific triggers. Common triggers such as fatty or fried foods, alcohol, chocolate, peppermint, garlic, onion, caffeine and nicotine may make heartburn worse.
• Avoid stooping or bending. Tying your shoes is OK. Bending over for hours to weed your garden isn't, especially soon after eating.
• Don't lie down after eating. Wait at least two to three hours after eating to lie down or go to bed.
• Raise the head of your bed. An elevation of 6 to 9 inches puts gravity to work for you. Or you can insert a wedge between your mattress and box spring to elevate your body from the waist up. Wedges are available at drugstores and medical supply stores. Raising your head alone by using pillows isn't a good alternative.
• Don't smoke. Smoking may increase stomach acid. The swallowing of air during smoking also may aggravate belching and acid reflux. In addition, smoking and alcohol increase your risk of esophageal cancer.

Wow....I learn something new every day....you are in my thoughts and prayers as well!! *hugs*

RIANNE, THANKS AGAIN.  IF YOU'VE LOOKED AT MY PROFILE OR POSTS FROM OTHER PEOPLE YOU'LL SEE WHERE I WAS ALREADY TURNED DOWN FROM A DR. IN OKLA BECAUSE OF BARRETTS.  BUT THE DRS. IN WICHITA ALSO SAID IF I GET THE SURGERY I WOULD BE BETTER.  AND BARRETTS IS PRE-CANCEROUS LINING OF THE STOMACH SO I WENT AHEAD WITH THE SURGERY BUT IT HAS TO HEAL BEFORE I COULD HAVE SURGERY.  I AM NOT GOOD ON THE COMPUTER SO HOPE I CAN ALWAYS ANSWER YOU,,,,THANKS AGAIN, YOU SEEM SO SWEET,,,,,,LOVE YA   DAR   HAVE YOU READ ANY OF MY POSTS OR WHATEVER THEY CALL THE MESSAGES.