Update

Apr 21, 2012

The last time I wrote I was getting ready to have an endoscopy and colonoscopy done.  I went through the whole pre op stuff... considering other methods it wasn't that bad.  A whole bottle of Miralax mixed in a half gallon of gatorade and 2 ducolax tabs.  

I had done the pre op tests two weeks prior but apparently the anesthisiolgist never got that information on me.  I arrived at the hospital for the tests.  Went through all the getting ready stage... johnny, IV, hopped up on the gurney... and met with the assistant. Of course all the while in a complete panic because I've never been under before.

Then the anesthesiolgist comes out... takes one look at me and says... "Oh I can't do you here in the part of the hospital.  I need to do you in the operating room.  It's too dangerous.  You're going to have to get medical clearance, a heart stress test, a pulmanry fusion test, etc etc etc".  Everyone was like... wow... you  must be so mad.  But I really wasn't.  I was relieved.  Even with the preop business... I still was relieved... again... I was panicing because of the being under bit.  Now that it wasn't going to happen I was fine.  

The way I figure it... the longer this goes on the more weight I'll lose and the closer I'll be to being able to have my surgery.  To date I've lost 58lbs!  Eight more than Dr. Pohl wanted me to.  So I'm close to being able to have the surgery.  He'll really have to give me something to relax me but it'll be ok.. Everything will be okay.  Everything happens for a reason.  It's just not the right time for me yet.

I'll ask my office to do the psych eval for me this week.  I've contacted the nutritionist that I saw last year.  She agreed to write my clearance letter based on the visits we've had.  She's such a nice nice person.  I'm going to send her a thank you card.  She didn't have to do that.  My new insurance won't cover nutritionist counseling so she said she'd just do it for me.  Very nice of her.

So I got all the test done that he wanted me to do and got rescheduled for the tests.  I'm going April 26th.  9:45am.  At least it's not first first thing in the morning.  It'll give me more time to poop.  LOL  I don't mind fasting either.  I don't have much of an appetite so it's not that bad.  The pain doesn't happen as often but it definitely still happens.  Always in the same spot.  My left side... lower abdomen and side and back area.  That whole quadrent.  Sometimes it happens when I eat something that's not easy to digest.  Sometimes it happens if I move around too much... ie, do a load of laundry, unstack the dishwahser, by the time I'm done I have to sit and put the heating pad on because it hurts so freakin much I can't stand it.  The entire area where I put the heating pad is discolored from the heat.  Like it's almost burned.  I use it so much.  Sometimes it's not even my side that hurts but just my back.  Sometimes that makes me feel like I have a kidney infection.  I'll go to my PCP next week and have her test my urine for blood.  The last thing I want is my appetite to return.  That would suck.  But even if it does... I'll just have to eat stuff that's good for me, right?  Like yogurt.  I also have those protein hot chocolate mixes I bought from Dr. Pohls.

So as far as what I have left to do for surgery is simple.  The gallbladder ultrasound.  The other stuff is already in process.  I'm tested and being treated for sleep apnea.  I did my heart stress test... which is another thing.  Last year when I had it done... That Dr. never did a stress test on me.  He just asked me questions.  Dr. Mazza actually did a real test.  Injected something into an IV to increase my heart rate and hooked me up to a machine to determine how my heart reacted.  That's a stress test.  Yet another reason the universe wouldn't let me have it last year.  What if I did have a problem.  It wouldn't have been detected by asking questions.  I'm glad I was made to wait.  Plus the longer I have to wait... the more practice they get, right?  lol

Heart stress test... check!
Sleep apnea test and being treated with bi-pap.... check!
Psych evaluation and clearance... nearly check!
Nutritional eval and clearance... CHECK!!  Thanks to Lindsay... LOVE HER!
Endoscopy.... will be a CHECK on Thursday.
and just have to schedule a gall bladder ultrasound.  Then I'm done and ready to be cut open.  I'll ask Dr. Diane's office if they can do it there.  She opened her own practice in Cumberland.  Her family is crazy ... she had to get out of there.  Now she has an urgent care in the same building and I'm pretty sure they have xrays there.  I wonder if it's the same machine.  I'll have to ask her.  If not, no biggie.  I'll just go to the open MRI place in N.S.  Then I'm done.  

I estimate my surgery to be scheduled sometime this fall.  Lee is going to England in July.  When he gets home I'll have it done.  

I also want to talk to Dr. Pohl about the Vertical Sleeve. I think that would be a better choice for me.  I'm really super standoff ish about the rerouting business.  I honestly feel just having the restriction will be good for me.  Bottom line is... is after a year or so if I don't lose enough or if I'm struggling I can have it revised.  One thing at a time.

So that's it for now.

I'm on my way.  My journey continues.

Helen

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