May 2017: Pre-op appointments

After I finished all of my pre-surgical requirements, I let the office manager for my doctor know so she could submit to insurance. Besides the initial appointment, I had the following to complete:

1. Four appointments with my Primary Care Provider known from here out as PCP (or three appointments at JH Bayview)
2. An appointment with a Nutritionist (here I covered vitamins and here I covered food)
3. An appointment with a Psychiatrist
4. Attend a Group Support session
5. Have an EGD done
6. Have a sleep study done

I only covered one of my PCP appointments because how many times did you need to read that I went to my PCP, got weighed, talked about changing my diet to keep my body guessing as to what was coming next, and my monthly mental challenge. 

Just a few days later, I was told my surgery would be May 31. Less than a month away. I literally couldn't believe it and all the sudden everything was in motion. The office sent me a pile of papers of all of my appointments before and after surgery along with a reminder about the pre-surgical diet, and reminding me to get a pre-op with my PCP, which would include a blood draw, and a chest x-ray.

For the sake of readers who don't actually know me, my PCP does not actually have an x-ray on premises. So one day I had the afternoon off for a clinical trial I'm in (its super cool and I can't wait to share about that), I asked her to send the request in for my x-ray so I could get it while I had time off.

Chest x-ray...check

I had my visit with my PCP lined up for a few days later. She looked at the chest x-ray with me and basically gave me a physical including an EKG. It was uneventful but exciting because after months, this meant I was getting very close. After the EKG I got my blood drawn, so I was done with that step.

Finally I had to go see the surgeon for a pre-op. I asked why, and they said I had not been to the clinic hours since my initial visit in January and there was special stuff they had to give me. I went to the visit and the nurse practitioner on my surgeon's team was thrilled with all the progress I made (by this point I was teetering at 35lbs lost since January). She gave me two bottles of gatorade, special pre-surgical wipes, and a pretty blue bag. More details on all of those (including the pretty blue bag) later.

That was May 19. Next up was the big day.

I write this post because I see a lot of people online getting very nervous about their pre-op and the bottom line is, its just a physical. The doctors on your team need to know as much as they can about what's going on in your body before they put it through the incredible stress of surgery. For example, every other provider I've met claims I'm an asthmatic. I personally think I just get sick badly in my lungs for a longer period than others (something my cat Finn must have gotten from me), but the chest x-ray showed literally in black and white, something resembling asthma. Seeing as someone, namely the anesthesiologist, was going to be controlling my breathing for about four hours, this is an important detail.

Next up: May 30, 2017