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

February 13, 2017: Psych Eval

In the post about meeting the surgeon, I mentioned that psych evaluations were booking in May. After my first appointment with my PCP I was able to make my appointment for my psych evaluation, which was set for June 12. As with any appointment set for over four months in the future, I asked to be on the wait list.

On February 9, I got a call that said they could see me on February 13. Did I mention I have an awesome job for this procedure and all of the prep that goes into it? I was able to, without much notice, take the day off for the evaluation.

I went to the office for the appointment, and I was first met with a test on a computer. Then I went back for my evaulation.

It's not nearly as scary as it seems, especially as someone who had never sought the help of a mental health professional.

First she asked why I thought I was there, and I told her it was because I needed to prove that I understood I would not become skinny as a result of the surgery but rather with the assistance of the surgery.

We went through my medical past, which included a couple of items to focus on. One item was about six years ago, I dealt with a bad bout of Seasonal Affective Disorder. I sought the help of my PCP as I was sure it would not be a long term issue, and with some chemical help I got better. Since then, I have learned better coping mechanisms to deal with it.

Then we went through my test I had taken in the waiting room. She addressed that the only area I may have trouble with is self control, to which I was like "well there is an element of that with how I got here..."

Some issues the psychiatrist may go through are:

• Eating disorders
• Addiction history
• Self control
• The presence of any mental disorders
• Confidence issues

The addiction aspect is important because most obese people have an addiction to food. If this is not addressed before surgery, the patient will lose their comfort (because patients really can't eat like they used to post-op) and can seek out other addictive behaviors.

Anyway, I passed the evaluation with flying colors. One more check in the box on the way...