CodyzMom

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Well, today was my surgery day.  Obviously, I am writing this after the fact....waaaayyy after the fact.  It is really the end of July...lol.  I had to be at the hospital for 7:30am and surgery was scheduled for 9:30am, but I didn't get into surgery until around noon.  The waiting was driving me crazy and maybe almost, in a small way, gave me time to have second thoughts, but I just knew I was going to go through with it.  I got called back into a triage-like area and there my vitals were taken and my blood pressure was elevated.  I guess so because I was scared out of my mind, but I kept telling myself 'Let go and let God'.  And I did.  In triage I also had these compression stockings placed on my legs which I would discover later, I could NOT wait to get them off!  I also had to get a heparin shot in my stomach...felt like a bee sting.  It really hurt.  And then I was wheeled into a pre-op area where I had my IV put in, which I knew from my MRI would be quite a task.  First she tried in my left hand, then she went over to my right hand, and then she ended up going back over to my left hand.  It sucked, but oh well.  Dr. Murayama came to visit me here and asked me if I had any last-minute questions and I didn't.  He said 'See you in there!'.  Much of this day following the surgery is a bit of a haze.  I remember being taken into the OR, but I don't remember much about that until waking up in the recovery room where I believe I kept asking over and over again for more pain meds.  I kinda remember being in a lot of pain.  I kindof remember being taken into my room where my mom was waiting.  That was nice knowing that she was there waiting for me.  I was sooo glad to see her face.  I was in and out of it for the remainder of the day.  I remember my husband and the kids coming to see me and my husband's cousin who lives right in Philadelphia.  I was dying for a drink but knew that would not be until the next day only if I passed my leak test.  The only thing I have to say is thank God for pain meds!!  I'm sure they helped greatly when I had to get out of bed too.  It didn't feel too good to get up, but in another way, it did feel good to get out of bed.  My first time out of bed, I walked around the nurse's station and went back to bed.  The nurses were very, very pleased.  They said most people just walk to the door and turn around and go back to bed.  That made me feel good.  For once in my life, I didn't feel like the lazy fat chick.

Today I had my MRI and my appointment with the sleep doctor to get cleared for surgery.  The MRI itself was harmless...now getting the IV for the MRI is another story.  After four or five tries, they finally had to ultrasound my arm to find a good vein.  It was deep, but they hit gold.  After that everything went smooth.  I was packed in that machine like a sardine.  The arm with the IV in it actually fell asleep which made the catheter in my arm very apparent.  I couldn't wait to get it out.  I do think I fell asleep at one point in the machine.  After my MRI I had to go across town to meet with the sleep doctor who cleared me for surgery.  He said I have very mild sleep apnea so no treatment is needed.  He believes the weight loss will remedy it.  If it does not, then I have to go back.  He gave me a copy of my sleep study and sent a clearance letter off to Dr. Murayama.  All of my pre-op testing is now complete with the exception of my pre-admission testing.  I couldn't wait to see if I was approved for surgery so when I got home I called the insurance company to see if I could find out anything.  They told me my authorization was in a "denied" state.  They couldn't tell me why because I called after 5pm and that department was closed for the day.  She said they probably just need another piece of information.  I also learned that they have my surgery date as July 6th.  What?!  So they are acting like we have two weeks to get approved which we do not if I am on Dr. Murayama's schedule for June 27th.  I am so bummed :(  I will have to call Dana in the morning and get this straightened out.

This morning I had my nutrition class and pre-op appointment.  This nutrition class was somewhat informative.  I mean it is for someone that hasn't done a lot of research, but since I have, I really didn't learn more than I already knew.  I got the information that I will need for the pre-op diet which I was anxious to get.  I was glad to find out that I am allowed to have Lean Cuisines on the pre-op diet.  I have to begin the pre-op diet on June 13th, so I will have to diet on vacation.  Oh well...I'm not concerned about it.  At the end of the class, they had a nurse come in to speak to us about what to expect in the hospital.  That was informative.  I'm not thrilled about having a nasal-gastric tube, but I'll have to deal with it.  It's time to look for and get some supplements that I will need prior to and after surgery.  After the class, I had my pre-op appointment with Dr. Murayama.  I am still tentatively on for June 27th.  I do have to have an MRI because there was an 8mm mass found on or near the bile duct of my gallbladder.  He said it's probably nothing.  I then met with Dana and she said that my information was ready to be submitted to the insurance company.  The MRI is for the doctor to get a better look, not for the insurance.  She told me it would get submitted on Tuesday at the latest and will call me when she hears anything and then that is when we will schedule my pre-admission testing.  As for now, I'm going on vacation to Ocean City, MD, for nine days...YAY!!