Question:
I am going to the Pulmonologist tomorrow, what exactly can I expect.
— cindy17 (posted on October 6, 2009)
October 6, 2009
They are gonna do a Pulmonary Function test. Which is where they yest your
lung capacity. They will also take your pulse and measure your ability to
withstand the surgery. It is really simple. The hardest part is when they
put you in the tiny enclosed cube. Good luck this is a painless procedure
and should take you no more than 30 minutes.
— saucedoj78
October 6, 2009
Thank you.
— cindy17
October 6, 2009
Well, I had to breathe into this machine several times, blowing out for as
long as I could, and I would watch this monitor show a line that looked
like a big hill on it, peaking at the point of the most powerful part of my
exhale, then going back down again. Then, they took my blood pressure and
pulse, and put a pulse oximeter on my finger and made me walk really fast
around a circular hallway in their office - I probably did about 15 laps as
fast as I could go. Then they recorded the blood pressure and pulse again,
and took the readings from the pulse ox monitor. Finally, the doctor came
in, looked at the results, and questioned me about the swelling in the
lower half of my legs - I generally have edema about halfway up the shin.
He thought it might be related to pulmonary hypertension - something that
is not good.... but the more he looked at the test results, the more he
thought that wasn't the case. It was pretty non-threatening. And the
letter he sent to my surgeon along with copies of the results was just
lovely...he called me a "thoroughly delightful patient who was
presenting for evaluation prior to gastric bypass surgery."
— Erica Alikchihoo
October 6, 2009
Hey! I just wanted to let you know that I'm a Respiratory Therapist and if
you are getting a PFT, you probably won't even see the pulmonologist, just
a RT. It just consists of some breathing exercises to measure your lung
capacity, volumes, etc. Not much too it, unless you are short of breath,
or already having an underlying issue. If you have any difficulty breathing
though your mouth alone, they may slide a soft clip on your nose(similar to
holding your nose!) The box is nothing to be afraid of as they are usually
clear all the way around so you can see everything around you. I am sure
whoever does the test will make you feel as comfortable as possible.
— BethR0523
October 7, 2009
I was also given a plastic breathing device to use prior to my surgery.
This was to strengthen my lungs - I had never had surgery before.
— Muggs
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