Panicked!!

The surgeon's office just got in touch with me.  My white blood cells are elevated which indicates I have an infection somewhere in my body.  I have to repeat some blood work on Monday and have the results faxed to them STAT.  I hate this .. I hate this .. I hate this!!!  I have been told by the person at the drs office that this does not mean my surgery is canceled, but I just cannot help but worry that it will be canceled due to this "unknown" infection.  Did anyone have this happen to them?  What ended up happening?

Calm down it can be as simple as a UTI which is very common and very treatable. Call them back and ask them if you can also do a urinalisis on Monday but in the mean time go get you some cranberry juice just to make sure. I had this a few weeks before surgery turned out to be a bladder infection. Guess it worked to my advantage because the doctor put down stress incontinence but it just turned out to be a little bit of bacteria but it helped to get insurance approval faster.

I am working on acceptance.  It is what it is and I know that I will have the surgery.  Just having difficulty with accepting that it my have to be postponed. 

My surgery was cancelled due to an infection.  I had my preop lab work and everything looked good.  I don't remember all the time frames but here is my story...I had my labs and one week prior to my surgery I noticed a little knot in my groin.  As the day went on it became more painful.  By Friday I was in a lot of pain and the knot was now a size of a walnut.  My friend said it was more than likely and ingrown hair.  Well the weekend comes and I am in serious pain and the knot is getting bigger.  By Sunday I am running a 103 fever.  Stupid me should have gone to the ER but I didn't want to admit something was wrong and my surgery to get cancelled.  By Monday morning this knot was now the size of a baseball and very hard and hot....I was bawling.  I called my PCP and they got me in immediatly.  Boy did I get yelled  at (not really) but was told I should have gone to the ER.  I had to see a surgeon that afternoon. My PCP started me on heavy duty antibiotics and told me to be prepared to be admitted.  Not only did I cry because I was in so much pain but my surgery was going to be cancelled.  They would not do it because of the heavy duty infection I had.  The surgeon sent me straight to the hospital and get this my lab work was normal.  He re-ordered my labs and they too were normal.  Here I am with major infection and my labs are normal.  They got me full of antibiotics and opened me up the next day. I ended up having a good two in*****ision that they left open so it could drain.  It had to heal from the inside out and had to be packed daily.  My surgery was postponed for six weeks.  I barely got it in before the end of the year.  My insurance was changing and I had already fought and exclusion...I was devasated to say the least.  Ok so this was a long story but my PCP said it was a miracle that I actually had the absess.  Since my labs were wacked I could have gone into surgery with the infection and had a lot of serious problems.  It all turned out well in the end. I know one thing I certainly went into my WLS surgery infection free due to all the massive amounts of antibiotics that I had.

Ok...so I am going to quit whinning about an internal infection that is harmlessly festering somewhere in my body because your experience tops anything I am going through and you made it through and have had successful weight loss.  Thanks for putting things in perspective!

You know the funny thing...the Tuesday before I noticed that knot I was driving down a long country road and talking to God....I prayed so hard throughout my journey fighting the insurance company and felt like it was God's will when I got approved.  Well, my conversation with God was....Lord, I feel this is your will but if for some reason it is not please give me a sign....I know I am hard heading so you will need to give me a big sign if this is not right for me.  Can you imagine how I felt when I got the sign????  I bawled like a baby....just look at it this way, if you do have an infection you will get some antibiotics and really be free from anything lingering in your body.  You will have your surgery I promise and it is so worth the wait if that has to be.  I am thinking it will work out for you ....Big big hugs going out to you and yes you can whine!!!!!

Howdy, C- Sorry I'm coming in on this so late. I had a Monday surgery date and I got a call Saturday morning that I had elevated white counts. I took a couple of days of antibiotics and and more the morning of.  I've had a couple of surgeries with elevated whites *and* fever.  I'm fine .... well, sorta

And you still had your surgery that Monday?  The staff member made it sould like it was a big deal that I get my blood work repeated but then said my surgery wouldn't be canceled and then said it would if I didn't get the blood work and then I got nervous and panicked and probably should have kept her on the phone longer to make her tell me eveything all over again so that now I could rest my nerves.  I am doing my best to put it in God's hands.  I do feel like this is going to work out and I will have my sugery on Tuesday - mainly because I have ZERO signs of illness - but I just can't get rid of the dread going into MOnday.

I would imagine that all practices have different signs of alarm. I had an elevated white count and by Monday, I had a fever since the antibiotic I started gave me an allergic reaction. Our doctors often start IV antibiotics the morning of surgery and these usually knock out infection many times faster than oral meds. I do have a thought ...

Hey C, this same thing happened to me. No biggie! My husband gave me some anti-boticis and that was that. It will be fine. Jan