Update on my surgery!!!

Hi Yaya,
I'm also glad I got the courage to call up and inquire whether or not I was forgotten or what. By the sounds of what the nurse said about my Dr. he doesn't do as many surgeries as Dr. Atlas or Dr. Denis so realisticly I think 2-3 months before I get a call should be expected. Still that's much sooner than I thought! You say you visited a nutritionist and had 1 bloodwork session but not on the same day? Thing is, I live in Gatineau. Making the trip twice for 1 hour meetings is not on my top list I like to do. I wonder if they can slot me in on the same day. Do you have any more tests to do before surgery? How well prepared are you? I mean I know surgery is coming but I'm not quite sure what to expect after surgery. I've read the stories but would like to get a pretty good idea what to expect. Do you have to see a psychologist? What did the nutritionist have to say? Sorry for all the questions but I am anxious and slightly nervous.

Thanks,
Derek

Great for you Derek, 11 people, that will go fast, because the nurse told me that they can do 2-3 surgeries a day. So maybe one or 2 months max and it will be your turn. Yeah for you !!!

Hi Diane,
Glad to see you on OH. I'm Derek from the Yahoo groups if you hadn't noticed yet. Yeah I'm so excited too knowing that the wait was a little less than a year before getting a date. I can't wait to share my story with you and Yaya and the rest of the OH family.

Hey Derek,
I'm so excited for you!  That is great news.  I can understand how crazy and upset you can feel with the waiting game.  I had insurance issues and worked for over a year to get approved and then my office decieded to change their insurance mid year and I almost lost everything I worked for!  I found out less than two weeks prior to my insurance changing that my new insurance didn't cover the surgery.  I was crushed!  I called and plead my case and begged to see if there was any way they could get me in and I somehow got lucky enough that my surgeon came back a day early from a conference/vacation (July 4th holiday weekend) and he fit me in.  The waiting is the hard part believe me- but if you've come this far so just keep remembering it will all be worth it!  I still have a long ways to go, but things have changed so much for me - I still have my migraines :( but..... at least I am getting my health back in other areas.  I have even gone as crazy as that I am signing up for a half and a full marathon this year.  Crazy - I know!!!!

Anyways, they will have a long list of things to do for Pre-op.
I had to have:

EKG
2 sets- Bloodwork - make sure they tell you well in advance if you need to fast one earlly and one right before surgery
Upper GI
Sleep test (I got to take a wrist band home since I didn't have apnea)
Psych evalulation
ultra sound of the abdomen
2 support group meetings (this was mandatory for my surgeon) Best thing ever to have a local group- I have met some great people that I talk to daily on here or FB that help keep me on track.
General practic Doctor - approval for insurance
EEG -test ( I don't know that everyone needs this - I have daily migraines so they made me do this too, and another MRI - 3rd one this year)
Liquid diet (two weeks prior to sx- I didn't do due to rushing of sx for insurance)


Hope this gives you an idea of what you will be going through in terms of pre-testing. 
Good luck with everything and believe me when I say I would do it again in a heartbeat!!!
I pray that you get you get your date soon!

Bonnie

Derek,
Sorry I didn't see the post earlier but haven't been around lately.........but what great news! I am thrilled for you and you'll see how quickly the process will go now that you know how many people are ahead of you.  Keep us posted and by the way I can't believe you are complaining about driving one hour to go to appointments...................try driving ten hours and then you'll get some empathy from me! LOL!!!!