Tests

Once I was approved to meet with my surgeon I still had a few tests that had to be completed.

First I had to have an abdominal ultrasound. Very simple and painless. Now if you have ever had a pelvic ultrasound you know that you are asked to drink TONS of water so they can get better images and see what they need to. When the receptionist called to remind me of my appointment she was giving me instructions that I needed to follow prior to my appointment. Not a big deal. She advised me that I needed to fill my bladder so the tech would get better images. OK, that's fine. The morning of my ultrasound I got up and started drinking water. I drank about 48 oz of water prior to my appointment. I got to the office and they were running late. Typically not an issue...unless you have 48 oz of water in your bladder just sitting there SCREAMING to come out and you aren't supposed to pee. FINALLY, they call my name and I go back. The tech starts the procedure and I am dying because I need to relieve my waters. Finally about halfway through the appointment (30 mins), I ask if there is anyway I can use the restroom and she can finish after. She asked if I could wait and if I really needed to go THAT bad. I told her how much water I had poured down me that morning and she laughed so hard you would have thought I had just shared the funniest joke she had ever heard. The tech then quickly sent me to the restroom to take care business. When I returned what seemed liked 30 mins later the tech told me that the receptionist must have not reviewed what type of ultrasound I was having before giving me instructions. Turns out that for abdominal ultrasounds there is absolutely NO need for you to fill your bladder prior. Laugh, it's OK. I did after the fact. :)

Next up on the list of tests was an EKG. Simple. Painless. Showed up to my doctor's office where I had to put on a hospital gown and then the nurse came in and put those stickers that are attached to wires all over my body and the machine read my heart. Took about 15 mins and I was good to go.

After my EKG I went down to x-ray so I could have my chest x-rayed. This also was simple and painless. I had to disrobe for this one too and again dress in a hospital gown. The tech doing the x-rays was a student and she didn't position me right the first and second time she attempted the x-rays so they had to get an actual tech to come in and show her. On the third attempt they were able to get the images of my chest that they needed.

The final test that I had to complete before I could meet with my surgeon was an endoscopy. This, not so simple and not so painless. I had to be at the hospital really early for this and I couldn't drive myself because they would be sedating me. When I got to the hospital I again dressed in one of those fashionable hospital gowns, they laid me on a gurney and gave me some medicine to sedate me. Next they had me roll onto my side and lay like that as they shoved a scope down my throat so they could make sure that my insides were OK for surgery. Now this sounds easy enough, however the whole gag reflex comes into play when something is being shoved down your throat. So I am laying there on my side coughing and gaging and drooling for what seams an eternity (15 mins) when they finally remove the scope. When I was coherent enough for the doctor to talk to me he explained that he had found a Heietal Hernia while he was down there. This is when tissue at the top of your stomach is protruding into your esophagus and is one of the causes of heartburn.

Now that I had completed all the tests I was ready to meet my surgeon.