BloomingLotus

I did all my cleaning today because I had a snow day off from work. I work a full day tomorrow and then it's game time Thursday. I have a feeling that I'm barely going to sleep the next two nights with my mind going a million miles an hour to make sure all is in order!

Mine was easy. IV with what the anesthesiologist explained as deep sedation. I was 100% out, but for a grand total of 6 minutes (I asked out of curiosity). I didn't feel a thing and had no soreness after the fact. The biggest issue was finding the vein for the IV! Good luck.

I read the title as if you got a date with a surgeon, as in, a DATE date. I'd probably still be that excited ???? Congrats!

Good luck everyone! I'm one day behind you and getting excited!

Thanks everyone! I actually managed to get my PCP appointment and my pre-op testing in on Monday before the snow got messy around here! Big relief. Both offices are closed today, but assured me that everything will be sent back and forth asap on Wednesday morning. So - assuming everyone does what they are supposed to - I am still on pace for Thursday morning! This last week has been a major emotional roller coaster!!

A little long - sorry! I posted in another thread how my coordinator failed to give me packets explaining the pre-op testing and PCP medical clearance (and ignored 3 weeks of emails asking for information). I was finally given the information on Friday and I'm scrambling to get everything done, because surgery is set for Thursday the 29th. I have a PCP appointment and pre-op testing set for Monday afternoon/evening. In comes a blizzard set to hit starting Monday night and lingering until perhaps Wednesday morning. I think my chances of getting medical clearance before Thursday morning are dwindling. My PCP won't officially clear me until she has the results of my testing, which won't be faxed to her until Tuesday morning (which is predicted to be the worst portion of the storm). I'm not sure anyone will be in the offices to fax or receive them. So herein lies my (long-winded) question: Aetna approved my surgery and hospital stay for the 29th, and my approval papers explicitly say the 29th. If my surgery gets pushed back, do I have to resubmit and do the waiting game all over? Has anyone rescheduled surgery by a few days before? What was the process like? I'm still holding out hope for a Sleevie Miracle, but I want to be mentally prepared for a worst-case scenario. Right now the "conservative estimates" have nyc getting 10-14 inches of snow, which for here is a big deal.

Good luck to you @@greatestnameever I know the offices are closed tomorrow, so hopefully on Wednesday once this mess clears up you'll get your answer too!

Me too. I was scared my EKG and blood pressure would be totally out of whack BC of nerves! Thankfully both were in the normalish range!

I managed to get my PCP and pre-op testing in! Heading home to hunker down now. In what will likely be the most expensive cab ever. Such is life.

Sorry to hear it @@greatestnameever hopefully you'll be rescheduled sooner rather than later. We've waited so long, that even a little longer seems brutal. Wishing you the best

Looks like we are all in this together! Here's hoping for a fast moving storm, with less snow than predicted! **raises Protein shake** Cheers!

In NYC too. Mr. Mayor has said to expect 2-3 FEET (ugh) and that it could possibly be the worst storm the city of New York has seen in its recorded history. At least I'm on a liquid diet and didn't have to go to the grocery store ???? trying to see the positive here!

I'm with you and totally feel your pain. I'm scheduled for Thursday, but have appointments scheduled this week for pre-op testing and PCP approval. I think the storm may interfere with getting my clearance in time. I have mentally prepared for a delay, but I'm hoping for the best. If you are still on - Please be careful going out in the snow, drive very slowly and leave plenty of extra time. I don't know where you are, but for NYC the weather guys described Tuesday morning travel as treacherous with white-out blizzard conditions. Maybe go to the hospital ridiculously early? I'm talking 6-8 hours early. Yes it will be miserable waiting around but you'll be there before it gets terrible out. Maybe? I feel your pain. Good luck!

At this point I have mentally prepared myself for a delayed surgery, but I am still hoping for the best. I should be able to get my testing in before the storm really hits - but as far as the doctor clearing me before Thursday, I don't have much control over whether she will go into the office during the storm to get my results. The storm should be cleared by Wednesday afternoon, so if all the paperwork can get in, I should be fine for Thur. If it has to be switched, it has to be. One day or one week won't kill me, considering I've been waiting for months!

Good luck to you Jennifer! Here's hoping the storm moves fast enough to be cleared out in time!

@@BLERDgirl thank you. I've been running around so crazy and stressed that I didn't think of the most logical thing to do: call them and ask! Ha! Thank you for the virtual smack-on-the-head "duh" moment. I'm sitting here laughing that I honestly and truly didn't even consider that. Sometimes it takes a sane person outside of the situation to point to the most logical plan! Thank you!

Blizzard on surgery week? Why not! Looks like the chances of a 29th surgery are dropping quickly. So hard when you've had your heart set on one date for so long! These are the "conservative estimates" eek.

My veins are extremely difficult too. In the past I've been stabbed quite a few times, and we almost always end up in my elbow area and not the hands. For my endoscopy there was a miss on each hand before the landing in the elbow too. The nurse explained to me that on my hands, she could see them, but the most visible weren't straight enough for the IV. The straight ones were very deep and less visible. If you can remember where they found your vein for the blood work you can always ask for them to look at that spot to see if they can use that one. They may not be able to, but it is worth asking!

My original (fasting) blood work covered a whole host of things, but my surgeons office said they were mostly concerned with thyroid function. Not sure if that is impacted by not fasting. I'll need to re-read my brand new papers to see if I need to fast for these last ones

Ok, making progress. I called the pre-op testing center and they said no way, we are booked. About 5 minutes later she called me with a cancelation spot. So I now have my PCP at 3 and then have to haul my hiney to the hospital for testing at 5. This gives me slightly more leeway for my doc to get the clearance in. I'm slowly starting to breathe again. They are predicting snow for NYC Monday too, so idc if I have to take a dogsled to get this nonsense done! You're right @dellastreet there is NO reason why this should have happened. Amazing how forgetting to hand me 2 packets of information (and ignoring my emails) could lead to such stress!

Thanks so much for your support everyone, I feel like I'm losing my mind! I just started crying hysterically at work - thank god I can shut my office door and hide. I got a call from my PCP, who won't clear me until she has the results of my pre-op testing, which I can't get done until the 27th, with results on the 28th and surgery set for the 29th. I begged and pleaded and she will see me on Monday, but now I have to take half a day off from work, when I really can't afford to do, but I will. She will do the physical Monday, and once she has the results, clear me on Wednesday, if all is well. Apparently she writes up a report. I'm not sure how all of this will come together on time. I have to hold out hope. Maybe I'll call the pre-op place and see if they can see me later on Monday if I'm already off work.

@@beautiful12no thank you. I have a 2 page form/checklist that needs to be filled out, so I'm hoping any doc from my practice will do. Heck, I just saw my doc and she wrote me a recommendation, she really could do this without an appointment but they are probably just covering their behinds. I know my doc isn't available tomorrow, but I might show up without an appointment and wait until they squeeze me in. I've been a walk-in before, I might just waste 5 hours of my Saturday. Well worth it to get it done though.

I managed to schedule pre-op testing late in the day the 27th - but again need to leave work early. The major problem is my PCP clearance. They're basically the worst run medical center I have ever encountered (switching after I'm healed for surgery) and getting anything from them is a hassle. It took 2 written, 1 in person, and 4 telephone requests to get my correct weight history sent. They require an appointment for clearance. She isn't in tomorrow, and they don't have appointments before the 29th, so I'm waiting to see if I can see another doctor or what. It's a good thing my blood pressure isn't being checked today because I would be through the roof! How are you doing on the pre-op diet? After day 3, it's been smooth sailing for me. At this point I don't have any hunger or even real urge to eat!

@@della street I have already submitted to insurance and have approval - these are the hospital/surgeon guidelines that I was never given on my last appointment. I'm scheduled for surgery on January 29th so now I'm trying to squeeze all of this in, in the next 3 business days.

Yeah, I'm spazzing out. I'm an attorney and I appear in different courts and judges on different days and I already have next week scheduled. My flexibility is essentially nil. My bosses don't know about surgery (I'm using vacation time) and I really had zero intention of telling people but if this forces me to I have to and I will not be pleased. Apparently my doctor requires an appointment for medical clearance, and my own doctor has no appointments before surgery. I have asked for an emergency appointment under the circumstances and I'm checking with the coordinator to see if another doctor from my practice can sign off on it. I'm legit pissed. My emails go unanswered for 3 weeks and then now when i have 6 million other things to handle at work to prepare for I may have to just pick up and leave early on multiple days. ????