Sleep study 2

Well last night at 9:30 I went in for my second and LAST sleep study. Everything was the same except for last night I had to sleep with a c pap machine (an oxygen machine / mask that sleep apnea people have to use). It's standard for all second nighters. I actually slept better the second night then I did the first night. I fell asleep earlier and without a sleeping pill this time. I did wake up around 3 or 4 (I guess...there are no clocks in the rooms) and I couldn't go back to sleep. All in all It wasn't to bad.

Sleep study 1

So I had my sleep study last night. "My" technician's name was Moe. He ROCKED! He was super sweet and took well care of me and he was only 20 years old! HAHAHA Anyways, I had wires coming off of me everywhere! My scalp had 4 wires stuck to it, one behind each ear, one on each temple, two on my chin, one on my throat, one on each collar bone, and a few on my legs. I also had some kinda strip stuck horizontally between my upper lip and my nose. I had little tubes in my nose and mouth to check whether I was breathing through my nose or mouth (I guess). Well, I WAS tired when I went in there but with little room to move and little metal things poking me in the head it was NOT easy falling asleep. I'm the kind of person that has to be COMPLETELY comfortable to fall asleep. Also I like it COLD when I sleep and I always sleep with my hair up because it makes my neck hot. It was NOT cold and my hair had to be down. UGH! I toss and turned til about midnight. Around 12:30 I called Moe in there and told him I just could not sleep at all! He said, "if you are not driving, I can give you a sleep aide". I'm like BRING IT ON!!! I was asleep within 30 mins or so. After about 4 hours asleep, the study was over. They woke me up at 5 am!! That totally sucked. I cherish my sleep and make sure MOST of the time that I get my 8 hours. LOL Oh well it wasn't as bad as I thought it was though. For my next one, I'm going to take a sleeping aide as soon as I get there!

Upper GI screening

I had my upper GI screening at the Baylor imaging center in Dallas. I was told not to eat, drink, smoke, or even chew gum after midnight last night. My last meal was actually around 6:00. I was pretty hungry by the time I was ready to start drinking Barium. TALK ABOUT NASTY!!! The first drink was ok. But after the second and third drinks, my gag reflexes started kicking in. The resident doing my screening was the sweetest man. He was understanding and made me feel better through the process. Everyone there was GREAT. Their office is SUPER nice and modern / chic. They have a lil fridge of juices and waters and a fancy coffee machine to help yourself too after the screening. They all made me feel like a human being. Not at all like just a big fat woman. THEY ROCK!! The whole ordeal took about 45 minutes or so. Everything went well. They saw all of my esophagus, stomach, and small intestine just fine. Next is my sleep study to check for sleep apnea on Friday night. I have to sleep there from 9:30 pm to 5 am.

Consult

I had my consult with Dr. Kennedy. My first impression of her was she was VERY PREGNANT! =D And since I have 4 kids of my own we talked about that a little bit. Dr. Kennedy seems very competent in her line of work and her team. I took a list of questions I wanted answered to my consultation and she answered every single one of them without hesitation. I was very scared and nervous going in and my mind was alot more at ease as I was leaving her office. Her office staff is WONDERFUL. They seem very put together and all had a smiling face. Their office is very nice and welcoming also. I asked her if she ever lost a patient due to surgery and that is my biggest fear. She said she didn't lose one to surgery but one of her patients died 2 months later from something non-surgery related but she still counts her because she was her patient. She DOES have a structured aftercare program which they highly emphasize. Overall I rate Dr. Kennedy a 10. I can't wait to have her do my surgery!!