APPROVED!!!!!!

I GOT THE CALL!!!!!!!! They want to set up my surgery date! OMG I can't describe everything that was going on in my head at the time...anxiety, excitement, and scared. I couldn't process everything on the phone with the surgery scheduling lady. Well my surgeon is out on maternity leave and won't be back until November. Her partner can do my surgery and has done ALOT more than she has and has been doing it on his own longer too. So I asked them if he could do mine instead. They said yea. So on October 8th, I'm going to go meet Dr. Kuhn, decide whether I want him or Colleen Kennedy to do my surgery, pre-admit into the hospital, get a sonogram on my gallbladder, get checked for leg clots, and whatever else they want to do to me, AND schedule my date all on the same day! PHEW!! OMG it's going to be a hectic day on myself. LOL My biggest issue is I know there is a travel limit after surgery and I'm flying to California on Christmas Eve with my husband and four kids and I don't want any added stresses on my body than I'm already going to have. Heck...I don't even know if I'm going to be able to fly anyways. We'll see. I want to fly out there but this is more important to me. I can't believe it! It's here! It's SOOOO close it's SCARY!!! So depending on the surgeon I choose, my surgery is going to be close to the end of October or about mid November. All I have to do now is wait. *sighs* I know everything is going to be great BECAUSE I have the best support system and help line-up EVER!! My family and my bestest friends I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!! XOXO

Sleep study results

Well I went in for my sleep study results yesterday afternoon. What I found out was shocking. I have moderate to severe sleep apnea. I quit breathing 160 times in a matter of about 4 hours of sleep. I also woke up ALOT during the night. It mostly happened in REM sleep when I was dreaming. That was the first night that I slept there. The second night that I slept there I slept on the CPAP machine so they could compare results. I hardly quit breathing on it and I stayed asleep the whole time. They also did a test on my lungs to check them out and the doctor said my lungs look good actually! That was awesome to hear since I have been smoking for 12+ years or something like that. I was surprised! That was a good enough reason to quit smoking knowing I still have good lungs. Anyways, so they recommend that I sleep on a CPAP machine and at night and even during naps. I dont' have to but they recommend it. I have a friend who sleeps on it and she said she has unbelievable energy and said after a while you won't be able to sleep without it. I haven't done it yet but I guess I might as well. UGH! LOL The doctor said the sleep apnea should be gone by the time I lose a good amount of weight from the surgery. We'll see!!

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!!