I went in for my pre-operative testing on Dec. 30th. I had to fast for 12 hours before testing arriving at the hospital at 9 am I was registered for testing and pre-registered for my surgery. I was told during pre-registration that my payment due on the day of surgery would be about $1,200 more than expected. Instead of freaking out I decided to call my insurance company to verify my coverage and it looks like the hospital based that number on my coverage being 85/15 and didn't take into account that my max out of pocket is $2,000. Whew. I was told to pay the deductible of $250 on the day of surgery and have the hospital bill me for the balance. The director of registration made a note on my account at the hospital saying the same thing so that was a crisis averted.
Next I went to the lab to have some blood drawn, pee in a cup and get chest X-rays. I spoke with a nurse about pre-operative instructions and pain management after surgery. She went over all the usual stuff, nothing to eat or drink, bring prescription medications, shower with antibacterial soap, no make up, lotions, powders or perfumes, no jewelry, and arrive in loose clothing. I was given a folder with information on what to expect after surgery; pain control and medications/medication delivery methods and how to manage pain at home. There was also an insert that went over what to expect the morning of surgery and what will happen when I wake up after surgery.
When I was waiting for the chest X-rays I noticed it was about time for me to be back in the waiting room to meet with the Nutritionist and Surgical Nurse for the class. They were running behind and I had to ask if they could get me done so that I could move on to the next thing. They got me right in and out and when I got back to the waiting room a lady working in the waiting room kept asking me if I was there for the "Diabetic Class." Well, no I wasn't there for a diabetic class I was there for a class about nutrition after surgery. If it hadn't been for the surgical nurse announcing who she was looking for when she came in the room I guess I would have missed it or been late. I guess she was confusing diabetic for dietary but you would think someone working in a hospital would know the difference. It probably wouldn't have bothered me as much if I had been given time to get something to eat after the labs were done.
After all the lab tests were complete I had to go to a pre-admission testing education class or what I like to call the Scare the Crap Out of Me Seminar. It started out fine, we went over a lot of the things that I had already been reading about in the paper work I'd been given; diet after surgery, pre-op diet, bowel prep, nutritional supplements, what to bring to the hospital etc. THEN they started talking about what I should expect the morning of surgery ... and they had pictures. Now, I had been trying to not think about all that stuff because while I know that I should be prepared for it, thinking about it makes me anxious. So, I'm going to wake up with a drain tube coming out of my nose that goes to my stomach, a catheter, a "pain ball" which is something that contains pain medicine delivered directly to the surgical site, a drain tube from the surgical site and possibly a breathing tube. I say "possibly" because they try to have that out before you wake up but some people wake up with them if they decide that person still needs help breathing.
I will definitely freak out if I wake up with that breathing tube, no doubt about it but I can't think about it. Right now I'm focusing on being prepared for the pre-op diet, the bowel prep and the post-op diet. Those are the things within my control so I'm not thinking about the other stuff.
I spent this past weekend cleaning out my cabinets, fridge and freezer. I've been cooking and tossing all the stuff that won't be a part of my diet for at least the next year. Everyone tells me that at about 6 months out you can start reintroducing certain things to your diet but I will think about that at the 6 month point, for right now I don't want it in my house. I will have to sit down this week and make up my grocery list for the next two weeks liver shrinking diet.
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