August 24, 2005,cont.--After the visit at Dr. Montero's office, I had to go to the Seton NW Hospital and register for my admission. More papers to sign, more reminders of the possibilities of dire consequences. I know the possibilities are remote, but I still find it worrisome. Call me a drama queen, or whatever. I signed off on their stuff, lots of it. Then I was ushered in to see an anesthesiologist. I guess these guys are used to dealing with unconscious people. He could have been a little more personable. And he may not be the one administering the anesthesia, he's just with the group that contracts with the hospital. I guess I wanted some kind of reassurance from him, but sure didn't walk away with any. After that, I had to get an EKG taken. It had been 9 years since I had one of those. The nurse cleared me to leave. I ran by the office for a little while, ate some cheese & crackers and went to see my dentist. Since my regular appointment was supposed to be Sept. 8th, I decided to get my cleaning and check-up taken care of before my surgery so I wouldn't have to worry about getting there. Who knows what kind of shape I'll be in on Sept. 8th. While I was in the dentist's waiting room, I got a call from the nurse at the hospital. Seems the anesthesiologist didn't like the looks of my EKG. I might have a damaged place in my heart, perhaps from an earlier heart attack. Heart attack? Don't you think a person would notice if she was having a heart attack? I told them that my heart skips a beat every now and then, just like Grandma's did (she lived to be 94). The anesthesiologist wants me to get clearance from a cardiologist before the surgery. I told the hospital nurse to call my PCP's nurse and ask her to get a referral for me to see someone. After I got through with the dentist thing, I spoke to my PCP's nurse, and they had gotten me an appointment with Dr. Whitaker tomorrow morning. Dr. Thadani apparently didn't interpret the EKG to show a problem, but I'm sure the anesthesiologist is just doing a CYA.
The cheese and crackers didn't hold me very long. I was starving, undoubtedly from emotional hunger, and went to Wally's and had one of their famous burgers. It really wasn't very satisfying. Went back to the office, did a little work, and headed for home. Lee had prepared pork roast and rice, but I had just eaten that damned burger. I think his feelings were hurt, and he said, "I'm supposed to be keeping you healthy." I told him I would eat it later, and I did. But what I really needed right then was a nap. It certainly felt right. Amazing what a little shut-eye can do for me.
I thought the day I had the MRI was stressful, but I have to say that today takes the cake. It's unfortunate that the medical folks have to unload all those "possibilities," on a person about to have surgery. If I had realized how it was going to do, I certainly would have taken a Xanax for my nerves.
May I give a special thanks to all of you who have made a donation to Stefanie's team, Tiny Dancers, for the Komen Foundations Race for the Cure. God bless you!