Pre-Op Appt

We had our pre-op appointment today with Dr. Pinto. The appt was at 10:30 am....as usual, I leave in just enough time to walk in the door at 10:30. I call Kevin as I'm walking down from the parking garage at the hospital, and as he predicted, he forgot (even though we'd talked about it the past few days and I emailed him yesterday to put it on his calendar!) and was just heading out. Turns out that it didn't matter because we ended up waiting an hour in the waiting room!

Finally we get called back and go into the office. I didn't know whether there would be any type of exam today or not (turns out not) but figured it would be a pretty short appt. Dr Pinto went over what to expect when we get to the surgical center, and the basics of how the surgery will be handled:

I have to get there at 11:30 am (surgery is at 1:00). No eating or drinking after midnight, so that will be fun -I guess I'll stay up late and have a late snack, then sleep in! He will take me back while I'm still awake so that he can get me in position comfortably. He explained that he had a procedure a few years ago and they knocked him out and then put him in position, and when he woke up, he had a horrible crick in his back that lasted a few weeks! So, he takes steps to avoid that now for his patients. The procedure itself should take less than 15 mins, barring any complications. It'll be like a minor version of a D&C, just focusing on the polyp removal, while observing the rest of the uterus while he's in there to make sure there aren't any other issues. Of course there are risks.....he could poke a hole in the uterus while inserting the catheter (which has never happened to him), my uterus could absorb too much fluid, but they have safeguard procedures to prevent that from happening and they will stop the surgery if it appears that is happening well before I reach a dangerous level. And of course there's always a risk with anesthesia, which is what I'm worried about most.

I've been knocked out once before, when I was in college, to get my wisdom teeth removed. I remember being really nervous, and I remember crying as I was waking up, which they said was normal for people that are nervous. But now, I'm married and I have a little girl, and the fear is starting to get to me a little more. I know it's irrational, and that I don't have any medical reason to be so nervous, but it's still there.

Okay, back to the 'walkthrough'....after the procedure, they'll hold me in recovery in the surgery room, then take me to a recovery room to wake up (about 30-40 mins for that)....then they'll let Kevin come back after I wake up. They'll get me up and about a little, and give me some crackers and water or juice and make sure I'm good with that, and then I'll get to go home shortly after! He said I should be back to normal, able to move and work as normal, within 4 hours, but I'll still be under the effects of the anesthesia for about 24 hours. Pain-wise, I shouldn't have need for anything stronger than over-the-counter, Tylenol or Advil; if I do, then call him immediately! I should be able to eat a normal, light dinner (which I'm sure I'll be dying for by then!). Expect possible light spotting, light cramping, shouldn't get worse then that. So, in other words, if everything goes as planned, I'm probably expecting it to be worse than it actually will be.

There is also the 'unknown' white spotty area near the polyp that he couldn't tell what it was during the sono-histogram that he's going to check out...probably just scar tissue, but at least we'll hopefully find out for sure. Dr Pinto will take photos before, during and after the procedure, and while I'm in recovery, will go out and explain everything he did, so that hopefully Kevin can explain it to me later while I'm coherent. Then, I go back in about a week for a checkup, and hopefully we'll be good to go after that! Of course, I'll probably be ovulating during that week, so another cycle down.

I'm anxious, nervous, and apprehensive, but excited to get past this and get on with the process again. Kevin still has to get tested, but hopefully can get that taken care of in the next few weeks.

Oh, I almost forgot this! Yes, I have insurance, but with my deductible (which unfortunately hasn't been met yet) and my 20%, we're having to pay $853 on Friday!!!!! Ugh! At least we found this out about 3 weeks beforehand, so we had time to prepare for it.