Thank God thats over!

Yesterday on October 12th, I had to go through a series of tests to make sure I am all set and ready for surgery! I had to be at UMass for 8 am first test at 8:30 and next at 9:30! Nothing to eat or drink after midnight the night before. I had looked up the tests I was having and figured; "if I can give birth to 2 children naturally, I am all set". Now honestly I didn't know what I was gettin myself into. I go into the room, the nurse tells me she is going to stick a q-tip up my nose to numb it and then squirt this "stuff" into the back of my mouth to numb that as well. Ok, I figured I am calm...then WHAM she stuffed the q-tip in my nostril and OUCH!!!! Then talk about gag reflexes...she sticks this skinny tube to the back of the throat, thought I was going to be sick! Now that is not even the begining...she takes a lubricant jelly and puts that up the nostril. then says "ok, now try to relax" as she begins to put this tube up the nostril and down to the back of my throat! "Don't swallow til I say" (Do you know how hard it is to not swallow and swallow on command)? So this test lasted for 20 mins, felt like 20 mins of tourture!!!

Next test was a bit better not as invasive but an Upper GI is not that fun! Drinking that barium white chalky drink..Ewwww! They had me stand up, lay down, roll over, on your back, on your side...now do a complete 360, this helps coat the stomach. Well...I left the hospital in one piece but the first test gave me the biggest sinus headache you could ever imagine.

So with those tests done, they found that I have a small hiatal hernia and acid reflux disease. So the good news is they can take care of the hernia when I go in for surgery...just hopfully now with the acid reflux disease, they will still let me have the Lap-Band done and not encourage me to go for the bypass instead!
Well, with all said and done I had a rough but very accomplished columbus day weekend. Last Friday marked my 6 months, am I now considered a Non-Smoker??? I had to give up coffee because the caffine will slow down the healing process of surgery. So massive caffine withdrawls and horrible cravings for coffee...but I lived through it and feel great! Decaf is alright every once in a while!

Well the one thing I love at the moment is within myself~~~WILL POWER~I have it and gonna keep using it til I meet all my goals.

Till next time (hopefully I will have a surgery date soon)~

Mandy