That was a lot of blood!

[Anne23]

Today I had my labs taken - 7 tubes of blood! I felt dizzy after - and following the labs I had my upper GI barium swallow. Oh my goodness - I was light headed from the blood work and also had an empty stomach and then chugged that awful barium solution (yuck!)... I had my stomach ultrasound as well which was uneventful (they did a great job ushering me from one procedure to the next - very efficient!) but it was rough! The woman in the lab gawked at how many labs were being run on me - but it makes sense to me that you would have a lot of labs prior to this procedure...right?

So far I have had the above plus a covid test (required before the upper GI), I have had two telehealth visits with the dietician (I am to track all my meals, separate meals and water by 30 min to get into the habit, and track when I take vitamins). I have one of my two required support group zooms tomorrow, and in early December I meet with the mental health advisor and meet the surgeon, and attend my second support group zoom. Then I hope they submit my insurance info. They said doing all this first will better my chances. (My insurance actually doesn’t have any guidelines except sign off from the 4 team members and one co-morbidity if under BMI 40 - and I have two).

I am trying to prepare in advance of meeting my surgeon with my list of questions - anything you guys were glad you asked...or wished you had asked, that I can make note of? Thanks in advance!

 

[JudyNY]

Yes my doc took a lot of blood too. I'm sure at least 7 but it was early this year so I can't remember exactly. I just remember remarking that I've never had so fill so many tubes of blood in one appointment! They do check for a lot of stuff and I also think they check to see if there are any nutritional deficits before they start. With my bariatric center, after the bloodwork I met with the PA to go over what vitamins I should start on immediately.

 

[3momchaos]

I had labs done with my primary in March, so they didn’t do any for me. That being said, I’ll probably get a TON done at my annual primary visit since she shares data with my surgeons office.

 

[Anne23]

Yes my doc took a lot of blood too. I'm sure at least 7 but it was early this year so I can't remember exactly. I just remember remarking that I've never had so fill so many tubes of blood in one appointment! They do check for a lot of stuff and I also think they check to see if there are any nutritional deficits before they start. With my bariatric center, after the bloodwork I met with the PA to go over what vitamins I should start on immediately.

Yes that’s a great plan to get started in addition vitamins ASAP!

 

[dianeseattle]

I remember having a similar experience. When I asked why so much blood, the lab tech revealed that she had actually only taken about a tablespoon of blood in total, but the way it looks in each of the tubes, people think it's much, much more. It's an optical illusion.

But your description sounds exactly like mine, 13 years ago! They kept individual sizes of cheesy crackers, cookies and apple or orange juices and took the blood as I lay down on an exam table. That was a real blessing, as I've always been a fainter. I was so grateful they were prepared for my needs and allowed enough time for me to prepare and recover.

It sounds like you're being prepped smartly and quickly. I'm excited for you. Can't wait to hear more! Which procedure are you having?

 

[Anne23]

I remember having a similar experience. When I asked why so much blood, the lab tech revealed that she had actually only taken about a tablespoon of blood in total, but the way it looks in each of the tubes, people think it's much, much more. It's an optical illusion.

But your description sounds exactly like mine, 13 years ago! They kept individual sizes of cheesy crackers, cookies and apple or orange juices and took the blood as I lay down on an exam table. That was a real blessing, as I've always been a fainter. I was so grateful they were prepared for my needs and allowed enough time for me to prepare and recover.

It sounds like you're being prepped smartly and quickly. I'm excited for you. Can't wait to hear more! Which procedure are you having?

RNY!!!

 

[dianeseattle]

Awesome! I think any of the procedures you can choose for WLS these days is fine, but I have to admit I am prejudiced toward RYGB. It just is so effective and you can feel it happening immediately. But once it has healed and you're not feeling nauseated anymore the weight comes off like water off a duck's back. It takes almost no effort, and yet you want to make an effort in order to make it happen faster.

I really didn't have any idea what questions to ask because that was so long ago, there wasn't enough scientific data to help me form a question. But if you have questions, you can surely ask anyone here who's had the surgery. No matter which surgery we had, we all have answers for newcomers.