I am in Houston! I went to a new doctor today, a surgeon to hopefully schedule gallbladder removal. I had a bit of trepidation as (1) I have never met this doctor and, (2) the warnings of others about bureaucracy.
NEITHER was an issue. In fact I was actually startled and pleasantly surprised at the lack of paperwork in order to meet Dr. James Wallace, surgeon. The reception door opened promptly at 11AM, the appointed hour and I was taken to an exam room. Dr. Wallace immediately popped his head in the door and said he was taking my sonogram x-rays to review and would be right back. He was.
He examined me briefly. Showed me a pamphlet on the gallbladder and told me about the procedure.
He asked if I had any questions. I didn't and he ushered me into the office of "Nancy" who had been so gracious in setting up the appointment for me initially.
Nancy immediately made a call to St. Luke's Outpatient Center and confirmed the penciled in appointment that she had previously scheduled. I was then sent from the 24th floor to the 12th, which is St. Luke's pre-
register floor, where all paperwork was efficiently completed by two different individuals while I was there.
Then an EKG, blood pressure check and blood was drawn. I was through.
Information sheets along with a map were given to me and I was told where to go on Monday at 10AM for noon surgery.
Unbelievably smooth and efficient service. Add to that that each person was very polite and courteous. I was extremely impressed.
I don't know what I expected but with all the horror stories, I certainly didn't expect all of this to be completed in under two hours.
All is well with the world.
Monday I will do as they say. I will be where I'm supposed to be. This will all be over and a blip on the memories of life.........hopefully.
The weather is warming up and I intend to enjoy being outside for the next few days before I have to be inside for a couple of days or so.
In Houston at least, the medical world is running as smoothly as ever. Halleluiah.
17 comments:
It will be smooth sailing right on through. This time next week it'll be behind you.
Angels are everywhere if we but look for them. Seems you've already met a couple....
:)
Barbara
Good luck, all will be fine and you will be home soon.
Well! I'm thrilled that it's smooth so far. No detailed questions about your medical history, smoking, drug use, cause of death of your grandparents, etc?
Buena Suerte!
Kim G
Boston, MA
Where we go under the knife two days later.
Thanks Barbara and Brenda~
Kim they asked all those questions. The most interesting was this. "Are you being physically or mentally abused in a relationship at the present time?" Wow. I sat and thought about that. Then I said that my cat does mentally abuse me sometimes at 4:30 in the morning when she wants to go out. I thought the woman was going to fall out of her chair laughing.....and so it goes! Didn't ask anything about family history, parents or grandparents. It was very straightforward.....amazing!
Good luck to you! I'm sure the operation also will go as smooth as silk.
Saludos,
Bill
This is good news...you will be fine. I will call to check on you before I leave.
So glad to hear that all went well yesterday! The remainder will be a piece of proverbial cake!
Sharon
Boston
I will be on the rad on Monday, but you will be in my prayers.
I'm glad it is going so smoothly. My brother and his wife came in yesterday. We leave tomorrow morning for SMA. Havea quick, comfortable recovery. Sorry we will miss you.
Ah, Barbara...we told you and we told you, it's gonna be easy, but did you believe us??? Nooooo, but now you've found out that it's gonna be easy. And the Monday "actual procedure" will be just as easy, you won't even know it's been done. No muss, no fuss, and you'll be back on the beach in Galveston wondering what all the worry was about. Love, Ron & Fred
Thanks again everyone! I'm hanging in here til Monday......and Ron, as usual you are all knowing! Thankfully.
I'm going to call the SPCH (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Humans) on Velcro.
It's time someone did an intervention!
Saludos and Buena Suerte,
Kim G
Wishing you an uneventful procedure and swift recovery to 100%. I had this done a decade ago, and that was my experience...
Kim, some day I'll have to tell you Velcro's routine to get me to wake up and let her out. It's hilarious. Sometimes I lay awake just to see if she is going to do each step!
Thanks Stan and Bill and everyone else. Onward........
hi babs - thanks for your post and best wishes - hope that you are soon home, comfortably recuperating. when you have time, i'd like to know why you chose to have the surgery in houston rather than mexico. thanks, and best wishes - abigail
Hi Abigail - The main reason is that I have complete insurance coverage in the USA and would hve to pay cash in Mexico.
Plus our hospital in San Miguel is like a small town hospital and the town does not have a blood bank in case of emergencies.
I felt more comfortable flying to Houston which, in my opinion, has the best medical facilities on the planet.......Thanks for your kind words.
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