Christmas Eve morning, I'm laying in bed snuggling with my Harlan my 5 year old. I can hear my other 3 kids eating breakfast and watching TV. It was supposed to be a restful morning as my Mom and my niece and nephew were coming that afternoon to spend the holidays with us. I had a few things still to do to prepare for our Christmas feast and some presents to wrap. I was not even thinking about surgery. My phone rings on the night stand next to me. I look at the number. It's a call from Spokane Plastic Surgery. My heart skips a beat. I take a deep breath and answer. It's an angel nurse named Pauline. She asked me if I still wanted to have my surgery this year? YES of COURSE I DO!!!! Apparently I am the first patient SPS has had that received Insurance approval for the whole tummy tuck procedure. My insurance company had agreed to pay for the skin removal, muscle wall tightening, belly button re positioning, and liposuction on my hips and buttocks area to help contour the fat under the scar.
Wow!
Holy SHIT!!! No Fucking Way! (oops sorry for my potty mouth, Pauline).
What happens next?
Pauline, the angel face Nurse, goes on to tell me I need to come in for blood work and bowel prep instructions. And Alicia lets me know I have to pay a deposit by 11 am to secure my surgery date which was December 30th.
DECEMBER 30, 2014!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pauline explained that once Dr. Buchanan had received the news from his office staff that my surgery (the whole thing) was approved he had asked Pauline to pull some strings with the hospital scheduler to get it done this year. So while I was completely unaware of my approval, and Dr. Buchanan was sitting on a beach in Hawaii (it's true, he was), this spunky sweet little angel of a nurse, Pauline worked really hard to get my surgery scheduled before the end of the year. Bless her perfect little heart, I am just overwhelmed with gratitude to her!
So I jump out of bed, grab my credit card, scream at my kid to get dressed and put their shoes on, throw on my Mom uniform (jeans, T-shirt, baseball cap, black dansko clogs, Oberlin Sweatshirt). We leave the house in less than 15 minutes. We arrive at the SPS office just in the nick of time. 10:45am. I pay the deposit. Pauline goes over the Bowel Prep instructions. She hands me the lab test slip. There is alot of blood work required. She makes me an appointment for the following Monday to see Dr. Buchanan and to go over my test results and do the final prep appointment before surgery. She tells me where to go to get my blood drawn and I head that direction.
I'm still basically in shock. Could this really be happening?
I get to the lab and due to a guy passing out in front of us there is a VERY long wait. With 4 kids, The day before Christmas. And the youngest tells me he didn't eat breakfast even though it got made for him. Oh no, please have mercy on us!! The hospital receptionist tells me I could try another location an offers to call the one up the street. It's 12:01. All other locations except the one we are at close at Noon on Christmas Eve. We are stuck. We have to wait it out! So after a 2 hour wait and chasing my son around the potted plants in the waiting room, trying to stop him from picking the leaves off or throwing the decorative moss around, they finally draw my blood and we are on our way home.
Christmas is tomorrow. But I know my anticipation will not end until the 29th when I see the Dr and he gives me my blood results.
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