Pre-Op

Hi

A pre- op assessment is to check your general health before surgery. 
At mine there was a lot of questions, bloods taken, general observations, a ECG, weighed, height. 
It’s really just to make sure you are fit for surgery to take place. You will also have a PCR 2 days before surgery. 

Hope this helps x

As Angua1 said, and they may also want to do an ECG. 

But, I am not keen on the fact that this was dropped on you out of the blue with no contact from your breast cancer team to go over the results, and more importantly, about your options! There has to be a conversation with the surgeon to go over what they want to do, what the options are, make a decision. So I am finding this invitation very strange and definitely out of sequence. On the plus side, they are moving fast, which is good.

If you are going in on Monday, I would demand to see the breast cancer nurse and insist on talking to both medical oncology and to the surgeon prior to signing any consent forms.

Thank you girls I'm a nervous nelly when it comes to new things and especially hospital visits.

I'm glad someone else thinks it's strange too, the only contact I've had with the bc team was the original diagnosis phone call on the 1st. 

I'll follow your advice and definitely ask to speak to everyone involved. Haven't even been informed of the results from the MRI. 

Although right now I can imagine the NHS are stressing out with the new variant spreading so quickly!

Hi GreyCats Apart from meeting the consultant for diagnosis, my pre-op came before all my other diagnostic tests. They also phoned to book me in.  I then had CT, MRI, nuclear bone scan and then had another appointment with my surgeon to discuss the treatment plan and order. 
I didn’t sign the consent until the day of the surgery. I think they just get it out of the way early 

This is interesting, Angua1, and good to know. I had three surgeries in as many months recently, and in all three the pre-op assessment was only done 2-3 days before surgery, as the last step, after all the scans were in, results discussed, surgery plan agreed on. From what you and Porcah27 at saying it seems they don't always do it this way which I am still finding strange, but one possible explanation is that by the time I was ready for surgery I was a "known quantity" and had already had some of the tests they repeat in the pre-op as part of my preparation for earlier treatment. Who knows. I just hope they don't try to rush Porcha27 into anything without giving her the opportunity to ask all questions, digest the information, and feel she truly is ready to sign consent and go ahead.

Hi

A physical pre-op last 3 months , so once that’s done , apart from covid testing , you are ready to go - maybe with covid cases rising they are wanting to get as many ops and pre-ops done as possible? 

They are quite straightforward really , noting to be concerned about.

Jo x

Hi Porcha27, hope it was all straightforward this morning. Just wanted to add, in my case I didn’t meet the surgeon till the day of the operation. It seems to vary so much from one hospital to another. My previous appointments had been at the breast clinic (based at a different hospital), with the clinic doctor (not a surgeon). So I think nothing is ‘typical’, which can make it feel all the more confusing. I definitely think that in these Covid times they try to fill every list for every clinic which presumably includes pre-ops. 
Mine was all pre Covid but a friend with an almost identical diagnosis to me had treatment this year and everything was quicker than mine! So I’d say try not to read anything into the ‘urgency’. It’s a very anxious and worrying stage, hopefully you’ll feel a bit better after the pre op’s been done and you may have more information. But as GreyCats has said, phone if necessary to make sure you have the information you need to make an informed decision. Love and hugs, HFxx

Thank you all so much. 

Pre-op went well, all tests done and got the go ahead. Thankfully wasn't as scary as I pictured! 

Still didn't meet the surgeon, so no real answers except what to expect with surgery. General anesthetic, day surgery, wide local excision with lymph node removal.

Hopefully get an appointment soon and get on the road to recovery 

I only met the surgeon when I was marked up just before I was walked down to the operating theatre by the anaesthetist! Also, at my clinic appointment to sign the consent forms for surgery I asked who the surgeon would be and was told “Whoever is in that day”. Considering I was given a certain date for surgery I didn’t think such a reply to my question was very appropriate, only made me more anxious!

Oh gosh that would be anxiety inducing!! You poor lass