Pre-op Appointments

Daniela’s operation should be tomorrow at 7am, but today we went to Santiago to do an anesthesia pretest. We arrived at 6:30am before the hospital really opens because you have to wait to be served by when you arrive. No one was working until 8 so people piled in by that time. We quickly were a mess about what order we would go in because the seating was limited because of Covid. I tried to organize us by number until the number got too big. My point was to get Daniela a number before we got pushed to the side. 

When the nurses arrived at 8, it quickly was tossed aside as the nurse announced the actual lines for certain procedures. The room basically bursted into everyone getting up and going to their spot. At these point it really didn’t matter for a lot of people because order was destroyed. For us, it was fine. I arrived as number 4 and the family of 3 in front of us had to move, so we became number one. A lady took number 1 seat and I nicely told her she wasn’t 1, but she got to the seat first to claim it. Another man came up claiming 2 and she moved down the line. 

The machines to spray you for covid and the temperature machine aren't working this early in the morning. I wonder why people in the hospital in the morning don't need it.

 9:08AM We had to pay for a Covid test and then the anesthesia. The clerk asked for a Dominican ID. Daniela doesn’t receive her legal ID until she turns 18. (Her birthday is in 10 days and she turns 17!) so I passed my phone with my passport ID. We paid and left to testing and noticed that I'm listed as the patient. When we told the clerk, we found another mom with the same problem. The clerk told us it was our faults it was done wrong. We told her that these are minors, obviously the ID is the mom. In order to correct the issue, she made a fake bill for 1000 pesos ($17) and stamped it paid. I already paid the real bill for $2800 pesos ($48). I’ll have to double check later on my final bill that this isn’t there. I don’t think she understood that this throws off her drawer and I imagine she does this for mistakes.  

Everytime Daniela is called or someone talks to Daniela I go to her and they tell me to go outside or sit on the sides, I keep reminding them this is a minor (why doesn’t anyone look at her paper with her age?) and I’m going into all rooms that she does.  

9:30 Covid test is done and it takes 30 minutes to return with results. She's drawn blood 3 times this week and both arms are bruised up.  She had to do more tests after the cardiologists tests because our surgeon forgot to tell us that she needed a certain list.  He also forgot to tell us that she gets a covid test at the pre-op appointment.  I already paid for a covid test a few days ago.  You really have to go with the flow and expect to spend money.  I actually already did all the blood tests last month with our first surgeon but he won't email me the results, nor send them to the new surgeon, so we retested in town instead of going to La Vega and back.

10:18 Waiting in a hallway to do an anesthesia pre-op test  

10:23 (In anesthesia testing office) We found out that this test is not a test for anesthesia. It is technically called that but bad communication didn’t tell us it’s the part to analyze all testing before surgery and complete a file in computer.  

Finished and completed her file. 

I’m going to talk to my nurse friends about which anesthesia to do. They want to do it in her back and I’m not exactly a fan of that. 

10:53 Leave and take stairs because the elevator isn’t working. The crazy steps almost make Daniela fall as your foot only fully fits on each step by the very edge.

11:15 We went to the equipment center and the price was 17,000 ($294) over the price quoted. He called my doctor and gave me a discount but said I don’t have to pay today, but pay tomorrow after surgery. I probably won’t return after surgery, I’m going to want to stay with D. I’ll head back there before I leave Santiago. They said if we don’t use all the equipment then I don’t have to pay for it. I really have no idea what that means, like why wouldn’t you use it?  

My sweet Dominican lawyer friend told me to pay all in credit card and never to pay doctors in cash—as my surgeon had asked. He was willing to give me a discount if I paid in cash but the discount isn’t worth it. I might as well put it on my CC and earn the miles for a free flight and pay it off immediately.

We got home this afternoon and will return in the morning at 7AM.  Surgery should be at 8am.  I'll update you tomorrow.

*I took notes to update you guys as our day went today in the NOTES app and I'm about to hop into a class at 5:30, so I haven't proofread this well!  Forgive me for the errors!