Does any one know what i will be enduring at the cardiologist for my surgery clearance? Ive never been to a cardiologist and am a bit worried about this. I have high blood pressure that i am taking meds for. Other than that I don't think there is anything wrong with my heart. 

Each doctor is different and depends on your history.  Don't worry it will be ok, I had an EKG and was fine.  Keep us posted on how you do.

Regards,

Kathy

My cardio portion involved an EKG where I just layed on a table and they took measurements.

I was worried that they wouldn't operate on me as my heart "shivers"/shakes from taking prescribed and herbal phenteramine (i.e. the bad part of phen-phen).

I passed though, got the surgery, life is good, the ending is happy.  

;)

what exactly are they doing?  A stress test?  If so, I had one of those.  They first inject dye (into your arm) so they can see your heart during the test.   They then stick you into a machine that looks sort of like an MRI, only it's open at both ends and (fortunately), your head stays outside of the machine.  They then do a bunch of measurements of your heart to see what it's like under normal conditions.  

Then they will either make you run on a treadmill for a few minutes or give you an injection of something that will simulate strenuous exercise (they did the latter with me since no way could I run fast enough on a treadmill).  Afterwards, they'll stick you back into the machine and take the same measurements, so they can compare your heart under normal conditions vs under strenuous conditions.

The only thing I found somewhat uncomfortable about this whole test was that injection.  It made my heart race and I started getting a headache.  It was just...weird.  Although it was gone after a few minutes.  All the rest of the stuff was easy-peasy.

I got low sugar on the treadmill and they had to stop the stress test and get me some juice and crackers.  It did not stop me from having surgery.

The good thing to me about all the testing is that it made me feel I was pretty healthy in spite of the weight.  I had never done a psychological test or a stress test before.

Catwoman gave a very comprehensive answer. 

Don't stress about it. It will take a little time out of your day, but its just routine.

I was given a stress test, on the treadmill and an EKG.  The stress test was very easy, I didn't have to run, I didn't have an IV, I just walked while hooked up to the same leads as the EKG.  Then I had to lie down and they tested how long it took my heart rate to return to normal.  Simple, fast and made me feel good to know I passed with flying colors.

My clinic only referred me to a cardiologist after I had an abnormal EKG in their office. I met with him, had a stress echocardiogram, and found out I was fine, I just have a strange tilt to my heart that affected the EKG and, ironically, is most common in people who are tall and thin. If you haven't had any indication of heart problems in the past, this will probably be one of the easiest clearances you get.  

Thanks so much for the info. I went to cardiologist yesterday and everything was fine. EKG was good and I got the green light. It was just a formality. 

I really appreciate the help you guys have given me through this journey. My surgery is set for Monday 12/21 at 11 am. Im sure Ill have plenty of questions post. 

Thanks Again!