Sleep study

My orientation is not until January but me and my family doctor though we would be pro active and get me a sleep test done so I have it done already and hopefully it will move this easier for me. She sent in the referral to have one done and I received a call from the clinic to book the appointment. May 2015 is the soonest they are able to get me in!! So much for being pro-active. I wonder if it will be quicker if I just wait for TWH to book it for me.

I suggest to keep that date just in case! If the bariatric centre can get you in quicker, just cancel that appointment.

Wow! I wonder why it takes so long to get in.. I got my referral and had my sleep study done within a week. Shoppers Home Health Care rents out the machines here for $30, bring it home, hook yourself up, and bring it back in the morning.

I'd definitely keep the appointment. :) Good luck!

I imagine they probably can get you in quicker but I would keep it just in case and ask about a cancellation list. When my doctor referred me I got the same sort of thing an appointment for 6 months down the road I asked about a cancellation list and got a call a month later for an early date so you never know. 

I had the same sort of situation and it was going to slow down the process considerably. I got put on the waiting list and less than a month later, I was in. It helps if you can be flexible with your time. They called me for an appointment the next day.

If you can be flexible on your time, ask if they have a cancellation list.  The only catch is you could be called for a same day appointment.  I did that, and had mine within a week of calling.  All you can do is ask.

Cathy

Just called the sleep lab and they put me on a cancellation list. She says they do come up often. Fingers crossed!!

The first time I got a sleep study done (2008) it took so long that in the time between the referral and actually doing the study I had lost about 50lbs and essentially "cured" myself of what was suspected sleep apnea. When I went back in for another this time (of course have since gained it back), they said I do have mild apnea, but I don't need a CPAP and they are confident I will "cure" it yet again post-surgery. 

The study is very involved and most clinics can only handle a couple patients per night. They are hooking up tons of wires and tubes and testing devices - that part alone takes a solid 20 minutes - and then they are watching you sleep on a camera and tracking all the readings. It's a lot of data they gather that is pretty time-intensive so I'm guessing this is why it takes so long to get a referral. If 1000s of people have apnea/need to get tested they can only tick away at the list slowly over time.

How long does it take to get the results from it?

Also how do you fall asleep with all that hooked to you,. I have a lot of problems sleeping as it is and need to take sleeping pills to sleep.

If you go through the clinic associated with TWH they get the results very quickly. It took my family doctor about a month to get the results faxed over, but that was fine because the bariatrics dept already had them. It took a little over a month to see the Sleep doctor to go over the results, as I understand he's always overbooked. 

The day they called me for an appointment, I asked if there was anything sooner and they offered me that very night! I went in and did it that night so it sped everything up very well. Otherwise I would have had to waited another month or two. Cancellations are your friend, if you are able to be flexible.