Study THIS!!

I went for my sleep study last night.  How in the world does anyone manage to fall asleep feeling like the end result of a sixth grader's science fair project gone wrong???  (Add to this the fact that my herniated disk makes sleeping flat on my back very uncomfortable.)  Despite my insomnia the night before, I was unable to sleep for more than 2 or so hours.  AND WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING WHEN I DECIDED TO DRINK A BOTTLE OF WATER ON MY WAY TO THE SLEEP LAB???

Anyway, the tech told me that I stopped breathing frequently and for varying lengths of time while I was asleep -- something Cynthia has already told me.     I'm thinking this won't get in the way of my up-coming surgery, and is just something for the anesthesiologist to be aware of?  In my "worst case scenerio" mentality, I envision being told that I need to be treated for my apnea before they will operate...

 

i'm sure you'll be fine i had severe obstructive sleep apnea pre-op (my rdi was 138.5 which means that i stopped breathing an AVERAGE of 138.5 times an hour, every hour for 10 seconds or more each time. that's more than two times a minute!) anywho, i got a c-pap machine and was made to bring that to the hospital with me when i had my surgery and everything turned out right as rain. and now, nearly two years post-op (this actually happened before i hit my one year mark) i am totally free of my cpap machine!

actually hon......since you already have been approved for the surgery, having sleep apnea would have fuel the fire in getting it approved.  If you get a CPAP prior to surgery, they may tell you to bring it with you for when you are in your hospital room.  As for me, I have a CPAP but I'm a stomach/side sleeper so I never used it because do you know how hard it is to sleep with a mask on when your face is buried in a pillow?  LOL  They had me on oxygen in my hospital room (just the little nasal nibs) and those seemed to really help with the sleep apnea because you CAN'T sleep on your stomach after surgery because it's painful and you may pop something. 

When I came home from surgery I slept on my couch while propped up for about a week or so then I tried moving to the bed.

Hey there!  I have had a CPAP for about 5 years now and though it may be a pain in the a&& at first, believe me if you can get used to it, you will think you have never slept before. 
I use the mask that just covers my nose because I am not a mouth breather, but I did take it to the hospital with me when I had the surgery. 

Aaron, you can get special masks for side sleepers as I am one too, check into it, it's so worth it!!!!

Good luck!!

 They have masks for side sleepers? I never use my CPAP since I am a side sleeper and my mask isn't for that. Next time I get a new mask (just got one) I'll have to ask about that.

I've never heard of sleep apnea preventing someone from having surgery.  However, they prefer that you're treated for it before you have surgery, particularly so you can use your CPAP or BiPAP machine in the recovery room and during your hospital stay.

/Steve

Joanne, I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea for many years. I call these studies the no-sleep study. I can hardly fall asleep with the wires, noise and then having to sleep on my back. I hate it when my doctor tells me that I need to go In for another one. On my first one, I was in the room next to a nurses station and the stairwell door. All night they were talking and the door slamming. I think I slept 2 hours. The funny thing was that like 4 years later I went back to the same hospital. When the tech was wiring me up, she tells me she remembered me from the last time four years ago. I then told her I have less patience now. If I am still awake after 2 hours, I am heading home!  lol  Anyway, I can now get some sleep during them but hate them with a passion. -- Tom