Mild Sleep apnea

I just had a sleep study test and I was told I have a mid case of apnea. I do stop breathing but not enought to make it severar apnea. They can do surgery to fix it or I can get my tonsils out. Dose anyone know if insurance will still cover WLS with a mid case of apnea and a few other commodities? Should I opt out of getting my tonsils removed and go with the other surgery? My tonsils are very large and the Doctor thinks it might help with my slight apnea. -Billie Jo

:hahah: commodities=co-morbities see thats what I get for useing spell check when I'm half asleep...please forgive my typos they don't have an edit button on here

If you are going to have WLS I would wait to do any type of sleep apnea surgery (tonsils, adenoids, uppp etc)... the drs say that 96 to 99% of sleep apnea patients are resolved after WLS. If you weren;t going for WLS then you might want to look into the other surgeries. I had my adenoids done years before I considered WLS and did not have any improvement. The best surgery for sleep apnea UPPP only has a 50% success rate. CAn't say as for the insurance aspect Ihave no idea. But I would guess that if you have sleep apnea and other comorbidities you should be okay. Best of luck

Thanks Terrisa for the responce. I think I'll wait to find out if I get approved for the WLS then.

Just my two cents, I had surgery to correct the sleep apnea. They removed excess tissue and also straightened out my nasal passages. In my case, it was done in vain. Still had apnea, my voice changed. I use to have a deeper voice, now it's a different tone. Still wound up getting a cpap which helped me feel more rested. After a couple of years, switched over to a bipap which was even better for me. Whatever choice you make, good luck! - Bobby

Okay Bobby, I haven't heard of a bipap. I go in for another sleep study to be fitted for a CPAP and the doctor says there will be several different kinds to try. I don't want all the head gear I see on the CPAP website. I understand that sometimes your nasal passages get very dried out using this machine without the humidifier you can get. What has been your experience? Please advise. CaroleM in Arizona

Hi Carole, the headgear is the same for a bipap machine. So you still have to eventually find one you're comfortable with. I can't stand the full mask. I use the nasal pillows. The particular mask I use also lets me wear my glasses so I can read in bed. As far as the humidifier? I only use it in the winter when we have the heat on and the air is very dry. Different strokes for different people though. Ask your doctor about a bipap. I'm sure he's referring to several different types of masks that they normally have for you to try. Good luck!! - Bobby