I think I have Sleep Apnea- What now?

Ok. I am already in the process of getting WLS. My Dr. office is hoping to file for the insurance for it on April 8. I just discovered that I might have Sleep Apnea a few weeks ago. I was looking at a profile on obesityhelp and realized their sleep apnea stuff sure sounded a lot like me. I found a link and took a quiz that said if I scored higher than a 10 to contact my Doctor. I scored a 33. So I brought this up to the people in my WLS office. And they said...well, I don't know if they will even bother testing you since you are having the surgery and it will go away when you loose some weight. I wasn't happy with that response. So I asked my primary care Dr.'s office about it and they said- Mention it when you go to the cardiologist in a few weeks for clearance. Also, now that I have realized what is going on....it really bothers me. This seems serious actually. So should I call my primary care Dr. back and nag them for an appointment for this? Or do I make an appointment with my WLS??? Or just wait and ask the cardiologist? I don't know what to do. I am guessing I have had this for about 4 years now. Any input appreciated! Linda

Yes, yes, yes pursue it !!! I've been reading many posts and it IS important for your surgeon and hospital staff to know if you have sleep apnea!!! Because of the low oxygen levels, it can be dangerous for you after surgery. Someone--wish I could remember the post .....ugh! But, they talked about not being able to be awakened after surgery and oxygen levels being in the 20's...when they should be high 90's. I'm thinking when you do have sleep apnea--after surgery they put you on the CPap and have someone at your bedside while you sleep! It's THAT important and I would worry if it's your WLS people saying it's no big deal. Not trying to freak you out too bad---but advocate for your safety and health!! It's not petty. I'm about to have my test and I'm sure I've had it for years too.....I never realized how important sleep is (can explain MANY of my woes) and how dangerous it is when you're depriving your brain of oxygen when you sleep!!!!! YOU are right! ALWAYS trust your instincts! Good luck! Linda

I feel stupid for not realizing this is what I had earlier. It all makes perfect sense. In fact, I had a proceedure done about 4 years ago. And after it I remember them saying in recovery- "Breath Linda, Breath". And I thought...how stupid. Of course I am breathing? Aren't I? And I would take a deep breath because they were telling me too. But it was very shortly after this- I started having symptoms. I began being so short tempered that I didn't even recognize myself. I was SO irritable and having horrible headaches. So I went to my awful (I have since changed) "doc in a box" type doctor. And he said he thought it was my blood pressure. Which I thought was CRAZY because for years even though I am obese- I have had great blood pressure. But Very suddenly I began to have high blood pressure. Well, I changed to a new Doctor and asked him to investigate to see if there wasn't another cause for my high blood pressure. Now, to give him credit, he did investigate for other possible causes. But he didn't find this. But I like him because he does seem concerned about my overall health. (Unlike my other Dr. who just wanted to know what type of prescription to write me today). In addition to the sudden out of character irritable mood, headaches, high blood pressure. I have been very tired (I thought it was just from carrying all this extra weight), I get up to pee at 3 AM EVERY night. (And I remember when this came on... I use to sleep like a rock through the night) And if I sit down anytime around 3 PM I will have this weird thing where I fall asleep even if I fight it with every fiber of my being. (I suspected blood sugar was the cause of this and tried eating a small amount of protein around this time...but it didn't seem to effect it). This stuff all came on suddenly about 4 years ago. And if I had to guess... I would say I had gained a bit of weight around this same time period. Anyway, it wasn't until taking the quiz that I asked my hubby to tell me what my snoring sounded like. I realized that I make this weird "snort" sound at night. And now that I have figured all this out....I DREAD going to sleep at night. Which is really weird because I am VERY tired!!! Does anyone else feel like this? Anyway, thanks for the encouragement. I am going to call my Dr. and bug him about testing me for this ASAP. I know that having the WLS will help. But how long will I be suffering while waiting for the "right amount of weight" to come off so that I can sleep normal again?! And obviously, it will be important for my WL Surgeon to be aware and take precautions if I have it. Linda

If you don't need referrels, just call a pulminologist and tell them you think you have sleep apnea. if you have it, your anesthesiologist needs to know.

I'm female,single, 44 yrs old and live in Tempe. (BMI 58.5?) --pre-op. I have been using a cpap machine for about 3-4 yrs now...my family had always made fun of my loud snoring and I never felt rested no matter how much sleep I got. I also have a deviated septum in my nose. So imagine my surprise when my PCP suggested a sleep study and I failed miserably. It was ackward trying to sleep in a clinical setting and attached to machines. But despite that...once I fell asleep with the cpap machine I was amazed how alert and awake I felt on only about 3 hours of deep sleep during the sleep study!! It took me awhile to find a mask I could use...for me the nasal pillows were what finally worked for me. I developed sores and numbness from the original two masks...and it took awhile (my niece called it my GONZO --from Sesame Street mask!) but once I got the nasal pillows; I can't even take a nap without using the machine. I was amazed how much of a difference getting adequate sleep makes!! The noise is like a "white noise" for me. I am hoping though to sleep without a cpap machine at some point post-surgery. I am self-conscious about sleeping with anyone else in my bed (like a b/f) with the machine...since I don't fiind it to be an attractive look....but then again stopping breathing and heavy duty snoring isn't that attractive either? wink. I agree with other posters...that you should take it seriously and get it checked out before wls. My PCP referred me to a pulmatologist and I did a sleep study at a sleep center where 1/2 the night I slept without it and the 2nd 1/2 with the cpap machine---huge difference! I also know that I will probably have to gradually reduce my cpap use as I lose wgt since my Pulmatologist wants to recheck me with another sleep study when I have lost 50 pds.