Question:
AM I stupid
I had an oximetry done in April, it suggested i had sleep apnea.. it was like 53 times for > 3 minutes that was out of 4 plus hours. I smoked at the time also. My question is, should i wait till i talk to my surgeon (consult 7-15-02)before i have the sleep study done? Or do you think i should just go back to my PCP (whom had the test run)and get a redo?I dont want to PROLONG my approval, nor my surgery date. — brandy H. (posted on June 29, 2002)
June 29, 2002
i had similar results also...i asked my pcp if i could wait til AFTER
surgery to see if i really needed the sleep study. of course, since i had
surgery, I DON'T NEED IT!! losing weight is a GREAT benefit.
but...i may not have the same insurance you do, so i would discuss it with
your pcp and see what he says. best of luck to you.
— deb_wls2001
June 29, 2002
Whether you do or don't have sleep apnea will not affect your consult with
your surgeon. It will depend on the surgeon and your insurance company.
Some surgeons will send you for a sleep apnea test, and some insurance
companies will require knowing this before approval. For me, it was not
something my surgeon required nor the insurance company required. Maybe
you could call the surgeons office and ask if a sleep apnea test is
something their office requires-that way you could have it done before your
meeting.
— Cindy R.
June 29, 2002
I'm one of the few patients, who after one year post-op, was instructed to
get back on my c-pap machine. I didn't even know that I had sleep apnea
prior to wls surgery. The Alvarado Center, where I was originally going to
go, insisted on the sleep study as part of my pre-op. Then we found out how
severe it was & yes, it would have delayed my surgery date, because the
Dr.'s wanted me on it for awhile. Sometimes, it effects your anesthesia,
too. I got on the machine immediately. However, my surgeon in Oregon, where
I was also scheduled (I figured whichever one took me first, I was a
private pay anyhow), had a cancellation. They had me bring my c-pap machine
to the hospital though. After they discontinued my oxygen, my c-pap was in
place. After I got most of my weight off, I had my panni in April 2002. My
surgeon said ok to discontinue the c-pap. But, he did have another sleep
study done while I was an in-patient. They called me at home a few days
later & instructed me to get back on my machine and stay on it. My
opinion, you should get the sleep study done NOW, in case it could delay
your surgery.
— Barbara B.
June 29, 2002
Because I had symptoms of sleep apnea, my surgeon required
that I have a sleep study. If it turned out that I did have
apnea, he wanted me to be on the c-pap for at least two weeks.
I had the study, and I do have apnea. I go Monday night for
a second study which will calibrate the c-pap to my breathing
patterns. I am still waiting for insurance approval on my
surgery though.
— Ginger N.
June 29, 2002
I'm still pre-op but I've smoked, not smoked and am now not smoking but I
still have sleep apnea. There is good research that suggests we won't need
the CPAP after WLS BUT my dear father-in-law who is the heaviest he's ever
been at something like 135 pounds!!! has sleep apnea. Weight isn't always
the reason --- it's better on your heart to treat the sleep apnea and
listen to the docs.
— Nell C.
June 29, 2002
Dear Brandy, By all means have a sleep study done; it may take some time
to set up and about two weeks after to get the results. Even if you don't
have your CPAP or are not fully using it by the time you have surgery, at
least two doctors will want to know if you have apnea. The
anesthesiologist will want to know to help keep you alive during surgery
and the surgeon should know. My surgeon will not give morphine to anyone
with apnea.J
— Janis D.
June 29, 2002
Brandy, I am a respiratory therapist that deals with C-PAP pt.'s. I would
go ahead & have the sleep study, and keep my appt. with the surgeon,
and let him/her know that you are/will be tested for sleep apnea. I've seen
too many people not use their machines and end up in a lot of trouble. If
the surgery team is aware of your possible sleep apnea before the surgery,
everyone will benefit- especially YOU!! Also, if you do have it, that is
one more co-morbid for you! Good luck!
— Terri Z.
June 29, 2002
I think it would be wise to have the test and if you do have sleep apnea,
get started with a c-pap or bipap machine before you have surgery. I had
surgery last November, I have lost 125 pounds so far but if I had to do it
all over again, I would absolutely have a sleep study done ahead of time.
My surgeon didn't require one and I had no apparent symptoms of apnea. I
had my surgery on a THursday norning, afterwards, I had two friends who
stayed with me throughout the night and during the next day to 'babysit' me
and make sure everything was ok. My surgeon insisted on having someone
there or I would have to go to the ICU for 24 hours after surgery. Since I
was self-pay and wanted to save money, it seemed like a good idea at the
time. My friends left at 4 PM on Friday afternoon. When my sister arrived
at 7:30 PM, the nurses were wheeling me to ICU, 'bagging' me every step of
the way. We were met there by an emergency MD who intubated me because I
had gone to sleep and stopped breathing. Between the anaesthetic, the pain
killer narcotic and my apnea, I was unable to breathe well enough on my
own. I was lucky, I was only intubated for 48 hours and was only in the
hospital a total of 10 days, 5 in ICU. I have read stories of others who
had much more severe complications but mine was bad enough and since I was
self-pay, that extra 5 days in ICU cost me plenty. If I had been diagnosed
with apnea prior to surgery, perhaps having the machine with me would have
been enough to keep me out of ICU and save me that extra $25,000. I wish
you all the best on your journey to health.
— Julia O.
July 1, 2002
Brandy, the sooner you have your sleep study done and get on CPAP (if you
do have sleep apnea) the better. Believe me, it can save your life! I say
this because my best friend had the surgery with untreated sleep apnea.
Needless to say, she is no longer alive. Even though she had all of the
symptoms of sleep apnea and she did put it down that she had sleep apnea on
her pre-op health history, her surgeon did not require the sleep study, nor
did he put her in ICU after surgery. He also did not require anyone to be
with her in her room at all times to make sure she was alright. The first
evening after her surgery when she went to sleep she stopped breathing,
went into respiratory arrest and Code Blue. A nurse happened to find her.
The were able to revive her with CPR and then they put her in ICU on a
ventilator. After 6 days of being unconcious and on the ventilator they
determined she would need a tracheotomy since she still was not breathing
well enough. To make a long story short, after 18 days of total misery
with all the intubations and the tracheotomy she died. All this could have
been so easily been avoided if she had had the sleep study, been on CPAP,
and been in ICU to be closely monitored the first night after surgery. Why
take such a risk with your life???
— Hackett
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