Question:
Does the existance of Sleep Apnea change the hospital procedures.

I am scheduled for LAP RNY in April and have not been required to have a sleep apnea test. I actually think that I do have sleep apnea, but as I am a self pay patient, I dont want to spend even more money on the sleep apnea test ($2500). My question is this..for people who do have sleep apnea, is there a difference in your surgery and/or in the your treatment in the hospital? I carry alot of weight in my neck and think that once I have the surgery and lose weight, the sleep apnea will resolve itself. I just want to spend more money on a test and machine to treat something that will go away. Thanks for the imput.    — Julie D. (posted on February 25, 2002)

February 25, 2002
Do you have insurance and are self-pay because they won't cover WLS? If so, your insurance should pay for the sleep study and the CPAP. If your surgery is several months off, it might be worth it to do the sleep study. If it's coming up soon, I wouldn't worry about it too much. If your surgeon is greatly concerned, he'd be asking you to do the sleep study.
   — garw

February 25, 2002
I had surgery 2/4/02 and I had to bring my cpap machine with me. I had to use it like I was using it at home. Surgery wise, you won't use it then.
   — [Anonymous]

February 25, 2002
Just tell them "suspected sleep apnea" if you cannot do the whole sleep study thing. That gives the anesthesiologist and respiratory team a heads up to watch you for those problems.
   — vitalady

February 25, 2002
If you have any insurance, it should cover a Sleep study for sleep apnea even if it does exclude WLS. I have been using a CPAP for over 6 years and am having surgery next week (Mar 4). My Surgeon doesn't want me to use CPAP while healing due to the possibility of the pressure causing problems with leaks. The only difference is that thep will be putting me in ICU for the first 2 days and told me to sleep in a recliner instead of laying down when I get home. The surgery shouldn't matter one way or the other because they will breath for you through a tube into your lungs. (Dont' worry, you will be asleep for that). Several people at my support group have been completely cured of Sleep Apnea by loosing weight. If you do have insurance that excludes WLS, it may pay for WLS if it is considered medically necessary to treat other weight related health problems. It could be a battle, but Walter Lindstrom (www.obesitylaw.com) claims to get about 50% approvals for people with serious weight related health problems even though their insurance excludes WLS. It may be worth looking into.
   — Dell H.