Question:
Just need a little support re: sleep apnea

I had a sleep study done and I am worried about the results my tech told me I had not stop breathing during the test but I had some shallow breathing episodes he also told me that he thought that I had enough activity to need the CPAP. He is not the doctor and I am very worried that the doctor is going to tell me that I do not have sleep apnea and cancell my CPAP appointment. I know it is bad to wish to have this but the clinic told me it is the only way my insurance will cover the surgery and without insurance I can't afford the surgery so you see I feel Like it is my last best Chance. any sugestions ?    — Kimberly T. (posted on March 25, 2002)

March 25, 2002
I went and looked at your profile. If your BMI is 51+ I can't imagine why you would need to have anything else in order to qualify for the surgery. Did the clinic tell you why you needed to have 'something wrong' in order to have the surgery? You usually need to have co-morbidities only if your BMI is between 35 and 40.
   — garw

March 25, 2002
Relax. In the first place, the tech is *not* supposed to talk to you about the test and he could lose his job if you reported him. Only the doctor is qualified to interpret the results of the test. He will make that determination based on criteria that your tech obviously has no clue about - not vague speculation.
   — BlueGray

March 25, 2002
iF YOU HAD EPISODES WHERE YOU WERE BREATHING SHALLOW AND YOUR OXYGEN LEVEL FEEL BELOW NORMAL THEN YOU PROBABLY WILL GET A CPAP. THE DOC WOULD BE UNWISE TO ADVISE AGAINST IT. I HAD NO IDEA I HAD SLEEP APNEA AND LOOKED AT THE SURGEON LIKE HE'S GROWN TWO HEADS WHEN HE SUGGESTED IT LOL... BUT I DID HAVE IT AND I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER AFTER GETTING THE CPAP.. ALSO IF YOU HAVE APNEA THE SURGEON WILL WANT YOU USING IT FOR ABOUT THREE WEEKS USUALLY BEFORE SURGERY TO MAKE SURE YOUR BLOOD OXYGEN LEVELS ARE UP... HANG IN THERE AND KEEP US UPDATED ON YOUR PROGRESS! BARBARA
   — Barbara W.