So I went for my last pulmonology appointment today to get my clearance for surgery. All of the sudden I have "sleep apnea". I'm so pissed off. I actually wonder if Sleep Apnea is overdiagnised. I feel like WLS surgery is big business and all of these specialists just want their cut of the money. I don't know any other people who had to have 4 pulmonary and 4 cardiology appointments. And no, all these appointments are not required by my insurance. And my surgeon only requires the clearances. I feel like all these so called specialists just want to bill my insurance repeatedly. So now I have to have another sleep study tomorrow night wearing a mask. I'm really kinda pissed. Thanks for listening.

Omg that really sucks and you're probably right about them just wanting to bill your insurance. I'd ask them why so many appts to figure something out, that's ridiculous!!!

Good luck!!

I agree, you may just need to put your foot down. I have sleep apnea, and my surgeon didn't order any tests for me on it. The only cardiology test I had to have was one stress echo, and that is only because I was a smoker for so many years. I hope that they back off, it isn't like this whole thing is cheap, AND to have to constantly add to that surgery bill with all these appt's elsewhere can't be easy on your wallet! Hope things get a little easier!

LOL I wish someone would order a sleep apnea sleep study on me... It might get aetna to approve me. I asked my PCP but she told me she knows I don't have it even though I snore... but she was against me having WLS anyway.

Khy

So I went for my last pulmonology appointment today to get my clearance for surgery. All of the sudden I have "sleep apnea". I'm so pissed off. I actually wonder if Sleep Apnea is overdiagnised. I feel like WLS surgery is big business and all of these specialists just want their cut of the money. I don't know any other people who had to have 4 pulmonary and 4 cardiology appointments. And no, all these appointments are not required by my insurance. And my surgeon only requires the clearances. I feel like all these so called specialists just want to bill my insurance repeatedly. So now I have to have another sleep study tomorrow night wearing a mask. I'm really kinda pissed. Thanks for listening.

I have to agree that I felt it was big business too! HOWEVER if we really want this surgery,, JUMP through the hoops! With that said, talk to the doc, they cant fake your results. Maybe you are borderline enough to wait and see as you progress with WLS?? Otherwise,,, get the CPAP,, play the game and get your surgery!

Thanks everyone. I needed to calm down. And you guys are right, there's a better chance of me getting approved if I do have it. So I'll JUMP.

Ask for a copy of your sleep study. Not the technical part, but the dictated report from the doctor. It will help explain it more. I work for pulmonary docs and a couple of them do sleep studies also. It is a big business, but I know from just us, we don't order them unless the doc is pretty sure you have it. And since they are wanting you to have the Cpap test there must be something wrong. But so many people have it and don't know, even skinny people. But once you have the surgery and lose the weight you probably won't have it any longer. That is the good news.

Sorry your surgeon is making you go to so many appts. Not saying it isn't part of the "plan", but hopefully he is doing it for your safety. Like PP said, just jump through the hoops to get it all over with.

I wasn't diagnosed with sleep apnea until going through the testing process. My surgeon required me to bring my cpap to the hospital, as the anesthesiologist didn't want to put me under without it. Of course, the sleep apnea went away after surgery.

Go do it. I balked about it too. But I never knew how bad my sleep was until I had good sleep. It's annoying, it's a hassle, but man... I wake up feeling good!

I remember how frustrated I was jumping through the hoops but I am so glad I jumped...I would do it again in a heart beat.

Good luck to you!

I felt exactly the same way - I didn't feel like I had any symptoms of sleep apnea, nor did my husband, and he has severe apnea! It all seemed like an absurd waste of my time and money. But after a week on a CPAP, I have to admit I waken in the morning more ready to get out of bed (and not just because I want the #$^#$(&$ thing off my face - lol!). My surgery's tomorrow, and I'm getting very nervous, but the EXTREMELY thorough testing is comforting at this point - I know my surgeon did everything conceivable to make sure I come through this safely. Hopefully in a few months I'll be able to stop using the CPAP!

... of course, that doesn't mean you don't get to gripe about it a bit!

Thanks for the great replies. I have my second study tonight and I'm supposed to sleep with the mask on all night. Not to mention the billions of other wires that keep you tethered to the bed. I'm still pretty pissed off about having to do this again. I hate spending the night away from my family. I know I'll get over it though. And if I get better sleep I GUESS I'll be alright:). Hope I'm not too bitchy tonight. Does anyone know how much these CPAP machines cost? I may have to pay 20% of it.

Escape Pod - sending prayers your way for tomorrow! I know you'll do great!

I just had surgery Wednesday, and it turned out the cpap machine was an unexpected blessing! Immediately following surgery until the following morning I could only have ice chips. My mouth was so dry, I felt like I was constantly having my husband spoon in another one. I was dreading the long night ahead a bit, when suddenly I realized, hey - the cpap has a humidifier!!! I still wanted a few ice chips overnight, but the humidifier helped tremendously. I would never have guessed I would be so grateful for it.

my sleep machine is on a "rent to own" monthly payment ($25.00) and i can return it after surgery if i find that i no longer need it. i had to have 2 sleep studies as well thru aetna insurance but my surgeon required it for the surgery as well.

Escape Pod-so otherwise how did it go and how are you doing? Samantha-thanks for sharing your experiences

Escape Pod-so otherwise how did it go and how are you doing? Samantha-thanks for sharing your experiences

All in all, I'm very pleased with how it went. There was definitely more pain than I expected, but it's well managed by the pain meds. I spend a lot of time fighting to keep my eyes open, snatching sleep when I can, and I haven't passed the CO2 yet - I'm sure I'll feel worlds better once I do. At the moment I feel really bloated. I had the impression somehow that would happen sooner. But the incision sites are healing nicely, and I'm not having any trouble keeping anything down. There tends to be a bit of discomfort when I swallow, even really tiny sips, but then I burp and it feels much better. I'm hoping that will also pass as soon as the swelling goes down more.

I needed my husband's assistance at the hospital much more than i expected. The nurses were attentive but busy, so he spent a lot of time getting me fresh Water, ice chips, or pouring me 1-oz plastic cups of the beverage of the moment. He also brought me juice from home - everything on the bariatric clear diet was so chock full of artificial colors and flavors it was pretty awful. The doctor's clear diet list included diluted clear juices, so the nurses let him bring that in and it was MUCH better until my taste buds adjusted a bit. Also, one of the nurses trained him how to unplug everything when I was ready to do laps around the floor, and it was so much nicer to have him walk with me. I thought I'd send him back to work the first full day after surgery, but it was good to have him with me. He was pretty worn out by discharge.

I was VERY glad my surgeon plans a more generous 2 nights in the hospital. After the first night the thought of trying to manage from home was a bit scary. I don' t know how people get through the first few days without a hospital bed that adjusts position at the touch of a button, (it HURTS to get up) and it was comforting to have someone keeping a close eye on my vitals, etc.

They transitioned me off the IV drip medications to be sure I'd be fine on oral pain medication and without the nauseau drips before I went home, but I still ended up with the worst migraine of my life within hours of getting home. It was a lot of work battling the nausea and pain so I didn't throw up, but I got approval to supplement the prescription pain meds with liquid tylenol in between, and after a few hours began to feel human again.