So I went to my first pulm appointment today and he said based on the fact that I get thirsty often throughout the day and wake up twice in the night to use the bathroom he is going to order a sleep test. He told me if I do have sleep apnea it would complicate my path towards getting the sleeve. I was so shock that I didn't even ask how. Though I would never lie to a doctor I was thinking what's the point of being honest if this can screw me up moving forward. I really hope I don't have it. My BMI is 43 and I have good insurance.. Can someone please tell me how having sleep apnea could delay my journey?

It doesn't or shouldn't prevent your surgery. If anything it will be more of a selling point as to why you need it since SA if fairly common in morbidly obese patients. I had to have a sleep study done as part of my pre-op process. All it means for your surgeon is that if you have it they have to watch your breathing more carefully during surgery and the hospital will likely want to make arrangements to make sure you have a CPAP machine in the hospital post-op.

sleep apnea would complicate getting the sleeve.

@@Slimsoon1988

as said by OP......

having sleep apnea is one of the "good" bad things that says to ins.

you are having problems due to obesity

you/others have more of chance for approval by insurance

you have already been approved, thats great

sicker you are with co-morbidities (msp?) the better

maybe your dr wants to know if you definitely have sleep apnea

wants to prepared, so he can see what precautions he might want to take during WLS

the sleep apnea "test" involves you going to a "center"

you don't have to study

"they" will put wires on your head

monitor your sleeping

piece of "cake"

thirsty, waking up to go to bathroom

don't know how that would affect anything

sleeve sleep apnea either improves - or no more sleep apnea post WLS

in my case, no more CPAP

hope you don't have any delays

good luck

kathy

Agree with all the above. sleep Apnea is one of those "Co-morbidities" that helps you to qualify for the surgery. They don't want us "fluffy ones" dying in our sleep because we stop breathing, hence the more reason to approve you for the surgery.

As a nurse I can only think one way that having sleep apnea can affect your surgery. Theres two types of sleep apnea, obstructive and central. Obstructive sleep apnea, (the more common form) occurs when throat muscles relax too much causing obstruction. Central sleep apnea, occurs when your brain doesn't send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. Central sleep apnea would mean there's some problems with your central nervous system and the surgeon may delay your surgery until that's resolved or a treatment plan is in place. So it may delay things but as long as they can verify its being treated (CPAP) then things should move along.

Edited December 6, 201411 yr by Charm82

My surgeon requires treatment for sleep apnea for two months before surgery. The diagnostic process for sleep apnea has really slowed down my WLS journey. I have complex sleep apnea which is when the treatment, like CPAP, helps the obstructive sleep apnea., but worsens the central apnea. Still trying to find the right therapy, have a second inpatient sleep test this weekend. I was hoping for surgery by now, but it'll be at least another 3 months!! I still have a hard time believing that I have sleep apnea

If I knew all of this my answer would have been very different. I don't understand why you would need to wait 3months to get a surgery that would help cure your sleep apnea. I would think they would be rushing you to the surgery room

Because of my sleep apnea, I stayed the night after my surgery. My sleep apnea machine changed my life. I will use it until hopefully one day I don't have to.

I had surgery on the 17th of Nov and I have sleep apnea. I think maybe he means that once you get tested and if you do have it they will want that taken care of before surgery. I had to take my sleep machine to the hosp with me. I already had my machine before I decided to have the surgery. Good Luck.

What in the world does thirst and peeing at night have to do with a condition (sleep apnea) that causes periods of cessation of breathing while sleeping?

I agree. Thirst and peeing at night have to do with the onset of diabetes (most likely). sleep apnea can be a side effect of obesity, and also a comorbidity that helps one qualify for the surgery.

If I knew all of this my answer would have been very different. I don't understand why you would need to wait 3months to get a surgery that would help cure your sleep apnea. I would think they would be rushing you to the surgery room

The reason for waiting is because they don't want you to have the added complication of possibly not breathing. They want you to have the machine so you can use it in the hosp. If you don't have the test and they just used one of their machines they wouldn't know the settings for you.

But that doesn't take 3mths. I was told if I had it they would schedule me for a second study to be fitted with the cpap machine & then my own machine would be ordered. That shouldn't take more than a month tops.

Edited December 7, 201411 yr by BLERDgirl

But that doesn't take 3mths. I was told if I had it they would schedule me for a second study to be fitted with the cpap machine & then my own machine would be ordered. That shouldn't take more than a month tops.

You are assuming there are no waits between appointments. You will also probably have to wait and schedule cpap delivery by a trained technician who will make sure you have the proper settings and mask and know how to care for the machine. Your surgeon may also require that you use it for a period prior to surgery.

I think a month is unlikely but if you can do it that's great! My surgery was delayed about 1 1/2 to 2 months from testing to diagnosis to medical clearance. I know it can be frustrating but want people facing the process to be prepared.

I can see 1 or 2 months, but 3 is ridiculous. It shouldn't take that long.

I'm going to bug them every day to give me the earliest appointment available. I'm still trying to get my surg by Feb.

I had what I know realize is an odd experience. I did the sleep study. Hated it because I had a spastic bladder and it was s pain in the but having the tech come unhook me to go to the bathroom all night. I also expected to fail because I have trigemenal neuralgia on the left side of my face from a bout with shingles and abnormally large tonsils that I've had since I was a teen. I typically sleep on my tummy or my side. I knew sleeping on my back would product bad results. So I get results & they dx mild apnea. I have to come back for cpap fitting & it's a perfect storm of awful. They want to try a face mask because i sleep with my mouth open because only one nostril works due to the neuralgia. The face mask pressed against my sinuses and caused pain. I couldn't sleep one bit! Then I have to pee. By 2:30am I told the tech I couldn't do this anymore. I went home. Few days later the sleep doctor calls & they wanted to retest but ins. Turned them down. They ordered a general machine. I already had my surgery date. I called doctor to let them know. They were fine with it. I had my surgery & never used cpap while in the hospital. Other than bathroom breaks I had no issues sleeping and now that I've had the surgery I'm not up more than once a night and often not at all for bathroom breaks. My previous sleep study prior to wls didn't show any apnea so I'm fairly certain it was weight related. Guess I dodged a bullet, but all my appointments were scheduled fairly quickly.