mild sleep apnea - I'm pissed

[Ashley34 11]

I'm laughing at everyone thinking it's a scam. Please purchase more more life insurance if you're not going to treat your sleep apnea. Would you be complaining this much if the deductible wasn't high? I Agree insurance should cover the equipment. I've been working on this field for 11 years and see it every night on screen. I also see the patients won refuse to wear it come back after a heart attack or stroke and at that point have no choice but to use a form of treatment. I'm not sure what the tech told you but waking up is not the same as your AHI apnea hypopnea index. Insurance won't approve a titration (cpap/bipap) follow up unless you qualify. It would be the same as giving people insulin who don't qualify as truly diabetic. I wouldn't want someone driving around with untreated apnea on the same roads as my daughter and family. Driving while sleep deprived is the same as driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Please know that this sleep study is an actual measurable scientific test and the consequences of untreated sleep apnea are very real. Talk to your physician about treatment options that may work for you.

[evesta 67]

Don't mess around with apnea. I'm back on my machine and loving it. My kids love mommy no longer snores. I'm hoping it goes away with weight loss as it has in the past.

[hermione53 157]

I got a sleep study to increase chances of being approved for the surgery. I didn't really think I had sleep apnea. It winds up that I have a mild case and I was advised to get a CPAP. I didn't think I would, but I talked to my surgeon and she also advised that I get one (thankfully most is covered by insurance). The surgeon said that patients often stop using their CPAP machines prematurely. So, I'm being fitted for one next week. My brother, who is not obese, has very bad sleep apnea and had to pay out of pocket. I get why you don't want to fork out the money for it. I likely wouldn't get one if it weren't covered by insurance.

[PatientEleventyBillion 851]

On 5/20/2016 at 8:32 AM, transmformme said:

I was required to have the sleep study done in order to have this surgery like many other people. I am pissed because I knew they were going to find a reason to have me purchase this expensive cpap machine. I do not have any issues sleeping. No snoring, waking up etc... yet I have mild sleep apnea (wake up 1-5 times a night). needless to say I am not happy.

I would really like for someone (preferably the doctors) to explain to me why out of the many areas of medicine they're one of the only I've heard pushing this study. I am having a double mastectomy and reconstruction done late 2016/2017. None of those physicians even mentioned a sleep study and sleep issues with respect to anesthesia…so it makes me really wonder. The surgeries I am preparing for are longer and more detailed than this one, so why wouldn’t they require all of these tests too?

Has anyone else had to deal with this and not want to purchase the machine? Did you just say f-it and go to Mexico? lol

Most people fail CPAP trials. In my case, I couldn't accurately do my trial because of recurring sinus issues.

Sleep apnea is directly associated long term with issues like heart attacks and strokes. Over the short term it's not likely to cause much harm, but in the long term it will.

5 apneas an hour is perfectly normal. When I did my SS I had 55 apneas per hour.. way too many. Many apneas means lower oxygen intake, which means long term damage to essential organs that require it. Sufficed to say, it should not go untreated.

Given the fact that OSA is a comorbidity like diabetes, high BP, liver diseases, etc., it makes sense from an insurance perspective that they are treating you for this. If you have diagnosed OSA that is. If you're having 5 per hour and got this diagnosis, seek a second opinion. I will point out during my tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy that I was under GA, just like my VSG last Thursday. They knew the issues I had in advance and everything went fine.

Edited April 26, 2017 by PatientEleventyBillion

[mariernest 32]

I have severe sleep apnea and had to take my cpap when I had my surgery. I had surgery for another reason a year earlier and they didn't ask for a study but after my levels kept dropping in the nights they told me I should have brought it

[rubia72 200]

I threw away the sleep apnea referral and never did it. Surgeon didn't ask and I didn't say a word. 1 year post op[emoji6]

[Dtru 27]

I went to Tijuana Bariatrics and saw Dr Fernando Garcia......he is the best and avoid all that Cpap bullshit.....Look at my "3 weeks post op " post ......I sleep all night and no longer snore.Thank you Dr Garcia!!

Edited May 1, 2017 by Dtru
Misspelling

[M@E 84]

I am in the U.K and was diagnosed with very sever SA 97 per h stopped breathing so was started on CPAP this was not related to WLS but it was the reason I decided to have the op, self pay in U.K. Straight after surgery I stopped using the machine due to gas pain etc and haven't gone back on it. Now 6 months post op 71lb down and according to hubby no episodes and snoring much better. Due to go back for repeat sleep study soon so will be interesting to see results. I am definitely in R.E.M. Sleep now as my dreams have come back! Xx

[longway2go 31]

I had an issue with this at the start of my journey. I know I snore and I thought I was ok. I took the sleep test over night. It wasn't the best. I had a hard time sleeping and I'm a night owl. I only slept for a couple of hours and the guy came in the room stuck some plugs in my nose and then that was it. Afterwards they ordered a cpap machine for me and my insurance paid for it. They told me to use it at least for 4 hours a night for 21 days or else I would to have out of pocket. I used it sparingly and under the 21 days and then they sent me a bill lol. But I didn't use because the plugs in my nostrils were annoying and then they sent me a mask.

It's been over six months of me using the cpap and I have to say after giving it a try, I sleep better and wake up refreshed. I questioned if I really needed it and I was gonna avoid telling my surgeon. But I gave it a try and hopefully after my sleeve and continued hard work, I will not need the cpap machine any more.

[chynadoll619 247]

Does having sleep apnea put you at risk during surgery?? My doctor or insurance does not require it. Would definitely like to know though because I don't know if I do have sleep apnea.

[jakethesquirrel 3]

Yours is under the threshold to require therapy... You should have no problem pushing this, it is very clearly published.

But on the other side, I thought the same way at first (my dad has severe SA as well...) and I love my machine. I did have to turn down the pressure recently because of weight loss. The machine I got on my insurance many years ago and I'm actually using my dad's old machine because his insurance gets him new ones quite often. I should probably look into a new one because since having the surgery I probably hit my personal out of pocket limit and could get one for free basically.

[PatientEleventyBillion 851]

On 5/1/2017 at 6:19 PM, chynadoll619 said:

Does having sleep apnea put you at risk during surgery?? My doctor or insurance does not require it. Would definitely like to know though because I don't know if I do have sleep apnea.

Yes. GA causes more apneas. It's only a huge risk if the anesthesiologists and surgeon(s) aren't aware you have it.

It also means you would require observation post-operatively until the effects of GA wears off. Because an apnea means so-and-such amount of seconds without breathing, your oxygen levels can plummet which can be dangerous to essential organs like the heart and brain if it's even more prolonged.

Because it's an added risk it's always imperative to know, and ask, how it would be managed during your surgery and when you get moved to recovery (when you're utterly groggy). In any decent care they won't move you to any post-op room to be alone until you're safe enough in recovery and can manage on your own.