A Poll for a Sunday Afternoon!

How many of you were diagnosed with Sleep Apnea during your pre-op testing phases? Count me as one. I found out I had very severe sleep apnea. They said I stoped breathing 70 times per hour What about you?

Hi Ronna, I, too, was diagnosed with sleep apnea during the pre op testing. I knew something was awry earlier in the year when two friends separately brought to my attention that I'd started snoring pretty loudly but never investigated it. Fortunately I have a mild case, they diagnose it at 4 interruptions per hour and I had 7; they said that by using the cPap I'd be in much better health pre and post surgery and should be able to abandon it within 3 months of surgery. Also that my interruptions were caused by my loud snoring waking myself up rather than breathing interruptions. The snorning is due to the weight on my chest and neck. I'd never heard of apnea until all this took place. The respratory people gave me this brochure speaking to apnea and bariatric patients and how the recovery rate is much better with those who use the cPap for 2 to 6 months or more post op. In some regards that's not good news for me as I travel a lot and dont want to haul that thing around, I have enough problems getting my luggage under the allowed weight without it. The day I got it I knew I was definately having surgery and not looking back, to me using that nightly was worse than any medicine or other comorbidity. When I wear the mask I feel like a cross between Hannibal Lecter and a sex slave. It's gotta go and soon. I will say that the quality of my nights sleep with it is wonderful and my energy has soared since I've started it; I am just under 400 hours! So I truly do have a love/hate relationship going here! Happy Sunday and thanks for the poll, I look forward to hearing everyone's experiences!! ~Tiffany

The main reason I started the WLS journey is due to the apnea. I went into respiratory arrest from the apnea. I got officially tested during the preop stage, stopped breathing about 90 times and had episodes of shallow breathing 140 times. Who ever created cpap machines should be knighted. Sandra

They said that durring the first 3 hrs when they do the testing, that I was fine. They said about the fifth hour I stoped breathing a few times, but it didnt count since they only test the first 3. Elsa

Hi, my sleep apnea diagnosis was the reason i started researching WLS. I was diagnosed in July 2005 and it scared me to death, when they told me I stopped breathing 58 times an hour, that terrified me and I knew it was time to do something. I had no idea, but all of a sudden i started falling asleep at work and when I was driving, so my mom, who also had it told me I should get tested. I can"t WAIT to get off that machine, I definitely get a much better night's sleep but I am very self concious about having to wear it and I hate it. That was one of my first goals I set after having WLS. Karyn

I was tested before surgery (a requirement for me) and they said I had *very mild* case of sleep apena... so mild that they would not treat it and they thought that within months of my surgery it would be cured (if my weight was indeed the problem). I did an at home test and had to sleep on my back, which I am a belly sleeper, so it was a night from hell

I also was diagnosed w/sleep apnea before surgery. I have mild-moderate sleep apnea but, since my oxygen levels never dropped below 90 I didn't have to have a Cpap machine. I was told it would resolve w/surgery.