Sleep Apnea Diagnosis

Aug 29, 2006

Well, I can't believe it but the test shows I have sleep apnea. I asked if she could tell me how bad it was and she said she's not allowed to give me that info, that I have to wait until my follow up consult. WTF? I am so over this Millman office experience. Luckily, I go for overnight study #2 tomorrow night and have gotten in for my follow-up consult the next day (Friday).

My Sleep Test Experience

Aug 26, 2006

I had my 1st (and hopefully last!) sleep study last night. The staff at the East Prov center are fantastic. My experience there was much better than my experience at Dr. Millman's office. Also, the rooms were very clean which is a big thing with me as I'm a little OCD. LOL

I've been going to bed really late recently and the tech, Jessica, was worried about me getting 2 hours of sleep in before 2:00 a.m. to assess whether she needed to try the CPAP on me. At around 10:00 p.m. another tech, Mo (I think he's just learning--a bit slow with the electrodes but very friendly) came in to get me all hooked up. Oy. I'm sorry, but those people who says it's "not so bad" are nuts!!! I felt like a damn Borg. It took me quite a bit longer than normal to fall asleep like that and didn't feel very free to move around (unlike what some people say). Nonetheless, I slept through the night and was awakened at 5:30 to get ready to leave. Of course, the worst part is wondering why they didn't wake me in the middle of the night to try the CPAP. Was it because I didn't get the baseline 2 hours of sleep in? Or was it because they didn't feel I needed the CPAP? It will be a few days before I find out.

The Joy of Testing...Almost Done

Aug 24, 2006

As of today I am done with everything except my sleep study overnights and my bloodwork. Yay! This morning I had the upper GI and the pulmonary functions tests. The upper GI was fine, but having to drink the barium is disgusting. Since RIH is a teaching hospital there were 3 techs in the room. Ugh. Made me feel like a guiney pig. One guy, very young, had more gel in his hair than I wear in a month. He must have been trying to be the Dr. McDreamy of the radiology lab. The whole thing took about 30-40 minutes.

Then I went up for the pulmonary functions test (e.g., breathing into a tube while wearing a nose plug) and the blood gas test. I'd heard the blood gas test can be painful because they need to stick a long needle into your wrist to a major artery. But it didn't hurt one bit. She numbed me first then I looked away and, honestly, she was done and I didn't even know it! I hadn't felt the needle go in or anything. I'm seeing the light at the end of my pre-op testing tunnel!!!

The Sleep Study Really IS The Biggest Pain in The A**

Aug 23, 2006

I got in to my sleep center consult this past Monday, 3 weeks early. Thank doG! I met with Lauren who was nice enough but overall I found the visit irritating and a huge waste of time. For one, Lauren spoke to me as if I'd already been diagnosed with sleep apnea and seemed to second guess my answers to her filter questions. Also, I waited for an hour and a half past my appt. time for a meeting that seems uneccessary if they're already planning on insisting on the overnight test. Why not just schedule the overnight and skip the waste of time consult?

Luckily, after calling the sleep center myself when I got home I was able to reschedule my overnights for this Friday and next Thursday. The receptionist at Dr. Millman's office had scheduled them for not until the end of September. I'll be very glad when this whole chapter of my testing my done. It's been the most frustrating thus far. However, Debbie, the receptionist at the E Prov sleep center has been very helpful.

Moving Along...

Aug 11, 2006

Things are progressing. I've had my first nutrition consult and the 2nd is this coming week. All other appts are scheduled, and Dr. Ryder is allowing my regular therapist to send a letter in instead of having to do the psych eval. (Woo hoo, $300 saved!) I'm also trying to get in for an earlier sleep study appt by calling about cancelations. Other than that, just continuing my research/reading on the LapBand and "bandsters." And am feeling very good about this decision.

The Process Begins

Jul 24, 2006

Got my pre-op packet in the mail today. I've got all my tests scheduled for within the next month except for that darn sleep study. They can't fit me in until Sept. 5, which sucks because that's just the consultation for the actual study. Hopefully I'll get called for a cancelation. Still, it's good to be on my way!

APPROVED!

Jul 21, 2006

Holy sh*t, I'm approved! I phoned BCBS just to make sure they "got all the paperwork" (read: to try and head off any problems at the pass) and she told me the surgery was approved. It was only 8 days ago that I had my appt so I'm pretty damn excited!

Getting the Ball Rolling

Jul 13, 2006

Had my first appointment today! I thought I'd meet with the assistant but I actually met with Dr. Ryder. Everyone who said she was nice was right--she's great. She spent about 30 minutes talking with me and answering my questions. She's new to the LapBand but that's no big deal to me, as she will be assisted in surgery by a surgeon from Inamed (the company that makes the band) who has done over 11,000 band surgeries.

She said she doubts I'll have much hassle getting approved b/c of the type of insurance I have so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!...AND, perhaps even better, because I've recently seen a nutritionist and am already seeing a therapist she said that they could most likely write the letters for me which would mean I'd already have 2 pre-op tests out of the way. WOOT! Keeping my fingers crossed for that, too.

Also, it was great meeting so many OH board members at my first support meeting last night. :-)

About Me
South County, RI
Location
50.4
BMI
Mar 27, 2006
Member Since

Friends 5

Latest Blog 8
Sleep Apnea Diagnosis
My Sleep Test Experience
The Joy of Testing...Almost Done
The Sleep Study Really IS The Biggest Pain in The A**
Moving Along...
The Process Begins
APPROVED!
Getting the Ball Rolling

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