sleep apnea and surgery, who knew?

I love the internets. Did you know that if you have obstructive sleep apnea that there are risks with use of anesthesia and postoperative pain relievers? I didn't. I'm now better prepared to talk to my anesthesiologist to minimize the risks.

I can't help but think that the weight loss over the past year was meant to be. I had a sleep study in March and with the 16% of my body weight loss, I reduced my hypo apnea index from 122 to 59.6. Cut in half. Woot. I'm still extremely severe (anything above 30). I'm so glad I lost the weight. With the reduced index, I feel much more confident going into surgery. Yeah, I'm still freaked out, but at least the doctors will know to watch me carefully.

Articles:
"Wake up to the effects of sleep apnea" - American Society of Anesthesiologists, scroll down...

"Sleep Apnea and Same-Day Surgery" - American Sleep Apnea Association

Posted by jennj at June 17, 2008 10:25 AM