TAH: This Hysterectomy Is Going To Kill Me!

I have sleep apnea (SA), and I am terrified of being put to sleep!
I use a CPAP machine every night and without it I could stop breathing in my sleep and die.

Are you worried that you will stop breathing during the surgery? Remember, you will be intubated and constantly supervised by an anesthesiologist, so that's highly unlikely.

s,
-Linda

You will be fine, they will watch over you the whole time, breathing, heart monitors, blood pressure. They are trained professionals. You will come out just fine. Just take a deep breathe and put all your faith in God who is truly the surgeon and his doctors that he has given them wisdom to take care of you. Remember He is behind the scene.

Praying for you.

Darling, darling, I have severe sleep apnea, the worst stage you can have and the anesthesiologist knows how to deal with that. I had absolutely no problems and neither will you! Remember, during surgery you are intubated so the machine breathes for you.

For your hospital stay, they will probably ask you to bring your mask or mask and machine to the hospital or they might have you use theirs. I tried theirs but it didn't work for me so my husband brought mine up there. No problems!

Don't worry, you will be fine.

Hi i sleep with a sleep machine to dont worry you will be fine i was also afraid to be put to sleep i have had 5 surgeries and put to sleep only the last time on 7/28/09 fore my hyter. Surgery

Try to remember that the hospital and all of the staff are there to make sure that you have no problems. I'm sure that once you tell them about your sleep apnea, they're going to factor that in to every aspect of your care. You're going to be just fine and because you know about the problem, you're probably in a better position than others who have it but aren't aware of it.

I feel so sheepish next to you & your surgeries. Thank-you for the support! ooooxxxxx

Thanks, you're right, at least I know!

It's great to voice your fears and let them be heard out loud (especially by ourselves.) This is a wonderful place to do that. Welcome and hang in there.

I also have severe sleep apnea, and I have to use a very tight fitting full face mask. There was a little glitch in my induction because the anesthesiologist initially didn't hold the mask tight enough. He figured that out very quickly and I did fine for the rest of the surgery.

You should ask the hospital about bringing your CPAP. I brought mine and they put me on it in the recovery room. I used it all the way through my hospital stay; they attached oxygen to it so even when I was awake and talking with people I kept the mask near my face for "blow-by" oxygen.

Even with the morphine and Percocet, I was able to maintain normal oxygenation. I maintained it well after they discontinued the oxygen the day after the surgery.

Tell the anesthesiologist that you have sleep apnea; how tight or loose you keep your mask; what pressure you use (in cm of water); what (if any) flow of oxygen you use (in liters); and what degree of sleep apnea you have (mild to severe.) If you don't know these parameters, ask you sleep specialist and/or the company that services your CPAP.

There are many ways for the anesthesia team to manage your sleep apnea, and they are trained in airway management from the beginning. This is the first step in the ABC's of evaluation and resuscitation (Airway, Breathing, Circulation) that every healthcare professional learns.

Here are some links that may be helpful:
American Sleep Apnea Association
http://www.sleepapnea.org/resources/pubs/checklist.html Surgery checklist for sleep apnea patients
http://www.sleepapnea.org/resources/...alcpapuse.html Patient's rights with regard to CPAP use in the hospital
http://www.sleepapnea.org/info/pract...urgery_faq.htm FAQ for surgery with sleep apnea
http://www.sleepapnea.org/resources/pubs/sameday.html (this one is more technical, but probably still readable)
http://www.sleepapnea.org/info/pract...nesthesia.html (This one is technical)
American Society of Anesthesiologists
http://www.asahq.org/patientEducation/apnea.htm
unspecified resources
http://www.healthyresources.com/slee.../anesthes.html

I hope this information helps you feel better!