I had my surgery yesterday. They wouldn't give me my cpap

[Froro]

Arrgh. The anethestist I had yesterday said "oh you don't have severe apnea, your setting is only 7.8". I corrected him and informed him that whilst I don't need a high setting my RDI is at 42 so yes, I do infact need my cpap in recovery. (where it was waiting for me and all set up...even with a little sticker on it that said "this side up" for the mask.

Got into recovery and I was in agony. They didn't believe me when I told them morphine doesn't work for me so they gave me three shots before they realized...hmmm...this isn't working. Ya think? The finally gave me some percocet which did the trick.

I kept asking for my cpap, they said...oh your okay, you don't need it. (I did have a nurse beside me the whole time). Everytime I went into an apnea she'd wake me up "you need to breath"....duh!!! give me my cpap

You start to lose confidence when the nurse says, "how did you get this"...I ended up explaining in my drug induced mental state what OSA was and that my cpap will prevent me from having episodes when I'm asleep. "Oh, well I'll just put you on oxygen". Duh so she put me on oxygen and kept poking me everytime I fell asleep.

Sad part is...my cpap was right beside me. If I could have reached it I would have put it on myself. Their protocol for apnea patients was to keep me in recovery for 3 hours. They have a protocol, just whomever was looking after me didn't know anything about OSA.

End of the day, I'm okay. Feel amazingly well today. Very little pain but I'm letting my family baby me for the weekend. I had some pretty trippy dreams last night after all the drugs at the hosp and whatever he gave me for home last night.

[Gerryk]

What surgery did you have?
I had surgery last spring. I had my tonsils removed and UPPP done. I talked to my doctor who was also my surgeon before hand and we discussed my use of cpap after surgery. She said bring everything with you that you will use it after your surgery. The hospital had to have the machine checked out so I waited for the electrician to come put his sticker on it. The CPAP went with me everywhere but surgery and when I was wheeled in it was set aside and waiting for me in recovery. My cpap then went to my room with me. The nurses kind of laughed at my clutching my cpap. They were not familiar with it but listened to me since I was and my doc told them to listen to me.

By the time I went home the next day six nurses knew how to operate my cpap and knew much more about cpap therapy and OSA. The only problem I had was with Respiratory they refused to use the O2 ports on my mask, instead installed a mess of adaptors inline on my hose and made for one weird object. My doctor laughed and pulled it off when she saw it and said someone down in Respiratory needs and education.

The anesthesiologist is apparently ignorant to CPAP and OSA.

[Bigburd2008]

Trying to type with my left hand, actually trying to do everything. Where are your friends when you need them, Ha Ha. Had outpatiant rotator cup surgary on my right shoulder and they did not use my machine either. Took me forever to come out of it. Wish they had listened also.

[BlackSpinner]

Write a letter of complaint to the hospital board. State in detail what the issues were and that you want an explanation of why you were denied your therapy. It won't help you but it might help the next poor victim.

[Autopapdude]

That sounds like medical incompetence. "Oh you only have 7.8?" What the heck does that mean? OSA Is OSA, and they should have known better. Laughing at you for bringing your cpap is like laughing at someone with a prosthetic leg who brings a cane. How absurd on their part--I agree, write a letter to the hospital administrator. Hope you are feeling better now, and are on the road to recovery.

[Hawthorne]

--and your pressure setting has nothing to do with the severity of your sleep apnea. it is just the pressure necessary to keep YOUR airway open!

Looking at the pressure to determine severity is incorrect!

[rothko]

wow, that's hideous. i agree, write a letter -- that's absolutely ridiculous what they did.

my setting's not even that high -- it's around 4.0 -- i don't have huge episodes, but i do have hundreds of tiny ones over the course of a night. if we've got CPAPs, it's for a reason, hello!!?!

[Froro]

Yeah...You can safely say I was not amused. the thing is. Written all over the notes is cpap cpap cpap....I was pretty angry. I'm glad it wasn't a longer or more serious recovery period though. All I wanted to do was reach over and grab my mask but because of everything I was hooked up to I couldn't reach.

It was pretty bad when I actually faked sleeping (sort of) and held my breath to see what they would do. Sure enough the O2 alarm is going off and I'm getting poked...you need to breath. Basically, when I should have been sleeping in recovery I spent my time trying to stay awake, or getting poked back awake. I think you're right. I should write a letter to the hosp board regarding this issue.

It just seems like there is an overall ignorance of the condition unless you are actually involved in it. Maybe it's because I was at the satelitte center and not the main hospital. The center I was at was strictly ambulatory day surgery.

I know when I met with another anesthetist earlier in the week he said they didn't start accepting apnea patients until a year or so ago. They would all have to go through the main hosp. I dunno. It was all just dumb IMO.

I was happy to be home and hooked up to my machine last night though. My husband said I slept reallly really well. I've had a few naps today as well. I figure, even though I wasn't under very long (about an hour) between the body trauma, the whack of useless morphine, and the other pain killers I was given my body is pretty much in a bit of a shock right now.


I find it all rather bizarre as it was at the main hospital I was diagnosed with OSA....me thinks they need some education in the satelitte unit.

[zimlich@cox.net]

froro, yeah that's scary- the nurse poking you saying that you need to breathe. You would think that after anesthesia they would know you especially needed your cpap.

I too would like to know what surgery you had.

Hope you continue to improve, keep us posted on whether the surgury is a cure for you.

Mary Z.

[Slinky]

Froro and GerryK, I am so sorry that you both went thru recovery w/o being allowed the use of your CPAPs. Frankly, despite you both made it thru, that is SCAREY AS HELL that there are still anesthesiologist, for crying out loud, and other medical professionals so IGNORANT!!!!

PLEASE, both of you write letters of complaint. Not only for the sake of others, but also should you happen to have to go thru surgery again at either of these units/hospitals.

[Gerryk]

Oh, I used mine. Sorry I thougth I said I used it. I just had to educate them and the respiratory therapist.
My doc was one of the best I have seen. She was in recovery sitting in a chair next to my bed waiting for me to wake up. When I got to my room there was a knock on the door and in she walked. She sat down talked to me and said she would check in on me later. I fugured she would call the nurses at the most, but about 8:30 9pm in she walks again and sits down.
I didn't know what to think. I had never seen or heard of a doc having that good of a bedside manner. I would recommend her to anyone in the area she is one of the best.

Gerry

[DreamOn]

Froro,

What a frustrating (and potentially dangerous) situation! I do hope that you write the hospital administrators. Like you said, you should have been RESTING and recovering, not being poked awake constantly.

I'm glad that you got through surgery and are feeling well today. It must feel great to be home -- with your CPAP!

~ DreamOn

[Froro]

Thanks. I do believe I will indeed write to the admin about the issue.

My surgery wasn't that big. It was a simple D&C and uterine abalation (burning off of the uterine lining wall). Just girlie stuff. I was under general anesthesia for about an hour.

I can't complain about the care pre-op or during in the OR iteself. They all were very receptive to my need for the cpap (other than the young somewhat ignorant anesthetist). They monitored me very closely in recovery. Problem was, all they had to do was put the dang cpap on me and they wouldn't have had to hover at my bedside waking me up to breath. It was rather silly. But, I'm home now, and feeling really good today. My kids are all behaving and have agreed not to "try really hard" not to fight with each other the next coupld of days...ahhhhh maybe it'll become a habit for them...LOL. Hubby is pampering me, cooking and bringing food up to bed for me....I think I could get used to this. He was really cute earlier. I was snuggled up to him and started dozing. He nudged me to put my mask on. "Don't want to be accused of being a bad nurse....LOL"

I also have a spastic colon so anytime anyone tinkers about down there my colon tends not to like me very much. I was in more agony from that then actual surgery I think. Once my colon starts spasming it gets pretty bad pain wise. It was the same when I had my kids. Colon pain much worse than the actual labour pains. They didn't have any of the meds I use for spasms (and truthfully, that was my fault....I hadn't had an episode in years so didn't even think about mentioning it...just plumb forgot), so that's when they finally got me the percocet. I had mentioned prior to going in that morphine was useless and I have a bad reaction to codeine so no go there either.

I react to pain meds and local anesthesia's very in a very wierd manner. I metabolize them very quickly basically making them useless. Local freezings usually last maybe five minutes before I start to feel things and about 7 before fully worn off. Believe me, trips to the dentist are not fun, nor was the discovery of this phenomena when I was in the middle of foot surgery using locals. Hence why I get put out for most procedures when needed. If it's a quickie thing a local is fine, (mole removal, that kind of thing) anything more involved...forget it. My dad is the same. he can't get locals either.

[Autopapdude]

Froro, I am glad you are ok. Doctors just don't understand. Even a "short term" general anesthesia is a risk for someone with OSA. As was mentioned earlier, the 7.8 only indicates the mean pressure to keep your airway open--not the degree of Apnea. They are so stupid about things like that. When one is intubated for a long surgery, one is monitored, and the airway can't collapse. However, the "lighter" procedures are often done with "twilight sleep" anesthesia, and that involves use of Versed, Intravenous Valium in large doses, and sometimes Scopalomine or some other drug of that class. All of those are respiratory depressants, and any doctor with the slightest familiarity with OSA would KNOW that that is the potentially riskiest time for someone with airway restrictions. You should have been on your cpap, and should have been placed on your side, and monitored carefully to determine 02 saturation constantly.

I had a "rear end" repair of some "roids recently, (uncomfortable) and had demanded a local anesthetic, as I knew that the doctors and nurses tend to be oblivious of Apnea patients. I am glad you are okay, and a letter to the admin is in order for sure.

[Slinky]

And it is a h*ll of a lot more "labor intensive" to have a nurse sitting at your side (if one really was) or even to have them constantly running over to you to poke you to remind you to breathe than to just put the CPAP and mask on you and continue an 02 monitor. DUH!!!