Planning Ahead With Sleep Apnea: Surgery and Storms

On December 6th, 2021, I had surgery. Upon getting to the hospital that morning, while meeting with the anesthesiologist, I told him I had sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea can cause problems during surgery for some people and can be a complicating factor in the administration of general anesthesia.¹

I did not bring my CPAP for same-day surgery

He immediately asked if I had brought my CPAP machine with me. As it was a same-day surgery, I had not. I was not planning to stay. He then said, "Well, we'll figure something out if needed."

I had never even given it a thought while packing everything else I would need. But the possibilities are there – even for same-day surgeries – that someone might not get released right away due to unforeseen problems. For me, everything went well. I went home that same day and was able to use my CPAP that night.

What I learned from this:

1. Always tell the anesthesiologist before surgery if you have sleep apnea!!
2. For any kind of surgery or possible hospital stay, take your CPAP machine or whatever device is used.

Storms and power outages

About 1 and a half weeks after surgery, storms with high winds came through and knocked out our power for about 5 hours – not a big deal until I went to bed and realized that I could not use my CPAP machine.

I have used my machine for at least 7 hours each night for so long that I could not sleep well without it – not even using 2 pillows and with a fan on. (That used to help before being diagnosed with sleep apnea and getting and using a CPAP machine.)

The power came back at about 1:30 AM. At that time, I was able to use my CPAP, went right to sleep, and slept very well until almost 9:00 AM. So, I am now wondering if it would be worth getting a power generator, possibly backup solar, or something else. Just in case we have a power outage again. Just to be prepared.

Planning ahead with sleep apnea

While sleep apnea can be managed, it does take some planning ahead at times. Not only for cleaning the machine or ordering supplies that are needed. There are also general traveling and vacation considerations that need planning ahead. But also, for my 2 recent experiences mentioned above.

For me, even missing 1 night of my CPAP causes problems for a few days. My mental clarity is not as good, I feel fatigued (not enough coffee in the world could help), and everything is an effort!! I have more problems with my blood pressure and blood sugars, and that is just from missing 1 night of using my CPAP for at least 7 hours. I can't imagine what would happen if I went a week without using it.

Now, if anyone else has any experiences of when to take your CPAP machine (or whatever you might use) that might not be thought about much, I would love to hear about your experience. Share in the comments below!