Hi everyone!
If you’ve read my other posts, you know I went in for thyroid surgery to have my entire thyroid removed last month. I had some interesting experiences and wanted to share with you all so perhaps I can help anyone else with SA, going under general anesthesia. There are other posts on this topic but I’ve read them all (I think) and none of them mentioned some things I experienced and learned. So a one and a two and a three…

Going into the surgery:
A bit nervous, of course, I told anyone who would listen that I had sleep apnea, both in pre-surgery checks 2 weeks before, the day before, the day of. I told the Nurse who checked me in for surgery, I told the pre-op area nurse, I told the Nurse Anesthetist, the Anesthesiologist himself, Then the 2nd and 3rd Anesthesiologist I had assigned to me because they kept changing Anesthesiologists due to Emergencies that occurred for other people or something, and they kept stealing mine away from me, so I told all 3. I reminded the Surgeon right before the surgery as well, even though he had heard me say it a dozen times before over the previous month. Bottom line: EVERYONE HANDLING ME KNEW I NEEDED CPAP. HOWEVER, each and every person I told just said: “we understand, you will be fine, don’t worry about it at all, we do this all the time.” It was only one person, the Nurse Anesthetist, who actually told me HOW they were going to do it (with me), that put my mind at ease so I could finally stop telling people and stop worrying about it. (I’ve read too many horror stories). She said, with sleep apnea patients especially, we give the drugs to paralyze you and put you to sleep AT THE SAME TIME. Normally, they put you to sleep first, and THEN give the drug to paralyze your muscles so you, the patient, aren’t aware of this. By giving them at the same time, you go to sleep with your airway paralyzed in the open position so there is no concern at all about putting the tube into your airway. It was a little strange being paralyzed before going to sleep but it wasn’t painful or scary or anything. In fact, the only reason I even knew (other than them telling me) was when I tried to move my head because the nurse put the oxygen mask on my mouth a bit sideways and so I tried to move my head to get it square over my mouth and I couldn’t move at all. It sounds scary to not be able to move but it wasn’t too bad. As I said, I felt no different at all and had I not tried to move, I never would have known. Even still, that feeling is a whopping 3 or 4 seconds long before you are asleep so it really was “the only way to go” as far as I was concerned. So in summary, ask them if they plan to paralyze you before or while you go to sleep so your airway stays open and you will be home free going INTO the surgery.

Waking up:
They told me beforehand they would only remove the breathing tube when I was ‘clearly fighting it”, meaning I was breathing on my own enough to be completely irritated that the tube was “in my way”. Again, they emphasized NOT to worry at all and that I would be fine. They didn’t allow my CPAP into the recovery room because each and every person that I told (see above) said I would NOT need it and there was “no reason what-so-ever’ to have it. And they assured me I would be “completely safe” Well, as I found out, completely safe and comfortable are two different things. Yes I was safe, yes I survived it and yes my oxygen levels stayed up above 90 for the most part (as I’m told). I didn’t wake up with a headache and other than the obvious crappy, expected feeling, I felt fine. But GROGGY as all heck of course. So I am lying on my back and I desperately just wanted to go back to sleep and but I could feel myself doing the apnea thing because I would be awakened in the same fashion as when I lay on my back at home going to sleep at night with a low starting pressure. So I said to my nurse that was watching me, can I please have my cpap? She said, you think you need it? I said yes. She said, your oxygen levels are fine and you are “‘awake”. I said, but I want to go back to sleep. She said: go ahead, I’m watching you and I’m not going anywhere. Keep in mind, I can barely talk and I’m literally half asleep so this conversation alone took everything I had, so I wasn’t in a position to argue so I rolled on my side and muttered is this ok. She said “on your side is ok with me”. And so I went to sleep for I’m not sure how long. When I woke up later and was a little more “with it”. I said, how has my o2 level been? She replied “fine” everything looks great. So I got through recovery without my cpap knowing that a nurse was there to save me if anything went wrong, but not feeling nearly as comfortable as I could have felt if I had my cpap machine with me. When I was politely denied earlier that day on using cpap in recovery, they stated that a: “I simply wouldn’t need it, and that I would be completely safe” and B: “we will worry about it getting lost or misplaced as you are moved from room to room and they didn’t want to be held accountable for it.”

Now, with all that said, I think the care I received was outstanding. The level of professionalism was again, outstanding. They initially treated me as if I wouldn’t understand what they were doing or telling me, or perhaps they didn’t want to scare me so except for one person who explained EXACTLY, they simply decided to say, “don’t worry it will be fine”. But to an educated group such as us folks here, who take pride in understanding our ailments, the FACTS are what we want, not to simply be told, it will be fine. I was a different patient entirely after the paralyzing thing was explained in detail and she knew that I was completely at ease after that which made everyone’s job easier and me less paranoid about the procedure.

And yes, I was fine in recovery and was kept safe, which is their primary goal, but only sleep apnea patients understand the comfort that goes along with having the ole blower going as you close your eyes. Even if I went for surgery again tomorrow, I don’t know how I could convince them to allow the cpap into the recovery room. I honestly don’t see it happening. My wife had it with her at all times and was ready to deliver it when ready, but they never called her because I didn’t “NEED” it. Safety and Comfort are certainly 2 different things to them and with the volumes and issues they see every day, I can’t say that I blame them. But knowing beforehand, I mean weeks before, not learning the day of that I couldn’t use it in recovery didn’t do much for my nerves either. So just simply knowing this ahead of time would have made a big difference to me.

On a lighter note, I did have, at that time, my brand new Resmed S9 auto with me… and so I claim to be the first person to use the s9 in the hospital environment! I’ll be expecting my special commemorative plaque from Resmed any day now! hehe!

Oh and interesting enough, I’m wondering how my huge thyroid and its tumors effected my airway because my numbers have been MUCH better since the surgery. My numbers on the S9 were much better anyway as compared to my S8, but they dropped HUGE starting night one after my thyroid was removed. So funny how it may have actually improved me. Doctor told me to use the pulse ox and try sleeping without the cpap to see just how much I am improved since having it removed. Ideally I need another sleep study to be sure but for now, I am happy with lower numbers and feeling pretty darn good. We shall see.

I hope my information helps those that may go for surgery also. Feel free to contact me with any questions if you too may be heading down the surgical road. It was interesting to say the very least and I am very glad that chapter of my life has been read and is done and over. Well I have radiation treatment ahead, but that is small potatoes in comparison so no worries there.

May thanks again to all of you who wished me well, and supported me!

God bless you all, my CPAP family.

Pat