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How many tests?

suzannethemom

suzannethemom

Member
Remember when I told you guys that things didn’t go well during my first consultation at Park Nicollet? I just scheduled a new consultation with Allina (3 weeks from now which kinda sucks). Anyhow, here’s my concern. My insurance company does not require ANY tests (I know, crazy). They require a doctor, dietitian and a psychological visit. When I was at Park Nicollet, the doctor wrote down a list of tests for me to take: blood tests, endoscopy, and sleep study. I don’t want to do a sleep study. Do I have any say regarding how many tests my new Allina doctor will request? Am I at their mercy?
 
I agree that you should discuss possible testing requests with your bariatric team. My team required blood work to see what vitamins & minerals I was low on prior to surgery to build them back up before my drastic drop in nutrition levels on my restrictive post-surgery diet. They checked my blood sugar levels, etc. also. The endoscopy was required to make sure there were no esophageal or stomach issues that would make surgery problematic. Do your research, esp with bariatric centers of excellence to see what they require & why. Good luck.
 
My program had a questionnaire regarding your sleep habits and measured your neck. If you had no known sleep issues and your neck wasn't enlarged, they did not require a sleep study. I did not actually. Nor was I required to have an endoscopy. Of course, I have had them regularly for years so they might have just checked the previous one.

That being said: If they have requirements and you can't talk them out of it, you may have to have a sleep study
 
My goal is to be the BEST patient ever, so I’m just going to ask a lot of questions. I found out that my insurance will only cover a sleep study IF I have a high score on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and the sleep test has to be done in a doctor’s office. My sister recently did an “at home” sleep study, which won’t fly for me.

P.S. My neck is 16 1/2”
 
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Kcuster83 said:
I see people measuring their necks. Is there a "normal" neck size? I mean people are all shapes and sizes, I feel like that goes for their neck size too.
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I was asked my neck size on the intake forms. There is a correlation between neck size and sleep apnea. People with a thicker neck may have a narrower airway, which makes it more difficult for air to pass through their throat and to the lungs.
 
suzannethemom said:
I was asked my neck size on the intake forms. There is a correlation between neck size and sleep apnea. People with a thicker neck may have a narrower airway, which makes it more difficult for air to pass through their throat and to the lungs.
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I was never asked about my neck, or had it measured. I feel like I have a big neck but have no sleep apnea or any other related problems.
 
A good bariatric team addresses all the issues before and after surgery. Covid has made things tricky but not impossible. A good frame of mind and having a plan is the key to success. Other posts have talked about medical issues ignored based weight. But a good team does not ignore things. For women we have the additional issue of being ignored, not listened to and not standing up for ourselves. I have had C-Pap machine since 2004 so I got a new sleep study to check for changes after surgery, thinks it was time. No neck size checkup, hmmm.
 
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