Anesthesia anxiety: Does a diagnosis of sleep apnea exclude my candidacy for a mommy makeover?

Because you have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, it would be helpful to know the relative risk from the treating physician. With your current BMI of 34.5, you could benefit from losing some 40 pounds and beginning an exercise program both of which will improve your health and lessen your anxiety.Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

Thank you for your question. Having obstructive sleep apnea does not exclude you from having a mommy makeover. As you lose weight, this condition may improve. Be sure to disclose this diagnosis to your plastic surgeon. Your surgeon, anesthesiologist and the facility will have a plan for you to safely proceed with surgery.   If you use a CPAP, they may ask you to bring it with you on the day of your surgery.

Thanks for your question! It is great that you are losing the weight, and this will likely help with your sleep apnea. Your anesthesiologist can work with you to design an anesthesia plan that takes your sleep apnea into account and minimize any effects it could have on your procedure.

You are wise in achieving your long-term stable weight prior to proceeding. You will find that the risks of surgery will decrease significantly when you do so.  As your risks decrease, your anxiety will likely decrease as well. Generally speaking, anxiety prior to surgery is very normal; its complete elimination is usually not possible. Assuming you have chosen your plastic surgeon carefully, other important "variables" such as anesthesia provider and surgery facility will be selected based on everyone's first priority: safety. This careful selection should give you some peace of mind that you will be safe around the time of surgery. Discuss your specific areas of concerns with your plastic surgeon who will be in the best position to help you calm your nerves. Obtaining "medical clearance" from your family practitioner or internist may also help when it comes to alleviating anxiety. Best wishes.

Sleep apnea will not preclude you from surgery. Moreover, most patients who lose weight finds improvement with the sleep apnea after weight loss. I would ensure that you choose an experienced and expert board certified plastic surgeon who has a long term working arrangement with an MD Anesthesiologist for the best standard of care. 

You may well have improvement or disappearance of this issue with your weight loss. If not, while it does increase your risk, especially in the immediate recovery period, with proper preparation/care in the proper surgical setting there would be no reason that alone should prevent you from having your surgery.

The sleep apnea does not necessarily exclude you from being a candidate.  You might find that your condition improves with weight loss.  Once you are at your weight goal, you can seek medical clearance for the condition.  Good luck!

Having obstructive sleep apnea does not mean that you cannot have the mommy makeover that you would like after your weight loss.  The OSA may mean that you need medical clearance from your sleep apnea doctor prior to the surgery and may need to stay at the surgical facility overnight after your surgery.  Sometimes, weight loss will improve the OSA .  Good luck 

After you lose the weight, your sleep apnea may improve significantly.  Prior to your surgery, discuss your medical history with the anesthesia department at the hospital outpatient center.