Suggested Read For C-Pap/bi-Pap Users

[IrishEyes 59]

Today I am 13 days post-op and experiencing pain. Up until the night of day 10 everything has been going pretty smoothly. Then in the middle of the night (3 nights ago) I woke up out of a sound sleep with doubled over pain. Took about 45 min for it to go away. It was strongest when I woke up and gradually faded. I was able to take liquid pain mess (hesitant to swallow ANYTHING) and used a heating pad on my belly. I also took gas-x strips and had to pass a lot of gas.

The 2nd night it happened twice and the discomfort stayed with me a bit yesterday. Luckily I had my first post-op appt yesterday as well. Driving to the appt I was talking to my Mom (she is a nurse) about it. After ruling out things like I am tolerating food fine and no acid issues, she found it strange it only happened when I was sleeping. She guessed it had to have something to do with my bi-pap.

After telling my surgeon about it he immediately said "yes, I believe it to be you bi-pap and I need you to STOP using that until you can get the settings adjusted. I fear it may be pushing air into your tummy and extending it and you are still very much in the healing process right now."

Last night I slept without the bi-pap and no waking up with pain at all.

I placed a call to my pulmonologist and they are sending the settings to the bi-pap distributors. Just waiting for the call to take it in and get it adjusted. It has the capability of being programmed to adjust to my body changes but the Dr never sent in the prescription for that adjustment to be made prior to surgery.

I haven't ever had any pain eating since surgery. The same thing I had for dinner monday, I had for lunch today and it was so painful I had to stop and lay down with the heating pad. I am doing that now and it is feeling better. Guess I will go back to basics for awhile. I had been able to progress to soft food, which is only a few days early by my Dr schedule.

I'm afraid some damage may have been done. Praying it isn't too bad and subsides in a few days. No other trouble so not too concerned to call Dr just yet. If it gets worse or anything else changes I will. He didn't seem too, too concerned yesterday as long as I stop bi-pap and I have.

I am posting this for mostly post-ops that use any machine for sleep apnea. I wish I had known this was a possibility. I would have stopped the first night it happened.

Thanks for your time. Hope this helps someone and spares them pain and possible complications, that would have been worse for me had I not caught it so soon.

[15Kgold 22]

I would like to know what your pulmonologists decides

[TamaraS 235]

Thank you so much for sharing! I will have to inquire about an adjustment to my setting also.

[ShapeShifter 64]

I had to adjust my cpap within the first two weeks, as well. (I couldn't fully exhale.) I adjusted it again after five weeks (I was waking up to burp - swallowing air). I was on a 10 setting, and am now on a 7. Getting off this machine is my number one goal of weight loss. I am grateful for the progress! I went to youtube to learn how to adjust it myself. I see my neurologist / sleep specialist at the end of the month, and hope to have a sleep study by the end of the year (since I've met my out of pocket) to render this machine useless! A girl can dream...

[Savedbyamazinggrace 66]

Thank you! I too am using a CPAP machine....

[IrishEyes 59]

@15k, my pulmonologist sent in an order to adjust my range. Currently 14-8. And have it switched to an auto adjust so that as my weight drops and with physiological changes the pressure will adjust accordingly.

The bi-pap is amazing. I had a cpap yrs ago and had a lot of trouble. Went to a new pulmonologist and she told me about the bi-pap. How the pressure is greater when you breathe in and less when you breathe out. Making it feel more like normal breathing on the exhale. I found it to be much more comfortable. And this self adjust mode is amazing too. Very handy for dramatic weight loss situations.

Though I miss the quality of sleep, I may have to play it safe and wait a little bit, days, and let my healing progress. I think this all may have set me back a bit.

This, too, is near the top of my list of goals. 1st NSV, lower my weight to decrease the chances of my cancer returning and 2nd NSV, get off this machine, for good!!!

[amw157 42]

Thanks for starting this thread, IrishEyes. I haven't seen the term CPAP or Bi-PAP on these forums for a while now, and I'm sure many of us use them.

I too have sensed that the pressure I'm at is higher than it needs to be ... but I am astonished that I'm noticing this a mere five weeks after surgery. My gastric doctor recommends sleep study re-evaluations at six months post-surgery. Maybe I need it sooner.

Fellow Hoover-Heads ... stick together on this. What has your experience been?

[IrishEyes 59]

Yes, amw157, I too was surprised at a difference so early. I am now to follow up with pulmonologist in 3 months, instead of 6. Sounds like you could use an earlier visit too.

[15Kgold 22]

My pulmonologist recommended I lose 75 # to be able to get off CPAP. Now he has bumped it up to 100 #. We have agreed that when I get to 75 # loss he will repeat the study. My machine is supposed to adjust to needed settings. They had to replace with a new one it just quit working and beeping. Glad I had the surgery

[amw157 42]

Well, as if this thread was an omen ... or an early form of support ...

Last night it happened to me. I fell asleep at 11pm. By midnight I was awake again, my upper abdomen was in a good deal of pain. I did the mental assessment (Did I eat too much? Did I twist something? Chest pains?) and concluded that I had swallowed a good deal of air from the CPAP. It felt like I had to belch, but I think my new sleeve didn't know what to do with all that air.

Took me a few hours to get rid of that discomfort. I did a little hoppy dance around the room trying to "dislodge" a burp here and there. I could "drum" on my abdomen and hear the hollow thud sound underneath, the tell-tale sound of air. It was agony for a while.

I'm going to bump the pressure down (I'm at 15 now, going to set it to 12) and see what happens, being very cautious to wear it and monitor how I feel, for an hour before I fall asleep.

Frankly, I forgot to put the machine on a few nights here and there (I'm 5 weeks post-surgery) and I didn't feel exhausted in the morning. My girlfriend also noticed that I wasn't gasping for air. So I think it's safe to try tweaking the pressure.

Thank God today's a Sunday (ha, no pun intended). If it was a workday, I'd be in deep caca.

[amw157 42]

FYI there are two threads with the same first post. I'm linking to the other thread below, which has different replies. If a moderator is watching, can you merge?

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/54365-suggested-read-for-c-papbi-pap-users/page__hl__cpap

[IrishEyes 59]

Omg, amw, that is EXACTLY what happened to me! Since I didn't know what it was at the time it happened two nights. It did take hours for it to ease up enough for me to go pack to sleep.

Thank goodness your 5 weeks out. You have some major healing behind you. Since I had only been two weeks out when it started, it did cause some lasting pain for a few days. I do think it bloated my tummy and bothered incision site. Feeling a little better now.

I am still waiting to hear about adjusting mine. I am ok with the wait because I want to be a little more healed BUT man, I am getting crappy sleep!!! Really crappy sleep. No energy again, lack of concentration. And I have to go back to work on Tues. Was hoping to feel good first day back.

Glad your able to adjust yours!!

[amw157 42]

Glad your able to adjust yours!!

You're probably able to adjust yours too. Just Google the model number and you will find instructions on how to get to the advanced settings.

Whether or not you think it's wise to do that, is up to you. Some people wouldn't dare touch it without a sleep study or at least talking with their doctor. Others, are a little more confident in what their body is telling them. So if you change your pressure, realize you do so at your own risk.

Either way, let me know how it goes.

[IrishEyes 59]

Thanks for the tip, but I think I am gonna wait. Mainly because I have had already had issues. Don't wanna do wrong pressure. Also, my bi-pap has a device on it that communicates with my insurance company. (Can you believe it??) It is for 6 months, I believe. The purpose is to monitor how often I use it. If I am not using it, they won't pay for it. Soooo, kinda afraid to mess with it. Don't know what the thing will report!!! haha! Thanks tho!