Sleep Apnea?

[Pinkgirl1234 761]

Yes ..I have to slow down and get this addressed accordingly.

[yerawizardamy 241]

yerawizardamy,

Just to clarify, I wanted to add that it’s not the weight loss surgery itself that clears up sleep apnea, but rather the weight loss. There’s a good chance your sleep apnea is directly caused by the extra weight, as long as you have obstructive sleep apnea (that’s the more common form and the one where your airway is blocked) and not central sleep apnea (where your brain forgets to tell you to breathe). If you have obstructive sleep apnea, losing weight will probably help.

Good luck at your surgeon’s appointment! Good for you for getting all your questions ready so you can get the information you need to make a good decision. Let us know how the appointment goes!

Thanks! And yes, I probably should have worded my question better. I just was curious how many people on here has had the WLS and has had their sleep apnea either clear up or remain the same after losing weight. The statistics always show such a high percentage of people who's apnea has cleared up that I wanted to get some stories from real people, not just numbers!

[Sophie74656 1,572]

all the doctors I spoke with said that with enough weight loss that apnea should clear up

I keep asking my husband if mine is getting better but the man sleeps like the dead and can't give me an answer LOL

[yerawizardamy 241]

all the doctors I spoke with said that with enough weight loss that apnea should clear up

I keep asking my husband if mine is getting better but the man sleeps like the dead and can't give me an answer LOL

Lol! Lucky him! Time for you to take more naps I think. For research, obviously. ;-P

[Bandista 7,466]

The CPAP is love/hate -- on my list of goals for weight loss surgery, ditching my machine is listed twice, lol. However it has given me years of sleep I would not otherwise have had. I still use my machine but if I don't have it I can sleep now -- went out of the country and forgot it but was fine. I'm still using it, though, as I sleep so much more deeply with it, plus I want to do another study just to be sure. I have a last chunk of weight to lose first. Meanwhile, my neck is not fat anymore and I have collarbones. That must make a big difference to breathing obstruction. Good luck with all! I am 54......

[OKCPirate 5,323]

@@animallover1247 - Check with your doctor about BIPAP (Click here to see the difference: http://www.cpap.com/DisplayNewsletter/CPAP-APAP-BIPAP-DIFFERENCE-PLUS-EQUIPMENT-PRODUCTS?gclid=CjwKEAjwv8iwBRC35-_e8aPqwCESJAB8khP93TdoWbOSLzSgYTKwGCgWog2Lr_Hsfrz-Bfuhn7MQABoCWjzw_wcB)

Since the purpose of the machines is to keep the airway open using air pressure, the automatic machines don't need the calibration, and hence the non-stop sleep studies. In short technology has run past the sleep clinics and you don't need them. But you still need a doctor's script to buy the dang things. But all that you are getting is air.

You can buy quality machines (used even) at much lower prices than you will get even with insurance. And you can choose the mask you want, not the one's your insurance company gives you or the ones they have at their medical suply store...not that I am bitter, but that's what I ended up doing. Much cheaper and much better results.

[Chrinist 6]

I am 75 days post sleeve surgery and down 88 lbs as of this morning. I have lost more than normal due to complications and subsequent hospitalization. (8 days) and being on TPN for one month afterward.

Don't worry my complications were extreme and not normal at all!

I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea a couple of years ago and put on a bi pap machine to save my life.

After losing about 60 lbs, i began falling asleep before I could put my bi pap on. My wife tells me that I am sleeping without any of the sleep apnea issues I dealt with before.

There is now NO SNORING or holding my breath. No more gasping and struggling!

I literally sleep quietly and fitfully and feel GREAT in the morning!

One doctor told me that it's about the general loss of weight obviously, but primarily the fat loss in and around your throat area that helps with sleep apnea.

Good luck with your sleeve!

[Namaste6 82]

Not my story:

My cousin (age 26 at the time) pre-WLS was 360+ lbs., her pulse ox levels were down to 76% at night - she is 5 years post-op now (>120 lbs), and her sleep study results were much better within the year of getting RYN. If you want to talk to her personally, you can private message me and I can share her info with you.

[yerawizardamy 241]

Just wanted to update this thread! After meeting with the nurse practitioner and discussing my possible sleep apnea, she stated that in order to get a surgery date I would have to be cpap compliant for a month.

I did my sleep study that night and got the results on Monday...let's just say they were less than stellar. Pretty damn terrible if I'll be honest.

I ended up getting an auto cpap machine this Friday and the difference in quality of sleep and energy was immediate!! I feel a million times better!! I'm so happy they made me get the sleep study.

Thank you so much to everyone for sharing their stories!!

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

So glad for you!

Btw, I have a son in his 20s who weighs less than me (dammit) at 140 and around 5'9" and he has sleep apnea. Sometimes it is just your anatomy. I am grateful mine went away with massive weight loss...but either way decent sleep is so critical!

Just wanted to update this thread! After meeting with the nurse practitioner and discussing my possible sleep apnea, she stated that in order to get a surgery date I would have to be cpap compliant for a month.

I did my sleep study that night and got the results on Monday...let's just say they were less than stellar. Pretty damn terrible if I'll be honest.

I ended up getting an auto cpap machine this Friday and the difference in quality of sleep and energy was immediate!! I feel a million times better!! I'm so happy they made me get the sleep study.

Thank you so much to everyone for sharing their stories!!

[Dub 10,018]

Just wanted to update this thread! After meeting with the nurse practitioner and discussing my possible sleep apnea, she stated that in order to get a surgery date I would have to be cpap compliant for a month.

I did my sleep study that night and got the results on Monday...let's just say they were less than stellar. Pretty damn terrible if I'll be honest.

I ended up getting an auto cpap machine this Friday and the difference in quality of sleep and energy was immediate!! I feel a million times better!! I'm so happy they made me get the sleep study.

Thank you so much to everyone for sharing their stories!!

Outstanding !!!!

I'm going to schedule a visit with my regular doctor soon and see about getting a new sleep study scheduled and getting an updated auto machine.

I snored horribly since my childhood so I'm under no illusions that I'll be able to give it up in a few months.

[yerawizardamy 241]

@@Dub yes! The auto one is fantastic! I'm not sure what a non auto one is like but if it's what I imagine, I doubt I would have been able to fall asleep with that amount of pressure coming at me right off the bat! My auto cpap starts out at a nice manageable level but when I wake up in the morning man is that baby pumping!! Lol!

Edited October 19, 2015 by yerawizardamy

[Dub 10,018]

Most of them have a ramp feature that will start out at a low level and over the next 20 minutes will reach full force and stay there.

The difference with and "auto" machine as I understand it is that there isn't a preset max. It fluctuates as needed.

My two machines have pre-set maxes that I can't tamper with. As I grew older additional sleep test showed I needed a stronger machine.

I want to get a new "auto" machine so I can be done with the aggravating sleep studies and it can fluctuate down as my weight drops.

[Pinkgirl1234 761]

I am scheduled for my in hospital sleep study on Halloween...can't wait to see the results.I was so busy trying to take all the necessary steps for revision from lapband to bypass that I had no time to really think"When as the last time I had a sound night of sleep?