What happens if you do have sleep apnea? Will it delay LapBand surgery? Will it prevent LapBand suregery from ever happening?

It help to get me approved for surgery. I will be 3 weeks on Wednesday and I have allready noticed a differance. Have you had your surgery yet? If you have any questions you can e-mail me.

Chris

Sleep Apnea was one of my co-morbidities, which almost got me approved by my insurance carrier. They eventually weaseled out of paying by saying I did not have 5 years of written documentation saying I was overweight...thanks Horizon; I hope Hillary or Barack render you meaningless...anyway, I digress. Apnea did not delay me or cause any issues with surgery. I chose not to do teh CPAP, as there is no way I could sleep with the Darth Vadar mask on. I'll see if the apnea is still present, once I get to my target weight, before visting the mask option again.

I have my sleep study this Saturday...so we'll see how it goes. My father has sleep apnea...and I have been informally diagnosed with "insomnia" and am currently taking Ambien. I have a feeling Sleep Apnea will be the real diagnosis...I was just curious if it will delay my clearance for surgery....like will I have to have more testing done?

I feel like I've been through a ringer at this point...can't wait for all this pre op testing to be done!

I have sleep apnea and never sleep without my machine, not even a nap because it makes such a difference in how I feel. Sleep apnea is a co-morbidity and as such help you get surgery approval. I had surgery on 9/28/07 and already need to call my pulmonary doctor to get the pressure turned down a little. Good luck with your insurance, hope you are approved soon.

I have not had the surgery yet. Mt doctor recommended it and then my husband lost his job and insurance. We will pay cash for the operation. I know I have sleep apnea. Those in my family that have seen me (try) to sleep, know I have sleep apnea. I have constant fatigue. I am now starting to fall asleep when I drive. I fall asleep on and off during the day. I never feel rested. I am scared to death of the crap device because I have bad claustropobia. I would panic with that thing on. Can anyone offer advice? How much weight after surgery until relief from apnea?

I am on the c-pap too. You get used to it and it really helps. There are dozens of different masks to try. Mine only covers my nose and some don't even go that far. You should at least give it a try, better than having a car accident. I feel so much better. I am not in love with it, but it really, really helps. How much weight would vary with how severe and what the exact cause of your apnea is.

I was diagnosed during my pre op study with sleep apnea. I use the cpap machine now and feel like a new person. Or rather the person I was years ago when I had energy. Between the lapband and the cpap, I am starting to feel good again. When I told my primary care doctor about the apnea he slpped his head. He said he felt like an idiot because he had not thought about it. I have been complaining about fatigue for years. It took a few days to get used to the machine but then it has taken a few months to get used to eating differently. I think if I had been diagnosed with sleep apnea when it first began, I might not have needed the lapband to start with.

I had my band surgery on 3/10/09. I've since lost 35 lbs and

no longer need to use my bipap!!

Sammy,

I too am claustrophobic and was afraid that I couldn't stand to use the CPAP because of it. Was I ever wrong! I have a CPAP from Respironics and the headgear is from ResMed and is called Swift. It is not a mask, but nasal pillows. There is nothing covering my face (like a mask) I can even wear my glasses with it on. That is a good thing, because I really like to read for a while before I fall asleep. Absolutely NO feeling of claustrophobia with it!!!:bored:

Like others, sleep apnea was one of my co-morbities and helped me get approved for surgery. My surgery is Monday the 27th. I had my pre-surgery appointment yesterday and they told me to bring my CPAP with me to the hospital so I can use it after the surgery.

Since I went on the CPAP and use it every time I sleep, I feel a lot better and have a lot more energy than I did before. There is a possibility that I won't have sleep apnea when I loose weight, but seriously it won't bother me if I have to keep using the CPAP. I fought it for a few nights,but kept on trying it and it didn't take too long to get really used to it......So, if you need it....give it a try.

Good luck to you.

I had an appointment at the sleep center yesterday and was reminded again why sleep apnea is a co-morbidity. Some of the main reasons are its contribution to high blood pressure, diabetes, congestive heart failure, car accidents caused by falling asleep, and even death. I use mine without complaint because I feel so much better but also to be healthier all around.

I want to thank everyone who responded to my question. I feel so much better and much more informed. Thank you Diana. I didn't know there was an alternative to the mask. Last night, I slept the whole night in a sitting position on the couch, with my legs extended out. I breathe better in a sitting position. Did anyone else find themselves sleeping like that before getting help?

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 5 years ago was put on a cpap machine. In addition to feeling and sleeping better, my usually severe morning congestion and allergies are greatly reduced when I use it. I assume this is due to the heated humidifier that my cpap machine has. I am also very claustrophobic, but I use the ResMed Swift mask and it does not bother me at all.

Thank you widget. I will write down the name ResMed Swift mask so I can I ask my doctor about that one. I appreciate your response!