Hi,

I am set to have sleeve surgery 7/8/19. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea through the pre testing. It is moderate I believe. I am told the surgeon will not do surgery unless you comply with the cpap for a month prior to surgery. I have psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia so when I put the nose pillows on they irritate me as well as the face straps, I also move a lot with the arthritis pains and I am finding it near impossible to wear it. When I do manage to sleep with it on I wake up an hour later feeling like I am drowning or something. I don’t want to miss out on surgery but I cannot do this. I have a message for surgeon to call me but the assistant on the phone was pretty rude about compliance. Do you know of alternatives or if I can switch to a different surgeon and not lose my 2 months into this program? Feeling stuck. I am 5’3 and 201 at 53 years old. I need this for my autoimmune issues and hate to lose it.

From what I have seen on these forums, unlike pre-op diets which you can shop around on, this is a near universal requirement (like quitting smoking) as they don't want you coding out during your recovery stay (they don't want the liability). You can ask around, but I suspect that you are stuck with it. There are a multitude of different masks and appliances for them, so it is probably best to keep trying different ones until you hit the right one (or the least objectionable one.)

Good luck in getting to the table,

I would talk to your doc, as it sounds like your mask isn't fitted properly to you. (I don't have apnea but my dad did... he had to try a few masks before he found one that worked for him).

Hope you're able to work things out.

Ask for a full mask instead of the nose pillows and shop around on amazon, they have these soft slip covers for the straps so they don’t irritate your skin

I had OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) before getting sleeved and I used a full face mask and it wasn't difficult to wear. Now I don't have Sleep Apnea anymore and don't have to use a CPAP

From what I have seen on these forums, unlike pre-op diets which you can shop around on, this is a near universal requirement (like quitting smoking) as they don't want you coding out during your recovery stay (they don't want the liability). You can ask around, but I suspect that you are stuck with it. There are a multitude of different masks and appliances for them, so it is probably best to keep trying different ones until you hit the right one (or the least objectionable one.)
Good luck in getting to the table,

Yap, RickM is absolutely right about liability and coding. I was diagnosed with OSA as one of my comorbidities and on my preregistration for surgery form checked that i have sleep apnea. I was told to get CPAP or no surgery. I was hysterical and running out of time. My WLS program helped me to get APAP before surgery.

I would contact your sleep apnea doctor. I think that feeling of drowning is condensation in your tube, there is a cover you can get for your tubing that helps insulate it. I also have the pillows and it takes getting used to them for sure. My husband has the full face mask and loves it. I will say no one checked my compliance with my machine prior to surgery

You will need the machine in recovery afterwards.

Yeah and if you don't, you could have what happened to me. ooh I drug my CPap along but left one piece at home. Turned out it was a different,model than any respiratory had stocked.,Ended up wearing 02 my entire stay and was room- bound, no "walkies" for this Old gal. So I didn't get to meet anyone, got an Lonely Only feeling. Took a journal along but never wrote anything,in the it! Thought I would get names sharing my hospital time, didn't happen either- I Got Robbed of my bonding experiences!

I have not the pillows, but a mask that only covers my nose. I find it very comfortable! Just try different things like everyone has said.

Yes, it is definitely the mask you chose. I wanted the one where the pillows go up your nose so it has less of a mask...I thought I was going to suffocate. I hated it! I now have the kind that just covers your nose. I still don't like it because it slides up the back of my head which causes it to come off and wakes me up, But, no suffocation! Go get a different mask. When I go back, I hope to get the same kind but with a strap under and above my ear to hold it in place instead of just above my ear. I also like the hose that goes from the top of the head, I feel it gives you more freedom.

I do not think you have to have mask in hospital. My mom has sleep apnea and they always just give her oxygen. Maybe it depends on doctor.

It is worth it to do the treatment in order to help qualify for insurance! You may be able to stop using it after significant weight loss. I’ve been using a cpap since Feb when I was diagnosed with severe obstructive apnea. I tried the nose pillow mask and kept feeling like I was going to suffocate. I use the regular nasal mask every night now and have gotten very comfortable with it. I tried switching back to the nasal pillow one, but NOPE! Can’t do that one. Other thing to consider is if you get a sinus cold, it would be nice to have the full face one. They are expensive and my insurance only covered 2 options in the first 6 months. Oh, and as a tip to get you through the compliance, you can put it on and watch tv or read for a while when you’re awake. It doesn’t seem to matter on the usage data on mine!

Thank you everyone! I had the most horrible day. I was able to get 1:45 on the cpap last night. Just horrible, fell asleep and ripped it off in my sleep thinking I was drowning. I called my surgeon office and was treated horribly. Tried to explain what was going on and how my skin burns from the mask because off my psoriasis. They would not let me schedule with surgeon or talk to him. Said to comply or cancel surgery. I asked what to do so I can comply. I scheduled with a pulmonologist and had settings changed. Called some other surgeons Incase I need to switch. I emailed the office how disappointed I was in how I was treated and the nurse assistant called back and apologized. So I guess I will find out what to do tomorrow. My husband offered to wear my cpap if I can’t. Lol that’s how upset I was/am. With my psoriasis I cannot stand even clothes touching me. I couldn’t even wear a bra for two years. All in my medical records. I wear a tank top and shorts at home and only get dressed when I go somewhere. It feels like fire on my face. Thanks again for helping and hopefully I can get thru till July.