OK So last night I went for my sleep study. I personally never had any trouble sleeping and I dont show any symptoms of sleep apnea. Well, I was floored today when they called me this afternoon and said that I needed to be on a CPAP machine. I am very concerned. I dont want this to hinder my surgery process in any way. I am scared to death now. I dont want to be on this machine the rest of my life. Any advice?

I don't know a lot about sleep apnea because I've never been tested. I do believe I have it though. But from what I understand, having it will only greater your chances for being approved for WLS. In a lot of cases, losing weight will significantly help your sleep apnea.

I'm sure there are others that will respond with more experience and better information.

Don't worry! If anything, it increases your chances of getting approved by the insurance. I had sleep apnea, had it for 3 years. I got banded at the beginning of Jan 08 by the end of Jan, I didn't need to sleep with my machine. I don't have anymore sleep apnea. Loosing weight will get rid of it in most cases. And even if you happen to be one of few that will not be able to get rid of it, its no biggy, You'll get use to sleeping with a machine. But if you are obese over weight, chances are you will get rid of it. Good Luck!

i understand your concern beleive me i have been on cpap for about a year now. for years i have lived with snoring and not getting get sleep and my mom and others trying to tell me that something is wrong with with me but always dident want to believe it after alot of pressure tho i decided i was going to do the sleep study just to prove to my mom especially that nothing is wrong with me lol much to my surprise after the study the nurse called me and told me i had to come back in to get fitted fro cpap she told my my case was the worse they had seen in a long time and that no wonder i live daily with headaches she let me know that my oxygen level dropped down to 86% when i slept and that i stoped breathing 96 times every hour she let me know i was heading for a stroke if i dident get it taken care of . it took a while to get use to sleeping with it but know its part of my daily life and i can tell when i dont use it my surgery was not hinderd in anyway because of haveing sleep apnea i go for surgery on the 25th of this month as a matter of fact it has helped i have been able to lower my pressure on my machine due to my weight loss i have had before surgery my blood pressure as improved and i feel well rested now when i awake from sleep dont fret over using cpap i love my machine everything will go well with you if you have any questions feel free to mail me good luck in your wl journey

This wont effect your surgery date or anything. I have sleep apnea and the only thing they advise is that you bring the machine the night that you stay at the hospital. They want you to be comfortable with your own mask and equipment rather than using something of theirs that's alien (noisy, mask not fitting properly)

Having the mask isnt that bad. You do feel better when you wake up in the morning because your body is being supplied more oxygen through out the night while you sleep.

The only thing I can say about having the mask is please keep it clean at all times. I live in a very small apartment and the smell of the cooking gets into your filtering and blows out baked chicken and veggies into your face when you are trying to sleep :tongue_smilie: lol.

If you would like any more information dont hesitate to ask :biggrin:

No worries, I was tested for sleep apnea as part of my pre-op tests and found out I have severe sleep apnea. I do feel much better now that I use the machine. I do agree with keeping it clean I wash the mask out everyday with Ivory dish detergent (it was actually recommended by the respitory therapist and it smells nice! :biggrin2:) They actually told me that knowing this makes it safer for you to have the surgery so don't let it stress you out. I think as many as 75% (maybe more) are cured of it after they loose the weight!! Good luck!

Well I was also mortified and scared when I was told from my sleep study that I had "severe sleep apnea" and had to come back for second study for the cpap. I did this on Sun night and it was horrible. I have never slept so poorly in my entire life. I woke up more than 5 times pulling at my mask when they increased the pressure. there is no way I will ever get use to that feeling. However this is a requirement by my doctor before he will even clear me for surgery. Therefore I picked out my mask and I will *try* to use it at home but I can not promise this will help. I am going through some insurance requirements as well so right now I'm following orders and doing what I have to do to get approved. Good luck and I'm sure you results will go smoothly. Unfortunately it is something we just have to do.

You say you are on pre op diet for 6 mos., what does that consist of? I have only been put on a 2 week pre op diet that consist of boxed food called Medifast? Is that what you're on? :tongue_smilie:

I don't know a lot about sleep apnea because I've never been tested. I do believe I have it though. But from what I understand, having it will only greater your chances for being approved for WLS. In a lot of cases, losing weight will significantly help your sleep apnea.

I'm sure there are others that will respond with more experience and better information.

Sleep apnea can be a very severe disease. Be very glad it was found and that you will be getting treatment through a cpap. Sleep apnea is not a disease that only effect obese people, it also affect those who have been thin their entire life. Losing weight can help and in some cases eliminate sleep apnea but not always. Find a mask that works for you and use your treatment every night. It will save your life...add lapband to that and WOW...you're ready for a long healthy life. For more info on sleep apnea try www.cpaptalk.com • CPAP and Sleep Apnea Community

The diet is required by my insurance. It has to be dr directed. I am on a low carb/ calorie counting diet. It hasnt been too hard to follow but I need better portion control. The hardest part is cutting out the rice and sweets. Otherwise, I think I have lost about 10 lbs but my offical weight in is next thursday. Wish me luck!!!

I understand how you feel about sleep apnea. I just knew I wouldn't feel rested when I woke up in the mornings. I was so nervous when I had my sleep study that I never thought I would sleep at all. Now, 2 years later, I can't sleep without my CPAP. I feel really awful when I even take a short nap without it. Now that I know about all of the health risks that come with sleep apnea, I am so glad that I kept my appointment for the sleep study.

Sleep apnea for me meant I had to stay over night in the hospital instead of an out pt surgery.

OK So last night I went for my sleep study. I personally never had any trouble sleeping and I dont show any symptoms of sleep apnea. Well, I was floored today when they called me this afternoon and said that I needed to be on a CPAP machine. I am very concerned. I dont want this to hinder my surgery process in any way. I am scared to death now. I dont want to be on this machine the rest of my life. Any advice?

I was shocked when they told me I needed a CPAP too. I was soooo against it at first, but now am used to it. I notice I sleep MUCH better, more sound and feel rested when I wake. My Dr's and the lady that ran the test told me that most likely (90+%) once I loose my weight, I will be off the machine! Was happy to hear that. I don't mind it much, but it's NOT AT ALL SEXY! haha

You say you are on pre op diet for 6 mos., what does that consist of? I have only been put on a 2 week pre op diet that consist of boxed food called Medifast? Is that what you're on? :biggrin:

I have Kaiser Insurance and it is mandatory to attend weekly classes and lose 10% of your body weight. So, right now I'm learning (or re-learning) how to eat healthy. When I'm finished with the classes and have lost the amount of weight required, and have a surgery date scheduled, then I will go on a 10 day liquid pre-op diet. So, maybe my wording (6 mo pre op diet) was incorrect.

A lot of insurance's out there have requirements like these, and I'm actually glad that they do. This way I can't just jump into something. I have a lot of time to learn and prepare ahead of time.