Sleep Apnea..... Need to treat before surgery? Any one have this same situation

Hello,

My Surgeons office is requiring me to take a sleep study for sleep apnea and get it treated before the surgery. I believe they are assuming that I will be recommended to start using a CPAP machine. I do not want to do this as from what I have read, I am not convinced that I will be able to sleep any better with the machine than without it. I sleep on my stomach and just cannot see me using this...

Anyone have anything similar? interested to know experiences with CPAP machine.. Im not down with this at all

It's a very common requirement. It really is for your safety. Many surgeons won't put someone under anesthesuacwith untreated apnea.

If you are diagnosed and are required to have a machine, you will need to use it. Machines keep an electronic log if how they are used. You'll need to bring the machine in to be read, and they'll know if it's just been sitting in a closet.

I know all of tge preop stuff can be a pain. But it's a short bit of time in the overall scheme, and it is so worth it.

You may not even have sleep apnea, or if you do it may not be severe enough to need a mask. The sleep study will determine that. If it turns out that you do need a mask, I'm sure you will find that the improved quality of sleep you get is worth the annoyance of the mask! And it may be that you can do without the mask after you've lost a fair bit of weight -- that depends on the construction of your nasal passages.

Sleeping on your stomach should not be a problem -- assuming you don't sleep on your face. ;) There is a wide variety of masks available, and you should be able to find one that is comfortable to sleep in. Everything from little tiny things that fit in your nostrils, to masks that just cover your nose, to masks that cover both your mouth and nose.

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea a few years before WLS. Losing weight did make a big change, but the sleep apnea isn't entirely gone, unfortunately. What used to happen to me is that my throat would close up; that no longer happens. However I have a tiny nose, and my nostrils collapse easily. So I still use my machine.

I have sleep apnea, even at goal. Surgeon will not treat you untreated - PERIOD. And if they do, find another surgeon. This is serious business. Why are you guessing what will work. Do the sleep study, you'll be surprised how great life can be if it works. Read a little about the condition and the impacts on the body. You won't sleep without it afterwards. Let's put it this way - With Sleep Apnea, my skin surgeon would not have done the surgery unless I agreed to spend the night in the hospital so I could be monitored. I told him I was near borderline, so I didn't want to do it. He told me to find another surgeon, unless I agreed to stay. That's how serious a good doctor is about this stuff.

I have sleep apnea even below goal! I also sleep on my stomach, just had to get a different pillow. I sleep so much better than I used to but I'll never be off a cpap and I'm okay with that! Jump through the hoops, it's worth it and we all had different hoops.

Liz

The masks, nasal pillows, etc have come a long way over the years. So have the machines. Mine used to be very loud and bulky. If you "force" yourself to use it for a while you will get used to it. I hated it and fought it the whole way. I prefer sleeping on my side or stomach but with the cpap I can only sleep on side. I can't really tell that my sleep is better but I don't struggle for air either. I suggest you ask to try different masks just so you know which will work best for you.

what about weight loss? I am assuming you had the surgery and have lost weight. Between that and the machine, is there any improvement? I know I am frequently very tired but I have not yet had the surgery so still overweight. It would be wonderful to sleep soundly again.

I've lost 42 pounds since surgery 5/14/19. Between weight loss and becoming more active I am getting more energy and things are getting easier to do. I'm able to help more around the house and take longer walks. Now I walk for about an hour nonstop. When I sleep its like turning a light switch off amd on. If I dream I don't remember. I rarely see a doctor for sleep. Once every few years.

500 pounds I was at 16 pressure. My current autosetting readout ranges 6.8 to 8.1, but my 90 avg is always 7.0 (which is the pressure my machine pushes 90% of the activation cycle). Get the autoset cpap and you don't have to adjust titration as you lose weight. It will automatically reset to what you need to keep hypopneas low. I have my annual visit with the sleep doctor next week. He will read out the machine documentation and determine if I need a new sleep study to assess dropping the machine. But I know I need it still since about once every 14 day I hit 8 on the average. They want all readings below 7 before doing the test. Don't mess with this - get the study and know.

My machine is very quiet. The tiny sshhh sound it makes provides a nice "white noise" to fall asleep to.