Sleep apnea

I just got a call from my family doctor to let me know that my sleep study results are in.  I have sleep apnea.  I sort of thought I did but I am really bummed to hear it.  So now I have to wait for a call from the respirologist to find out what's next.  Why can't things just run smoothly for once?!?!

Ok, pity party is over...thanks for listening.

ok stupid question... won't this sleep apnea disappear after the operation?? i only ask cuz i fear i may have it too.. and.. do you have to pay for a machine or are they rentable?? and i don't mind listening to what you call .. pity party.. i'm sure we've all had em!!! take care of you!

Not necessarily.  Not all cases of sleep apnea are weight related at all.

It is my understanding that there are places you can rent one from, yes. 

ahhh i see.. obviously i need to read up on sleep apnea...boy  didn't know i was so "ignorant" of a lot of things!  thanks!!

 Ah its not that bad!  the govt pays for the first $700 or so of the machine which leaves about $400 to be paid by you.  I got mine thru Medigas and they will let you do installments.  i hate sleeping without my machine now.  My sleep specialist said to come back for another sleep study one year after surgery.  he said chances are I won't need it after losing weight but I doubt it.  Im pretty sure it runs in my family and I am the only overweight one.  


Good luck! 

While not every sleep apnea case is weight related, obesity is arguably the smoking gun.

It's not the end of the world though. CPAP therapy is effective and not a great inconvenience. Its cost is also mostly covered by the province.

Talk to your sleep specialist for absolute info on this condition and how weight loss should impact it.

When I was diagnosed, "weight loss" was one of the three things I was told to do. CPAP was in the list. And avoid sleeping on one's back as well.

oh trudy. its not so bad, really. i actually find that the machine helps me sleep, because it makes me concentrate on my breathing instead of thoughts running through my head.

I was diagnosed in 2007 with severe sleep apnea (88 episodes of apnea per hour) and of those 88 episodes, 15 were "central apnea" which is NOT weight related obstructive apnea
but is a problem with the brain stem that regulates breathing.. in my case, 15 times per hour it
was forgetting to tell me to breathe!

I use a cpap, and its my bed buddy.. cannot sleep without it as I feel like I cannot get a good breath. It took very little time to get used to, and the benefit of a decent night's sleep is well worth the strange appearance I have with this mask strapped to my face LOL

I suspect that when I lose my weight, I likely will still have to rely on a cpap, albeit at a lower pressure setting, for the rest of my life due to my central apnea issues.
But its ok with me, if I get decent sleep and stay healthy.
suzyq0052

Hi everyone I was asked by the doctor at Ottawa civic last March 2010 (Initial consultation for WLS) to have sleep study done because of my weight, the fact my mom has Sleep Apnea and because of my symtoms. Was diagnosed last May with Sleep Apnea and am on more pressure then my mom. The Sleep study doctor/ specialist insured me that my Apnea was weight related and that after my surgery I would have to see them as I loose weight to adjust the pressure and eventually would not have a machine anymore, I was told that 2 of his patients had the surgery as well and 8 months to 1 year post-op they were off there machine. As far as renting them not here in Kingston where I live, I was told by the specialist at the sleep center that they don't rent them but to go on line to places like Kijiji, facebook marketplace and maybe on this site to see about buying someone else's machine then you just have to buy your mask and the government pays 75% of the cost of machine and mask. Then when you don't need it you can help someone else out by selling it cheap or donating it to someone that could use the help. I paid $402.77 for my machine and mask through Shopper's Health Center in Kinston, and I intend to help someone else out when I'm done with it. The governments cost was something like $789.??? so it's a break. Hope this helps and yes some people that are skinny have sleep apnea as well but the majority of over weight people will end up apnea free after weight loss. Lisa

Selling used CPAP?

I tried to do the same with my father's newer CPAP in November, after he died.  It seemed like a shame to throw it away.  After consulting with the hospital's sleep disorder clinic I was told that (in Ontario at least) this is a not legal.  It is a prescribed medical device and may only be sold as such, and set up according to the doctor's script by a qualified company.  Some sleep clinics will help re-home used machines though.  But it has to go to them first.

I realize these devices do show up on Kijiji and people do "get away" with selling, buying, and using these things outside the sphere of medical discipline, but this is not just a glorified air pump.  One should not be trusting any old used machine with such a serious condition - at least not one that has come from an unknown source and has not been properly configured.  (These devices are also supposed to be replaced every five years.)

Be careful.  This is a serious condition that requires proper medical attention.  Not a DIY.

EDIT:   (Followup)  Out of curiousity I called my provider just now, and they did not feel it was "illegal" but did say that as a professional provider they cannot sell a CPAP to someone (new OR used) without a prescription.   They were aware that used machines are sold person to person all the time.  So I may have been given incorrect info regarding the legality of this.  But I do maintain there are health & safety issues at stake when buying a used machine.  Be careful.