SLEEP APNEA

HI I AM ALMOST 4 YRS POST OP AND BEEN HAVING MUCH TROUBLE SLEEPING.  IM SNORING AGAIN AND WAKING UP MANY TIMES A NIGHT. I AM AFRAID IT IS SLEEP APNEA.  CAN A GASTRIC BYPASS PATIENT USE A CPAP MACHINE 4 YRS POST OP?  OR EVEN AT ALL. I REMEMBER FROM PREOP EVERYONE ON A CPAP HAD TO GET OFF BEFORE SURGERY, BUT I NEVER FOUND OUT IF THEY WENT BACK ON ONE. THANKS KAREN

i've never heard about having to get OFF of the cpap before surgery. i was always told that if you had sleep apnea pre-op you HAD to be on cpap therapy and be using a machine or else they wouldn't do the surgery on you. i had severe sleep apnea pre-op (rdi=138.5 which means i stopped breathing an average of 138.5 times an hour, every hour, all night long. that's more than two times a minute!!) and was told to take my cpap to the hospital with me when i had surgery. i used my machine up until about 3-4 months post-op when the pressure setting got to be too much. my sleep doctor wouldn't do another study on me until i was at goal so i couldn't have the setting changed or anything. i finally had another study done a few months ago and my rdi this time was only 3.9 which is considered "cured". so, the short answer is YES a gastric bypass patient CAN use a cpap post-op.

Hi Karen,, Not now... It will my two year anniversity on march 16 and when i had my rny i had gotten my cpap the day of my surgery and they used it... they didnt stop my surgery

I still use my cpap machine and told. More than likely I will never come off of it. Even thou I am at one of the lowest setting on it. Seeing how I have a pulmonary obstruction. But then again I made my cpap one of my best friends a small price to pay if it means it can save my life at nite. And not help me fall asleep during the day time. Yes I had to take my cpap to the hospital when I had my surgery. Seeing how they told me they would not do the surgery unless I had it there with me. Yes I am below goal wt and my cpap is still my best friend. I am 28 months out from surgery. O by the way I have been test a total of three times since surgery and each time it showed the same thing as before surgery with sleep apnea. I hope this helps and have a wonderful weekend . Taichi.

My surgeon tells his patients that if they quit their CPAP before surgery, their surgery will be canceled.  He also makes patients with apnea bring their CPAP machine with them TO surgery so that they can be put on their CPAP as soon as their surgery is over while they are sleeping in recovery.  If you don't bring your CPAP with you to surgery, you don't get to have surgery - no exceptions.   I have used my CPAP for months.  I kept using it post-op and have never stopped using it.   They really did things differently then if they made you stop.  That's downright weird.   much love - wen

yeah i was told that i will have mine for the rest my life also... my setting is at 8 was 11.  but other then that nothing has changed... and i throught that after having my surgery it would... not. Dawn

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR REPLYS.  I WILL SEE MY DR. AND SEE WHAT THE SLEEP STUDY SHOWS.  THANKS AGAIN . KAREN 3/15/04 130 LBS GONE

Hi,  I am a Respiratory Therapist and a Sleep Technologist.  I had sleep apnea pre-op and fortunately for me, I do not have it now due to the weight loss.  It is important for a person with sleep apnea (especially pre-op) to use the CPAP machine.  No one should stop using the CPAP machine until they have had another sleep study to determine if they sleep apnea is truly gone.  I have seen many people who are not overweight have sleep apnea.  This disease is not just for the obese person.  Please get in touch with your doctor and have a new sleep study.  The health ramifications are so great if you still have the disease, but are not being treated. Rose