Question:
How long did it take to get rid of your CPAP machine and High blood pressure after
surgery. My mother is on both the machine for sleep apnea and has high blood pressure and she was wondering how long it took to get off of them? — horserider0146 (posted on July 7, 2003)
July 7, 2003
everyone is different on this issue because everyone's body is different.
in my case, i was off cpap right after surgery per surgeons orders. he felt
that it pushes some air into the stomach and didnt want to damage the new
pouch. some surgeons continue cpap on their patients while in the hospital.
i am sure it also depends on how sever the sleep apnea is. i had a followup
check of my nighttime oxygen concentration after losing 20 lbs and since it
checked out ok, i never went back on the cpap. i also had a repeat sleep
study after about 6 months postop and it was normal.
i never took another b/p med after my dose the day before surgery. i had my
b/p checked regularly and it remained normal. on the other hand, a friend
of mine who is now 1 yr post op is having high blood pressure now and needs
meds. she also has a history of heart attacks before she had surgery so she
has some damage there.
so to answer your mom's question... it all depends. i would say that the
majority of people who's medical problems are caused by obesity, once the
weight is lost, the problems like sleep apnea and high bp go away.
good luck to you and your mom.
— PATSY N.
July 7, 2003
I was off of my blood pressure meds after I lost 30lbs. Every one is
different. Some of it depends on how much weight you have to lose overall.
My mother in law is 100lbs heavier than I am and after 3 months she is
still on her BP meds.
— M B.
July 7, 2003
I was off my cpap at about 4 weeks post-op. Which was 30 pounds later. I
would like to add that I had sleep apnea (UP3) surgery back in September of
'02. I never had my pressure turned down even after my UP3 surgery or my
wls. I asked my doctor if the pressure being too high would hurt anything
and she said absolutely not. I believe that is a myth because I have heard
others say that it can damage your pouch, but the air isn't going into your
pouch. Use it as long as you feel that you need it. I knew when it was
time because the pressure just seemed too much and I had started opening my
mouth. You will just know when the time is right. I am now about 5 weeks
out and sleeping just fine without it. I would keep in mind that if you
have allergies you may want to purchase a humidifier. My c-pap had one
attached and I find now that my nose drys out, so I am thinking about
getting one. Good luck!
Lap RNY 5/30/03 down -32 pounds :)
— Patra R.
July 7, 2003
I was off my bp medication after losing 50 lbs. Good luck to you.
— Lisa S.
July 7, 2003
My surgeon took me off of my blood pressure pills when I was in the
hospital and I haven't taken them since! At my 10 day post-op appointment,
my blood pressure was normal without the pills!! At that point, I had lost
27 pounds! As far as my CPAP machine.....I haven't tried to sleep without
it yet. I love sleeping with mine, but I have noticed that it's starting
to bother me.
— Terri G.
July 7, 2003
Hi, I took my last blood pressure pill them morning of surgery....good
luck
— Kriola
July 7, 2003
I was over close to 400lbs on my surgery date. I tool atenolol and used a
CPAP at a pressure setting of 8. I stopped using the CPAP about 6 weeks
after surgery because it was killing me!!! I couldn't breathe with the
thing on--I would wake up cholking and gagging. As far as the atenolol is
concerned, I stopped taking it about 8 weeks post op (only half the normal
amount post op) but stopped pretty much everything else in the hospital.
My acute edema disappeared the day of surgery!!!!! Life is good!!!
— jenn2002
July 7, 2003
I am still pre-op but I assume everyone is different, All I know is that I
have heard that you should have a repeat sleep study before you take
yourself off your CPAP, which could be dangerous for your health......you
may still need it even after the weight loss.
— Saxbyd
July 8, 2003
the last time i took my 3 bp meds, 2 heart meds & 1 gerd med was the
day before surgery. my bp dropped to normal limits while i was still in the
recovery room. by the time i was discharged 3 days later my bp was 114/72
& it is still the same today, 19 months post op. my surgeon said that
this is a common phenomenom that they cant explain. i never suffered a
single angina attack or gerd attack after surgery, either. as you might
imagine, my pcp & cardiologist were thrilled beyond thrilled. my sleep
apnea was another story tho. i was 9 mos post op & at a 100 lb loss
before i stopped using my cpap. i dont recommend doing it the way i did. i
just stopped...no sleep test, no dr approval. i had been on my cpap for 6
years & i was sick & tired of it. it was set at 15 which had become
much too high & it interferred greatly with my sleep, but, the thought
of another sleep test made me cringe. my honey tells me i still have sleep
apnea, but, nowhere near as severe as it was & i stupidly still refuse
to get tested again. i wish your mom the very best of luck.
— sheryl titone
July 8, 2003
I am over a year out and down 120 pounds. I am still taking a small dose
of one bp medicine (an ACE inhibitor, which my endocrinologist wants me to
stay on because it has a protective effect on my kidneys), but was taking
large doses of diuretics and 2 other bp meds pre-op. When I had lost 100
pounds or so, I went back in for another sleep study and was just sure I'd
be able to quit using it. NOT. I know that lots of people decide to just
quit using the CPAP on their own, but another poster is right. It's really
a good idea to have another sleep study done. I'm proof of that right now.
My mask broke almost 2 weeks ago and the place where I get them had to
back-order it. I still don't have it and am noticing how tired I am every
day.
— garw
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