Question:
Has anyone been diagnosed with sleep apnea pre-op and......

lost a significant amount of weight post-op and had a sleep study to see how their sleep apnea was post-op. I'm 2.5 years post roux-en-y and I still don't sleep well and have just learned to cope. However, because I haven't followed up with a post weight loss sleep study, I have been denied life insurance. Just looking for other's experiences.    — [Deactivated Member] (posted on April 3, 2005)

April 3, 2005
apart from the insurance issue, you are probly over triculated, tomuch air presure is the same as none at all, thus yu are tire, fighting the machine time for a retest.
   — walter A.

April 3, 2005
I have lost 176lbs so far and well I have had one sleep study at 3 months after surgery and will be having another one this month which is ~10 months after surgery. I can tell when I don't feel well immediately and know its time to change pressures. I have been feeling bad recently and decided I better set the appointment up now. Can't wait to go so I can feel better soon. I guess life insurance companies can deny us.....I just have not had it happen to me yet.
   — dcox94

April 4, 2005
I had Open RNY Oct 11, 2004. My pressure on my CPAP was 13 and I stopped breathing 56 times an hour without it. I just had a post op sleep study 2 weeks ago. I now only stop breathing 30 times an hour and they reset my CPAP pressure to 9. 13 was blowing my head off! I would definitely set up another sleep study.
   — Tealrose

April 4, 2005
I was a 22/18 bi-pap with moderately severe sleep apnea. I was officially diagnosed about 5 weeks before surgery although I likely had it for about 2 years based on the unknown symptoms I was having and had no idea were related to sleep apnea (severe head sweating at night, could not sleep in bed only in recliner or I would hurt a lot more in the morning than usual). I adjusted to my machine immediately and slept well the month before surgery, so I was very shocked that I could not get back on it after surgery. My surgeon had asked me to stay off of it for a month after surgery as my oxygen level was staying up when sleeping. He and the pulmonologist felt I would be okay and the surgeon preferred not to put the extra pressure on the pouch. I know many surgeons allow people to use their machines right away, but at that time my surgeon did not want people to use them unless it would cause severe apnea episodes and the oxygen level went too low. He has since changed his mind and puts people on their machines right away. <p>So I went a month. I then started using the machine and slept okay but noticed I was sore in the rib cage. I did not put it all together for 3 nights. I awoke that morning and still had the machine on and could see my ribs being pushed quite a bit and then it dawned on me why I hurt so bad. My machine was lowered 4 different times in order to try and find a pressure I could tolerate and not flare up my ribs. When it got to 11/9 and it still was too much the pulmonologist told me to stop using the machine and he would redo my sleep study at 6 months PO. At that point I was about 2-1/2 months PO. At 6 months my study showed that I was 4 c-pap and my episodes were like 10 per hour. He released me from machine therapy and said 25 more lbs and it would be gone. That was 90 lbs ago. I've lost a total of 252 lbs, yet just losing about 30 lbs was enough for my breathing to significantly improve. I know that it's more typical that people get off of their machines around 10-12 months PO or at least the pressures are dropped way down. <p>The sleeping disturbances could be from a number of things other than sleep apnea. It's best to get back to the pulmonologist and let them figure out what needs to be tested. I have Primary CNS (Central Nervous System) Hypersomnia, quite severe. I had been diagnosed with this about 6 years before I had WLS. The condition is similar to narcolepsy, but I don't go to sleep in just a few seconds and I do not go into REM sleep immediately when I do fall asleep. But without stimulant medications, taken throughout the day, I am worthless at work and could sleep the entire day and wake up feeling like I was hit by a semi. My brain stem does not know to be awake and therefore needs meds to tell it to be awake. When I take the meds and have my brain stimulated awake all day, then I sleep well at night and get the restorative sleep I need. If I skip the meds, when I go to bed I sleep but the quality of sleep stinks. I do not get any restorative sleep. I wake up extremely tired, even though I have had tons of sleep. This condition was not affected by my weight at all - heavy or thinner. You could have restless leg syndrome or some other things. Also our body chemistry changes as we get older. Peri-menopause or menopause can greatly disrupt sleep quality. So it's best to get it checked out and get some good ZZZZZZ's.
   — zoedogcbr

April 5, 2005
I've been on CPAP for about 7 yrs. I had a sleep study 10 months post-op and still have to have the CPAP. It's working out fine. Good luck
   — juju524

April 5, 2005
Significant weight loss could effect your pressure needs because there is less weight sitting on the relaxed airway when you sleep so less pressure may be needed to hold the airway open. You need to make sure you check in with your sleep specialist about your concerns. He or she will know what is best for you. As someone stated in a previous response, too much pressure can be just as damaging as not enough. It isn't always true that significant weight loss can get you permanently off the therapy. There are many factors involved that constitute continuous use of either the CPAP or BIPAP machine, especially how your airway looks structurally. Some signs to look for would be excessive dry mouth (not dry throat), evidence of drooling, or possibly swallowing air making you feel bloated or gassy, and especially not feeling rested/refreshed in the morning. The only way to know for sure is to follow up with routine visits to service the machine and ensure that you are using the optimal pressure for you. Keep in mind that your insurance company wants to insure total compliance. Before they continue paying for CPAP/BIPAP therapy - they want to make sure it is still medically neccessary. I would recommend discussing with your doctor whether a post op study is right for you based off your medical history. Good Luck!
   — Tiffany W.

April 6, 2005
Hi - I had surgery 6/03 and was using a CPAP at a pressure of "9" - diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea. I stopped using the CPAP immediately as I always hated it. I feel like the sleep apnea is gone since my sleeping partner tells me I don't snore anymore and I feel much better rsted when I wake. However, just this past Sunday, I went thru a post-op sleep study. Although I haven't gotten the results yet, the administrator told me that my Dr had set a very low protocol for me and that she may have to awaken me to put a CPAP machine on. But, she never did - I asked her in the morning, and she said that I never reached that protocol. Although not "official" yet, I firmly believe the sleep apnea is GONE! I was anxious to get this off my records as I want to up my insurance coverage also. Go ahead and get your Dr to order the post op sleep study. It's worth the hassle to clear your mind.
   — Nannette