Question:
WHAT is a CPAP?

I keep hearing people discussing this CPAP thing. Is this something I will be required to use after the surgery? What exactly is it? I've been seriously researching the surgery but haven't come across the information about this.    — valarien (posted on May 23, 2003)

May 23, 2003
Hi, A CPAP machine has nothing to do with the surgery itself, however, some people who have sleep studies before the surgery suddenly learn that they have sleep apnea. The machine aids the breathing of people with "sleep apnea". I have 2 friends on the machine who are doing great since they started using the CPAP. Sleep Apnea is often (but not always) a co-morbiditiy of excessive weight.
   — M B.

May 23, 2003
CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. It is used to treat obstructive sleep apnea, which is very common in the morbidly obese. Obstructive sleep apnea means that you quit breathing many times an hour. It wakes you up, because your body realizes you need to take a breath, but you're not really aware of having waked up. The only way you can know for sure if you need one is to have a sleep study. Usually that means a visit to a pulmonologist who would evaluate you and then decide if you need to have the sleep study. A couple of things that might give you a clue as to whether you have sleep apnea are waking up tired even though you've had a full night's sleep, headaches when you wake up, if you snore loudly, especially if someone who hears you says that you don't make any noise for quite a while, then gasp and snort. It's not something to be afraid of at all. Before I got mine, I would get 8 hours of 'sleep' every night and still be incredibly tired. The first night I slept all night with it, I woke up rested for the first time in years. Sleep apnea is considered a co-morbidity because it can be life threatening. If you think there's even a possibility that you have it, you should discuss it with your PCP and get the referral to the pulmonologist before you have your surgery. It's not something they would arbitrarily put you on post-op. One of the purposes of the sleep study is to see if you have sleep apnea, and then if you do, they put you on the CPAP machine and monitor you so they can see what setting gives you the best sleep quality. Hope this helps some. I've been using one for over 8 years and am still using it even a year post-op. I had a sleep study done in January, thinking I'd be able to quit using the CPAP, but no such luck. I'll have to have another one down the road, but I won't even ask for one until I get within 20 pounds or so of goal.
   — garw

May 23, 2003
I was frustrated with the Pulmonary doctor because she was making me go through a sleep study to see if I had sleep apnea. I was sure that I didn't have this problem. Yes, I felt tired all the time, but I thought it was due to being MO and battling depression. The sleep test was a strange experience having wires hooked up to you, needless to say I didn't get much sleep. When I was told that I do have it and I had to go back to do a sleep study with CPAP, I just Really started complaining to anyone that would listen. Well, I couldn't figure out 'what the big deal' was, because I couldn't get cleared for surgery until my sleep apnea had been diagnosed & treated. I did some research and found out...It's kinda important! In fact, several have died after surgery from complications from it. 'Changed my attitude! So, I went back to the study center and slept with the CPAP machine. And I'm NOT exaggerating when I say that I woke up the next morning FEELING better than I have in FIVE years!!! It brought tears to my eyes! I had so much energy that day that I was flying!!! I get my CPAP machine next Tuesday and I am So Excited, between this and my surgery scheduled.. July21st....I'm going to get my life back! Please get checked out, I'm so glad my surgeon and doctor insisted on it! Best Wishes!
   — Kimberly J.

May 26, 2003
It's probably most common with obese people, but thin people can suffer from it, too. Sometimes it involves "extra" tissue in the back of the throat. And it's very common for people to swear that they don't have it, only to do a sleep study and find out that they do. It is life threatening, so if you are recommended to have one, by all means do. Some surgeons require that you have one no matter what. Good luck!
   — Liz R.