Sleep Apnea?

[yerawizardamy 241]

I am 67 years old and I had RNY gastric bypass surgery 28 months ago. I had sleep apnea prior to surgery. I snored so much that it kept my wife awake all night long. This went on for several years. Shortly after surgery, the condition disappeared. Sometimes I would find my wife hovering over me in the middle of the night. I was sleeping so quietly that she was afraid I passed away.

Haha! I don't mean to laugh, I'm certainly glad you haven't passed away!! Just happy to hear the snoring is gone. I am SUCH a loud snorer I've ruined a few weekend getaways with friends before I realized what the problem was. I look forward to not having to buy a separate hotel room just so others can sleep!!

Edited October 1, 2015 by yerawizardamy

[ROBYNE YVETTE 5]

I got my surgery date for the( gastric sleeve) yesterday November 23 I can't wait I want to be able to get rid of my CAP machine.

[animallover1247 249]

i visited my pulmonologist yesterday and he told me he fully expects my sleep apnea will resolve but stated it wil take me losing 50-100 lbs. I asked my surgeon how much weight I would need to lose for the apnea to stop and he said "everyone is different." I have been on the CPAP machine since May and I cannot tell any difference at all. I am so tired some days I feel drunk. When I'm driving, I cant wait to get to a stop light so I can close my eyes for a minute. My apnea was classified as MODERATE.

[joatsaint 2,814]

Hang in there! I had to lose 130lbs before I could quit my CPAP.

I had tried sleeping without the CPAP several times in the previous months when I was 90, 100, 100+ lbs down, but could not sleep without it. There was no weening off of the CPAP for me.

One week I HAD to use it, the next week I was off of it forever.

One of the symptoms I experienced when I was getting close to getting off the CPAP:

I would wake up in the night belching and passing gas like crazy!

I was passing so much gas that it was waking me up. :-P

i visited my pulmonologist yesterday and he told me he fully expects my sleep apnea will resolve but stated it wil take me losing 50-100 lbs. I asked my surgeon how much weight I would need to lose for the apnea to stop and he said "everyone is different." I have been on the CPAP machine since May and I cannot tell any difference at all. I am so tired some days I feel drunk. When I'm driving, I cant wait to get to a stop light so I can close my eyes for a minute. My apnea was classified as MODERATE.

[yerawizardamy 241]

i visited my pulmonologist yesterday and he told me he fully expects my sleep apnea will resolve but stated it wil take me losing 50-100 lbs. I asked my surgeon how much weight I would need to lose for the apnea to stop and he said "everyone is different." I have been on the CPAP machine since May and I cannot tell any difference at all. I am so tired some days I feel drunk. When I'm driving, I cant wait to get to a stop light so I can close my eyes for a minute. My apnea was classified as MODERATE.

I understand the feeling. I've had times while driving that I have literally had to slap myself in the face HARD to stay awake. Your pressures might not be high enough, but I'm sure you've discussed that with your doc already. Hang in there, I'm rooting for you!

[lifsvr74 31]

I went for a sleep study last month. The nurse called and said I need to redo the test to be fitted. Since the first study suggested it. She said insurance won't approve surgery since it's documented I have some apnea. She said I would have to be on it compliant at least 2 weeks or insurance won't apptove. She knows by previous patients. Just another delay! I was hoping to have surgery before the end of the year

[suedot55 35]

It is better for your recovery to be as healthy as you can be before surgery. That means you should have a well rested body. Use the cpap . It isn't heroin you won't get addicted

[animallover1247 249]

I had a second sleep study so they could determine what pressure I needed so the apnea could be corrected. They said it was corrected at the pressure set but I'm not reaping any rewards from it! The lady at the medical supply place told me sometimes it takes 6-12 months to see any results. Whether that's true or not I don't know.

Lol If I told you all the tricks I've tried to get myself to stay awake while driving you would think I was a crazy fool! And yes, that includes hitting myself.

[pink dahlia 2,513]

Hey y'all! I have my first appointment with the surgeon that will (hopefully) do my surgery next week!

My question is in regards to people who previously suffered from sleep apnea and had WLS. I am 27 and have undiagnosed sleep apnea (I know I do because I worked for a doctor who performed sleep studies and I have alllll the symptoms), and I was wondering about people who had WLS and it whether it helped clear up their sleep apnea or it didn't.

Ages would be appreciated, I know age is a factor with sleep apnea.

I really hope I can get this surgery, I'm so sick of waking up on my couch with no memory of having fallen asleep, or drinking 5 cups of coffee just to stay awake at my desk. It's so terrible!! No, what would be terrible is to wake up as you're driving off the road with no memory of having fallen asleep ! THAT would be terrible !! You say in your later posts that you dont want to get tested because you might have to be dependant on a C pap machine, well id rather be dependant on a Cpap machine that kept me healthy and alert than a wheel chair that kept me mobile ect, because I caused an accident by falling asleep at the wheel. Just sayin '. And yes, my sleep apnea did disappear about 4-6 months after WLS, I was 53 then.

Thanks so much in advance for any input!

[Pinkgirl1234 761]

I think I have sleep apnea .I am scheduled for a study.I need clearance before surgery so this needs to be addressed.Lets see what happens.Insurance is a Bit___h!!!Unpredictable

[VDB 800]

My initial sleep test revealed 35 episodes an hour of apnea, which put me in the severe range, this was 8 years ago. Now, 5 months after gastric bypass, my CPAP pressure went from 18 to 13, I am at 5 episodes an hour average. My MD thinks I will always need it, as my brother and Dad, neither overweight, both have/had severe sleep apnea (my Dad's was never treated, his heart was likely damaged as a result, died at 91). I, like DJMOHR, am so used to the CPAP, it and sleep are very closely linked. I am 100# down, but likely even at goal weight (another 80#) will still need the CPAP. We will see!

[Pinkgirl1234 761]

#26

My initial sleep test revealed 35 episodes an hour of apnea, which put me in the severe range, this was 8 years ago. Now, 5 months after gastric bypass, my CPAP pressure went from 18 to 13, I am at 5 episodes an hour average. My MD thinks I will always need it, as my brother and Dad, neither overweight, both have/had severe sleep apnea (my Dad's was never treated, his heart was likely damaged as a result, died at 91). I, like DJMOHR, am so used to the CPAP, it and sleep are very closely linked. I am 100# down, but likely even at goal weight (another 80#) will still need the CPAP. We will see!

You are doing fantastic!!!100 pounds loss is amazing!!!

[Pinkgirl1234 761]

I am so busy trying to get all the needed testing for the revision approval.I never thought about the fact that...I was never tested for sleep Apnea.I hope my insurance approves the overnight testing.I can't remember the last time I had a good nights rest.

[Alex Brecher 10,515]

yerawizardamy,

Just to clarify, I wanted to add that it’s not the weight loss surgery itself that clears up sleep apnea, but rather the weight loss. There’s a good chance your sleep apnea is directly caused by the extra weight, as long as you have obstructive sleep apnea (that’s the more common form and the one where your airway is blocked) and not central sleep apnea (where your brain forgets to tell you to breathe). If you have obstructive sleep apnea, losing weight will probably help.

Good luck at your surgeon’s appointment! Good for you for getting all your questions ready so you can get the information you need to make a good decision. Let us know how the appointment goes!

[justme29 76]

If you do have it, most surgeons would require you to have it for so many weeks before your surgery date. I have had one for about a week now. I don't have to set the pressure as it is an auto-CPAP. I hope that you will find the answers you are seeking and move forward in your journey. Best of luck to you!