Anybody having CPAP problems after surgery?

[TipTop in TX 81]

I am 4 weeks post gastric sleeve. Prior to surgery I have been using a CPAP with mask covering nose for 4 years. I had moderate sleep apnea. I have done great on my CPAP without any problems until about a week after my surgery.

About 3 times per week (2-3 times per night), I have awakened with my mouth extremely dry. My teeth, throat, tongue...everything is super parched. I sit up and drink some Water and go back to sleep. I never had this problem before surgery and was never a mouth breather.

Anybody have this problem and/or have any ideas why this would happen only after surgery?

I have my follow-up appointment with my surgeon next week and I will definitely ask about it, but wondered if anybody had a similar experience.

Thanks.

[kmorri 1,689]

I'm not post surgery yet and don't use a cpap....but my husband does. My guess would be dehydration maybe? are you getting all your fluids in?

[KristenLe 5,979]

Does your CPAP machine have a humidity setting you can adjust? I would try that and as @@kmorri said it could be dehydration so drink plenty of Water. The other thing to check is that the mask is fitting properly (maybe weight loss has effected the fit).

[kcsprong 19]

My pulmonologist said that for my CPAP i needed to call him when i lose 10% of my weight to be re-evaluated on the pressure settings. Could it be that you've lost enough to where your current setting is too high..causing you to open your mouth which is drying you out?

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[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I am 4 weeks post gastric sleeve. Prior to surgery I have been using a CPAP with mask covering nose for 4 years. I had moderate sleep apnea. I have done great on my CPAP without any problems until about a week after my surgery.

About 3 times per week (2-3 times per night), I have awakened with my mouth extremely dry. My teeth, throat, tongue...everything is super parched. I sit up and drink some Water and go back to sleep. I never had this problem before surgery and was never a mouth breather.

Anybody have this problem and/or have any ideas why this would happen only after surgery?

I have my follow-up appointment with my surgeon next week and I will definitely ask about it, but wondered if anybody had a similar experience.

Thanks.

I made an appointment with my sleep doctor about a month post -op because my pressure was too high. He switched me to an automatically adjustable machine. It is very possible for your sleep apnea to improve or change as you lose weight.

[Bobbis 15]

I had the same issue post op. Pressure was too high and my sleep doctor turned it down twice and after a year of weight loss, I was able to get off of it completely! Most likely the pressure is causing you to open your mouth and it creates a dry mouth and throat.

[maxcimax 220]

After losing a lot of weight I was able to get off my CPAP. Yay!!

[TipTop in TX 81]

Hi Everyone,

@@kmorri - I have not been getting my fluids in since surgery, but I get in the Protein. Just yesterday I was able to actually swallow Water, not just sip it. That will make ALL the difference in getting my Water in.

@@KristenLe - Yes, my CPAP has humidifcation, but I did have to tighten my mask a few nights ago.

@@kcsprong - Well, I have lost 10% of my weight, so I will have to check that out.

@@Inner Surfer Girl - It has been a month for me. I think I will make an appointment with my CPAP provider and see if they can get me in this week.

@@Bobbis - I think you might be right! I woke up last night and I notice air coming out of my mouth. I bet the pressure is too high. I really didn't think I would be making a change in my CPAP this early.

@@maxcimax - I am hoping for the same thing! I hate traveling with my CPAP. Just one of the health problems I hoped to address with my weight loss.

Great suggestions everyone. I'll get on them now.

[Dkdebose 56]

I have experienced the same problem and I had my procedure done on March 22nd. A week out I started getting dry mouth with everything you described. I have since experimented taking naps without my mask. My kids say I'm not snoring so the next step is try it at night and see if there is a difference over night

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