Sleep Apnea & Anasthesia

[icyblufrz88 33]

Hello everyone:

I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice or tell me about there personal experiences with having sleep apnea and undergoing WLS?

The reason I ask is because I have severe obstructive sleep apnea and have been using a CPAP machine for about a year now. I usually have trouble sleeping flat on my back so I have to sleep sitting up a bit reclined.

I keep worrying that during surgery I may stop breathing or that the anesthesia will make me sleep to the point that I don't wake up again. Because I already have issues with breathing while sleeping, I worry that being put under could be a big risk and that things might be complicated somehow. Am I just worrying too much about this or is it something to consider?

I would appreciate any advice or personal stories about this.

Thank you for anyone that shares and helps to calm my mind a bit

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[judanna77 45]

Please don't worry about this- during surgery, you will be intubated, so there is no chance that you will stop breathing due to sleep apnea since the tube will keep your throat open. You will be asked to bring your CPAP to the hospital, and once you are recovery, with your history of severe sleep apnea, they will most likely put you on your CPAP at once. Or they might monitor your vitals and if your oxygen levels falls below a certain amount, they will put your CPAP on.

I have mild sleep apnea which turns severe during REM sleep. I've been on CPAP for about 5 years now. I brought my CPAP to the hospital, but never ended up needing it, as my oxygen levels never fell below 95%. But it was right there next to me in my room in case I needed it.

Also, just a heads up, pretty much immediately once I got home after surgery, I started waking up with an incredibly dry mouth. I just couldn't keep my mouth shut during sleep, when it had never been a problem before. Turns out that my CPAP pressure needed to come way down. I hadn't lost much weight at that point, so I'm not sure why it happened so suddenly, but from reading this board it seems like it happens to a lot of people.

[ShelterDog64 2,364]

sleep apnea is something your anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist will be able to manage during your surgery. They'll ventilate you with positive pressure through your endotracheal tube. They deal with obstructive sleep apnea all the time, particularly in WLS patients. It's vital that they're informed of the severity of your apnea, but you shouldn't be concerned about not waking up or having complications due to it.

Also, you'll need your CPAP in the hospital afterward.

[James Marusek 5,244]

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery over 3 years ago. I had sleep apnea prior to surgery. I snored so loud that it keep my wife awake many nights. A few weeks after surgery, this problem went away. I would wake up in the middle of the night and find my wife hovering over me. I was sleeping so quiet that my wife thought I passed away and she was trying to detect if I was still breathing. It is no longer a problem for me.

[icyblufrz88 33]

Thank you to those that have shared info. on this topic and given their input. I really appreciate this. It does help a bit knowing these things

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[catwoman7 11,216]

I think that's why so many programs require a sleep study - because sleep apnea is very common in obese people and a lot of people don't realize they have it. And that's something the anesthesiologist needs to know about so they can account for it during your surgery.....

[The New Kel 1,312]

My surgeon's team required that I disclose any heavy snoring or sleep apnea history. I never had sleep apnea so I didn't warrant further tests. But for those who have, my team required they have sleep study, I assume so that the surgeon and team is prepared with the right equipment during surgery.

I think if I were you I would tell the team, jut to be safe. Good luck!

Edited November 14, 2016 by The New Kel

[M@E 84]

Hi I was recently diagnosed with sever sleep apnea which one of the reasons I decided to have WLS sleeve done on 28 Oct. I took machine in with me and was kept on ICU over night as precaution put me on my CPAP after op once I fell asleep. What I will say is I have stopped using it for a couple of weeks as I felt the wind pain I was having was being made worse by the CPAP so not been on it for 2 weeks and feel fine. Will go back on it soon but hope once my weight comes off I won't need it.

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[icyblufrz88 33]

Hi I was recently diagnosed with sever sleep apnea which one of the reasons I decided to have WLS sleeve done on 28 Oct. I took machine in with me and was kept on ICU over night as precaution put me on my CPAP after op once I fell asleep. What I will say is I have stopped using it for a couple of weeks as I felt the wind pain I was having was being made worse by the CPAP so not been on it for 2 weeks and feel fine. Will go back on it soon but hope once my weight comes off I won't need it.

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Oh wow, I'm sorry to hear that you were having issues with your CPAP machine after surgery. I hope it is getting better for you.

While you were off the CPAP and slept, did you have any discomfort or trouble sleeping?

The reason I ask is because my sleep apnea is pretty bad and i noticed that if I take a nap or doze off into sleep without using my CPAP machine then I wake up feeling lightheaded and have a terrible headache. I guess I really do need to use it every time I sleep and I feel that not using it would only cause issues for me, even during the post-op days :/

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Edited November 14, 2016 by icyblufrz88

[shedo82773 1,236]

My husband has had his sleep apnea for many many years. He fought about using it for many years. It drove him crazy. But...he has it so bad now that he sleeps with it every night. Before he could peel the paint off the walls with his snoring plus he had Restless Leg Syndrom!! Not a good night's sleep for me for many years!! LOL Now he wears his every night, except when he gets a real bad cold because it makes him feel like he can't breathe. When he had a failed revision from the Band to a RNY it made him feel like he was smothering. But that was a whole different thing. He went to Mexico last June and had a Sleeve done but so far with his 65# loss he still needs his CPAP. One thing that helped him was a full face mask. It helped him breathe without coming undid. Thank You DR's!!!

[#BirdDog 604]

I have sleep apnea, couldn't get used to a c-pap machine so they put me on a bi-pap. Much better! As for surgery, my surgeon didn't require another sleep study from me since I was already diagnosed and had the machine. No problems with anesthesia. I brought my machine with me to the hospital and when I made it into my own room my wife set it up for me. I've been using it ever since.

However now that I have lost some tonnage I am not sleeping as well. Saw the sleep doctor and he had me fit for a new mask. Still not sleeping well, not they are changing my prescription and setting my machine to auto bi-pap because they think my pressure may be too high now. while that sucks that I've been getting bad sleep, it's pretty cool that things are getting better.

Edited November 15, 2016 by #BirdDog

[Aggiemae 739]

My surgeon's team required that I disclose any heavy snoring or sleep apnea history. I never had sleep apnea so I didn't warrant further tests. But for those who have, my team required they have sleep study, I assume so that the surgeon and team is prepared with the right equipment during surgery.

I think if I were you I would tell the team, jut to be safe. Good luck!

My program also require a sleep study though I am not sure why since I was on the boarder and the sleep Dr suggest a mouth appliance but the surgeon insisted on the CPAP as it seems I just could have skipped the expense of the sleep study. I do use my CPAP Mmost night and I am having the most amazing dreams.

[icyblufrz88 33]

I have sleep apnea, couldn't get used to a c-pap machine so they put me on a bi-pap. Much better! As for surgery, my surgeon didn't require another sleep study from me since I was already diagnosed and had the machine. No problems with anesthesia. I brought my machine with me to the hospital and when I made it into my own room my wife set it up for me. I've been using it ever since.

However now that I have lost some tonnage I am not sleeping as well. Saw the sleep doctor and he had me fit for a new mask. Still not sleeping well, not they are changing my prescription and setting my machine to auto bi-pap because they think my pressure may be too high now. while that sucks that I've been getting bad sleep, it's pretty cool that things are getting better.

@@Bird Dog- I, too, am using Bi-Pap therapy because of my severe sleep apnea and it works better than the typical CPAP. I have been using BiPap for about a year now and it has definitely allowed me to sleep better. I will be sure to take my machine the day of surgery to use and hopefully things will go well. Thanks for sharing and hope all is going well with you

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