x -post Sleep Apnea WARNING!!!

If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, please please please follow all rules, use your CPAP, if you are losing weight have it monitored and adjusted as you lose, and question your doctor when you have to take any pain meds or sleep aids!. I know some people lose their weight and are able to stop using their CPAP or BIPAP, but others continue to need it.

A dear friend just buried her 52 year old husband today. He suffered from sleep apnea and had used a CPAP for several years. He had RNY about 6 years ago and had regained some of his weight. I don't think his sleep apnea ever went away even at his smallest. He was careful to always use his machine and follow all the recomendations. This is what his doctors think happened- several weeks ago his back was hurt in an accident. He had been having trouble sleeping due to the pain ever since. He went to bed early last Saturday night after taking Ambien (which had been prescibed to him and he had taken occasionly over the years). On Sunday morning he was unresponsive - could not be woken. They admitted him to the hospital and began running tests, only to find out that he was brain dead from oxygen starvation. He had to be put on life support while they continued to hope for a change and the family came to grips with what had happened and what they would do. After a week with doctors assuring them there was no possibility of him ever being able to "come out" of this, they made the difficult decision to remove the life support and he passed away a few hours later.

So what happened? They think his respiratory system was suppressed by the combination of the ambien and sleep apnea. But he was wearing his mask and the CPAP seemed to be functioning normaly. He had taken Ambien before. Could it be related to the accident, something they missed when checking him out at that time? I don't  know. I just know that this tragedy shouldn't happen to anyone. Please be careful what you take and what you do if you have sleep apnea.

 This is very sad, i am sorry to hear about your friend. Sad but true that sleep apnea sometimes is just nor resolved by weightloss. 
Once the weight is lost we cant just drop all our meds and medical equipment, we gotta get checked and make sure we are cleared to stop using whatever. 
This is kinda OT but Another thing about every one who has or might have sleep apnea, make sure you are lying down right in those hospital beds!!!

I know that from all the drugs we are so groggy and loopy, but trust me your oxygen intake is affected by  what position you are on . make sure that you are pulled up in bed by the staff if u cant straighten yourself up on the bed. Make sure the head of  the bed is also elevated. since we are kinda out of it, make sure whomever is with u(fam/spouse) is also aware of this. 

when i came out of surgery, i found out that the OR nurse was kinda freaking out cause my O2sat was so low. in between falling asleep i told her, pull me up in the bed and raise my head up. My oxygen level went up and i was able to fully wake up. 

i have been working at a hospital for 10 years and i gotta say that i have seen so many people take a "nap" or doze off while they are slouching in the  bed, next thing u know they are unresponsive. some have even coded because of that and i have seen someone die because of that. 
what rhondanweme said is very important folks. just because you havent been diagnosed does not mean you can not be affected by this. and if you are diagnosed make sure you ask questions and stay on top of it after your weightloss begins. 

I am sorry for your friend's loss. My father died at 67 of congestive heart failure and sleep apnea (he refused to wear a CPAP) so I could very much relate reading your friend's story.

When I was diagnosed at 35 with severe sleep apnea it was one of the last straw moments that confirmed that weight loss surgery had to happen. I was very lucky in that my sleep apnea was completely resolved post wls.

Thank you for sharing this important info!
~Michelle "Shelly"

I would also like to caution that do not take yourself off CPAP until you have a final sleep study.  Even if you think the sleep apena is resolved it may not be.  I found this out the hard way.

This is exactly why my doctor requires a sleep test before surgery.  The pain meds taken post-op can depress breathing especially with someone with sleep apnea.

My dad passed away from sleep apnea...died in his sleep.

I was diagnosed pre-op, used my cpap for 6 months and after a 3rd sleep study was given permission to sleep without it.

Sad story.

Thank you all for your relies and input. If we can help even one person avoid this happening to them or someone we love, it'll be a big difference. My friends should have had many more years together, and he should have been able to continue to be a big part of the life of his first grandchild, a beautiful 18 month old that was the apple of his eye. It's so sad.

 Wow!! That is scary. I have mild sleep apnea for over 10 yrs but only knew for the last 3 and don't use my machine at all. I never got used to it, even with different masks because I am a very light and sensitive sleeper. When i asked my sleep doctor, the chances of me not waking up, he said that I would not die in my sleep, because the lack of oxygen and blood flow over the brain would always wake me up. I don't gasp for air like some people. My eyes just pop open. He told me that my apnea may be resolved if I lost 60lbs. However I don't think so yet. I definitely will inquire about getting retested again once I hit goal. Thanks for the wake up call.

Sorry, I haven't been back on OH for a few days. It IS very scary. I think what your Dr. said is right,  but the problem in this case is that where he normally would have probably woke up gasping for  breath, the medication he was on suppressed that reaction to the point that he just was not able to awaken and so did not get enough oxygen to his brain for a long enough time (5 MINUTES is all it takes!!) that he suffered severe brain damage/brain death. Please take good of yourself!

Rhonda