How long til you stopped using Sleep Apnea Machine?

I am scheduled to haven Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass on 4/13/2011. I have been using a CPAP machine for 6 years and can't wait to get off of it. Can anyone tell me how long after your surgery that you were able to stop using your CPAP? Thanks for any help you can give me with this!
Joyce

I first got my CPAP machine last July and it was great.  I had my gastric bypass surgery on September 20th.  It probably took me two weeks post op to realize the CPAP machine was not working as effectively.  Within 6 weeks post op my wife told me I was no longer snoring when I would fall asleep.  I started remembering my dreams without the machine.  I have felt great the last 4 months without using it.  I still need to validate with my pulmonologist but I have no apnea related feelings.  That is unless I only get four hours of sleep, lol.  Good luck you will do great and you will eventually no longer sound like Darth Vader at night.

Just because you lose weight does not mean you will not need your C-Pap.  After you start losing weight, at some point, I would suggest another sleep study.  I was about 9 months out and had one.  I used a C-Pap for 10 years. 

I found out after the study, I still had sleep apnea, but it was so mild, I could treat it with positional therapy (not sleeping  on my back).  I know it is tempting to self diagnose, but be on the safe side and get a sleep study down the road.

Steve

I stopped using my CPAP at 2 months post op, when I started waking up choking on the air.  I was only using a pressure of 8, which is the lowest therapy level my machine can be set to.  

 I highly recomend if you think you can lower the pressure or stop that you have a sleep study done to make sure you do not need it anymore.  A few of my friends (whose pressure was up in the 20's) had to step their CPAP pressure down 2 or 3 times before they could stop using it completely.  I did not have a new sleep study to determine if it was ok to stop, but my doctors (PCP and Surgeon) both felt that it was fine to stop, since the pressure was so low to begin with.

I do however still use it for 48 hours AFTER I have a surgery because the anestesia and pain killers don't let me breath as deeply as necessary.

I'm 2 years post RNY and still use mine.  My pulmonologist says even thin people have sleep apnea.  He wants me to have another sleep study before he discontinues my use.  I have lowered the settings but I don't mind using it.  I don't snore anymore and hope I can get off it, but if I can't it is OK.

Like everything else, I will do what I need to for my health.

As soon as I got home from the hospital! :)  I hated that thing!

I was on CPAP for almost 17 years prior to my surgery.    6 months after surgery I was retested and cleared to stop it completely.   It is great to be without it now but I'm sure glad I had it when I needed it.

I will soon be 5 months out and I still use my machine.