Surgeon says not to use anymore???

Yesterday I met with my surgeon for my last visit before my surgery next Wed. He said that I would no longer be able to use my bi-pap machine as it was dangerous to the pouch to use after surgery? Has anyone else here had their doctor tell them this? I have had for a couple of years now and sleep very well with it. How soon does the weight loss effect sleep apenea? thanks for any advice. ----off to pre-op appointments. will check back when I get home. Debbie

Debbie, First of all, good luck on your surgery and I wish you a speedy recovery! I have been told to bring my c-pap machine with me to my surgery. I am not sure what a bi-pap is and what the difference is between the two, but I think you should probably call your respiratory therapist and see what they say. Maybe also try calling another surgeon just to ask them their opinion too.

I don't know what a bi-pap machine is either .. I use a cpap machine. But I was told that I had to use mine until I was re=tested and the sleep study said I didn't need it. I am 2 years post op.. I had a test 1 year post op and definitely still need it. I do plan to get tested again but I still snoor and other non fat people in my family have sleep apnea so I may be stuck with it. Also I don't know which surgery you are having. I had Rou en Y gastric bypass. I'd check it out more ... Good Luck..

I am still pre-op also, I will be having surgery in Late July. My surgeon says I should bring my cpap machine with me to the hospital. He says that in about 6 mos I will have to have anyother sleep study to see if I need it but I definately need it now. I have had mine for 5 mos and still cant get used to it. I fall asleep with it on but I wake up in the middle of the night and want to take it off. Good Luck. But I would definately get a second opinion.

Bi-PAP stands for Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure. The use of Bi-PAP machines is often called non-invasive face mask ventilation. This is because the trachea is not intubated so there is less trauma to the airway and more importantly there is a lower incidence of nosocomial infections. C-PAP, stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. Continuous means that the pressure delivered to the patient is the same for any given breath. C-PAP can actually increase the work of breathing and be lethal to an ALS patient As the use of Bi-PAP machines has increased, their cost has gone down. There are also more types of masks available and this has improved patient comfort and compliance.

Well, this just goes to show why we have specialists in medicine! My own PCP knew very little about OSA, and I basically self-diagnosed! This guy is the surgeon, not a sleep specialist. Everything I read before my surgery said that not only did I HAVE to have my autopap in the hospital, but I had to continue using if afterward. OSA can be fatal, so it is absolutely necessary! Now maybe he has some issue with the bi-pap per se, but I don't see what is has to do with the pouch. The air is going into our lungs, so it's counter-intuitive at the least. In general, see my post about the Autopap, which I am totally sold on. I see that you already HAD your surgery, though ... I haven't been keeping up with the board lately. I hope you are continuing to use something, and that your recovery is going well. I think my post also dealt with WLS and apnea. ~~ Leslie