Question:
Has anyone been diagnosed with sleep apnea pre-op and......
lost a significant amount of weight post-op and had a sleep study to see how their sleep apnea was post-op. I'm 2.5 years post roux-en-y and I still don't sleep well and have just learned to cope. However, because I haven't followed up with a post weight loss sleep study, I have been denied life insurance. Just looking for other's experiences. — [Deactivated Member] (posted on April 3, 2005)
April 3, 2005
apart from the insurance issue, you are probly over triculated, tomuch air
presure is the same as none at all, thus yu are tire, fighting the machine
time for a retest.
— walter A.
April 3, 2005
I have lost 176lbs so far and well I have had one sleep study at 3 months
after surgery and will be having another one this month which is ~10 months
after surgery. I can tell when I don't feel well immediately and know its
time to change pressures. I have been feeling bad recently and decided I
better set the appointment up now. Can't wait to go so I can feel better
soon. I guess life insurance companies can deny us.....I just have not had
it happen to me yet.
— dcox94
April 4, 2005
I had Open RNY Oct 11, 2004. My pressure on my CPAP was 13 and I stopped
breathing 56 times an hour without it. I just had a post op sleep study 2
weeks ago. I now only stop breathing 30 times an hour and they reset my
CPAP pressure to 9. 13 was blowing my head off! I would definitely set up
another sleep study.
— Tealrose
April 4, 2005
I was a 22/18 bi-pap with moderately severe sleep apnea. I was officially
diagnosed about 5 weeks before surgery although I likely had it for about 2
years based on the unknown symptoms I was having and had no idea were
related to sleep apnea (severe head sweating at night, could not sleep in
bed only in recliner or I would hurt a lot more in the morning than usual).
I adjusted to my machine immediately and slept well the month before
surgery, so I was very shocked that I could not get back on it after
surgery. My surgeon had asked me to stay off of it for a month after
surgery as my oxygen level was staying up when sleeping. He and the
pulmonologist felt I would be okay and the surgeon preferred not to put the
extra pressure on the pouch. I know many surgeons allow people to use
their machines right away, but at that time my surgeon did not want people
to use them unless it would cause severe apnea episodes and the oxygen
level went too low. He has since changed his mind and puts people on their
machines right away.
<p>So I went a month. I then started using the machine and slept
okay but noticed I was sore in the rib cage. I did not put it all together
for 3 nights. I awoke that morning and still had the machine on and could
see my ribs being pushed quite a bit and then it dawned on me why I hurt so
bad. My machine was lowered 4 different times in order to try and find a
pressure I could tolerate and not flare up my ribs. When it got to 11/9
and it still was too much the pulmonologist told me to stop using the
machine and he would redo my sleep study at 6 months PO. At that point I
was about 2-1/2 months PO. At 6 months my study showed that I was 4 c-pap
and my episodes were like 10 per hour. He released me from machine therapy
and said 25 more lbs and it would be gone. That was 90 lbs ago. I've lost
a total of 252 lbs, yet just losing about 30 lbs was enough for my
breathing to significantly improve. I know that it's more typical that
people get off of their machines around 10-12 months PO or at least the
pressures are dropped way down.
<p>The sleeping disturbances could be from a number of things other
than sleep apnea. It's best to get back to the pulmonologist and let them
figure out what needs to be tested. I have Primary CNS (Central Nervous
System) Hypersomnia, quite severe. I had been diagnosed with this about 6
years before I had WLS. The condition is similar to narcolepsy, but I
don't go to sleep in just a few seconds and I do not go into REM sleep
immediately when I do fall asleep. But without stimulant medications,
taken throughout the day, I am worthless at work and could sleep the entire
day and wake up feeling like I was hit by a semi. My brain stem does not
know to be awake and therefore needs meds to tell it to be awake. When I
take the meds and have my brain stimulated awake all day, then I sleep well
at night and get the restorative sleep I need. If I skip the meds, when I
go to bed I sleep but the quality of sleep stinks. I do not get any
restorative sleep. I wake up extremely tired, even though I have had tons
of sleep. This condition was not affected by my weight at all - heavy or
thinner. You could have restless leg syndrome or some other things. Also
our body chemistry changes as we get older. Peri-menopause or menopause
can greatly disrupt sleep quality. So it's best to get it checked out and
get some good ZZZZZZ's.
— zoedogcbr
April 5, 2005
I've been on CPAP for about 7 yrs. I had a sleep study 10 months post-op
and still have to have the CPAP. It's working out fine. Good luck
— juju524
April 5, 2005
Significant weight loss could effect your pressure needs because there is
less weight sitting on the relaxed airway when you sleep so less pressure
may be needed to hold the airway open. You need to make sure you check in
with your sleep specialist about your concerns. He or she will know what is
best for you.
As someone stated in a previous response, too much pressure can be just as
damaging as not enough. It isn't always true that significant weight loss
can get you permanently off the therapy. There are many factors involved
that constitute continuous use of either the CPAP or BIPAP machine,
especially how your airway looks structurally. Some signs to look for
would be excessive dry mouth (not dry throat), evidence of drooling, or
possibly swallowing air making you feel bloated or gassy, and especially
not feeling rested/refreshed in the morning. The only way to know for sure
is to follow up with routine visits to service the machine and ensure that
you are using the optimal pressure for you.
Keep in mind that your insurance company wants to insure total compliance.
Before they continue paying for CPAP/BIPAP therapy - they want to make sure
it is still medically neccessary.
I would recommend discussing with your doctor whether a post op study is
right for you based off your medical history.
Good Luck!
— Tiffany W.
April 6, 2005
Hi - I had surgery 6/03 and was using a CPAP at a pressure of "9"
- diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea. I stopped using the CPAP
immediately as I always hated it. I feel like the sleep apnea is gone
since my sleeping partner tells me I don't snore anymore and I feel much
better rsted when I wake. However, just this past Sunday, I went thru a
post-op sleep study. Although I haven't gotten the results yet, the
administrator told me that my Dr had set a very low protocol for me and
that she may have to awaken me to put a CPAP machine on. But, she never
did - I asked her in the morning, and she said that I never reached that
protocol. Although not "official" yet, I firmly believe the
sleep apnea is GONE! I was anxious to get this off my records as I want to
up my insurance coverage also. Go ahead and get your Dr to order the post
op sleep study. It's worth the hassle to clear your mind.
— Nannette
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