Question:
When do you know if you don't need the CPAP anymore?

I had my surgery on 11/20 and am wondering how I will know if and when to discontinue my CPAP machine use. My setting is still the same at almost 7 weeks out. Any advice/information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Take care and God bless.    — Karen L. (posted on January 11, 2002)

January 11, 2002
karen i need to know the exact same thing. at 3 weeks post op & a loss of 25 lbs, my cpap is forcing air to blow out my mouth when i sleep now. pre op my cpap setting had to be set 4 points higher than it was. now i wonder if it needs to be reset at a lower level. anyone have any advice for us?
   — sheryl titone

January 11, 2002
I took my husband's when the air started to blow out his mouth & into my eyeball or ear. He took mine about the same time. While the Correct Way would be to go to the sleep clinic all over again, it might be OK to experiment for a few hours and see if you are still snoring. My doc recalibrated mine twice during the wt loss, then I finally let it run all night under my pillow, as it made me feel secure.
   — vitalady

January 11, 2002
thanks michelle. i am going to call my lung dr monday morning & ask if he can get my cpap lowered to its original setting without having to re-do the sleep test.
   — sheryl titone

January 11, 2002
I think Michelle's right, the best way would be to have the Dr make the determination. However, in the real world it's expensive & I sure wasn't anxious to spend the money (or time) on another sleep study. It was pretty clear for me when it was time to discontinue the C-pap. I found I wasn't sleeping well & started waking up & removing the mask at night. Then, I started taking it off in the night without being aware of it & realized those were the nights I was able to sleep thru without waking up. So I experimented some & found I slept much better without it than with it. Funny, tho, I kept it beside my bed for several months just in case... I quit wearing it after I had lost maybe 50 pounds or so, but it took me probably six months or more to be confident enough to put it in the closet. I haven't taken it out since. :) I sleep great, almost NEVER wake up thru the night & am rested & alert during the day. Oh, I don't even snore now! How nice to be able to doze on a plane without the embarrassment of snoring like a truck driver. I had been on my C-pap about 3 years. I think getting off the C-pap was the first real, significant benefit I saw of my WLS.
   — Kathy W.

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