Did anyone lose weight and not have to use their machine anymore?

I am considered "obsese".  I was told that if I lose weight I may possibly not need the machine anymore.  In fact, in my class they kept saying it could be the fat around the neck that can cause some obstructive sleep apnea.  So, ever since the day I was diagnosed, I have been on a mission to lose weight.  So, far I've lost 3 lbs.  I am now 207.  I am hopeful that if I drop the weight by next year, I will not need the machine anymore.

Please tell me there is hope as I'm having a really difficult time using the machine as it is.

Regina35 wrote:

Did anyone lose weight and not have to use their machine anymore?

I am considered "obsese".  I was told that if I lose weight I may possibly not need the machine anymore.  In fact, in my class they kept saying it could be the fat around the neck that can cause some obstructive sleep apnea.  So, ever since the day I was diagnosed, I have been on a mission to lose weight.  So, far I've lost 3 lbs.  I am now 207.  I am hopeful that if I drop the weight by next year, I will not need the machine anymore.

Please tell me there is hope as I'm having a really difficult time using the machine as it is.

The only person who can give you hope is your sleep doctor. Every case is different. A small number of people have managed to stop using cpap through weight loss.............but it is a small number and you are talking mega weight loss......like up to 30%.

For most of us weight loss is not an option that will work. It can help to reduce cpap pressure. There are no hard figures available for success through weight loss.

Daniel.


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The untreated Sleep Apnoea sufferer died quietly in his sleep.......
Unlike his three passengers who died screaming !!!!!!

(Anon)

There are a number of different causes of sleep apnea, and I believe that morbid obesity* is one of the causes.  If a morbidly obese person loses enough weight, they are likely to no longer have sleep apnea.  

Most people with sleep apnea are not morbidly obese and their sleep apnea is not caused by their weight.  Weight loss may cause a change in the CPAP pressure requirement, and I have heard of people actually having centrals induced because their pressure requirements were reduced following weight loss.  It seems that even though the pressure requirements change, the severity of the apnea does not significantly change.

Last Sunday, the TV show 60 Minutes had a piece on bariatric surgery and they talked to a group of people who had been morbidly obese and have had bariatric surgery (at least one of them was probably still morbidly obese).  When asked if any of them had sleep apnea before the surgery, perhaps 25% of them raised their hand.  When asked if any of them still have sleep apnea after the surgery, I don't think that any of them raised their hand.  

I think that it is probably important to get a new titration or use an autoPAP after losing a significant amount of weight.

*  Morbid obesity is typically defined as being 100 lbs. or more over ideal body weight or having a Body Mass Index of 40 or higher.

Regina35 wrote:

Did anyone lose weight and not have to use their machine anymore?

I am considered "obsese".  I was told that if I lose weight I may possibly not need the machine anymore.  In fact, in my class they kept saying it could be the fat around the neck that can cause some obstructive sleep apnea.  So, ever since the day I was diagnosed, I have been on a mission to lose weight.  So, far I've lost 3 lbs.  I am now 207.  I am hopeful that if I drop the weight by next year, I will not need the machine anymore.

Please tell me there is hope as I'm having a really difficult time using the machine as it is.

There is hope, but don't do it for hope.  DO it for your overall health. Regardless if it works for your Apnea or not, losing weight will still extend your life if you are obese.

In my particular case, my sleep doc said "Lose 30 pounds, lose your Apnea".  I am trying.  Your mileage may vary of course, but I would rather be a normal weight with CPAP than overweight with CPAP!

I've been reading the posts in this forum avidly, just to get an idea of what others have experienced. My experience with my CPAP treatment is that it's terrific--I feel as if someone filled my head with clear, cool water and rinsed it out!! I may seem clueless, but I didn't know anything was wrong, other than being increasingly sleepy at odd times of the day. I felt I slept well (the reality is I didn't, at least my brain didn't) and I wasn't physically tired. - I really only had the sleep study because I fell asleep while driving on my way to work one morning and rear-ended the car in front of me and knew I had to be honest about it and find out what was wrong.

I have no negative thoughts at all about the efficacy of this therapy. The details, mask leaks, etc. are something to learn more about and hopefully more options, mask improvements, etc. will make it more comfortable over time.

Since mid January I've lost 10% of my initial weight and my goal, which I hope to reach by the end of 2008, is to lose about 35% of my original weight, or about 80 pounds altogether. I was diagnosed and began treatment in mid March 2008, so much of my weight loss occured before my sleep study. I'm glad to realize what my doctor meant when he said that we might be able to drop the pressure after while.
 


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We can't change the wind, but we can adjust the sails!

Keep in mind that if weight loss (from around the neck) was the ONLY reason for sleep apnea, the cure would be liposuction of the neck! High weight only makes you more prone to apnea and may not be the cause of it. At 207 lbs, it's doubtful that it is. They mean MORBID obesity...500+ lbs. The weight *may* make your apnea worse and make you require a higher pressure on your CPAP, but losing weight is not going to cure you of apnea once you've got it.

I'm not MORBIDLY obese.  I am 50lbs overweight.  I was really hoping that I would not need the machine if I lost at least 30 lbs.

I wish you luck.  Let your sleep doctor know when you lose about 30 pounds because your needed pressure may change.

I am feeling bad for all the folks out there  that are overweight to any degree, and may hear so often, "You are obese, you need to lose weight, that is why you have apnea, you eat too much, you don't exercise enough."  Surely weight loss can help sleep apnea, but I do not think excessive weight is the root cause of apnea.  

I am a size 11-12, about 20-25lbs overweight for  my stature.  I am middle-age, have had 2 children. Most people say I look great!  I have had undiagnosed sleep apnea for at least 13 years, the worst of it manifest in the last 5 years.  I started gaining weight gradually the past 5 years, consistent with the worsening apnea.  (I undoubtedly know the worsening apnea caused my weight gain, and the weight gain continued to make the apnea worse! ) I have always followed the recommended guidelines-minimal fat, avoid fried foods, very little sugar, no junk foods, no soda, lots of exercise. . .  .and so on.  I have had unexplained weight gain prior to my diagnosis with OSA.  Some of the doctors have considered me "obese."  Our modern American culture suggests that if a woman is not a size 2-4 like a Hollywood superstar, then she is obese!  How awful!

I feel angry when people say that sleep apnea is purely caused by "obesity." WE MUST ASK OURSELVES WHICH CAME FIRST-THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG? Of course there are some people who choose foods not as healthy, and may have some unhealthy habits that can contribute to weight gain.  But. . . Are people who are diagnosed with sleep apnea born "wired for apnea?"  Research shows that sleep apnea runs in families, and some articles suspect risk stems from birth.

Today I spoke with someone I have known several years, who I thought was a friend. I told her about my apnea, and how excited I am that I have consistently lost about 1 lb per week without trying since I have been on CPAP!  I have lost seven pounds in seven weeks! I was utterly stunned, shocked, deeply hurt that she insisted that I am obese (and she is a size 12 too!) and that my only problem is that I "need to lose weight."  She skirked at my CPAP and said it was 'only a crutch' for obesity!  She said she thinks if she follows people around who have apnea, she would surely find them stuffing down cake, cookies, chips, etc. This brought me to tears!  I cannot convince her that sleep apnea strikes people of all sizes, shapes, and colors!  I tried explaining HOW sleep apnea contributes to weight gain.  She would not hear of it.  I needed to share this because it really upset me that someone can actually think in this manner and refuse to be open to modern day research that helps us understand the pathology of disease.  I HOPE NONE OF YOU OUT THERE HAVE HAD AN EXPERIENCE LIKE THIS!  
Lantern4life

lantern4life wrote:

that my only problem is that I "need to lose weight."  She skirked at my CPAP and said it was 'only a crutch' for obesity!  She said she thinks if she follows people around who have apnea, she would surely find them stuffing down cake, cookies, chips, etc."  
Lantern4life

Your "friend" needs to follow me around. I am considered skinny as a 55 year old male, 5'10" and never more than 150 pounds. I have sleep apnea! I've had UPPP too which is supposed to cure OSA but didn't. Stop and be grateful that you have access to medical care to treat OSA, do your part to make it work and enjoy life.

You have lots of supportive friends here.

Your brother in OSA,
Paul

Thanks brother!  You are the "Popeye" that just gave me my spinach!
Lantern4life