Obesity and Apnea

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
lynninnj
Posts: 1267
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2022 8:56 am

Re: Obesity and Apnea

Post by lynninnj » Mon Aug 08, 2022 8:17 am

Pugsy wrote:
Mon Aug 08, 2022 6:56 am
lynninnj wrote:
Mon Aug 08, 2022 6:19 am
was the poster a cpap user?
Well....he/she says he/she is. CPAP equipment profile is filled in with equipment.
But then we don't require proof here. We tend to take people at their word until proven differently.
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=90066
Been a forum member 3 plus years now.

To everyone....

He/she found something interesting and just wanted to share it.
Then he/she found it odd that people didn't jump right on the bandwagon since losing weight MIGHT help with OSA or pressure needs. I didn't find it odd....people quickly jumped into various side topics about weight and failed to just see the post for what it was which was simply information about a potentially new weight lost treatment. I didn't find it odd that things got rather nasty because people seem to not like new ideas about anything here. The OP here is a rather new member and didn't understand the mindset of most of the members here. Hadn't been here long enough to understand the dynamics that goes on here.

If I came here and posted a similar new way to maybe help people lose weight or use cpap or whatever help to aid in anyone doing anything that might benefit someone somewhere....does that make me a spammer?? Even if what I posted was most likely 99.9% of the people here would think I was off my rocker for posting???
Does that make me a spammer?

The polite response to the OP...when not your cup of tea would be "thank you for the information but not for me for various reasons"....OR JUST DON'T SAY ANYTHING which was what my first thought was when I read it so I didn't say anything.

I am really disappointed in the nasty responses here by people to what was simply an informational post about a potentially new way of helping people lose weight. Yeah....it's out there on a long skinny limb for sure but that doesn't mean much.
A lot of stuff people post here belongs out on a long skinny limb.
To insinuate trolling or spamming....just plain rude.

I thought you guys/gals were better than that.
I edited my post, which you unfortunately quoted, because I realized my error about the original poster.

To be clear, I sit and watch TV at night and every commercial period contains an "ask your doctor about X". I look up the goodrx prices often and they don't seem to market anything under $1000/m with some costing $10,000 or more a month. This direct to consumer marketing costs Pharma around $7 BILLION a year. Those costs are passed on to we the consumer. I watch TV and I feel spammed. That is the context of my comment. In countries with socialized medicine like Canada, UK, France, this direct to consumer marketing is illegal and simply not done because they know it drives up the cost of meds and healthcare for all. You touched on that yourself when you noted the price. We pay roughly 3x what other countries pay for the same med. I am glad to see that Congress is doing something about that and now ready to negotiate prices for Medicare meds, which will ultimately reel in the prices for the rest of us.

That said, when I realize I have been rude on here I have made an effort to edit, walk back, clarify or in this case I want to outright apologize to the OP and it was never my intent to be hurtful or disparaging. Thanks for sharing the info. I will continue to try to lose weight by eating right and being active, and I hope like hell that when menopause has come and gone and my OSA treatments are in full swing that the weight will come off a bit easier. (and stay off)

_________________
Machine: AirSense 11 Autoset
Mask: ResMed AirFit N30 Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Newbie who loves her machine!
Beware the schoolyard bullies, mean girls, and fragile male egos. Move along if you can’t be kind.

User avatar
babydinosnoreless
Posts: 2325
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2018 2:53 pm

Re: Obesity and Apnea

Post by babydinosnoreless » Mon Aug 08, 2022 11:36 am

"That said, when your body gets fat, your throat gets fat, and puts the obstructive in obstructive sleep apnea. So for me its a reasonable hypothesis that losing weight may (often) reduce or eliminate sleep apnea. (not to mention that losing weight is desirable in its own right). "

I found this offensive and responded in kind. I apologize if my posts appeared rude to others it was only directed toward the Op.
My husband constantly struggles to keep weight on and I was offended for him. Op calling losing weight desirable in its own right is 100% wrong. Promising miraculous cures for something I personally know is a long hard journey and the assumption that a fat throat causes obstruction is 100% pure bs. My obstructive apnea IMO led to stress eating because I was so tired all the time and looking for energy to continue. Its easier IMO to lose weight when I'm sleeping better because of pap but even then its not easy to keep it off and it pisses me off when someone trivializes it.

Bouteloua
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri May 07, 2021 7:27 pm

Re: Obesity and Apnea

Post by Bouteloua » Sun Aug 28, 2022 8:40 pm

I have been taking one of these new weight loss drugs (semaglutide) and losing 10 lbs a month steadily. It was developed for type 2 diabetics and weight loss appeared as a side effect during drug trials. Kinda like how viagra was a cardiovascular drug that produced surprise effects elsewhere. My pcp prescribed it with the concurrence of my cardiologist.

It does work by tuning the endocrine/insulin system and slowing digestion so that I feel Thanksgiving full after a third as much food as I usually eat. No speed-like effects. The smaller meals over time create the weight loss.

It doesn’t hurt that I also exercise and make sure that I get enough protein, hydration and vitamins. I am not recommending this to anyone here. It is not my place to do so. Any ancillary health benefits from losing unwanted fat remain to be seen.

My insurance will cover gastric sleeve surgery but not this. So I have been paying $910/month out of pocket until recently where I ordered it from Canada for $285. Mexico has it for $ 140.

User avatar
kteague
Posts: 7768
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 8:30 pm
Location: West and Midwest

Re: Obesity and Apnea

Post by kteague » Mon Aug 29, 2022 3:39 am

I see myself in so many aspects of this discussion. I am one who had OSA before I gained weight. All my husbands when I was young told me I snored horribly but I didn't believe them. When my health changed in my mid 30's I was too much in survival mode to even care what I ate and once the weight was on it seemed hopeless that significant change could happen. Except nearly 15 years ago when I had ballooned to 300lbs while taking steroids. Doc put me on an injectible for diabetes, Byetta, and said I'd probably lose weight. Between the med and going off steroids I lost 50 lbs then plateaued. No wonder I lost weight - every time I ate, within minutes I was sitting on the toilet with my head hanging in the trash can. The doc took me off the med due to warnings about pancreas problems. Been playing with the same 10 lbs ever since.

Fast forward to now. Blood pressure meds that had worked for a decade no longer working. Same for blood sugar pills. The real kicker was my lung doc said my already compromised lungs appeared smaller than expected due to compression by abdominal fat. It was my time of reckoning. Pride had kept me from getting help, whether from meds, surgery, whatever. I SHOULD be able to do this. Anyhow, a friend was doing so well on a program where she eats 5 small snacks a day plus one meal to the program's specifications. Asked myself, if not now, Kathy, then when? Adhering to a program meant giving up control, but I was ready to admit I needed to just be told what to eat when. Period. So far I'm almost 3 months in and have lost 32 pounds. I haven't seen this weight for about 3 decades. Have 30 more pounds to go but I'm in it for the long haul - the looooong slooooow haul.

I had not admitted to myself how much of my misery was simply due to the excess weight. Blamed being out of breath solely on my bad lungs. Blamed mobility issues on bad back and knees. Blamed weight on lack of mobility, discounting the role of what I ate, which really didnt seem excessive. But it was excessive for my body. The biggest change I've noticed is I don't feel like I'm slogging through peanut butter when I move about. That's an amazing difference. Before losing this bit of weight, everything about living was just SO HARD. Is dieting hard? Yes. But so is living with excess weight. I decided to pick the other hard.

Got a medical appointment to reassess all my meds, that I've already cut in half. Getting a home sleep study since my machine has gotten wonky about data. Need it to get a new machine as it's been well over 10 years. Hoping my pressure can be reduced enough to no longer need a bilevel. Things are looking good. We all reach the point of being ready at our own time. I only wish I had allowed my time to be many years ago. Best wishes to any others going through this struggle.

_________________
Mask: TAP PAP Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Improved Stability Mouthpiece
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: Bleep/DreamPort for full nights, Tap Pap for shorter sessions