resistant to diagnosis

I was recently diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and am resisting getting a CPAP (I feel I get adequate sleep and didn't know anything was wrong). You see, in a couple of months, I will have a gastric bypass. Once major weight loss occurs, it takes care of the sleep apnea. So, I can't see spending the money on a machine or going through the adjustment. Has anyone faced this situation?

"You see, in a couple of months, I will have a gastric bypass. Once major weight loss occurs, it takes care of the sleep apnea."

There are many people that have apnea and are not overweight. I personally do not think the risk of not treating my apnea would be worth it.

Okay, here is a WAG, if you treat the OSA with a CPAP, you might not need the gastric bypass. And for me, I would much rather try the CPAP than go through body altering surgery, but that is just me.

Now this is said with out knowing any specific details. Like I said - a complete WAG. But the theory goes, OSA might have been a contributing factor to your weight gain, once treated you might have more energy, excercise might be more paletable, and (at least in my case) eating better in the first place must follow. Again, more explanation is in order, for me I find it is hard to just eat better, but when I excersice, it becomes much easier to watch what I eat, I guess helping me get more value out of my excercising.

Gastric bypass is a prettey severe step. A friend of mine had he procedure done, and he has lost weight, but he is not completely happy. One thing for certain, it definately cancel all of his future trips to Fogo de Chao

Seriously, best of luck, and give treating your OSA a shot, looking at the picture of people, OSA may be more prevelant in larger framed people, but there are a lot who are pretty skinny.

But that is just my $0.02


regards,
Tom

Sleep apnea causes arousals which disturb your sleep, leading to sleep deprivation.

Sleep deprivation has been conclusively shown to cause appetite increases which lead to weight gain; it suppresses the hormone that signals that you've had enought to eat and stimulates the hormone that signals that you are hungry. One report said that sleep deprivation fools your body into thinking you are in a famine condition:

The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Hormones and Metabolism wrote: Impact of Sleep Loss on Hormones Controlling Appetite

The regulation of leptin, a hormone released by the fat cells that signals satiety to the brain and thus suppresses appetite, is markedly dependent on sleep duration. After 6 days of bedtime restriction to 4 hours per night, the plasma concentration of leptin was markedly decreased, particularly during the nighttime.[10] The magnitude of this decrease was comparable to that occurring after 3 days of restricting caloric intake by approximately 900 kcal/day. But the subjects in the sleep-restriction condition received identical amounts of caloric intake and had similar levels of physical activity as when they were fully rested. Thus, leptin levels were signaling a state of famine in the midst of plenty.

In a later study, the levels of ghrelin, a peptide that is secreted by the stomach and stimulates appetite, were measured with the levels of leptin after 2 days of sleep restriction (4 hours of sleep) or sleep extension (10 hours of bedtime).[5] The subjects also assessed their levels of hunger and appetite at regular intervals. Sleep restriction was associated with reductions in leptin (the appetite suppressant) and elevations in ghrelin (the appetite stimulant) and increased hunger and appetite, especially an appetite for foods with high-carbohydrate contents. Similar findings were obtained simultaneously in a large epidemiologic study in which sleep duration and morning levels of leptin and ghrelin were measured in over 1000 subjects.[11] The Table summarizes the remarkable concordance between the results of the 2 studies. Despite the differences in study design, both studies found a decrease in the satiety hormone leptin and an increase in appetite-stimulating ghrelin with short sleep.

Sleep loss therefore seems to alter the ability of leptin and ghrelin to accurately signal caloric need and could lead to excessive caloric intake when food is freely available. The findings also suggest that compliance with a weight-loss diet involving caloric restriction may be adversely affected by sleep restriction.

You can read the entire article here: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/502825%3Frss

I agree with LoneRider. I did it backwards, too, but not as far as weight goes. I had severe migraines for most of my adult life, but they had gotten so severe over the past couple of years that most days I had them rather than not. I finally made up my mind to try this medication which is really for seizures but is now being used for migraine prevention, too, but it came with a whole host of side effects. My neurologist wanted to put me on it a year before, but after reading the possible side effects, I put it off. But the migraines were so frequent a year later, that I couldn't/didn't want to put it off anymore. The side effects risk were worth it if there was a chance the migraines would be helped.

I was about to be put on it the week after my first study, the PSG, and my son, who hadn't yet graduated from college but who was studying Respiratory Therapy and was the reason I went for a sleep study, suggested to wait before going on this horrendous med. as the CPAP could be the solution to my migraines. As he suggested, do the CPAP first because it's the safer way to get rid of the migraines if they're coming from the OSA. He felt going on the med. right before starting CPAP was backwards. Try CPAP first. If that didn't work, then I could always go on the major medication.

Did I listen? No. I went on the med and ended up having a huge scare. After being on it AND CPAP for a few weeks, they upped my dosage. Yes, my migraines were virtually non-existent by this time, but I didn't know if it was from the medication or the therapy. Well, when they upped the dose this time, I ended up having severe chest pain and tightness. Until we figured out it was from the increased dose of medication, I was horrified. My grandfather died of a massive heart attack at 54 and I'm 48. Well, turned out to be the medication and once off of it, the migraines were still gone. So the CPAP must be the reason I no longer get them. But I believe things happen for a reason, that being I now am on a health kick. I don't smoke, watch my diet, no fried foods, eat red meat rarely, drink plenty of water and exercise cardiovascularly 45 mins. three times a week. The best "mistake" I ever made, going on that medication, as it ended up being a lifestyle change due to thinking I was having coronary problems, but the only good thing about that choice. In hindsight, I should have waited as my son suggested.

Please reconsider this gastric bypass surgery just yet. My boss had it and she said, although she lost weight, it also does not take away the reason you overate in the first place. That caused her quite a bit of problems because she still had the emotional need to overeat, but now can't because her stomach cannot hold that amount of food. It takes psychological counseling along with this surgery to really make it easier.

I know you want to lose weight, as do many people on this site. We have a "club" where we write our results every Friday and support and encourage each other in our efforts to lose right here on these message boards. Why don't you think about putting off the major surgery right now, until you see what the therapy can do for you, and join us? We'd love to have you aboard.

I wish you the best in whatever it is you decide to do, but there is no guarantee that weight loss will cure your apnea, but a great chance that your therapy can help tremendously with your weight loss and lifestyle. In other words, try the lesser of the two first and maybe you won't need the surgery.

I can definitely relate. I've also got a lot of weight to lose, but I don't plan to go the gastric bypass route for a lot of the reasons people have stated. I know that waaaay back, when I was 120 pounds lighter, when I ran 2-5 miles a day; way back then I did not snore even a little bit. And I woke up refreshed after a good night's sleep. So I know that in my case the weight is a big factor.

But I want to give this CPAP a try because, from what everyone has said, it could really make me feel a lot better and more alert during the day. I'd love to wake up on a Wednesday morning and not feel *dead* tired, like a zombie until I down my first cup off coffee.

I guess what I mean is, right now I'm looking at this as one piece (that doesn't involve major surgery) of the weight-loss puzzle.

Good luck to you on whatever you decide!!

Sleeper,

I think that is a wonderful attitude and I wish you the best of luck. May you feel energetic - and may that get you back to running 2-5 miles a day again and all the weight loss you want.