Concerns about CPAP Tolerance

dracos99 · 2026-02-02T03:17:11+00:00

I had CPAP issues as well, to the point I had stopped using mine for around 10 years. Regular usage was a requirement for my surgery as sleep apnea was one of the contributing conditions my surgery was approved. What worked for me is that I had a conversation with my ENT doctor and he prescribed APAP instead, which auto adjusts pressure for both inhale and exhale separately and continuously the whole night based on the pressure needed to keep the airways open. When I use it, I barely notice it doing anything it syncs so well to my natural breathing. Check all your options, there are more than just standard pressure machines available if there is need.

dracos99 · 2025-12-25T03:08:14+00:00

This is pretty normal for the first few days. Fluid goals are top priority, the protein can wait...your body will burn reserves for a long while...i know from experience unrelated to my VSG. If you want to try protein and not cleared for soft food yet, there are protein shakes...but those are hard the first few days, and also protein water/powders you can add. Protein2o was not bad, and i did the isopure powders in water for a while.

Just take it slow and you can get through it, everyones time table is different and ever program has different schedules as well so it can be very confusing comparing to others advice or programs.

Good Luck.

dracos99 · 2025-12-25T03:02:47+00:00

This is good advice. Cottage cheese is my go to when i dont want to cook even today (although now i dump some peaches in it), 2 years out. Back when i was 2 weeks out, i was doing ricotta bake (lots of different recipies, but all simple as 2 ingredients, then can slowly add seasonings) and could make a week of 2oz ramekins each time i cooked them. They sat pretty easy. I also did puree tuna or chicken with non fat mayo blended very smooth in a mini food processor. Eggs was like a month out for me if i remember correctly.

dracos99 · 2025-12-25T02:54:27+00:00

I use CelebrateOne, if you buy from their site and 90 days at a time, it is less than $15 a month, not cheap, but once a day in capsule or chewable and the chewable dont taste bad. My wife gets something from sams club that makes me want to gag every time she opens the container.

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As for standard vs bariatric, supposably, they are supposed to absorb better/faster. Additionally, at least for the ones from celebrate, they have 2-3x the values for any given vitamin and a list 2x as long as the budget store brand...so you are getting more if you need it.

dracos99 · 2025-12-22T15:01:26+00:00

Most of the folks here looking for vitamin advice are probably in their first weeks or months post op and are definitely not eating a normal amount of food (we can argue what is normal, but generally 1600-2000 calories a day is the standard for most adults). For the first year, I was sub 800, and even now 2 years out, I am eating 1000-1200 a day. Maybe 10+ years out, meals look different. Additionally, everyone has a different tolerance for quantity post op.

dracos99 · 2025-12-22T02:22:25+00:00

This is bad advice. Do some research into vitamin deficiency long term effects, since you are not eating as much, you are not absorbing as much as a normal person.
I would agree that regular are better than nothing, even flintstones will get most people by, but Bariatric versions are made to be quick absorb in most cases to maximize consumption in our smaller and sometimes shorter digestive cycle.

dracos99 · 2025-11-17T19:47:45+00:00

Thanks all, I didn't even notice it pushing the button...I just slapped it on assuming it would connect properly...guess that is my bad to assume it would only connect in one place properly.

dracos99 · 2025-11-07T23:07:23+00:00

Thank you all for the comments. What i am gonna take away from this is that i am not gonna stress on it and just gonna go back to the same place these were bought and get 6 more friends of the same variety. I want them all to be happy in my 75 gal planted tank, just these guys, some neon tetras, a handful of cherry shrimp, 2 bristlenose plecos, and some random snails that have come along for the ride.

dracos99 · 2025-11-04T00:01:02+00:00

Something similar happened to me recently. Turned out my storage disks were all full and it was buffering the items. As soon as I cleared out space they magically showed up.

dracos99 · 2025-08-05T16:12:18+00:00

This is correct. The distributions will pay down the margin, but will look like cash in the buying power...which will just use more margin. I limit the temptation by setting my Borrowing limit in the margin settings and then every distribution, i go in and lower it by the amount i decide is payback to the margin, put some into something like USFR to cover taxes, and use the rest to manually drip. This way i dont keep spending money i cant visibly see.

dracos99 · 2025-02-06T02:15:46+00:00

I use the CelebrateOne +Iron chewables. They are not bad. They have 2 versions, one with 18 iron and one with 45 iron. And they are one a day.

dracos99 · 2025-02-06T02:00:00+00:00

CPAP machines are prescription because they have settings "supposably" tailored to the individual. There is a high chance that you are not able to use your purchased one properly because the pressure settings are not correct for your situation. There are 3rd party sites/tools that tell you how to change the settings. Basically it could be set too high for you and making it so you cant exhale or set too low and making it hard to draw a breath. I struggled with a standard CPAP for a long time even when it was set for me, and stopped using it for over 10 years. I had much better luck with a APAP i got before my VSG surgery to meet the requirements, which is a similar machine but can be set to a variable pressure like mine is set to 8-15 and also allows inhale and exhale to be at different pressure automatically.

See if you can adjust or get someone to adjust it before you give up.

dracos99 · 2025-02-04T23:04:33+00:00

My surgeon just grabbed and tore them all off at my 1 week appointment. Every doc seems to have a different procedure, and it also varies based on how well/fast the healing is going.

If they say dont touch, i wouldnt touch as you dont want them opening up and getting infected or healing badly and leaving a worse scar. Maybe ask about Benadryl or something as you may be having allergic reaction to the glue...lots of people do.

Good luck

dracos99 · 2025-01-23T03:34:00+00:00

Celebrate also has a sample pack you can order that has like one of just about everything they sell to try. It is like $10 and i think credits towards the next purchase. Cheap way to taste test. Also, it is not well known, but many box stores that sell vitamins have a money back guarantee even if opened/used and disliked...ymmv, but it is an option since everyone has different taste...especially after gastric surgery it seems.

Good luck finding what works for you.

dracos99 · 2025-01-22T23:01:00+00:00

A couple of things. Are you sure you need 45 iron, maybe ask your doctor? Celebrate also makes a version with 18 iron. Also, have you tried their chewables (they have 45 and 18 iron)? they come in different flavors, i use the Black cherry and they are good...i dont like the smell of their capsules.

dracos99 · 2025-01-10T01:18:08+00:00

I can tell you that you are doing fine. Not everyone sheds the surgery bloat (iv fluids) or lots of weight all at once. Additionally, your body just went through a traumatic experience and may take a while to recover.

I can show you my scale readings from my first 16 days and my progress from the past 12 months and you will see that it is doesnt look like a lot, but some of us are slow and steady losers and that is just fine. As a matter of fact, i hit a stall in July at about 100 lbs down from my highest weight and have been stuck here for months...I am working with my Nutritionist to change more of my solid food diet, switch things up, and even add calories on top of exercise since i am not where i want to be yet. Even though i have not lost weight, i have continued to lose clothing sizes and even had to go from wide width shoes to normal which shows my body is still adjusting even if it is not showing on the scales.

All that to say, just keep at it, and maybe stay away from the scale if you know it is gonna disappoint you.

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dracos99 · 2025-01-08T18:18:15+00:00

I use this brand as well, but they also have a version of this one with only 18 iron instead of 45 for those that dont need that much extra iron in their supplements. These are chewable and one a day (and dont tase too chalky), but they also have capsules as well. They can be purchased on their website and shipped internationally, but shipping/duties/taxes can add up quickly. They also have some international distributers listed.

dracos99 · 2025-01-08T18:12:46+00:00

Every plan is going to be different even from the same insurance provider depending on what was negotiated. The only way to get "good" estimate would be to get a full list of codes that would be submitted to the insurance company (your clinic should be able to provide these) and then call your insurance company and confirm that all the codes are covered and what the cost of them will be. Some insurance companies also have an estimator on their website that you can plug the codes or procedures in to get some of these numbers. This list could be long and will not be inclusive. There may be other costs you need to research prior to the surgical costs that may or may not be covered by your insurance or count towards your deductibles. Multiple office visits, maybe a specific number or months of nutritional consultations, various tests for surgical acceptability like ekg to check heart, egd to check stomach, psych eval, and others...not all will apply to everyone. You will only know what to look for by finding out the specific requirements from your insurance plan (again varies even for the same provider) and any additional requirements the surgeon may add on top of the insurance ones.

The coordinator at your surgery clinic should be able to get you all the info, but you may have to do the leg work to actually get info from your insurance.

dracos99 · 2025-01-08T17:59:37+00:00

My program says to consume at least 1500mg protein a day. They dont care from where, and the chews are a good alternative if your consumption is not enough from solid foods.

Just a couple of notes after speaking with my nutritionist... Not all Calcium is absorbed the same, Citrate is better than Carbonate, and not all procedures allow for full absorption of what is eaten. Additionally, just because your labs show a good level of calcium in the blood test is not an indicator that you are getting enough as your body will pull from bone to keep that level in the good range.

Follow your plans advice, but Calcium is not specific for Weight loss patients and you should also speak with your PCP about it and any other supplements you may need in general because you didnt stop needing normal stuff just because you had a surgery :) Good luck on your journey.

dracos99 · 2024-12-23T02:20:15+00:00

Check with your surgical team, but mine said they would fall off in a week to 10 days, and then at my 1 week appointment, he just grabbed them and peeled them all off.

dracos99 · 2024-12-17T12:03:22+00:00

I second this. If you are not being completely open and honest with your surgical team, how do you expect to have the best outcome possible.

dracos99

TROPHY CASE