Like most of you, following weight loss surgery, there were lots of things we have had to give up in the process, however, there are some things that we may have given up that we shouldn’t.

According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 24 severely obese adults were tested for obstructive sleep apnea before and after getting weight loss surgery and again a year later.

Even though they trimmed their BMI from 51 before surgery to 32 a year later, patients were still obese, but a lot less so than before bariatric surgery. The study found that only one of the patients no longer had obstructive sleep apnea a year after surgery.

Their sleep apnea was changed after surgery, their symptoms eased to varying degrees, but not enough to end their obstructive sleep apnea. All the other patients with obstructive sleep apnea still needed continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines to help them breathe better at night. Only six of these patients were using their CPAP machines.

There are a few thing I’ve learned you shouldn’t give up: meals, protein supplements, prescription medications (until your doctor releases you), and your CPAP machine, (until you are retested for sleep apnea and no longer need it).

There is a machine that can determine the pressure you need, if any, and you can do it in your own home. I am in the process of having a retest (called an "auto trial") for sleep apnea this week…I’ll let you know the outcome…I will tell you that in the four nights that I have been using the CPAP machine again, I have lost four pounds and I have more energy. Believe me, the last thing I wanted was to go back to using the CPAP…but breathing is essential…and I’ve come too far to give up now. Getting sleep is important to your health as well as regulates your metabolism.

Don’t give up….you have many more miles to go.