Some of you will remember me going on about the sleep apnoea machine in the thread where bakerpete got his referral. Well, here's the other end of it.
Sleeved last November, down a bit over five stone now. The mask that fitted beautifully a year ago now leaks like a sieve because apparently my face has shrunk, which nobody mentioned. My wife says I don't snore any more even on the nights I've taken it off half asleep. And I feel GREAT in the mornings.
So, the obvious question. Can I just stop? Is there a point where you've lost enough weight that the apnoea is gone? I've been ignoring the leak for a month because part of me thinks if I'm fine without it, why bother getting it fixed.
Called it. I said you'd be the one asking in a year, Alan, I just had the wrong question. Following this closely because I'm on mine till at least next summer.
Not on the apnoea side but on the leak: my brother in law had exactly this, mask slipping as his face changed, and the sleep clinic just sent him a smaller one. It's a five minute phone call. I'd ring them about that whatever else you decide.
Can't help with CPAP but "I feel fine" is what I said about myself right up until my bloods came back with low iron. Feeling fine and being fine aren't the same test. Just saying.
#5October 19, 2026, 6:20 pm Alan, I'm so pleased about the five stone, and the leaky mask is a very common sign that things are going the right way.
The honest answer to "can I just stop" is no, not on your own, but quite possibly yes after a repeat sleep study. Sleep apnoea often improves a lot with that kind of weight loss and some people do hand the machine back. But weight isn't the only thing that narrows the airway, so some don't, and feeling great in the morning doesn't tell you which group you're in, because part of that feeling is the CPAP having done its job for a year. The person who can decide is your sleep service, and they'll usually want to retest you before changing anything.
So the order I'd go in: ring the sleep clinic this week, tell them the weight you've lost and that the mask leaks, ask for a refit in the meantime, and ask whether a repeat study is due. Until then, wear it. I've written up what I've learned from readers about this, including the before and after, in the guide to sleep apnoea and the gastric sleeve.
Update, as I'm a man of my word. Rang them, new smaller mask arrived within the week, no more leak. They've booked me a home study for December and the nurse said, and I quote, "don't get your hopes up but don't be surprised either". She also said the pressure might come down even if I still need it.
So for now it stays on. Tracey, point taken.
