Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.

Which procedure would you be willing to try to treat your OSA (you can select more than one)

1. Pillar System - Implantation of stiffening rods into the soft palate. Scar tissue hardens the soft palate to stop vibration and sagging.
11
6%
2. Electrical Stimulation - Implantation of a pacemaker-type device in the chest with electrodes to tense up the floppy tissue of the throat/tongue
12
7%
3. Removable Stent - Each night, insert a mesh tube through your nose and into the back of your throat, remove in the morning
14
8%
4. None of these
139
79%
 
Total votes: 176

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Captain_Midnight
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Re: Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

Post by Captain_Midnight » Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:03 pm

SB, I skip by most polls, but your question is an excellent one.

After initial diagnosis, I was willing to try xpap, but only as an interim measure, until I found just the right surgery or other intervention. That was 2005.

Within a few weeks, the icky machine (that reminded me of a respirator) became my "sweet dream machine", and I just never looked back.

One needs look no farther than the success results for the various surgeries (mixed, at best) and the fact that they can''t be reversed to realize that it's a poor wager with one's health.

My life has turned a miracle 180 since I started xpap, I politely decline to experiment with anything else.

.

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YvesinOttawaCanada

Re: Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

Post by YvesinOttawaCanada » Sat Jul 20, 2013 2:48 pm

Hello,
I just came upon this discussion group while doing research on FDA approval for Alaxo Nasal stents.
I have been in touch with the fellow who owns the company in Germany. The product seems
to be a solution that is up my alley since my OSA was structural in nature, so severe in fact that I have
been living with a tracheostomy to control saturation levels at night. This being said I am considering traveling
to Germany and have the procedure done there by a reputable ENT specialist. The cost of the procedure is quite
reasonable in fact I have been quoted in the 500 Euro range this includes a video endoscopy, sleep study, diagnosis and
insertion of nasal stents. The only side effects that have been reported for the devices is that it takes a few weeks in order
to get used to having a foreign body in place in the nasal cavity.

Hope this helps
BTW, I used to weigh in at 175 KG or for you living in America close to 390 lbs. At 5'3" that's not good at all

ddk
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Re: Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

Post by ddk » Sat Jul 20, 2013 4:25 pm

I would try the pillars and stent. Both have no side-effects so if they don't work, oh well, at least I tried.

Personally I think that anyone who answers "None", doesn't suffer very much from sleep apnea. I would do almost anything to have just one night's proper sleep.

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zoocrewphoto
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Re: Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

Post by zoocrewphoto » Sun Jul 21, 2013 12:46 pm

ddk wrote:I would try the pillars and stent. Both have no side-effects so if they don't work, oh well, at least I tried.

Personally I think that anyone who answers "None", doesn't suffer very much from sleep apnea. I would do almost anything to have just one night's proper sleep.
A lot of people have reported that it didn't help, didn't last long, and/or DID have side effects. So, no, I would not try it. I would much rather to stick to my machine.

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2 B Sleeping Soundly
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Re: Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

Post by 2 B Sleeping Soundly » Sun Jul 21, 2013 1:22 pm

ddk wrote:I would try the pillars and stent. Both have no side-effects so if they don't work, oh well, at least I tried.

Personally I think that anyone who answers "None", doesn't suffer very much from sleep apnea. I would do almost anything to have just one night's proper sleep.

For me, I answered "None" as using PAP treatment has been extremely successful for me and I see no need to change what is working so well. I do have to respectfully disagree with your statement that the fact that I picked "None" would indicate that I have somehow not suffered much from years of untreated SA/OSA, with pre-treatment numbers of 73.8 AHI and O2 desats as low as 74‰. We are all different here and what works for me cannot be applied across the board to work for everyone else. I am glad that there are other options avavailable but see your statement as a unknown that is being applied just because I find the other options to be not as valuable for me as the use of PAP therapy.

John

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library lady
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Re: Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

Post by library lady » Tue Jun 17, 2014 6:34 pm

I chose "None of these"... When I was I was diagnosed in Jan, '14, I said to my sleep doc, "I don't want that thing!" He then proceeded to tell me about other options; mouth guard, MMA, etc. and some others. I said I'd think about it and let him know in a few days. That was a Thursday, and over the weekend I researched all of the options plus the ones he didn't mention, UPP4 being one of them, and some of those seemed to have a poor track record, all were just unappealing to me.

I finally realized after thinking to myself, "UGH", that since CPAP is the gold standard for treatment, as well as a noninvasive treatment, I would be foolish not to at least give CPAP a try. On Monday I called the sleep doc's office and asked for a prescription. Two weeks later, on Feb. 3, I started using my machine and I haven't regretted it in spite of the rough first few weeks.

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chunkyfrog
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Re: Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

Post by chunkyfrog » Wed Jun 18, 2014 5:49 am

Motivation and support are major factors in successful treatment with CPAP.
DH develops significant congestion from the mask, and since he was told his apnea is nearly all positional,
he chooses to sleep on his side. I can plead, beg, and cry, but he will not put the mask on.

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49er
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Re: Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

Post by 49er » Thu Feb 12, 2015 2:39 am

chunkyfrog wrote:Motivation and support are major factors in successful treatment with CPAP.
DH develops significant congestion from the mask, and since he was told his apnea is nearly all positional,
he chooses to sleep on his side. I can plead, beg, and cry, but he will not put the mask on.
CF,

How is he functioning vs. wearing the mask?

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chunkyfrog
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Re: Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

Post by chunkyfrog » Thu Feb 12, 2015 7:13 am

Since his apnea is primarily positional, he gets away with it.
His health is better than mine, with the exception of his lousy hearing.
His doctor visits and labs are very good--even last fall's prostate biopsy.
He is as strong, sharp, and ornery as most men 20 years younger.
We make each other laugh frequently. He keeps me young.
I still pester him to use the pap.

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49er
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Re: Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

Post by 49er » Thu Feb 12, 2015 7:32 am

chunkyfrog wrote:Since his apnea is primarily positional, he gets away with it.
His health is better than mine, with the exception of his lousy hearing.
His doctor visits and labs are very good--even last fall's prostate biopsy.
He is as strong, sharp, and ornery as most men 20 years younger.
We make each other laugh frequently. He keeps me young.
I still pester him to use the pap.
Then I am not sure what the problem is and why you continue to pester him to use it. I mean no offense but could you be jealous that he gets away with not using it and you don't? By the way, I wouldn't blame you if you were.

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Greg Riddle
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Re: Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

Post by Greg Riddle » Thu Feb 12, 2015 8:07 am

The stints might not be too bad. Even if it didn't work completely. As long si could lower the pressure to stop filling my stomach with air

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49er
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Re: Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

Post by 49er » Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:09 am

Greg Riddle wrote:The stints might not be too bad. Even if it didn't work completely. As long si could lower the pressure to stop filling my stomach with air
Have any idea what they are talking about?

I know there is one to wear that used for a deviated septum that you can buy I believe from a company in Germany. Sorry, the name escapes me. But obviously, while it might help in using the pap machine, it wouldn't alleviate sleep apnea. So that is why I was curious.

Thanks!

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Greg Riddle
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Re: Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

Post by Greg Riddle » Thu Feb 12, 2015 11:25 am

Going to ent in 2 weeks I'll see if he knows anything about them

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grayghost4
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Re: Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

Post by grayghost4 » Thu Feb 12, 2015 11:31 am

If you're not part of the solution you're just scumming up the bottom of the beaker!

Get the Clinicians manual here : http://apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-press ... tup-manual

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49er
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Re: Poll - Which OSA treatment would you try?

Post by 49er » Thu Feb 12, 2015 12:53 pm

Thanks grayghost.

This is exactly what I was thinking of.