Surgery

I've been thinking about it more and more. I have a lot of trouble getting a mask that fits I've tried all but one model that the dme can get and they all leak into my eyes. I found one the doesn't leak but I'd too small. It doesn't fit my chin well. Opening my mouth just a little bit and I'm eating the bottom of the mask. I can make the nasal pillows written but I don't feel as good. Not bad just not great. I have also increased air pressure and it has helped. I've also turned off the ramp feature and turned off epr.
Everything I have tried has helped but not good enough. I'm glad that I'm using cpap because I know it has helped but I don't think it has helped enough. The standard I'm using is a year ago before I was diagnosed with osa I had nasal surgery to fix a deviated septum and turbineate reduction on both sides. After the surgery and the splints where removed, I could breathe extremely easy and didn't have bad spring issues. For a drastic change, I was also never tired. I would go to bed at midnight and wake up at 4:30 am for work. Felt great and had loss of energy. My mind was clear and I was very very active. My mod was very upbeat and I was happy. A few weeks after surgery I slowly started to lose the energy and went back to being lethargic. My mod had also went down a bit. At that time I was scheduled for the 1 month follow up visit. Talked with the ent about the experience and was told that the the splints had opened the airways and the airway slowly went back to it's normal location. He said I should have a sleep studyand if I have osa and could not get cpap to work well to come back.

At that time I decided to have a sleep study. was diagnosed with osa and got cpap 3 months after sleep test. I have never been able to get the clasp to work well enough to make me feel like I did after my nose was fixed. I don't feel like falling asleep all the time. My mod it's ok. But I don't feel anything like what I did got those sorry few weeks. It's hard to go from working 10 days and not even thinking about sleep for another I hours to spring 10 hours and 2 hours later I want to go to bed. Are my goals of how I should feel unrealistic.

Should I forget about the surgery or put more thought into it. I want to make cpap work but if I can't get want I want out of out maybe surgery is more of an option. If the ent it's correct and the splints stopped my osa then would I only need the nasal passages fixed and not the entire surgery

Opinions please

When I had my first month of hell on cpap I researched surgery (I'm 61) and the prognoses were lousy, as were the odds of success. Far better IMHO to find your mask (we all have one, it took me 6 to find mine) and then it'll all click. That saved me.

Keep trying - you'll get there...

Ive been able to make nasal pillows work but not the ffm. I'm also going to sleep dr next month

Hi Greg, I can't say if you should get it but I have had several surgeries and each one has sort of "grown back" in 5-7 years, except the turbineate reduction which I had pretty much the same experience as you. It only lasted a few months. You might want to look up "empty nose syndrome". You don't want to go too far with the turbineates or you risk that from happening and I'm not sure you can go back. I had 2 deviated septum surgeries (one was part of the roto rooter) and now its deviated again. I also had the "roto rooter" as my doc called it, the septum "fixed", tonsils removed, and work on my palate. The roto rooter solved my sleep issues for almost 7 years but was very painful to recover from due to the tonsils being removed. Then I had to get a dental device as things moved back or grew back. The dental device works well for about 3 years and I started getting more tired. I actually still test ok with it now, but I honestly feel I get better sleep on the CPAP, so I am back where I started. I have nasal allergies, by the way, so your results may vary. Other things to consider: if you lost weight usually helps, and have you had your testosterone tested.

I also agree with the mask comment. It took about 5 -6 masks until I found one that I like. Its a project for sure.

Greg Riddle wrote:Ive been able to make nasal pillows work but not the ffm. I'm also going to sleep dr next month

Have you checked out the AirFit™ F10 Full Face Mask with Headgear? For me its by far the best of them all. Not too many leaks at low/med pressure and no bar on your head, etc.

Allergies are a problem for me. I've been taking shots for 1 year now. At this point when I get a shot my allergies are non existent or very minimal for about a 1 1/2 weeks. I get a shot every w weeks now. I got one. Last Friday and haven't taken any allergy needs since. Considering 2 Months ago I was stalling allergy needs I'm the morning and at night, it is an amazing and great relief. I am allergic to dust mites so allergy shots are mgt only chance at relief.

As for the nose surgery I have had, I'm still happy about it. Before the surgery I could not breathe through my nose 99 percent of the time. Now even with the allergies I can still breathe through my nose 90 percent of the time. When the confession happens I usually get air through one nostril.

I have read about empty noise syndrome. I had some minor out of breathe issues after surgery. Mostly when I was standing still and was breaking light breaths. When I was active had no issues. That feeling quit about a week after the splints were removed

HanzT wrote:

Greg Riddle wrote:Ive been able to make nasal pillows work but not the ffm. I'm also going to sleep dr next month

Have you checked out the AirFit[TRADE MARK SIGN] F10 Full Face Mask with Headgear? For me its by far the best of them all. Not too many leaks at low/med pressure and no bar on your head, etc.

I tried the need in it was quite comfortable but it leaked into my eyes. I'll be trying the size large when they get it in. But I'm not hopeful. I'm planning to concentrate on making the pillows work

If you can breathe thru your nose, I would definitely try to make nasal pillows work. If they won't work for you, try a nasal mask. I would try every mask on the market before resorting to surgery. Now this is just my opinion, but the surgery is a 'cannot go back' measure, meaning once its done, if it was a mistake you have to live with it. I've heard horror stories of people who've had too much tissue removed & can't eat or speak properly. This alone would scare me to death.

Finding the right mask for CPAP to work properly can take time & effort. Sometimes you have to spend some money as well (outside what the insurance will kick in), because some DME's don't work well with return policies. At cpap.com they have return insurance available for most masks, for some (newer ones) its even free. Just because a mask is new doesn't mean it will be the one for you. Sometimes an older mask might be the one that fits your face correctly.

Its ultimately your choice, but IMHO I would keep trying to work with masks for awhile before resorting to surgery. A mask you can change, surgery is permanent.

Jen

jencat824 wrote:If you can breathe thru your nose, I would definitely try to make nasal pillows work. If they won't work for you, try a nasal mask. I would try every mask on the market before resorting to surgery. Now this is just my opinion, but the surgery is a 'cannot go back' measure, meaning once its done, if it was a mistake you have to live with it. I've heard horror stories of people who've had too much tissue removed & can't eat or speak properly. This alone would scare me to death.

Finding the right mask for CPAP to work properly can take time & effort. Sometimes you have to spend some money as well (outside what the insurance will kick in), because some DME's don't work well with return policies. At cpap.com they have return insurance available for most masks, for some (newer ones) its even free. Just because a mask is new doesn't mean it will be the one for you. Sometimes an older mask might be the one that fits your face correctly.

Its ultimately your choice, but IMHO I would keep trying to work with masks for awhile before resorting to surgery. A mask you can change, surgery is permanent.

Jen

I understand everything your saying it's been about 9 months since I started this journey. I would like to keep trying. I do get s few days here and there that I feel really good but not as often as I would like

A similar thread was posted here about a month or two ago. I got lambasted for my response, but it was my opinion, and I'm a big boy, so expect me to get beaten up on my response to you. To me, cpap therapy is the last resort. I wear a mask every night because it works, it has added years to my life and I feel like a human being again. I saw a surgeon and I wasn't convinced that surgery for me would be successful. I've seen folks put off surgeries (including myself) and kick themselves later on for the delay. You yourself have had successful nose surgery. Yes, there are horror stories, but there is also a boat-load full of successful stories... like yourself. If I was sitting across from a competent doctor that was convinced that he could cure me of sleep apnea (with a surgery)... I'd do in a New York second. When I was talking to my surgeon, he wasn't that convincing. My advice to you: a doctor is convinced he can cure you... get the surgery and drop-kick this dang machine into the next county. Err... don't do that... there are too many folks that cannot afford a machine.

Bring it on ... I'm locked and loaded....

Sheriff

Sheriff Buford wrote:A similar thread was posted here about a month or two ago. I got lambasted for my response, but it was my opinion, and I'm a big boy, so expect me to get beaten up on my response to you. To me, cpap therapy is the last resort. I wear a mask every night because it works, it has added years to my life and I feel like a human being again. I saw a surgeon and I wasn't convinced that surgery for me would be successful. I've seen folks put off surgeries (including myself) and kick themselves later on for the delay. You yourself have had successful nose surgery. Yes, there are horror stories, but there is also a boat-load full of successful stories... like yourself. If I was sitting across from a competent doctor that was convinced that he could cure me of sleep apnea (with a surgery)... I'd do in a New York second. When I was talking to my surgeon, he wasn't that convincing. My advice to you: a doctor is convinced he can cure you... get the surgery and drop-kick this dang machine into the next county. Err... don't do that... there are too many folks that cannot afford a machine.

Bring it on ... I'm locked and loaded....

Sheriff

I appreciate you opinion

The reason I've been thinking about it is because off the results I had with the last surgery I had. Imo it was close to fixing the problem. If his thinking is correct about the splints temporarily fixing the osa then I may not need an extreme amount of surgery. Maybe it's just an issue of finishing the nasal passages and be done. Maybe I don't need the uvula surgery or maybe the tonsil removal

While I was discussing out with him. He told me even though I'm a big guy, 250lbs, that losing weight would not help the osa. He told me that after being inside my nose that the glands are overgrown not fat. Looking back a few years our a decade or two even when I was 165 pounds, skin and bones thin for my build I still had severe spring and sleep issues

Hmmm, I had just the same issues with dust mites and have been considering a turbinate-reduction surgery for quite a while. The way I am interpreting the original post is that turbinate reduction appears a temporarily solution. The body seems to grow turbinates back to their bigger size and it is the underlying cause should rather be fixed (sensitivity to dust mites), not the consequence (enlarged turbinates). Is my notion correct?

tan wrote:Hmmm, I had just the same issues with dust mites and have been considering a turbinate-reduction surgery for quite a while. The way I am interpreting the original post is that turbinate reduction appears a temporarily solution. The body seems to grow turbinates back to their bigger size and it is the underlying cause should rather be fixed (sensitivity to dust mites), not the consequence (enlarged turbinates). Is my notion correct?

Turbineate will grow back but it will take 5-7 years. Severe allergies will make them grow back faster. You should take care of the allergies also. I'm thrilled, so far, with the allergy shots. It has taken a year to get the results I have. With the danger of going to fast and getting anaphylactic shock I understand why it take do much time

I'm a year and couple months after turbineate reduction and they are still good. When I don't have allergy problems I can breathe fine through both sides of my nose

Greg Riddle wrote:

tan wrote:Hmmm, I had just the same issues with dust mites and have been considering a turbinate-reduction surgery for quite a while. The way I am interpreting the original post is that turbinate reduction appears a temporarily solution. The body seems to grow turbinates back to their bigger size and it is the underlying cause should rather be fixed (sensitivity to dust mites), not the consequence (enlarged turbinates). Is my notion correct?

Turbineate will grow back but it will take 5-7 years. Severe allergies will make them grow back faster. You should take care of the allergies also. I'm thrilled, so far, with the allergy shots. It has taken a year to get the results I have. With the danger of going to fast and getting anaphylactic shock I understand why it take do much time

I notice that I breath much better during cold winter days -- unless I have a stuffy nose, which I get quite often -- as if my turbinates are completely normal this is what stops me from advancing to the surgery phase. But once I lie down every night, my thoughts of having a surgery resume...

If your not sure try to take care of the allergies first. I can't say how nice it is to finally get some relief from those dam dust mites. And not have to take two allergy pills a day