Did you have surgery for apnea?

If you had throat surgery (UPP LUPP) or other, I would like to talk to you. First, I've used a CPAP for 15 yrs and gernally my SA is under control. I am now retired and suppliment my SS income with small research or writing projects. My preference is topics I know about or am interested in so I accepted a research project on Sleep Apnea. My hope is I will be awarded the project to write the article but for now, I am only doing some interviews.

With that in mind, would you share your experience with me if you have had throat surgery? Your experience need not be a success. In fact, I understand many throat surgeries are not a full solution and people turn to CPAPs afterwards. This is not a clinical interview details of the operation are not needed. Rather, your personal feelings, emotions, etc are more important. Your thought process, what you'd recommend to others and overall support you received or shared with others are also important.

Location is not important as the interview can be by phone. If you'd be willing to help me, please send me a PM. Feel free to ask any questions. You can remain annonymous also unless you want otherwise. If I am able to turn in a few good interviews, it will put me in better standing to get the writing project and offset a few of my own bills.

Thank you,

Jim

Hi Jayman,

I've noticed your post has been up for a few days with no replies. Does this mean there have been few people that have had surgery? Or maybe those that have, that were successful no longer read this forum. Or even, as was pointed out to me when querying about didgeridoo users, this is a 'cpap' forum and I think, if you dare deviate from cpap use, you are not expected to be part of this group.

I hope you get some response as I would be interested to hear of others experiences as I would consider going down that track myself in the future. That is, when it's 100% effective and pain free - or close to it!!

Thanks,
Deb

debtheveg wrote:...........

I hope you get some response as I would be interested to hear of others experiences as I would consider going down that track myself in the future. That is, when it's 100% effective and pain free - or close to it!!

...........

What would there be to consider if it were 100% effective and pain free. Then we would all have the surgery.

I was being a little facishous, Rooster! Surgery success would need to be a little more guaranteed and a little less painful for me to consider it at present. Deb

I had a modified UP3 , palatial advancement, tonsillectomy, septoplsy (spelling?) just over three months ago. so far, the results have been very good. my partner hasnt noticed any cessation of breathing and my snoring has been reduced to occasional snoring on my back. on my back i am quiet. i am dreaming again and sleeping deeply and actually feel very refreshed in the mornings!! wow ...i am having a sleep test in Feb to confirm these observations and for now im just enjoying my new lease on life. im back in the gym, getting fit and strong again and with a new baby in the house, enjoying my new status as a dad! its all good so far.
Ado

Hi Ado,

It's good to hear of a successful result. You give me hope for the time that I may be brave enough to give it a go. Good luck for long-term and ongoing health and success.

Deb

Jim, I've had the operation UPPP done...You can pm me and I'll gladly answer all your questions.
D.

Hi Sleepydoll,

I see you still you a cpap so does that mean surgery wasn't a complete success for you? Did it help at all?

Deb

debtheveg wrote:Hi Sleepydoll,
I see you still you a cpap so does that mean surgery wasn't a complete success for you? Did it help at all?Deb

I just found this thread that explains exactly what I went through...my operation was done about 13 years ago, and though it did help in the beginning, the snoring stopped, but not the apnea!!! As a matter of fact, the scarred tissue is now worst for my apnea. I'm able to avoid (for now) a full-face mask - the Headrest is wonderful - and my AHI is very low with it.

Please read what Snoredog wrote in the following link!

by Snoredog on Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:26 pm
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=36709&p=318962&hilit=uppp#p318962

Fact is, all that surgery does is make a bigger hole for your tongue to land in. Then it also dooms you from eating Peanut Butter sandwiches with the Uvula gone, your buggers will resemble peanut butter. Since on CPAP the soft palate needs to seal against the base of the tongue during therapy to prevent the CPAP pressure from escaping out the mouth, you are stuck with using a Full Face mask for the rest of your days.

Test it yourself:

1. Get a hand-held mirror and flashlight. Lay down, put on your mask, turn on the machine.
2. Keep your tongue planted into your hard palate, mouth/mandible closed. Get the mirror and flashlight,
3. You should find that CPAP pressure does not escape from the lips, now slowly begin opening the mouth observing
what the tongue is doing, allow the lips to part, air should still not be escaping, allow the mandible to drop
slightly, if you observe with the flashlight you should see the soft palate sealing against the base of the tongue,
you may even see the Uvula pointed outward in the center of the groove of the tongue. That is where your
CPAP therapy is making the seal to prevent the pressure from escaping out the mouth. You should be
able to open your mouth where the lips part up to 3/4" or so before that seal is broken.

Have UPPP surgery and that soft palate no longer makes that seal, you will never be able to perform
the above after surgery, nor will you be able to use a nasal mask which provides the best therapy
over a Full Face mask. Your only other option is to tape and your mouth will still fill with air and
cheeks will puff out.

The soft palate IS needed and used, most ENT just don't know what for. That Uvula comes in handy eating
a peanut butter sandwich. Some people need their tonsils removed, but I wouldn't let them touch
my soft palate or Uvula.

Rarely does UPPP even reduce the number of events seen much less cure it. UPPP might reduce the snoring,
but it doesn't prevent the apnea caused by the tongue being sucked into the back of the throat.

I had UPPP, tonsillectomy, septoplasty and trubinate reduction about 15 years ago. It seemed like it worked, as my snoring was much better and I generally felt better. Oddly, neither the sleep doctor nor the surgeon ordered a follow up sleep study to see how well the surgery worked. Flash forward 15 years and I am sitting in the waiting room of my PCP reading a health magazine. There was an article on OSA and one of the side effects was high blood pressure, something the PCP had just decided was high enough in me to warrant medicine. A light bulb went off in my head and asked if I should have a follow up sleep study after 15 years. He said yes and it came back with an RDI of 98/hour.
So now I have worked with 2 sleep doctors. The first one was incompetant and sent me home with a cpap set to 10cm and nasal pillows. From what I have read on this forum, nasal pillows are not an option for someone who has had the surgery. His solution when I complained about air leaking out of my mouth was a chin strap. I tried to tell him that even if you clench your teeth together as tightly as possible, you can still blow air out of your lips. He was in way over his head as he was primarily a pulmonologist and the administration of the facility gave him the sleep department almost as an afterthought.
So now I have repaired to another sleep doc who seems to have a better handle on the situation. He ordered a bi-level sleep study. I meet with him next week to get the results. I have already gotten a call from the DME supplier wanting to fix me up with an auto bi-pap. I said I would like to talk with the doc first, but I asked where the pressures were to be set. They replied 4-15cm. I was kind of surprised at these figures, as the initial study by Dr. Incompetant came back with 10cm pressure, although that did not seem to be working very well.
So I don't know if the surgeries helped or hindered my condition. I will be interesed to see what the sleep doc has to say about this and how well the auto bi-pap should work.

I really think it's SO important for people who do have any surgeries that are supposed to help with their apnea, to wait until everything's healed, and then have another sleep test. I think people just ASSUME it's going to work, and if the snoring goes away, they think, hey, that means the apnea has, too! I also think there's a certain amount of wanting to believe it's worked. Meanwhile, the damage is still being done to the body.