Tonsil Removal

[Padron192664]

Went to ENT due to reflux issues today. 2nd ENT visit this year, but different docs. First ENT went to after sleep study thought I had UARS and sent me for a titration study. Had study done and flow limitations were normalized with 5cm. Yes 5 cm. Easily able to breathe at that pressure and no choking feeling. Well 2nd ENT doc I went to (Went to this one cause closer to home) look in my mouth and said that I had large tonsils and should consider having them removed as there is not a lot of room back there. Read a little bout the surgery and dont really think it was worth the pain. (First ENT only mentioned surgery if I couldnt tolerate CPAP or I didnt want to use it for the rest of my life, only 28)

I know that there are no guarantees but what are the chances that removing my tonsils would eliminate CPAP from my life? Sleep doc, one of the best on Long Island, didn't mention this either.

[Julie]

If you can go back to the first doctor, or to a new one altogether, I'd do that. Surgery has been shown to help only some of the time, and/or for a while, but then things can revert, especially if the surgery only helped by temporarily making some room, but didn't solve the real source of your apnea which could be neurological, respiratory or of a different anatomical problem than what you had operated on.

[Linus]

I second that on the surgery option. I know two people who had situation made worse by removing things. I do know someone who benefited from tonsil removal, but it was related to constant infections. If air flow is restricted, cpap is the way to go for now. I was fitted for cpap due to UARS. My pressure tends to be pretty low, but I can say that it helps greatly. The issue that you are having is probably not the tonsils either. Your nasal air passages may be restricted. Is your septum deviated?

Also if you are having reflux issues, have an endoscopy done to check out the valve in your stomach and other underlying causes. It is better to take care of these issues now at a young age.

[Goofproof]

Surgery is a great solution, if you find out you are allergic to pressurized air from XPAP treatment. Jim

[SleepingUgly]

I'm not sure that anyone's SDB was ever made worse by removing only tonsils (except in a botched job). However, I would look for a surgeon who is familiar with doing surgery for sleep apnea and not just tonsillitis. There are techniques (i.e., lateral pharyngoplasty) for stitching things up after tonsil removal that help expand the airway when it heals and scars. That will maximize the airway in a way that the ordinary tonsillectomy won't. See this link:

http://www.sleepapneasurgery.com/pharyngoplasty.html

The problem is that a lot of ENT surgeons won't know how to do this or will not be thinking of the same thing you are when you say "pharyngoplasty".

[ThirdOutOfFive]

My guess is that a tonsilectomy would postpone OSA for a while. I had mine out in grade school, and I now (50 years later) I use PAPpy for my OSA. So, if you want to try to postpone (or maybe eliminate) the need for PAPpy, I would suggest that you get a third opinion. That way you will have '"tie-breaker."

[Stormynights]

I had my tonsils out but they grew back. I was totally surprised but the doctor said it was very common.

[sleeplessinaz]

well I had my tonsils out and I still have sleep apnea--:(

Carrie

[SleepingUgly]

I had my tonsils out and I still have sleep apnea, too, but IF his really is as mild as they are saying and IF his tonsils were very large, he has a better crack at a cure than I had. Other than complications (including rarely death) and short term pain, I can't see any chance that tonsil removal can be a bad thing. It might not help, but how can it hurt, especially if they are large?