sleep apnea surgeries

[liquelffaodafa]

What do you know about sleep apnea surgeries? I hate the mask (as many people do). I have severe obstructive sleep apnea. I am considering surgical options but I've been told the only one that may work for me is the mandibular advancement (when they break your jaw and move it forward). Has anyone had this before? What were your experiences? Did it work? Do you know of any other surgery that may help? Oral appliances?

[Wulfman...]

What do you know about sleep apnea surgeries? I hate the mask (as many people do). I have severe obstructive sleep apnea. I am considering surgical options but I've been told the only one that may work for me is the mandibular advancement (when they break your jaw and move it forward). Has anyone had this before? What were your experiences? Did it work? Do you know of any other surgery that may help? Oral appliances?

Go up to the Search line and put in those words and start reading. There are virtually no subjects that haven't been discussed here before.

Den

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[Wulfman...]

Think about this, too........
This is a forum for people trying to actually use CPAP devices and deal with this therapy.
If people are actually "cured" and don't have to use their machines anymore, do you think they're still going to hang around here?


Den

.

[sawinglogz]

I might expect them to post a giddy "I'm cured!" message before parting company, though.

[chunkyfrog]

Google Tracheotomy.
It is the only surgical option proven to be anywhere as effective as XPAP.
Of course, there IS that big hole in your neck . . .
Seriously, XPAP is the best treatment. You may not have the right machine or a poorly-fitting mask.
Success requires some effort--do not give up, just because someone else has,
even if they are your provider.

[Julie]

A lot of the surgeries doctors offer (e.g. PPP and/or tonsillectomy) for OSA generally revert to where things were (OSA-wise) within a year. Some of the ones for noses do help, but they're for better nose breathing and won't cure apnea.

[SleepingUgly]

What do you know about sleep apnea surgeries? I hate the mask (as many people do). I have severe obstructive sleep apnea. I am considering surgical options but I've been told the only one that may work for me is the mandibular advancement (when they break your jaw and move it forward). Has anyone had this before? What were your experiences? Did it work? Do you know of any other surgery that may help? Oral appliances?

There was a recent thread on here where a few people who had MMAs chimed in.

I think this might be it:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=85661&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... a&start=30

[archangle]

What do you know about sleep apnea surgeries? I hate the mask (as many people do). I have severe obstructive sleep apnea. I am considering surgical options but I've been told the only one that may work for me is the mandibular advancement (when they break your jaw and move it forward). Has anyone had this before? What were your experiences? Did it work? Do you know of any other surgery that may help? Oral appliances?

Surgery drawbacks and risks:

Expensive
Painful and slow recovery.
Lifelong irreversible side effects like getting food up your nose, discomfort, swallowing problems, etc.
Low success rate
Surgeons' definition of "success" differs from the patient's definition
Moneygrubbing chop happy surgeons who want to operate on everyone
You may still need the mask, or you may need it again later.
CPAP may not work as well after having the surgery
They're improving their techniques. It may be better if you wait for new procedures.
You don't know it's working unless you get periodic $leep Te$ts.

Oral device drawbacks and risks:

May not be covered by insurance
Success rate is low.
May take several tries with a big expense for each one
May be painful to the jaw or cause jaw problems.
Wears out and needs replacement.
Moneygrubbing dentists who oversell dental devices
You don't know it's working unless you get periodic $leep Te$ts.

[msla]

Low success rate
Surgeons' definition of "success" differs from the patient's definition

The definition I remember from 10 years ago was "50% reduction in AHI" and that 40-60 % of the surgeries were successful. Adequite treatment results in AHI<5. You can do the math and determine if the odds are in your favor.

[khauser]

What do you know about sleep apnea surgeries? I hate the mask (as many people do). I have severe obstructive sleep apnea. I am considering surgical options but I've been told the only one that may work for me is the mandibular advancement (when they break your jaw and move it forward). Has anyone had this before? What were your experiences? Did it work? Do you know of any other surgery that may help? Oral appliances?

So how long have you tried xPAP? I get the mask hating thing, but have you tried more than one mask? Two? Three? Would it surprise you to know I've tried 6 before finding one I really liked?

You can find a lot of help for living with xPAP here, not so much for using surgery as a cure.

This is OT, but I will tell it to give you another train of thought. When I was 13 I was involved in a minor car accident. Thankfully I was wearing a seat belt, but even though, my leg hit the back of the front seat hard enough to break the back of the seat, and became lodged firmly. I needed help to get free.

Forward several decades and I've had multiple problems with my back. Then one year my back went 'out' and didn't come back. Eventually I had an MRI performed, and it turned out that the L5/S1 disk had ruptured, and that a piece of that disk had torn off and become lodged in the sciatic foramen for my left leg. Sciatic pain REALLY sucks and can be quite debilitating ... and I believed surgery to be the only answer. I knew surgery to cure pain was a bad idea, but because the disk had fragmented I didn't see a choice. The doctors were happy for me to believe that too. I saw an orthopedic surgeon and a neurologist. Both agreed with surgery. So I had a microlaminectomy. I healed and felt great! "Cured" declared the doctors. Except that 3 months later the pain came back, except it had a different quality. New MRI (with contrast dye this time) and come to find out that my body formed scar tissue around the damage, INCLUDING the sciatic nerve. The surgery is still considered a success by the doctors, but I now live with chronic pain, sufficiently severe that I have narcotics, and probably will for life unless something new happens.

My point, if you haven't figured it out yet, is that surgery appeals to us because it's relatively fast, and we think of it as being once and done. Make SURE you look in to patient (vs doctor) successes, and the risks and side effects.\

I hope my story helps...

[ChicagoGranny]

So how long have you tried xPAP? I get the mask hating thing, but have you tried more than one mask? Two? Three? Would it surprise you to know I've tried 6 before finding one I really liked?

Yes, and liquelffaodafa, have you really educated yourself about practical use of CPAP? Do you have the software to monitor your treatment? If not, it could be that ineffective treatment is the cause of your problem with the mask.

If you are not well educated about how to use CPAP and you don't use the software to manage the effectiveness of your treatment, then those are the next steps before you have a single thought about surgery.

[chunkyfrog]

I had to try 20 different masks, but I'm a bit different.
The mask people hate me and want me to think I'm a freak.
(They fail to see my unearthly beauty)
Most people will find the right mask much sooner--don't give up.

[blueh2o]

For more than you ever wanted to know about apnea surgery check the book "Snoring and Sleep Apnea, Surgical and Non-surgical Treatments" edited by Friedman. Costs a pretty penny but worth it if you're considering surgery (you might not consider it after educating yourself). MMA is about the only surgery worth it's salt but usually not covered by insurance without other qualifications. Also, one poster "Patrissimo" had the MMA without ideal results.

[SleepingUgly]

Also, one poster "Patrissimo" had the MMA without ideal results.

Not just one, and those are just a few who came by here. I'm sure there are others.