This is one of THE most important threads on this forum and must continue. I suggest people be allowed to voice their opinions even if the moderators have their own point of view.  I suggest post's not consist of any personal attacks and respect another's right to have an opinion, right or wrong.  That's the American way, right?

Pstar wrote:

This is one of THE most important threads on this forum and must continue. I suggest people be allowed to voice their opinions even if the moderators have their own point of view.  I suggest post's not consist of any personal attacks and respect another's right to have an opinion, right or wrong.  That's the American way, right?

Again, opinions are fine until they cross the line of giving non subjective advice.  Feel free to have surgery, but the studies do NOT support it as a first line (or last line defense)  It barely qualifies as a treatment option and with the mission of the ASAA of

“The ASAA is dedicated to reducing injury, disability, and death from sleep apnea and to enhancing the well-being of those affected by this common disorder. The ASAA promotes education and awareness, the ASAA A.W.A.K.E. Network of voluntary mutual support groups, research, and continuous improvement of care.”

Promoting a procedure that increases injury, decreases the effectiveness of other treatments, and in most of the cases require other treatment on top of it, is not within the stated mission statement. Allowing folks to say shortly after that it was a total success because they feel better would be reckless as it has been proven time and time again that those subjective statements do not equal effective treatment of OSA (AHI < 5)  How many followup sleep studies have you seen?  Close to zero, and the ones that have been brave enough to admit that the surgery did nothing for their OSA, I applaud.  

The only reason that this thread exists is so folks can come back and get help with dental appliances or CPAP when the surgery fails.  

The most important aspect of this forum is not to support a procedure that fails and in a lot of cases causes harm, it is to support people in making decisions to successfully treat their OSA.  


See these posts below.  If folks are warned, then they won't have to go through this.

http://www.apneasupport.org/viewtopic.php?t=6132

http://www.apneasupport.org/about16078.html

Went from "cured" to severe in 3 months
http://www.apneasupport.org/about6932.html

Do a search on Google for UPPP Efficacy, (read the studies not the sales hype) and find any study that shows AHI < 5 in greater than 15% of the populations tested.  It simply doesn't exist.

As for myself, I am just monitoring, watching and researching the issue.  I find this thread interesting however I think it is very important for those who have undergone the procedure to have a support group while they heal.
I suspect that a UPPP alone only addresses half the problem.  However, when the tongue advancement or jaw procedure is also done (yes the jaw is a BIG deal) the success rates are much higher in patients with MILD apnea.  I also suspect that folks with MILD apnea who are willing to get and keep themselves fit and not over weight may have a good shot at success.

Here is an interesting blog from someone who had the procedure in 2002.  He has had a "tune up" since then and interestingly his DR. said "minor tune ups" may be needed to keep the problem from returning.  Note that this guy is overweight and has never lost it so it just seems likely that he would need further work as he gets older.  I feel I have mild apnea.  My cpap pressure was at around 7.5.  I have lost 22 lbs and my average reading has now dropped to 5.6.  I have 10lbs to go to get to my target weight.  As I said I have no plans to do anything now but I also am getting the impression that there are so many variables involved with each person, to just say it doesn't work for everybody would be suspect.

http://www.ski-epic.com/snoring/surgery.html

Here is the above patient's response to me when I aksed him how he is doing 5 years later.  He does not say if he had another sleep study, only that he is sleeping great and feels great everyday.

"Hi Pete!  Did you get this email earlier?  If not, here is is again...

> Brian:  Would you mind telling me if your UPPP surgery in 2002 is
> still effective for your APNEA today?  Sorry to bother you here but
> wanted to find out the long term results.  Thanks, Pete

Here is a short writeup I did recently for somebody else, feel free to ask any other questions.

-- Brian Wilson
    brianw@backblaze.com
    (650) 455-3123

------------ CUT HERE for questions and answers 2007 -------

> 3) Have you had long-term success from having the UPPP and GA
> procedures done?

Here is part of an email I typed to somebody else about this....

Yeah, the way I like to put it is that your OSA/snoring will get worse as you get older and as you gain weight and that you should probably expect to either do a little maintenance surgery every 7 or 10 years, or that it is only a "cure" for a temporary period of your life.

For me, the best results were after my initial 3-prong surgery (tonsils, tongue moved forward, UPPP) and then about 3 months of healing.  Then after about
9 months the snoring came back just a little, not like the rip-a-hole in reality chainsaw I used to do, but pretty regular.  So my doctor (Riley) did an additional somnoplasty (heat shrinking) of the areas around my UPPP site which help tighten it up, he said this was pretty normal.  At the same time he did a little nasal work to open up my nose, pretty minor stuff really.  That lasted as "utterly snore free" for about a year, and to this day (5 years now?) I'm normally snoring free each night.  However, if I roll into the wrong position, or I'm dead-dog tired, I have some light snoring.

I still feel great every single day and require much less sleep than before.  Most nights I don't bother anybody else in the room (I just returned from a 2 week hunting trip where I was very tired every night and sleeping in a tent with my cousins and they reported I snored a tiny bit, but not very annoying and they didn't even use their earplugs.  In previous trips together they identified me as the worst snorer they had ever heard and setup different tents to get away from me.  

My surgeons recommend
(and I like this approach) that you start slowly but KEEP GOING until the surgeries work for you.  For example, I stopped short of the surgery where they break your jaw and move your teeth forward (yeah, sounds pretty awful to me too) but there is a chance I might have this done in 10 more years if and when my apnea returns.

[THE OTHER PERSON ASKED THIS QUESTION]
> However, this problem has gotten very out of hand for me, and I really
> need to do something about it.

Ok, but let me give you a standard warning I want you to take very VERY seriously: if you have surgery, there is a REALLY high chance (90+) that for the rest of your life the part that was operated on won't feel "completely normal".  That doesn't mean it bugs you every moment of every day, but take my example-> my gums are numb below my front two lower teeth.
I don't think about this much, but as I type this I can feel the difference.  Not bad, just different.  This kind of small change bugs the HECK out of some post-surgery patients and they feel betrayed by their doctors.  For me, I think life is a series of tradeoffs, and I wake up feeling fantastic every day, and my gums are a little numb.
For me personally, this is COMPLETELY worth it and I would do it again.  But for you, it might be different.

Now that I've said that, if you do decide on surgery, I'll warn you the other way -> do NOT judge the outcome on any feelings you experience in the first 3 or 6 months.  I swear to you that no matter what you do, all pain will subside after a couple weeks, and a LOT of the side-effects (like swallowing problems) will all disappear with a good solid long amount of time (like 6 months, or even a year in some rare cases, but these will subside).

-- Brian Wilson
    brianw@backblaze.com"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I present this only as just another case for everyone to consider, NOT as argument that everyone is a great candidate or would have success.

Anyways, as I said this thread is, in my opinion, for the recovering surgery patients, so have at it....I'll be monitoring and learning.

Wait, you are taking info from someone that had Snoring Surgery?  That is apples and oranges to OSA.

But lets say that its for OSA.  

All this is, is another non subjective "I feel great!"  

BUT

He still snores, (just a little bit)

He requires "tune up surgery" But yet has no info regarding EFFECTIVE treatment.  


No one says it doesn't work.  If you happen to be in that 1.5% - MAYBE 15% Yes it might work (ahi < 5), but it is not long lasting, (even this guy admits it) and the damage that the surgery causes (and subsequent surgeries), can not be undone.  Eventually you will end up like all the others that have had it fail.  But if you do "tune up" surgeries, when you get to the end, CPAP and or Dental Devices will be much much harder.  

So Pstar, this is really about you and trying to convince yourself that you are within that narrow range of lucky folks that receive some benefit, right?  Everyone would like to be in that group (and better yet, have it last)  But statistics are not on your side.  

Maybe you will be lucky and it will last a few years, or maybe you will be part of the 40% + that have these serious consequences from the surgery that are permanent.

Hopefully not, but feel free to ignore the statistics...

 

Pstar wrote:

As for myself, I am just monitoring, watching and researching the issue.  I find this thread interesting however I think it is very important for those who have undergone the procedure to have a support group while they heal.
I suspect that a UPPP alone only addresses half the problem.  However, when the tongue advancement or jaw procedure is also done (yes the jaw is a BIG deal) the success rates are much higher in patients with MILD apnea.  I also suspect that folks with MILD apnea who are willing to get and keep themselves fit and not over weight may have a good shot at success.

Here is an interesting blog from someone who had the procedure in 2002.  He has had a "tune up" since then and interestingly his DR. said "minor tune ups" may be needed to keep the problem from returning.  Note that this guy is overweight and has never lost it so it just seems likely that he would need further work as he gets older.  I feel I have mild apnea.  My cpap pressure was at around 7.5.  I have lost 22 lbs and my average reading has now dropped to 5.6.  I have 10lbs to go to get to my target weight.  As I said I have no plans to do anything now but I also am getting the impression that there are so many variables involved with each person, to just say it doesn't work for everybody would be suspect.

http://www.ski-epic.com/snoring/surgery.html

Here is the above patient's response to me when I aksed him how he is doing 5 years later.  He does not say if he had another sleep study, only that he is sleeping great and feels great everyday.

"Hi Pete!  Did you get this email earlier?  If not, here is is again...

> Brian:  Would you mind telling me if your UPPP surgery in 2002 is
> still effective for your APNEA today?  Sorry to bother you here but
> wanted to find out the long term results.  Thanks, Pete

Here is a short writeup I did recently for somebody else, feel free to ask any other questions.

-- Brian Wilson
    brianw@backblaze.com
    (650) 455-3123

------------ CUT HERE for questions and answers 2007 -------

> 3) Have you had long-term success from having the UPPP and GA
> procedures done?

Here is part of an email I typed to somebody else about this....

Yeah, the way I like to put it is that your OSA/snoring will get worse as you get older and as you gain weight and that you should probably expect to either do a little maintenance surgery every 7 or 10 years, or that it is only a "cure" for a temporary period of your life.

For me, the best results were after my initial 3-prong surgery (tonsils, tongue moved forward, UPPP) and then about 3 months of healing.  Then after about
9 months the snoring came back just a little, not like the rip-a-hole in reality chainsaw I used to do, but pretty regular.  So my doctor (Riley) did an additional somnoplasty (heat shrinking) of the areas around my UPPP site which help tighten it up, he said this was pretty normal.  At the same time he did a little nasal work to open up my nose, pretty minor stuff really.  That lasted as "utterly snore free" for about a year, and to this day (5 years now?) I'm normally snoring free each night.  However, if I roll into the wrong position, or I'm dead-dog tired, I have some light snoring.

I still feel great every single day and require much less sleep than before.  Most nights I don't bother anybody else in the room (I just returned from a 2 week hunting trip where I was very tired every night and sleeping in a tent with my cousins and they reported I snored a tiny bit, but not very annoying and they didn't even use their earplugs.  In previous trips together they identified me as the worst snorer they had ever heard and setup different tents to get away from me.  

My surgeons recommend
(and I like this approach) that you start slowly but KEEP GOING until the surgeries work for you.  For example, I stopped short of the surgery where they break your jaw and move your teeth forward (yeah, sounds pretty awful to me too) but there is a chance I might have this done in 10 more years if and when my apnea returns.

[THE OTHER PERSON ASKED THIS QUESTION]
> However, this problem has gotten very out of hand for me, and I really
> need to do something about it.

Ok, but let me give you a standard warning I want you to take very VERY seriously: if you have surgery, there is a REALLY high chance (90+) that for the rest of your life the part that was operated on won't feel "completely normal".  That doesn't mean it bugs you every moment of every day, but take my example-> my gums are numb below my front two lower teeth.
I don't think about this much, but as I type this I can feel the difference.  Not bad, just different.  This kind of small change bugs the HECK out of some post-surgery patients and they feel betrayed by their doctors.  For me, I think life is a series of tradeoffs, and I wake up feeling fantastic every day, and my gums are a little numb.
For me personally, this is COMPLETELY worth it and I would do it again.  But for you, it might be different.

Now that I've said that, if you do decide on surgery, I'll warn you the other way -> do NOT judge the outcome on any feelings you experience in the first 3 or 6 months.  I swear to you that no matter what you do, all pain will subside after a couple weeks, and a LOT of the side-effects (like swallowing problems) will all disappear with a good solid long amount of time (like 6 months, or even a year in some rare cases, but these will subside).

-- Brian Wilson
    brianw@backblaze.com"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I present this only as just another case for everyone to consider, NOT as argument that everyone is a great candidate or would have success.

Anyways, as I said this thread is, in my opinion, for the recovering surgery patients, so have at it....I'll be monitoring and learning.

Pstar wrote:

I feel I have mild apnea.  My cpap pressure was at around 7.5.  I have lost 22 lbs and my average reading has now dropped to 5.6.

The pressure required to open your airway in no way correlates with the severity of your apnea.  The severity of your apnea is measured by the Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) which is number of events per hour.  You can have very severe apnea, AHI > 30, yet require a very low pressure to open your airway.  Conversely, you may have mild apnea (AHI 5 - 15) but require a high pressure to open your airway.  I just wanted to make sure that is clear.  Do you know your AHI?

It is sad that we had to lock that thread.  It had been around since Nov. 22, 2006 and was 54 pages long.  I enjoyed keeping up with the post-UPPPers and it was a great place to go for support and education.  It has never really been in line with ASAA values but we, as moderators, felt that it was important enough to keep it running.  Unfortunately, it only takes one person who becomes fanatical and resorts to personal attacks to completely change the focus and purpose of a thread and we couldn't let that continue.  Obviously we felt that the disruption was severe enough to lock the thread.  After all, it had been around with continuous civil discussion and discourse for over 1 1/2 years.  But our goal here is to provide objective education, support and to make this a welcoming and comfortable place for everyone.

Vicki


_________________
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Marilyn Von Savant

That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

Vicki wrote:

Pstar wrote:

I feel I have mild apnea.  My cpap pressure was at around 7.5.  I have lost 22 lbs and my average reading has now dropped to 5.6.

The pressure required to open your airway in no way correlates with the severity of your apnea.  The severity of your apnea is measured by the Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) which is number of events per hour.  You can have very severe apnea, AHI > 30, yet require a very low pressure to open your airway.  Conversely, you may have mild apnea (AHI 5 - 15) but require a high pressure to open your airway.  I just wanted to make sure that is clear.  Do you know your AHI?

It is sad that we had to lock that thread.  It had been around since Nov. 22, 2006 and was 54 pages long.  I enjoyed keeping up with the post-UPPPers and it was a great place to go for support and education.  It has never really been in line with ASAA values but we, as moderators, felt that it was important enough to keep it running.  Unfortunately, it only takes one person who becomes fanatical and resorts to personal attacks to completely change the focus and purpose of a thread and we couldn't let that continue.  Obviously we felt that the disruption was severe enough to lock the thread.  After all, it had been around with continuous civil discussion and discourse for over 1 1/2 years.  But our goal here is to provide objective education, support and to make this a welcoming and comfortable place for everyone.

Vicki

And you mean this AHI as your gold standard index?

"The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) is useless for measuring the severity of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), says Colin E. Sullivan, MD, PhD. He presented arguments in support of that statement in the recent annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society in Atlanta.[

Reference
1. Sullivan CE, Rapoport DM. The apnea-hypopnea index is a useless metric of sleep disordered breathing: pro-con. Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American Thoracic Society; May 21, 2002; Atlanta, Ga

THE APNEA-HYPOPNEA INDEX: USEFUL OR USELESS?

ATLANTA—The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) is useless for measuring the severity of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), says Colin E. Sullivan, MD, PhD. He presented arguments in support of that statement in a pro/con debate at the recent annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society in Atlanta.[1] Offering the opposing view was David M. Rapoport, MD, who maintained that the AHI does have its place in clinical practice.

“There is not much association between the AHI and anything else—sleepiness, muscle dysfunction,” or other markers for SDB, claimed Dr. Sullivan, who heads the Sleep Disorders Unit at the University of Sydney in Australia. The management of SDB should hinge on the history, physical examination, and clinical judgment, he asserted.

LIMITATIONS OF THE AHI

The lack of a standard definition for hypopnea is another limitation of the AHI, he said. Furthermore, measuring hypopnea is difficult because of the inaccuracy of the devices currently available to monitor patients’ airflow during sleep.

For example, thermistors do not actually detect airflow but the passage of hot air, Dr. Sullivan explained. Even pressure transducers, which do measure airflow, have only limited ability to detect changes in breathing, he noted.

The AHI can mislead physicians about the severity of SDB, Dr. Sullivan added. At certain points in the menstrual cycle, for example, women with SDB may respond to apnea with a large rise in blood pressure (BP) rather than in the AHI. Catastrophic BP elevations with no change in the AHI were even observed during sleep apnea in a woman with preeclampsia.

In infants and children, apnea usually manifests as partial upper airway obstruction; breathing is loaded even though the AHI is very low. In these groups, the AHI is “unequivocally the wrong metric” of SDB, Dr. Sullivan stated.

What alternatives are there to the AHI? “Hypertension is a good start,” said Dr. Sullivan. It has long been known that BP rises in obstructive sleep apnea, he related.

Researchers are also evaluating the usefulness of measuring fibrinogen concentrations, which are often elevated in the morning in patients with SDB. Others are looking at sleep apnea–induced changes in the levels of circulating and cellular mediators and in cellular adhesion molecules.

Probably the best indicator of SDB, however, is simply the response to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. “It really is a no-brainer,” Dr. Sullivan remarked, pointing out that CPAP administration is especially easy with the newer devices that automatically set the appropriate amount of positive pressure.

IMPERFECT BUT USEFUL

The AHI may not be perfect, but it is useful, argued Dr. Rapoport. No one has devised anything better for distinguishing people with and without obstructive sleep apnea, pointed out Dr. Rapoport, Medical Director of the Sleep Disorders Center at New York University School of Medicine in New York City.

Furthermore, efforts have been made to improve the AHI. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recently attempted to standardize the index, for example, and work has begun to define its normal range.

Also, AHI values correlate with symptoms of SDB. “[The correlation] is mediocre perhaps, but it is not absent,” stated Dr. Rapoport, countering Dr. Sullivan’s earlier assertion.

Because the AHI is imperfect, Dr. Rapoport views it as a marker for the apnea-hypopnea syndrome and not as a definitive metric. He has found the AHI most useful for detecting severe apnea-hypopnea syndrome.

He defines severe cases as those with an AHI of 30 to 50 events per hour or greater. “This is definitely bad … and I want to treat it,” he stressed. Obstructive sleep apnea symptoms are also likely to be severe enough to warrant treatment in patients with an AHI of about 20 per hour; SDB can probably be ruled out at an AHI of about 10 per hour.

Dr. Rapoport cautioned against over-interpreting the “gray zone” between AHIs of 10 and 20 per hour. “I do not quite know what that means,” he acknowledged.

—Timothy Begany

Reference
1. Sullivan CE, Rapoport DM. The apnea-hypopnea index is a useless metric of sleep disordered breathing: pro-con. Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American Thoracic Society; May 21, 2002; Atlanta, Ga.


_________________
Executive Director
American Sleep Apnea Association
6856 Eastern Avenue, NW Ste. 203
Washington, DC 20012
202-293-3650

[quote="sleepapnea_ed"]THE APNEA-HYPOPNEA INDEX: USEFUL OR USELESS?


Also, AHI values correlate with symptoms of SDB. “[The correlation] is mediocre perhaps, but it is not absent,” stated Dr. Rapoport, countering Dr. Sullivan’s earlier assertion.

Because the AHI is imperfect, Dr. Rapoport views it as a marker for the apnea-hypopnea syndrome and not as a definitive metric. He has found the AHI most useful for detecting severe apnea-hypopnea syndrome."


Mediocre defined---  Failing to meet a standard of quality, ability, or achievement.

Broken down this supports that AHI is FLAWED with perhaps some use for SEVERE apnea.

[quote="Mike"]Wait, you are taking info from someone that had Snoring Surgery?  That is apples and oranges to OSA.

But lets say that its for OSA.  

All this is, is another non subjective "I feel great!"  

BUT

He still snores, (just a little bit)

He requires "tune up surgery" But yet has no info regarding EFFECTIVE treatment.  


No one says it doesn't work.  If you happen to be in that 1.5% - MAYBE 15% Yes it might work (ahi < 5), but it is not long lasting, (even this guy admits it) and the damage that the surgery causes (and subsequent surgeries), can not be undone.  Eventually you will end up like all the others that have had it fail.  But if you do "tune up" surgeries, when you get to the end, CPAP and or Dental Devices will be much much harder.  

So Pstar, this is really about you and trying to convince yourself that you are within that narrow range of lucky folks that receive some benefit, right?  Everyone would like to be in that group (and better yet, have it last)  But statistics are not on your side.  

Maybe you will be lucky and it will last a few years, or maybe you will be part of the 40% + that have these serious consequences from the surgery that are permanent.

Hopefully not, but feel free to ignore the statistics...

 

This person is overwieght and so obviously it would be likely he would accumulate additional fat that would cause complications.  So he had a few minor things done post surgery, big deal.  As far as I'm concerned, If I was sleeping and feeling great, my BP was normal and my wife told me she hears me breathing normally, that would be good enough for me.

I have no idea whether the percentages you quote reflect every surgery prodedure outcome nor how they figure in the differing types of procedures each individual has had.

It seems obvious to me that there are so many variables involved in each patient's case that it is inaccurate to try to lump the entire population of patients into some percentage.    There are too many conflicting medical opinions on this issue as well as individual circimstances as I've mentioned to follow your broad brushed views on this.  

Anyways, I think we are adults around here and can and should do our own research as it applies to our own individual circumstances.  The record reflects that you think surgical procedures are a mistake.  I get it.  Should I ever move forward with something I'll consider your opinion too.

Pstar wrote:

This person is overwieght and so obviously it would be likely he would accumulate additional fat that would cause complications.  So he had a few minor things done post surgery, big deal.  As far as I'm concerned, If I was sleeping and feeling great, my BP was normal and my wife told me she hears me breathing normally, that would be good enough for me.

I have no idea whether the percentages you quote reflect every surgery prodedure outcome nor how they figure in the differing types of procedures each individual has had.

It seems obvious to me that there are so many variables involved in each patient's case that it is inaccurate to try to lump the entire population of patients into some percentage.    There are too many conflicting medical opinions on this issue as well as individual circimstances as I've mentioned to follow your broad brushed views on this.  

Anyways, I think we are adults around here and can and should do our own research as it applies to our own individual circumstances.  The record reflects that you think surgical procedures are a mistake.  I get it.  Should I ever move forward with something I'll consider your opinion too.

My broad brushed views? Whew!  You really wanna convince yourself its safe, go for it.  Don't let anyone stop you.  Ignore the multiple studies and hang on hope and a anecdotal website from a guy that wasn't even treated for OSA.  But if you are going to come here and state that multiple studies are wrong because there are "individual circumstances" and not have anything to back up your claims, expect to have people question you and your motives.  


Additionally, you seem to want to argue that AHI doesn't matter, but I suspect that you were diagnosed with OSA because of a sleep study in which your AHI was > 5.  So which is it?  Is it important or not?  Is it only important if you don't have surgery, but as soon as you do, you can ignore it?  AHI is not perfect but it currently is the standard used to diagnose OSA.  


I get that you want UPPP to be a cure, but wanting it to be, and it being one are two different things.  

And for the record, not all surgery is a mistake, there are a lot of folks that have had turbinate surgery and had great success, there are folks that had other surgery because of their anatomy that required it and also had success.  (again measured with the standard of ahi <5)

I had my surgery on 2/27/08, everything went same way most of you might imagine, 2 weeks of pain. After that I recovered. The only problem I have right now is that I feel a lump in my throat and everything I eat I have a feeling some rest of food is remaining in my throat. I have mucus in my throat when I wake up and when I brush my teeth. My doctor said It's the stomach acid which is coming up and gave me ZANTAC tablets. I have them for 2 months now, but it didn't help. I'm gonna call her to see if she has any suggestions, but meanwhile I found this forum and want to know if any body else has same problem

Just as I thought...the moderators killed this thread.  Good job.  The only thing of value on this site.

I had my UPPP surgery on the 16th and I am in day 5 of my recovery. Before the surgery my snoring was unbearable and sometimes my Uvula would swell so large that I couldnt swallow easily.

My RDI was 38 and I tried the CPAP machine but could not successfully use the machine due to the high pressure required.

I had the Septoplasty surgery about a month ago. So far the pain has been very controllable with the pain meds. The best thing that I have used for pain is the miracle mouthwash. I am eating OK with yogurts and puddings for breakfast and soups and mashed potatoes for lunch and dinner. The best food for easing the pain is cream of chicken soup.

Since the surgery I do not snore anymore and that is so nice to be able to sleep in the same bed with my wife again. Before my snoring was so bad that my wife and kids on the other side of the house could still hear me snoring.  

Another plus is my blood pressure has came down sincce the surgery. Before the surgery with BP meds my blood pressure would be a little high at the 135/100 range and now Im at 125/80 without taking the meds due to the surgery.

It is a shame that the original thread for recovery was closed beacuse there was alot of good information on this surgery for both sides. I ultimately decided that if the surgery only corrected my snoring, I would be totally happy since I would at least not keep my family awake all night, and if the apnea still exsists they pressure can now be lowered to a level that I can tolerate.

Still doing ok as long as I keep taking the pain meds. I actually slept from 12am to 10am without getting up to take meds and defenitely felt the pain, but thanks to the miracle mouthwash, the pain is back under control.

Last night I expeanded my food selection a bit by eating some mac and cheese, was able to eat several bites with now problems. After dinner the wife and I went for a half mile walk because Im going stir crazy.

Im really suprised at the ease I have had in swallowing. My ENT had told me that he was going to leave a small amount of the soft pallet.

I also think that splitting the surgeries instead of one has made this recovery much easier. I couldnt imagine having to breath through the mouth and having it dry out, that has to really increase the pain factor.

crice256 wrote:

Still doing ok as long as I keep taking the pain meds. I actually slept from 12am to 10am without getting up to take meds and defenitely felt the pain, but thanks to the miracle mouthwash, the pain is back under control.

Last night I expeanded my food selection a bit by eating some mac and cheese, was able to eat several bites with now problems. After dinner the wife and I went for a half mile walk because Im going stir crazy.

Im really suprised at the ease I have had in swallowing. My ENT had told me that he was going to leave a small amount of the soft pallet.

I also think that splitting the surgeries instead of one has made this recovery much easier. I couldnt imagine having to breath through the mouth and having it dry out, that has to really increase the pain factor.

How's your apnea so far.  I'm also wondering if you use the CPAP if it still seems to work ie you get a seal in your throat etc.  Keep posting...