"I thought if you have surgery for sleep apnea, it was supposed to stop snoring...not give it more bass." --- posted recently in an internet forum
Of all the people I have ever spoken to about surgery's ability to cure Sleep Apnea, the most confident about the prospect are the surgeons themselves. Others are more skeptical, including those who have had surgery to cure Sleep Apnea. While it may work for some, below are the top 3 complaints I often hear voiced about surgery.
It's Not Necessarily a Cure
Surgery is deemed a success according to standards adopted by surgeons even if it doesn't cure your Sleep Apnea. If it does so much as reduce the severity of your apnea, it's "successful." That means if you have an AHI of 40, and the surgery cuts it back to 20, the surgeon's happy with the result, even though an AHI greater than 5 isn't considered healthy or normal.
Pain
The recovery time for surgery is painful for adults, and can last weeks. In some cases, all the while you would have to get your nutrition through a syringe, and avoid solid foods. If you're considering surgery, be sure to probe your surgeon about recovery time, and to get a referral to patients who have been through the type of surgery you are considering, so you have the full scoop on what to expect.
Could Cut off Treatment Options
Be sure to check and double-check that the surgery you are considering would not shut off CPAP or other treatment options for you down the road, should you wish to pursue them. Since the surgery does not always cure your Sleep Apnea, you may still need positive airway pressure to stay well after the operation.
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