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My story as requested by Mike
Mike found me on Twitter and asked me how I came to the decision to have sleep apnea surgery. Since he asked nicely I wandered over and thought I'd tell my story.
First - my basic background - I'm 35, married, 1 kid, and average. I snore. My parents snore. My sisters snore. My brothers snore. And I don't mean "they have a nice cute little snore like my toddler" I mean they have this god-awful unhealthy snore that kept me awake for YEARS growing up whenever I'd have to share a room with them (family trips, etc).
I have snored for many years. My college roommates used to yell at me because I'd keep them awake. All the girls I dated who stayed over (long before marriage, obviously) also reported similar issues.
I weigh 247 pounds right now. I am 6' tall so this is heavy but it I am working on it. This number used to be higher so progress is happening. My goal is to get back to being able to run 5 miles. If I do that the rest of it will take care of itself.
In any case I snore the same now as I did when I was 17 and weighed 155 lbs. It is safe to say (in retrospect) that I have probably had sleep apnea for a long time.
However...it was never an issue for ME - it just annoyed those around me. That was, of course, until I got married - then it became a larger issue.
Let me preface all of this by saying my wife has been supportive and none of this is a comment against her - but the basic facts are simple. She went through a period of time where she had great difficulty sleeping. Any minor disturbance would wake her up - including me sleeping.
Then she would wake me up so I'd stop snoring.
Obviously this is a viscious cycle and I ended up sleeping in another room - and that has been the case for 3 years now.
Say what you want about how life should be - I am operating on how it is. When you do not sleep in the same bed as your spouse you just have less marital intimacy. And I mean that on several levels of course - not just sex. So I went to my doctor and he referred me to an ENT.
The ENT wanted me to do a sleep study. Since I am fortunate enough to have good health insurance this was completed in short order. The results gave a clear indication of sleep apnea.
I would stop breathing for up to 60 seconds at time - I woke up 137 times in 6.5 hours - and my Oxygen levels dropped below 90. The other indicators were all conclusive as well.
During that study they also tried CPAP on me. I hated it with a passion. I had a LOT of trouble falling asleep with it (and I had a sleep aid drug administered). What was worse was my reaction when I woke up. I panicked. I don't think I have ever truly panicked in my life before but seriously - if you had taken the CPAP machine off and replaced it with a live squid on my face I don't think I would have reacted worse. I woke up and started swinging at the thing to get it off my face.
I'm probably in some kind of "Hall of Fame" at the sleep center since they record every second of the process. "Look! Here's Squidboy!"
Moving on....
I met with the ENT again and he explained all of the options. At my age I'm old enough to have run through several doctors of different types and I'd say he very good. He explains things well and was very patient. In his opinion/experience I was a very good candidate based on the shape of my face, mouth, throat, etc.
One thing I haven't mentioned up to this point is my nose. I also have a deviated septum. I dated a girl in college for three years and one day I was tickling her. I had her pinned and was holding her down (don't ask) and she hit the inside of both of my elbows. Gravity did it's job and my face smashed directly into her sternum. As luck would have it she was lacking in the natural "padding" of that area and my nose broke immediately. Consequently airflow on one side of my nose is about 20% of what it should be.
Although they do not think this is a contributor to the sleep apnea it is really inconvenient (Warning: Gross sentence ahead). I'll skip the political correctness and just be blunt: when the airway is that small it tends to get plugged with boogers regardless of your hygiene. (Gross sentence over).
So - on April 20th - I'm getting all of that fixed. And since I have a mole on my face I want removed they are doing that as well.
I guess the appropriate question to ask is this - what do I want to get out of this? I'd say three things:
1.) Ability to actually sleep in the same room as my wife
2.) To feel well rested again (I haven't for years...but I also have a toddler so....)
3.) Be able to breath out my nose again
That's my story - and I'm sticking to it. Feel free to ask questions.
William Rentfrow
www.williamrentfrow.com
First - my basic background - I'm 35, married, 1 kid, and average. I snore. My parents snore. My sisters snore. My brothers snore. And I don't mean "they have a nice cute little snore like my toddler" I mean they have this god-awful unhealthy snore that kept me awake for YEARS growing up whenever I'd have to share a room with them (family trips, etc).
I have snored for many years. My college roommates used to yell at me because I'd keep them awake. All the girls I dated who stayed over (long before marriage, obviously) also reported similar issues.
I weigh 247 pounds right now. I am 6' tall so this is heavy but it I am working on it. This number used to be higher so progress is happening. My goal is to get back to being able to run 5 miles. If I do that the rest of it will take care of itself.
In any case I snore the same now as I did when I was 17 and weighed 155 lbs. It is safe to say (in retrospect) that I have probably had sleep apnea for a long time.
However...it was never an issue for ME - it just annoyed those around me. That was, of course, until I got married - then it became a larger issue.
Let me preface all of this by saying my wife has been supportive and none of this is a comment against her - but the basic facts are simple. She went through a period of time where she had great difficulty sleeping. Any minor disturbance would wake her up - including me sleeping.
Then she would wake me up so I'd stop snoring.
Obviously this is a viscious cycle and I ended up sleeping in another room - and that has been the case for 3 years now.
Say what you want about how life should be - I am operating on how it is. When you do not sleep in the same bed as your spouse you just have less marital intimacy. And I mean that on several levels of course - not just sex. So I went to my doctor and he referred me to an ENT.
The ENT wanted me to do a sleep study. Since I am fortunate enough to have good health insurance this was completed in short order. The results gave a clear indication of sleep apnea.
I would stop breathing for up to 60 seconds at time - I woke up 137 times in 6.5 hours - and my Oxygen levels dropped below 90. The other indicators were all conclusive as well.
During that study they also tried CPAP on me. I hated it with a passion. I had a LOT of trouble falling asleep with it (and I had a sleep aid drug administered). What was worse was my reaction when I woke up. I panicked. I don't think I have ever truly panicked in my life before but seriously - if you had taken the CPAP machine off and replaced it with a live squid on my face I don't think I would have reacted worse. I woke up and started swinging at the thing to get it off my face.
I'm probably in some kind of "Hall of Fame" at the sleep center since they record every second of the process. "Look! Here's Squidboy!"
Moving on....
I met with the ENT again and he explained all of the options. At my age I'm old enough to have run through several doctors of different types and I'd say he very good. He explains things well and was very patient. In his opinion/experience I was a very good candidate based on the shape of my face, mouth, throat, etc.
One thing I haven't mentioned up to this point is my nose. I also have a deviated septum. I dated a girl in college for three years and one day I was tickling her. I had her pinned and was holding her down (don't ask) and she hit the inside of both of my elbows. Gravity did it's job and my face smashed directly into her sternum. As luck would have it she was lacking in the natural "padding" of that area and my nose broke immediately. Consequently airflow on one side of my nose is about 20% of what it should be.
Although they do not think this is a contributor to the sleep apnea it is really inconvenient (Warning: Gross sentence ahead). I'll skip the political correctness and just be blunt: when the airway is that small it tends to get plugged with boogers regardless of your hygiene. (Gross sentence over).
So - on April 20th - I'm getting all of that fixed. And since I have a mole on my face I want removed they are doing that as well.
I guess the appropriate question to ask is this - what do I want to get out of this? I'd say three things:
1.) Ability to actually sleep in the same room as my wife
2.) To feel well rested again (I haven't for years...but I also have a toddler so....)
3.) Be able to breath out my nose again
That's my story - and I'm sticking to it. Feel free to ask questions.
William Rentfrow
www.williamrentfrow.com
Views: 144
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mike on
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William,
First off, welcome. I read your story and was hanging on every word. Thanks for posting it. It seems as if everyone's story is so different, but there are some commonalities we all share. In any case, I never tire of reading about individual stories and always learn something, like i did here. So thanks. Because I genuinely think there is a lot of misinformation out there about surgery, i encourage anyone considering surgery to come here and learn all they can before they go under the knife. It can be a really good option for some, and a poor one for others. Either way, you as the patient deserve to have all the data points/ perspectives you can so that you can make an informed decision. There's a ton of info here, but to start you off, here are a couple of things you should look at:
Dr. Park's post on surgery
Sha's photos, profile, etc.
After you take a look, I'd be interested to know your impressions. Also, exactly what type of surgical procedure are you scheduled to have?
Warm regards,
Mike
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Permalink Reply by William Rentfrow on
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I am scheduled to have the Uvulapalatopharyngoplasty and a Septoplasty. Add a turbinate reduction and a mole removal for good measure.
Might get a lube and tune while I'm in there... :)
So far my impressions are the same - I approach this stuff pretty carefully. I've read a lot. I know what can go right and go wrong.
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I wouldn't be thrilled about the septoplasty and even turbinate reduction but .... I'd consider it depending on the problems I had w/the deviated septum, just as you are doing. And the mole reduction I'd also be willing w/o much trepidation at all.
As far the UPPP???? And I've read a couple of excellent results ... I'd run like h*ll in the other direction!!. Most who've had UPPP surgery end up eventually needing to resort to CPAP albeit usually at a low or lower pressure. And the recovery and recouperation just do NOT sound like my chicken livered cuppa tea! I have this yellow streak a mile wide down my back.
But understand what a chicken I am about surgery - like I need to be near dead or dying. That being said: I wish you well whatever your final decision. Good luck and God bless. We'll all be rooting for you whatever your decision.
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I do have some understanding and sympathy for the panic attack. My husband had a drastic nightmare and woke w/a severe panic attack during just his sleep evaluation! He couldn't sleep a wink the rest of the night, swears he couldn't even close his eyes w/o panicking. It happened early enough in the night they weren't even able to evaluate his sleep much less determine any sleep disorder.
He absolutely will NOT go near another sleep lab nor would he even agree to using an ApneaLink over one night for evaluation. Frankly, as much as I worry about his snoring and his breathing lapses at night .... I just can't push him about the matter given what he experienced.
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Permalink Reply by Rick London on
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Enjoyed your story very much. As one who went through three ENT's to find out how to solve this problem, I opted for the surgery too. It was a complicated one; not just tonsils, uvula etc but reconstructing the respiratory system (and septum)
Ouch (for a few weeks) then pain gone, and apnea (improved 80%; no cpap needed); I had it bad. Was losing
80% of oxygen level in brain and never over 2 hrs REM sleep for at least 2 decades. Surgery Nov 22, 2008. Life saved.
Hurt after, but would do it again in a heartbeat. Good luck to you. Here's my story: http://ad.vu/2st9
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Whatever you do I hope it works fast so you and the wife can get some good all night snuggle time! If I was married I don't think I could tolerate my snuggle partner being a room away. I'd buy heavy duty ear plugs and yell "ready or not, it's cuddle, snuggle, spoon time!!".
GOOD LUCK to you and wife both!!
Barbara
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Hi William, you and Rick London tell compelling stories about sleep apnea and proposed and actual apnea surgery. You said you would answer questions - I'm ready to fire them to you. I read you were going ahead with UPPP surgery and having your mole removed. You mentioned the deviated septum - I imagine that will be included in your surgery? Have you had evaluations of the placement of your skull? Has your ENT decided if your tongue will be included in your surgery?
I am sure Mike will refer you to Dr. Park's critical evaluation of surgical success for the different types of surgery for sleep apnea. Another question occured to me. Where will your surgery be done? I ask because of your weight, you are at a slightly increased surgical risk, and you would want to be in fully equipped surgical facility. .
I sense you will have the surgery for two reasons, the understandable desire not to bug your wife with your high octane snoring.any longer. I have friends whose husbands snore, and they claim it can become an emotionally charged issue. The second reason was your reaction to CPAP, and your firm statement that you are not going to go that route.
I don't know if your insurance will allow a 2nd opinion, but I had the UPPP surgery and if I had it to do again, I would get another doctor's opinion.I would also want to know how many successfull UPPP surgeries the ENT had done, and I would like the names of one of two of his patients-so I could ask them if they would do it again.
Since my experience won't deter you, I won't give you the gory details. The important part, is that I had severe apnea - almost 100 apneas per hour. I did not want to wear cpap, and decided on an ENT for surgery. I had the surgery. The ENT prounced my sleep apnea was history.. It may have been for a short time, and it is less severe, but I still have to wear cpap,as of January. However, cpap isn't being too successful. The ENT trimmed all the side tissue in my throat, and where possible scraped the areas to the bone, & I may not be able to tolerate as high pressure as I need to fill that large empty place in my throat. I did have a nasty side effect - without the uvula, food-especially pieces of vegtables and meat-have a way of migrating into my upper nasal passages. I can tell something is in my nose, and it bothers me for a week to 10 days before an explosive sneeze expels it.
I'm sure you will make a good decision. Ruth, .
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Ruth raises some good points. Have you also been made aware of considerations regarding anesthesia and sleep apnea?
Ruth Rayceen said:Hi William, you and Rick London tell compelling stories about sleep apnea and proposed and actual apnea surgery. You said you would answer questions - I'm ready to fire them to you. I read you were going ahead with UPPP surgery and having your mole removed. You mentioned the deviated septum - I imagine that will be included in your surgery? Have you had evaluations of the placement of your skull? Has your ENT decided if your tongue will be included in your surgery?
I am sure Mike will refer you to Dr. Park's critical evaluation of surgical success for the different types of surgery for sleep apnea. Another question occured to me. Where will your surgery be done? I ask because of your weight, you are at a slightly increased surgical risk, and you would want to be in fully equipped surgical facility. .
I sense you will have the surgery for two reasons, the understandable desire not to bug your wife with your high octane snoring.any longer. I have friends whose husbands snore, and they claim it can become an emotionally charged issue. The second reason was your reaction to CPAP, and your firm statement that you are not going to go that route.
I don't know if your insurance will allow a 2nd opinion, but I had the UPPP surgery and if I had it to do again, I would get another doctor's opinion.I would also want to know how many successfull UPPP surgeries the ENT had done, and I would like the names of one of two of his patients-so I could ask them if they would do it again.
Since my experience won't deter you, I won't give you the gory details. The important part, is that I had severe apnea - almost 100 apneas per hour. I did not want to wear cpap, and decided on an ENT for surgery. I had the surgery. The ENT prounced my sleep apnea was history.. It may have been for a short time, and it is less severe, but I still have to wear cpap,as of January. However, cpap isn't being too successful. The ENT trimmed all the side tissue in my throat, and where possible scraped the areas to the bone, & I may not be able to tolerate as high pressure as I need to fill that large empty place in my throat. I did have a nasty side effect - without the uvula, food-especially pieces of vegtables and meat-have a way of migrating into my upper nasal passages. I can tell something is in my nose, and it bothers me for a week to 10 days before an explosive sneeze expels it.
I'm sure you will make a good decision. Ruth, .
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William, we have a member, Jeannie Christmas Smith, who wants to learn more about surgery. Can you let us know how you're doing lately?
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Mike said:William,
First off, welcome. I read your story and was hanging on every word. Thanks for posting it. It seems as if everyone's story is so different, but there are some commonalities we all share. In any case, I never tire of reading about individual stories and always learn something, like i did here. So thanks. Because I genuinely think there is a lot of misinformation out there about surgery, i encourage anyone considering surgery to come here and learn all they can before they go under the knife. It can be a really good option for some, and a poor one for others. Either way, you as the patient deserve to have all the data points/ perspectives you can so that you can make an informed decision. There's a ton of info here, but to start you off, here are a couple of things you should look at:
Dr. Park's post on surgery
Sha's photos, profile, etc.
After you take a look, I'd be interested to know your impressions. Also, exactly what type of surgical procedure are you scheduled to have?
Warm regards,
Mike
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I have 90% blockage in left nostril from bone spur so that will be removed and the uppp/tonsilectomy. Both my drs say this is only option, one of whom has had the surgery. I understand how painful this will be for a few days, I just have to get better someway. BY God's grace I'll ok in a few days! Thanks for your help, reply back if you'd like.
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I'm doing all right. At this point I'm basically all healed up.
I did two write-ups about recovery after surgery which can be found as Sleep Apnea: Surgery and Recovery and at Sleep Apena 1 month Post UPPP.
I'll summarize by saying that it's the most horrible painful experience I've ever gone through. Yet, most things are better. However, I've come to discover that sucking on anything (ie, hard candy) just feels wrong. I can't do it - I gag.
In fact, I've had a bad gag reflex my whole life and it's slightly worse now.
My snoring however is greatly improved and I feel more rested now than I have in years. So there are definite positive things to say. I also like the fact that I can breath through my nose again - I never could before on the one side.
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