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Permalink Reply by Mike on February 20, 2010 at 3:30pm

Here are a couple of starting points:

Jaw Surgery for Sleep Apnea

profile progression photos

More jaw surgery photos -- viewer discretion advised, kind of graphic

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Permalink Reply by Tim on February 20, 2010 at 3:52pm

I had my upper and lower jaw moved forward about am half inch -- it didn't work. My lips and parts of my mouth are permanently numb from nerve damage caused by the stretching of the nerve in my jaw. It is a hellacious surgery to recover from. My jaws were wired for months. Almost all of my food came out of a blender; including bar-b-que. After my wires came off, It took me a week or more to be able to open my mouth enough to eat small bits of food by shoving tongue depressors in my mouth to pry my teeth and jaw apart, increasing the stack by one tongue depressor at a time.. Even after the wire came off, I had to keep wearing the wire anchors for weeks with rubber bands instead of wire.

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Permalink Reply by Sonia S. on February 20, 2010 at 4:23pm

Wow Tim, what you went through it's awful. You've scared me about having jaw surgery. I have enough problem now opening my mouth wide enough for my dentist to work on my teeth. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience and that the surgery didn't work.

Be well,
Sonia

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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on February 20, 2010 at 4:29pm

Only you can decide if surgery is right for you. You should continue to use your PAP while researching all other options. I would suggest that surgery be the last choice when all other options have failed.

I am sorry Sonia, but I was being nosey. I went digging through your profile. The pictures of you and your Respironics full face mask are interesting. The mask is obviously to big for you. It comes all the way down to the bottom of your chin when it should stop just below your mouth. It is also my experience that this is one of the worst full face masks there is. It is heavy and more likely to leak. it is better to error on the side of the mask being to small than to big.

Welcome to Sleepguide.

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Permalink Reply by Sonia S. on February 20, 2010 at 5:40pm

Hi Rock,

I was thinking the same thing about my mask. The sleep technician that fitted me and then the supplier rep that came to my home to show me how to use it didn't tell me it was too large. It does look huge on the photos. The reason I chose the full mask over the smaller nasal mask is because my mouth opens when I sleep, so the air would just escape from my mouth. I wonder if the nasal mask or nasal pillows would work for me at all, maybe if I used a good chin strap to keep my mouth close?

Gonna do another post with my mask photos to ask others what they think of my mask fit.

Thanks for the reply.
Be well,
Sonia

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Permalink Reply by MARIE G. on February 21, 2010 at 6:45pm

Had the mma surgery done on 1/12 with Dr. Kasey Li. He took an x-ray of me before the surgery which showed a very narrow airway especially behind the tongue region. He advanced my jaws 12 mm. The after surgery x-ray shows a significantly larger airway. The surgery went really well – no problems. The first few days were rough but fortunately my nurses were wonderful. It wasn't all that painful, more general soreness in the jaw region and numbness of the lips, teeth, palate and chin. I was on a liquid/soft food diet for about a month which was the hardest part of the whole recovery process. I was also unable to speak since my jaws were banded shut. Dr. Li was wonderful and even fixed my deviated septum and pulled my impacted wisdom teeth during the surgery. The big question is how I am sleeping. I am glad to say that I am sleeping SIGNIFICANTLY better and noticed SIGNIFICANT decrease in daytime fatigue. I do believe my surgery is a success but need to undergo another sleep study in 5 months to be sure. This surgery was completely life changing for me and hopefully it gives you some hope to know that a definitive treatment does exists for sleep apnea.

If you want to learn more about the surgery check out www.sleepnet.com under the non-cpap options. There's also a great "Ask A Sleep Surgeon" column on this site. Dr. Li also has a website at www.sleepapneasurgery.com
Dr. Park interviewed him regarding the surgery and the interview is posted on this site.

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Permalink Reply by Sonia S. on February 21, 2010 at 7:43pm

Thanks for the reply and the info. Marie. I'm very glad for you that the surgery was successful and is helping you breathe better. I'll check out the websites you mentioned.

Be well,
Sonia

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