Comment

Comment by sha on October 29, 2010 at 2:13pm

I should mention that the soft tissue surgery helped somewhat, but not a ton. Most of the benefit was from the MMA. I can't find the post surgery test results to give an exact number right now though. That'd be a good thing to add to the blog, though. if it's not already there...

Like I said, I don't think about it nearly as much now. Its all about moving forward!

Comment by sha on October 29, 2010 at 2:10pm

Sorry for the late reply. Here's a link to the blog I kept immediately prior to and just after the surgery. Hope that gives more information:

http://harddaysbite.blogspot.com/

I will admit that I think about it a lot less now that two years have passed. I do still have some hardware in my mouth; the plates are still in there and probably always will be (they could come out, but they're fine staying in and it means one less surgery.) The screw in my chin came out, as did the braces. It wasn't a magic bullet - I still have some sleep issues and a few side effects from the surgery I could live without - but overall it has helped so much. The difference is almost night and day; maybe closer to dusk and dawn, but it is such an improvement! I breathe better all the time, both lying down AND standing up! I could never find a mask that fit, and I never have to use that !@# machine again. Oh, but the blog does not mention that I did eventually go back and have some soft tissue work done as well - tonsils out, uvula removed - just to really get the most benefit possible.

Short answer - definitely worth considering if nothing else is working. And I mean NOTHING. This is a big F***ing deal.

Please contact me if you have more questions, and I'll try to not wait 4 months to answer next time. :)

Comment by Mary Z on June 22, 2010 at 2:28pm

sha, please tell us more details. How did you qualify for the MMA? Did you need extensive orthodontic work, did you use a mandibular advancement device as a trial to see if you would benefit from the surgery? How bad was the pain? All the gory details, please.
Did you have a sleep test post surgery? Are you still on CPAP.
This is fascinating. Thanks,
Mary Z.

Comment by Joanne Williams, RPSGT on June 22, 2010 at 4:01am

I have to say this looks terribly painful. Do you have any hardware left structurally? If so, what parts? If you were talking to a group of apnics would you recomend this, if it were your family/friends who were in your position, procedure?