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Permalink Reply by Tim on August 29, 2010 at 1:07am

I have had both an MMA and UPPP -- and still have to use a CPAP. The only good thing that came out of the surgeries was that the tonsillectomy that was part of the UPPP has greatly reduced my problems with strep throat; I used to get strep throat several times a year, I have had it three or four times in 15 years since the surgery. My lips and part of my mouth are permanently numb from nerve damage caused by the MMA and the UPPP has caused me to constantly choke on small pieces of food, such as peas and corn.

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Permalink Reply by Jo E on September 12, 2010 at 11:25pm

Sorry to hear of your less than satisfactory surgical results. I obviously had an ENT who was more skilled in determining the appropriateness of surgical intervention and/or more skilled in surgical procedure. I had only a little problem in the area of swallowing for a short time after surgery. Now I can swallow more like a "normal" person. (I still have problems swallowing my potassium supplements so I crush them and have them over applesauce.)

As to cost: My insurance paid 100% of the cost of my surgery. It paid most of the cost of my CPAP supplies. My son's insurance paid none of the cost of the PAP or supplies. He was fortunate that he inherited a one year old CPAP from me. However, he still has to pay for his supplies. He makes them last as long as he can. (Red Green gives very good "advice" on the use of duct tape.) He is way beyond the age of being my dependent and cannot be on my insurance, so I can't cover him there. Once he finishes college and gets a job with better insurance, he wants to have an UPPP so he can re-enlist in the Army National Guard.

As for CPAP supplies being so cheap: How often do you replace them? My CPAP came with instructions to replace the masks and hoses regularly, like every 6 months on masks. If you had to pay for all of your supplies yourself, were working part-time and going to college, do you think that you would find the cost so inexpensive? And it doesn't necessarily work for everyone. CPAP was not effective for me until AFTER I had the UPPP. Once I had the submucus resection of the inferior turbinates, I was able to get off CPAP entirely. What a relief! My ophthalmologist was happy too. Since I developed a very bad case of dry eye while on it, my ophthalmologist was not happy. If I needed another eye surgery, he would not be able to operate with my eyes in that condition. Since all but four of my eye surgeries have been emergencies, that could have been a problem. Wouldn't it be lovely to permanently lose your eyesight due to CPAP? The 2 cataract surgeries and the two capsulotomies were surgeries that could have waited for the dry eye to clear up. The other surgeries were: have the surgery now or lose your vision within days (way shorter time than the months the dry eye took to clear up!)

If your insurance doesn't cover PAP and supplies, they are expensive. And losing your vision is a very high price to pay!

I have said this before and I will continue to say this:

Eveyone's situation must be considered individually. What is best for one person is not necessarily best for another person. PAP is the place to start. It is the place to end for SOME people. CPAP was NOT effective for me until AFTER I had the UPPP. Once I had the submucus resection of the inferior turbinates, I was able to (thankfully) give up CPAP. Some people will find a treatment beyond PAP that will eliminate their need for PAP. Others will be best served by using a COMBINATION of treatments. No one should be frightened away from a valid treatment.

As for the pain of UPPP: It isn't as bad as some would have you believe. (If I were to describe some of the things that I have been through, there would be people here who would be vomiting from reading my recounts.)

The people who say that a UPPP is "excruciating" remind me of the roommates my second son had when he had to undergo nephrectomies when he was five years old. I never told him to be a tough, or that he didn't have pain, but he was quite a little trooper. His biggest complaint was when the "pokers" (plebotomists) came to take blood. He would beg them, "No pokes! Please, no pokes!" Except for isolation, all rooms were 2 patient rooms at childrens hospital. My son had a new roommate everyday (they had relatively minor issues). When they got their IVs out, each of the children screamed at the top of his lungs. The day he got dismissed, my son had to endure having the urologist take a very long drainnage tube out of his side. He went through that with a very few tears rolling down his cheeks. Then the nurse came to take "Ivan" (the IV) out of his arm. He begged and pleaded unmercifully for her to leave it in. She asked how long he wanted to keep it in. "Forever and ever!" was his reply. "All done!" A look of astonishment crossed his face. I realized why he was so afraid of having it removed. I explained to him that what the other children were complaining about was having the tape removed from their skin. Six weeks later when he underwent his second nephrectomy, every time a roommate complained about having Ivan removed, he just rolled his eyes and sighed. If you know what a nephrectomy is, don't worry about my son. He was born with four. He grew up, is currently serving his second enlistment in the Iowa Army National Guard, has a college degree, is married and is living a full life. (Fortunately, without having OSA.)

Tim said:

I have had both an MMA and UPPP -- and still have to use a CPAP. The only good thing that came out of the surgeries was that the tonsillectomy that was part of the UPPP has greatly reduced my problems with strep throat; I used to get strep throat several times a year, I have had it three or four times in 15 years since the surgery. My lips and part of my mouth are permanently numb from nerve damage caused by the MMA and the UPPP has caused me to constantly choke on small pieces of food, such as peas and corn.

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