Sleep Apnea Support Group

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. People with sleep apnea partially awaken as they struggle to breathe, but in the morning they may not be aware of sleep disturbances.

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RascalFlattsFan 08/26/2011

At least that was the hook on TV to keep us watching through all the commercials. I was watching "The Doctors" and of course this was a subject close to my heart. Since I didn't stay through the commercials I checked out the "quick fix" online.

Not much of a quick fix in my opinion. This was about surgery if you have obstructive SA. They showed the surgery on a middle-aged woman. Her tonsils were taken out. That thing that hangs down was shortened. And a lot of the fat/skin was taken out of the opening to her throat. This made the opening huge as opposed to being very small and tight. It was 2 weeks post surgery and of course the woman said she felt fine.

You can check this out yourself online at "The Doctors.com"

I'm not sure this is widely done.

harry3333 08/27/2011

tonsils are sometimes removed but other surgery is currently out of fashion

RascalFlattsFan 08/27/2011

I don't know that the surgery is out of fashion. This show with doctor's is new...I think perhaps how the surgery is done is new. I just know that the first time I saw a sleep apnea doc the first thing he said to me was "don't bother asking me about surgery for this, I don't believe it works".

deleted_user 08/28/2011

The insurers are behind the CPAP as treatment. Getting surgery OK'd without giving CPAP a serious try might be hard; the companies want the cheapest solution.
I was told that CPAP works 80% of the time. But, it can take time and effort to make it work. So, that's what I'm doing.

deleted_user 08/30/2011

Hi, I am a sleep apnea patient where the sleep apnea was due to a craniofacial anatomical defect. I reviewed the surgeries available extensively, had access to some of the world's best surgeons. I reviewed the research extensively. I had a facial reconstruction to correct the anatomical defect. However, the surgery where your tonsils are taken out and soft tissues rearranged has been shown to make the majority of sleep apnea patients worse in the long run. You will have to see a maxillofacial surgeon to receive the xray studies documenting any actual boney deficiency that could be causing the sleep apnea. The xray is quick but technically difficult unless the surgeon's office has experience (and they should before they offer the service).
The soft tissue surgery is also some of the more painful post op courses in all surgery...trouble swallowing for days. Craniofacial anatomical defects (occult ones, anyway) are thought to be rare however very few sleep apnea patients are actually checked for them. My bottom line is, if a surgeon recommends surgery, get a second opinion from a maxillofacial surgeon because the soft tissue surgery could potentially backfire on you, the patient.

deleted_user 09/01/2011

My dr said that surgery is EXTREMELY painful.

RascalFlattsFan 09/03/2011

just goes to show you can't believe what you see on TV. Esp on a TV show featuring doctors who don't know exactly what your problem is...they shouldn't tell people with sleep apnea that surgery is the best way to "fix it". I wonder how many other things they mess up UGH!!

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