Sleep Apnea

[snccoulter]

So I went to the ENT Doc yesterday because I have had issues with sleeping for a long time and my old doc has just been throwing sleeping pills at me. 19 months to be exact (i should have only been on them for 7 to 10 days) according to the ENT doc I have finally gotten frustrated and got a referral to a ENT doc. He took a look and informed me that i have a deviated septum, enlarged tonsils, enlarged adenoids an enlarged base of the tongue. I am going to have a sleep study in the next few days to confirm the sleep apnea or not then we will go from there. I know all about the CPAP machine because my wife has one but has anyone gone through the surgery to correct SA. The reason I ask is because I am told with all the symptoms i have the CPAP my not work. Everything I have read is if the surgery is on the table the (pardon the pun) it will not be a walk in the park. I am 34 so the Tonsillectomy will be brutal with at least 3 weeks of recovery and possibly 20 lbs of weight loss but what about the other procedures any input would be greatly welcomed. Oh by the way does anyone know what it will be like to come off sleeping pills after 19 months they are called Temazepam or the brand name is Restoril.
Thanks

[KapitanSparrow]

Sorry I can't help with any of your questions but good luck! I'll keep my fingers crossed for a speedy solution to your problem.

[DiscGo]

Oh by the way does anyone know what it will be like to come off sleeping pills after 19 months they are called Temazepam or the brand name is Restoril.
Thanks

I can only assume it would be a crash to your system. Good luck!

[Sombeech]

I always notice when I'm around 20lbs + overweight, I snore when on my back. It's strange because I'm not sure where bodyfat would fit inside the throat, but maybe my chin pushes something up....

[blueeyes]

Back when I was married. My husband had that surgery. I don't remember it being too terribly bad for him. Bless his heart (i have to say that) he was a bit of a hypochondriac and never delt with being sick or under the weather very well and I honestly don't remember him complaining much when he had this surgery. In fact when it was all said and done he slept soooo much better. Still snored! So I didn't sleep any better but he quit scarying me to death. Before the surgery he would quit breathing and it would wake me up.

The funniest thing was he couldn't oink like a pig anymore. The kids and I would tease him. All three of us would say "oink..oink for us Daddy" He would finally give in and try. We would laugh so hard.

My opinion is that no matter how the surgery initially effects you. The results are worth it. He TRULY felt 10x better after words.

[R]

The wiki...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restoril

[Deathcricket]

I don't know I'm not a fan of going through that many surgeries to correct that many problems. I've heard there is a really cool mouthpiece you can put in. have you looked into that option instead?

[ilanimaka]

My brother had the surgery. When they tested him, he would quit breathing for so long, the doc freaked and canceled the rest of the test. The surgery helped a lot, but if the issue is weight related, and you don't get your weight/diet under control, then it will return. My brother had it happen and he had to lose a lot of weight to get it to go away naturally.

[snccoulter]

I don't know I'm not a fan of going through that many surgeries to correct that many problems. I've heard there is a really cool mouthpiece you can put in. have you looked into that option instead?

What I have head is that the mouthpices are more for snoring then to solve the problems it is like painting over a rust spot it comes back you have to treat the underlying problems not just mask it.

[Last Child]

I had the tonsillectomy when I was 17. It was no big deal.

I have had serious sinus issues for many moons now. I broke my nose a few years back and when the ENT set it he also did some adenoid work and deviated septum work to. "While I was in there" he says after the fact. It wasn't too bad either. But I seem to remember really enjoying the drugs they gave me. It did help somewhat with my mild case of apnea.

I have no idea about the tongue issue.

Last September I had my sinuses scraped and bored. That was the worst of the surgeries. A lot of blood and it hurt. Almost to the point where the drugs weren't any fun.

Good news is that after the last surgery I haven't had very many issues with apnea. But it was never a real big deal for me other than just being tired all of the time. It also has helped with the infections.

Don't know if that helps or not. I would advise that you get a second opinion?

If I was faced with a decision of all of those surgeries again and could do all of them in one operation that is exactly what I would do. Get in, get it done, suffer like hell while trying to enjoy the pain killer buzz, and then be done with it. Hopefully.

[Deathcricket]

What I have head is that the mouthpices are more for snoring then to solve the problems it is like painting over a rust spot it comes back you have to treat the underlying problems not just mask it.

Again I'm not a doctor, (I just play one in bed) so take what I say with a grain of salt. But I don't think the rust analogy you used is correct. Probably similar though to getting contact lenses vrs get lasek. One is using a device to see, and the other is using surgery to permanently correct the problem. but I think they both work just fine and probably would in your case. both have their place, advantages and disadvantages. Again I could be wrong on this and won't be offended if you find out otherwise. Joe Rogan wrote on his blog about using and getting his mouthpiece. Perhaps his words will help you out. I odn't have any personal experience to back up my claims, just what I hear other people tell me.

*** He uses very foul language be warned **** But I think it's relavent and will post at the risk of sending this thread to the rubbish bin. He has pics of it on:
http://blog.joerogan.net/archives/215



[quote]For the last few nights I

[Skylinerider]

Yup, I had the same surgery. I was 25 at the time. Tonsils, adnoids, and deviated septum all at once. It was definately no walk in the park, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. When you have the surgery, make sure and take the meds given, expecially the one for nausea, and be sure to use the sinus rinse OFTEN!!