Hello Guest, Welcome to Apnea Board !
As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.
To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.

or Create an Account


New Posts   Today's Posts

Newbie. Surgery/CPAP questions
#11
RE: Newbie. Surgery/CPAP questions
All your replies are very much appreciated.

I've got a slightly better understanding of TORS now. Read up on a few journals.

TORS was always used for tongue base resection. They then tweaked it to help with OSA issues. Today TORS surgery is used in a multi level surgery all done by the da Vinci surgical robot. 

I will look into trying to get my hands on a decent CPAP machine and see how that goes before considering the surgery
Post Reply Post Reply
#12
RE: Newbie. Surgery/CPAP questions
Some members of this site seem to have a pathological devotion to wearing a mask and hose for the rest of their lives.  

Screw that.  Go for the surgery, OP.

Let the overweight haters stay mad about not being a surgical candidate.
Post Reply Post Reply
#13
RE: Newbie. Surgery/CPAP questions
You do realize that the surgery, that you so desperately want, is only good for a few years and you will then be back to needing a CPAP?
Crimson Nape
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com
___________________________________
Useful Links -or- When All Else Fails:
The Guide to Understanding OSCAR
OSCAR Chart Organization
Attaching Images and Files on Apnea Board
Apnea Helpful Tips

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#14
RE: Newbie. Surgery/CPAP questions
Wow i never mentioned i desperately wanted it. It just that the surgery option is appealing because my insurance covers it unlike CPAP sadly. Sleep apnea isn't taken seriously in my country yet that effects everything across the board which results with bad CPAP support e.g after sales issues, lack of choices with machines and mask etc. Of course I could shop online but it's still a reasonable cost along with trial and error. 

Hence why I am reaching out here and asking for advice.
Post Reply Post Reply
#15
RE: Newbie. Surgery/CPAP questions
(05-22-2019, 03:54 AM)Velacooks Wrote: Wow i never mentioned i desperately wanted it. It just that the surgery option is appealing because my insurance covers it unlike CPAP sadly. Sleep apnea isn't taken seriously in my country yet that effects everything across the board which results with bad CPAP support e.g after sales issues, lack of choices with machines and mask etc. Of course I could shop online but it's still a reasonable cost along with trial and error. 

Hence why I am reaching out here and asking for advice.

You definitely came to the right place. I started with zilch knowledge and learnt more here than what some of the ENTs are willing or able to discuss during a consultation!

If you know someone who can loan a set to you, do that. Else you can try the following.

Check out the online prices in the US (incl shipping and your local taxes, e.g. Sale / Service tax limit) to familiarize yourself on the machine and mask prices (probably machine will hit the limit but not masks). Then see if there are any local distributors, e.g. Resmed or MediEn giving a machine trial. Some may give you a free trial, but the catch is you have to buy a set of masks that will set you back a bit - yes you will balk at the price difference. At least you do get an actual fit out, and get some help for 2 weeks or so, see your sleep results from the machine report, rather than guess work trying to buy a 1st set of mask online. You also get to try out the CPAP brand they carry. Stick with Resmed or Philips Dreamstation. If using the Resmed AirSense 10 Autoset, see if it's the new model that comes with "AutoSet Response mode" - much gentler air pressure algorithm for 1st time users to ease into treatment. Else try the DreamStation which is designed with that gentler algorithm. Should you decide to continue with CPA treatment, then you can get future masks and your machine online and price average down. Any other brands, and you have to check compatibility with the new Oscar software - no DME will give you OEM software to monitor and self-adjust your treatment. Only this Board does Smile.

One more thing you will need to check - whether the local Health Authorities will require you to submit a medical note from your doctor stating you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and require a cpap and fill in some import forms as some countries deem it a medical device and have to grant specific permission.
lots-o-coffee
The doctor says coffee does not affect my tinnitus and it's got lots of antioxidants....however, the after dinner drinks are a different matter altogether. 
Post Reply Post Reply
#16
RE: Newbie. Surgery/CPAP questions
(05-22-2019, 03:54 AM)Velacooks Wrote: Wow i never mentioned i desperately wanted it. It just that the surgery option is appealing because my insurance covers it unlike CPAP sadly.

I believe that Crimson Nape was responding to Bedsheet, who has posted about really wanting an easy surgical solution regardless of the statistics showing it doesn't work most of the time and regardless of whether the surgery is medically indicated. Bedsheet is young and is averse to using CPAP even if it is the best treatment. Bedsheet seems to see CPAP as only something for old fat people, which is not the case. It is the gold standard for treating obstructive sleep apnea, regardless of age.

You really need the sleep test, first, though. There are roughly two kinds of sleep apnea - obstructive apnea, which is where your airways close while you sleep which prevents you from breathing even though your body is trying to breathe, and central apnea, which is where your body essentially forgets to breathe. Regular CPAP and surgery only treat obstructive apnea. If you only have central apneas, neither surgery nor regular CPAP will do anything for you, and CPAP can even make the problem worse by causing more central apneas. CPAP machines don't breathe for you, they just provide some positive air pressure to help splint open your airways. You still have to breathe on your own, hence why they don't help with central apneas where your body is forgetting to breathe on its own. You could need a different machine if you have centrals.
Post Reply Post Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Juniper's questions juniper 5 78 4 hours ago
Last Post: HalfAsleep
  Help Lowering a Varying AHI for a Newbie rtkierke 5 95 03-17-2024, 09:51 PM
Last Post: HalfAsleep
  Newbie kindly asking for OSCAR analysis ash630 1 120 03-13-2024, 11:16 AM
Last Post: Sleeprider
  Mask(s) to use after nasal surgery? Wonderlight 17 4,164 03-08-2024, 05:42 PM
Last Post: DoubtFire61
  [CPAP] [NEWBIE] I cannot sleep with CPAP colethegamer 11 440 03-06-2024, 10:58 AM
Last Post: colethegamer
  Newbie with extreme swallowing air Burrells5 3 237 02-28-2024, 12:38 PM
Last Post: robbob2112
  Newbie - Can't seem to Fall Asleep with Apap on JoniBean 4 269 02-27-2024, 12:13 AM
Last Post: TechieHippie


New Posts   Today's Posts


About Apnea Board

Apnea Board is an educational web site designed to empower Sleep Apnea patients.