[Treatment] Cpap vs Surgery

[SarcasticDave94]

My recollection from when I looked into surgery:

It's considered successful if it drops your AHI by 50%.  There's a possibility that you would still need CPAP after surgery.  There is also a pretty high percentage (40%-50%?) that within a year, you'll be back to whatever AHI you had before surgery.

That was about 10-12 years ago, the numbers might be better now.

FWIW That falls inline with what I'd seen 2-3 years ago in my research.
Dave

[ardenum]

You might have Laryngopharyngeal reflux, which is different to GERD. 

I had UPPP. I went down from 20 to 17 pressure after it. I had tonsils soft palate and the tonsil under the tongue removed.

There are other options like hyoid suspension, mandibular advancement or a throat pacemaker. Voice cord issues might also cause apneas.

[Sleepster]

I'm thinking of getting some surgery, and would like to hear any ideas you may have.

Before doing that I would have us take a look at your SleepyHead data and graphs. For example, wearing a nasal mask instead of a full face mask means you might be mouth-leaking. This can cause you to keep waking up (often with no memory of it) and ruin a night's sleep. Not to mention the fact that if the leaks are severe enough your airway could be collapsing, causing apneas. The solution is a full face mask. You can try a chin strap or soft cervical collar with your nasal mask at first to see if that will work, but if it doesn't you can just switch to a full face mask.

The point is that it all started (my lousy sleeping) roughly around the time I was diagnosed with apnea. [...] Thought I have some psychological issues so he sent me to a psychologist that said everything is fine and that she doesn't understand why I'm there :/ 

You're there because you're not sleeping well! This is worth pursuing as a mental health issue, especially when no physical cause can be found. I would seek the help of a different mental health provider. A therapist, for example, would be worth a try. Especially when surgery is such a dismal alternative.

CPAP therapy was very difficult for me. It took me a couple of months to get used to it, and much more time after that to tweak it. It was a huge source of anxiety for me, but now it's just a normal part of my life. We humans are very capable of adapting to things like this. It's why our species has survived.

[MikeBear]

I had a septoplasty AND a uveloplasty back in 1997, I was NOT overweight back then. They didn't fix my need for a cpap, and I still use one to today, for 20 years now. I get much better airflow, and I no longer tend to snore to "bring the house down", but neither surgery is not usually a cure for sleep apnea, though it can help.
 
P.S. I knew a man who had all 3, septoplasty, uveloplasty, AND mandibular advance. The doctor did them all at once, because the patient insisted he wasn't going to use a cpap EVER. He ended up in ICU as it was too much shock to his system, and he DIED. So, be very careful you really think surgery can help before having it.

[SarcasticDave94]

Similar to Sleepster, I encountered huge newbie difficulties in getting used to CPAP therapy. At first that is. I eventually got my best results by being certain I'm on the right machine with the right settings.

As I understand it, many that start on CPAP have lots of adjustments where the settings and devices they start with aren't what works best. It has plenty of trial and error. It requires lots of changes and adjustments before things start working properly. And it will require a lot of patience and effort from us as the patient, we have to commit to following through and doing our own due diligence to MAKE the entire CPAP "system" equip us with the best possible toolkit.

This "toolkit" includes: Doc, DME, insurance or cash, proper mask, machine, and machine pressure and comfort settings. Without these, the therapy will be almost always be far from ideal and leaves us as a discouraged disappointed, frustrated patient.

[JesseLee]

My Father had UPPP sometime around 2000. He had a difficult recovery and the result was 15 more years of intense snoring and sleep apnea. It has very negatively affected his health. He is 65. I am 36. I was diagnosed with OSA a little over a year ago and encouraged my Father to get onboard with a CPAP machine. He doesn't sleep well without his machine and I don't sleep without mine. He also has a terrible time with choking while eating now. He can't take medicine without being exceptionally careful due to his high risk of choking. I personally don't like the surgery route. Dad regrets having it done every single day and he suffers because of it. I'm biased, but I believe it should be a last option for treatment.

[ElasticFrust]

    [attachment=4088][attachment=4089]

Thanks everybody for the response! 
I attach some of my charts. I usually transfer my data on a monthly basis and haven't transferred the last month yet. I attache the most recent data I have, which is quite representing. I would like to attache more data, but the system does not allow

[Walla Walla]

Your charts look good. You might be sensitive to pressure change. Have you ever tried a set pressure? You might want to set your machine to CPAP at 8cm and leave the EPR at 1. You should know after a couple of nights if it helps you sleep better.

[kiwii]

...I would like to attache more data, but the system does not allow

You can get an Imgur account (free) for uploading pictures, then link to them. Directions are linked in Walla Walla's signature (or my signature).

[HalfAsleep]

I’m thinking part of the perspective here is in the title. There is no “versus” in the way these things come down. If you do the surgery, you’re likely to end up with CPAP as well. CPAP is not an  invasive therapy and can change as your needs change.