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Up3 recovery
#1
Up3 recovery
I'm having up3 surgery in about a month can anyone tell me their experience?
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#2
RE: Up3 recovery (Moved to Main Forum)
Audrey, I moved your post to the Main Forum where more folks will see it.

I assume by the UP3 you mean the UPPP (Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty) surgery?
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#3
RE: Up3 recovery (Moved to Main Forum)
(01-09-2013, 06:14 PM)Audrey75 Wrote: I'm having up3 surgery in about a month can anyone tell me their experience?
why are you considering the surgery

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...-denies-me

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#4
RE: Up3 recovery (Moved to Main Forum)
Hi Audrey75,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
I don't know anything about UP3 Recovery surgery.
Hang in there for more responses to your post and best of luck to you in your decision.
trish6hundred
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#5
RE: Up3 recovery (Moved to Main Forum)
(01-09-2013, 06:38 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: Audrey, I moved your post to the Main Forum where more folks will see it.

I assume by the UP3 you mean the UPPP (Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty) surgery?

Thanks. The term confused the heck out of me. Freaked me out when it was suggested to me many many years ago. I opted for a CPAP instead.
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#6
RE: Up3 recovery (Moved to Main Forum)
It has been three weeks since my surgery. 1st week was pretty miserable. I was off my pain meds somewhere in between 1.5-2 weeks. The key is drinking lots of water and popsicles. (Note: do NOT try the real fruit juice lime ones). Good foods to eat are instant mashed potatoes (in them single serving cups), mac & Cheese (Let cool) and carnation instant breakfast drinks as well as other diet protien drinks.

As of now, still snoring but I don't seem to be waking up with apnea and find myself doing things I wasn't feeling up to before energy wise. I still have to do another sleep study so I will have to see if any improvement since surgery.
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#7
RE: Up3 recovery (Moved to Main Forum)
Audrey, have you looked really, REALLY, hard at the drawbacks of UPPP?

There are a lot of chop happy surgeons who are way too willing to chop you up and leave you with lifelong side effects, but they get paid either way. Heck, they may even get paid more money if you have problems.

Many people find UPPP doesn't help apnea much or doesn't help enough. Surgeons may call it a "success" if it reduces your numbers of apneas by 50%. You may be a "success" but still need CPAP.

Many people who get UPPP will need CPAP later, even if they don't need it immediately after surgery.

They may find they have all sorts of nose problems, problem swallowing, food getting into the nose, etc.

Surgeons may downplay the side effects, and claim that they do UPPP better now, and don't have many complications.

Do some Googling for the possible complications and horror stories.

Some people get a miracle cure. Some get no help and have problems for the rest of their life.

CPAP works, and if you have problems with CPAP, all you have to do is stop using it, and you're no worse than before. Think twice before letting someone cut up very delicate parts of your head.
Get the free OSCAR CPAP software here.
Useful links.
Click here for information on the main alternative to CPAP.
If it's midnight and a DME tells you it's dark outside, go and check it yourself.
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#8
RE: Up3 recovery (Moved to Main Forum)
I have to agree with Archangle. Does anyone have any statistics on how many folks still have to go with CPAP even after surgery?

Anyway I wish you the best btoeps74, I hope that the operation does fix the problem for you.
I would check up on it regularly though.

Wink
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#9
RE: Up3 recovery
I thought I would relate my experience with UPPP surgery.
First, a little history:
I was diagnosed with moderate to severe OSA in the late 90's. I tried CPAP at that time and after a year I could not adjust to it. It caused severe claustrophobia and different masks would not resolve the problem. On nights when I did manage to keep the mask on without a panic attack, I was waking every hour because of the mask making is impossible to sleep (I am a side sleeper). I let 10 years go by before a pulmonary doctor insisted I get another sleep study and try CPAP again. I tried very hard to adjust to the several different full face masks that were tried (had a deviated septum and am a chronic mouth breather so nasal masks were not an option), but I could not make CPAP work and finally consulted an ENT recommended by several of my doctors. On the day I saw the ENT, I saw one other doctor, a dentist and dental hygienist and all of them commented on the very large size of my tonsils. When the ENT said the same thing, I realized that I needed to do something to help me get a decent amount of sleep so my health could improve. That was when I decided that I needed to have the UPPP surgery. I went into the surgery knowing that it would not cure my apnea, but I felt that it was the best choice for me to get improved sleep and improved health.
On March 26, 2012 I had UPPP, tonsilectomy, septoplasty, turbinate reduction and balloon sinuplasty. I stayed in the hospital overnight and the packing was removed from my nose before I was discharged. I remember waking in the recovery room feeling like I could finally take a big breath, which was something I never felt I could do pre surgery. Once the packing was removed and my nose stopped draining(a couple of days), I could breathe well through it as well.
My recovery and pain levels mirror those of others. I had the most pain from days 3-6. Nothing above a pain level of 7 though and percocet kept the pain down. Some itching happened as the scabs were falling off. I had a couple of stubborn stitches that the ENT had to manually remove after a few weeks. Not much bleeding at all, except for a couple of days from my nose. I did have to be more deliberate when I swallowed at first or things would wind up going up my nose (blue jello coming out of your nose is always good for a few laughs), but once I hit the 3 week mark, I was able to eat most foods except things that were very hard or sharp. Eleven months later, I still seem to get a slight burning in the area of the shaved soft palate when I eat spicy foods, but it is nothing that bothers me that much because I am partial to more bland foods anyway. I have some drainage down my throat, but most of that is attributed to my food and inhaled allergies causing post nasal drip.
I recommend that anyone who has this surgery have a cool mist humidifier in the room with them at all times. Staying hydrated is extremely important. I would notice much more pain when I forgot to keep drinking fluids. The first night in the hospital I was given my oral medications crushed into some applesauce and it went down very easily. Plain applesauce became my go to food when I was having pain.
I had a sleep study done 2 months post surgery. My pre and post results are as follows:

AHI
pre 22.1
post 5.9

RDI
pre 28.5
post 10.2

CPAP pressure
pre 9
post 6 (the ENT thought 5 would be better, but he left it at 6)

Lowset % O2 saturation
pre 80%
post 87% (I am a chronic asthmatic with some lung damage, so I expected this)

I was told by my ENT that I do not absolutely have to use CPAP anymore, but my pulmonary doctor wanted me to keep trying because of some other health issues like pulmonary hypertension, which has already improved somewhat post surgery. When the CPAP caused severe pressure in both ears with pain and hearing loss that did not ease for days(without using CPAP those days), the pulmonary doc recommend I get an oral appliance.
As for my sleeping, starting immediately post surgery I was able to sleep without snoring (according to my husband). I am dreaming and even remembering my vivid dreams. I used to wake every 2-3 hours to use the bathroom pre-surgery and never remembered dreaming.
I recommend this surgery, but only after one has tried to adjust to CPAP for a while. Consult with several doctors before deciding on the surgery and get a 2nd or even 3rd opinion if you still have questions.
I welcome questions, so feel free to ask them.

I now use a Respire pink series oral appliance for my apnea rather than CPAP because once everything was opened up for me, I had severe ear pain from the CPAP pressure. I have found the oral appliance to be very tolerable and so far am pleased with the results. I sleep deeply now, do not wake every couple of hours and find I have more energy. The good sleeping started after my surgery, but it is getting even better now with the appliance. I found a dentist who is board certified in dental sleep medicine and who also treats TMJ and other orofacial pain, so I am confident I have found the person who is best able to treat my apnea without causing me more problems.

Do not go into surgery believing it will cure your apnea, because that is not the case for most people, but it can make a big difference in your quality of life even if some apnea remains.
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#10
RE: Up3 recovery
I spoke with a colleague of mine who has performed this surgery around 130 times now over a seven year span. He told me that it is still something of a crap shoot in terms of quality of improvement, given that there are so many factors that could affect OSA but for the most part, he felt that it was a good choice for those who could not tolerate a CPAP or could not get sufficient benefit from it. He did have several caveats - he did not recommend the surgery lightly, and felt that all other avenues should be exhausted before surgery. He said the success rate was moderate at best and the ten year relapse rate relatively high in those who did not engage in major diet and lifestyle changes. Those who did manage compliance post operatively, and did not in the recovery stage (around a year) have major colds, rhinoviruses or influenzas did tend to hold onto their gains for more than ten years.

He also said that reduction of AHI levels can be pronounced as recovery continues, but that again it is a variable result. Anyone going onto the procedure, he warns to all his patients, cannot be guaranteed success, and he demands that his patients first show that every other method fails. He then tests them to prove they can comply to post operative diet and lifestyle changes (as needed). The op costs a bundle, even here in Switzerland (what am I saying "even"? Switzerland is way more expensive than any European nation for any procedure) and he won't take a patient's money lightly, nor the insurance's.

Since he did my nose operation a few years back, he reminded me of the seven kinds of hell I went through for the two week post operative period (and I did, but there were "complications" in my case), and he told me to imagine it times six. Another reason he won't do it lightly.

You are very lucky in your results, and in your relatively easy post op recovery period. Thanks for sharing and keep us posted.
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