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[Treatment] Surgery or CPAP? Need advice..........
#1
Surgery or CPAP? Need advice..........
I was recently told I may have sleep apnea at the age of 26, but I have not been to the doctor yet to get surgery or a CPAP. Is it possible for me to only get the surgery done, or would I need to get both? The thought of wearing a machine when I sleep doesn't bring me much joy, which is why I ask.....

The symptoms I have been having is a headache that lasts throughout the day when I wake up and a dry throat and mouth when I wake up, but they go away throughout the day. I also don't feel very mentally refreshed after I have been sleeping now. My girlfriend is telling me that I snore and its not a normal sounding snore too lol....
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#2
RE: Surgery or CPAP? Need advice..........
You're kind'a putting the cart before horse here. The first thing to do is see your doctor and look into getting a sleep test. The sleep test results will determine if you have apnea, the predominant type and its severity. Armed with this information will determine your course of treatment and the options available to you..

Good luck!
Crimson Nape
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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.
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#3
RE: Surgery or CPAP? Need advice..........
What Red said. See the doc and get a diagnosis.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#4
RE: Surgery or CPAP? Need advice..........
I agree with the others - go get the diagnosis first, before you worry yourself into these sorts of decisions.

If you do end up finding out you have sleep apnea, it should be the best news you've ever heard! Why? Because then you have an answer for why you've been feeling so crummy, AND you have a resolution right in front of you! What great news!!!

Trust me, I was beyond intimidated, scared, and humiliated that I'd need to sleep with a mask at night. But I got over that pretty quickly once I felt HOW AWESOME normal people feel during the day! Wow! No headaches. No dragging myself. No brain fog. No yawning. I love my CPAP, and I'd never give it up.

You mention your age as if it's a bummer to get a diagnosis of sleep apnea at such a young age. I say the opposite. I only WISH I'd gotten my diagnosis at such a young age. I was having sleep apnea symptoms (mentioned above) since high school. WOW!!!! Imagine what better grades I would have gotten in college if I could've had a CPAP back then. Ah!
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#5
RE: Surgery or CPAP? Need advice..........
As ever, the wise have spoken. Yes do get yourself a sleep test to clarify and confirm. But it does sound like your suspicions are right what with the funny snoring, headaches and dry mouth in the morning.

But I agree with Hydrangea, whilst this mask thing is not appealing, it is life changing. Most of us by the time we are diagnosed would have suffered for so long that we forget what it is like to have proper sleep. And you get that back with treated apnea.

Best of luck. Do let us know how you get on.
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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.
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#6
RE: Surgery or CPAP? Need advice..........
Diagnosis first. Surgery vs CPAP?
It depends. My wife had her airway 80% occluded by a growth. A granuloma ,non cancer, She needed surgery.
It is not uncommon to require a CPAP after surgery. There are options such as inspire implants that are possible too.

Me, I didn't have apnea, no way no how. I took the sleep test to appease others in my life. The results, over night I only stopped breathing 90 some times not bad then I realized that was per HOUR!!!

Get the test first.
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#7
RE: Surgery or CPAP? Need advice..........
If you snore, you probably have apnea. If you snore, stop for some time, then loudly gasp for air, you definitely have apnea.
But the doctor needs to know a lot more details before he can recommend or prescribe anything.
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#8
RE: Surgery or CPAP? Need advice..........
I can't remember it well, but wasn't it Lewis Carroll who had one of his characters ask, in response to the question, "Which way do I go?" with, "Where are you?"  

"I dunno."

"Well, how can we tell you which direction to go if you don't know where yer at?"

This is what all the others are saying: make decisions based on current and truthful facts.  Know your status comprehensively prior to commencing a discussion on options.  Necessarily, this means getting facts, and that can only be done by professional and competent diagnoses.
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#9
RE: Surgery or CPAP? Need advice..........
It could be something as simple as an enlarged tonsil or adenoids. See a good ENT before going too far.

You say you have headaches? I had them for 30 years. I can only imagine what my life would have been like if I had CPAP therapy 30 years ago.
Sleepster

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.
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#10
RE: Surgery or CPAP? Need advice..........
I have had U3P surgery including tonsils, adenoids & nasal turbination and it reduced my machine number greatly but did not eliminate my apnea.  I also had to switch from CPAP to BIPAP due to the moderate removal of the soft palate.
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