Posted by Captin Cannuck on February 15, 2009 at 08:50:44:In Reply to: Is Captian Cannuck there? posted by amigoooz on February 14, 2009 at 05:14:04:
Dear amigooz,
I am actually from Ontario. I came to Halifax for surgery. I came there because of the skill set that the surgeons there have. It is a long story, but my case was very complicated. I got a job in Halifax. I worked there while I was on the waiting list for surgery. The wait was about one year. I loved it there. It is a wonderful place.
MY ADVICE FOR YOU:
1. GIVE CPAP A FAIR SHOT.
My suggestion for you is to try CPAP. This is an option that is still considered to be the "gold standard" for sleep apnea. It tends to work very well, in many cases, it works better than than the best surgeries available. Many people feel significant relief from OSA after using CPAP. Listen, I understand about what you are thinking about this mask. It's not sexy looking. On the positive side, it usually works well in most people, and it is non-invasive. You wife will notice that your snoring is gone. The airway is kept open by way of the positive pressure. You may notice that you are dreaming more and that you are waking up feeling rested. My advice is to give it a chance. Try to see CPAP as your friend. Think of it as a shield that is protecting you from apnea and approach it with the attitude of "I am going to give this thing a fair shot".2. READ UP
If you have any free time, I recommend going down to Chapters and ordering the book titled "The Promise of Sleep". Probably the library on Spring Garden has it. Read the chapter titled "the midnight strangler" which is devoted entirely to sleep apnea. The doctor who wrote that is the most informed source on sleep apnea. His name is Dr. William C. Dement. What he said in that chapter is basically where we are with options about sleep apnea today. This guy is reflecting on his career in sleep medicine. He was the chairman of the national council of sleep doctors. He wrote that book for the average person and not for doctors. It is not a medical jargon, but rather some "straight talk" for the average person.3. BE CAREFUL ABOUT SURGERIES. AVOID SOFT TISSUE ONES. GET MMA IF IT COMES TO SURGERY.
The thing is that you have to bear in mind is that you take a risk with surgery. There are trade-offs to be made. For one thing, many of the soft tissue surgeries, such as UPPP and LAUP are usually no good for people. I suspect that people rarely benefit, and I know well that in some cases, patients are ending up even worse off after them. It has always troubled me that when you surf the non-cpap board, that there are a lot of negative postings about UPPP. Sometimes you see a person who post right after UPPP and says that he is feeling better, but you never see a person post about one or two years later with a positive comment. UPPP generates scar tissue that can make the throat are tighter. Right after the operation, the scar tissue has not set-in yet, so tension is not yet applied to the skin. The person might change a lot after several months. The tightening of the troat following UPPP can make a person worse. My brother is a surgeon. He told me that people scar differently. You might scar a lot, whereas I might scar only a little. Thus, there is a wild-card with the UPPP operation. If you scar a lot, or if the doctor cuts you too much, etc.. The results are too erratic. If you search the net you will see that in Europe doctors are no longer doing UPPPs. They have moved away because of the risks.
ABOUT MMA
Now, having said that, I can tell you that there IS a GOOD operation called MMA (Maxilomandibular Advancement), which has about a 90 percent chance of success. The operation has been studied and replicated. Surgeons around the world are getting the same results. MMA is an operation where the surgeon cuts your jaws and expands them. All the incisions are made inside the mouth. The goal is that you would end up with a wider airway which is less prone to collapse. This operation is especially well suited to people who have a small lower jaw (ie. what people say is a "weak jaw" or a recessed chin) and who are not overweight.HALIFAX
As you know, you are very very lucky to live in Halifax. Of all the cities that you could live in and suffer from sleep apnea, you are in the best possible city. First of all, there are a lot of people at Dalhousie University who are actively studying sleep apnea. Secondly, there is the world class group of OMF surgeons there. I needed a MMA operation (a jaw operation) to correct damage done from palatoplasty. My case was very severe and rare. I asked around by writing letters to surgeons in Toronto and Vancouver. I asked them, "who is the foremost authority on MMA for sleep apnea in Canada?". They told me that many surgeons could do that operation, but the very best of them would be found in Halifax, and has the initials "R.G.". That surgeon did my MMA. He did a fine job. I am satisfied. If you ever meet him, you will see what a kind man he is.IN SUM
To sum up, my advice to you is to try CPAP and think of it as your friend. Try it for at least one or two years. If that fails, to go for the MMA operation.Best of luck.
- Re: Is Captian Cannuck there? amigoooz 03:28 2/17/09 (0)