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Dental Appliance + Tongue RF

Posted by billinvan on April 22, 2005 at 17:23:48:

Has anybody else tried the combination of using a dental appliance and radiofrequency ablation on the tongue?

Anyways, first of all, I from Vancouver BC and I have been lurking this forum for a couple of years by now, though this is my first time posting. Here is my story.

I have a really bad case of macroglossia that is obstructive to the throat and a rather unusual form of sleep apnea that does not turn up on a polysomnography as "apnea" nor do I have an unusually high apnea index nor does my blood oxygen saturation dip to dangerous levels. However, I do suffer the devastating effects of sleep deprivation associated with sleep apnea.

I've been to many, many sleep doctors over many years, none of whom have been able to help me. I've tried many drugs, CPAP, had a UPPP done, and even tried sleeping with tubes stuck into my throat through both my nose and my mouth, none of which had much impact on my sleep.

Upon persuasion by a Stanford doctor, I've even had a sleep study done at Stanford, followed by a brief examination by this doctor, who upon brief examination suggested I get a trial tracheotomy done by a local surgeon, followed by an MMA if it showed improvement. Since then, all further attempts to contact this Stanford doctor have been rudely ignored, and I have not been able to find any surgeon around here who would perform those procedures on me.

Driven by desperation due to the lack of help available, I came up with this idea to craft my own HOMEMADE dental appliance put together with a pair of mouldable atheletic mouthguards and glue sticks, which hold my jaws something like 3 centimeters (!) apart. It seemed to work better than just about anything else I've tried so far, including treatments prescribed by sleep specialists, yet still fell short. I've even gone to see the dentist who invented the Klearway device, but we arrived at the conclusion that what was available was inadequate, given the severity of my condition.

Driven by further need and the lack of capable help locally, I've then gone to an ENT in Seattle, who upon examination has agreed to try a series of radiofrequency ablations on the tongue. With each treatment, combined with my continued use of my dental device, I have noticed gradual improvement in my sleep quality, hours and energy levels throughout the day, though never quite "there" yet. I have just undergone my fifth and final RF treatment on the tongue. Right now, the tongue is quite swollen, and based on past experience, it'll be about three weeks until the swelling subsides and I realize the extent of the surgery's effect.

Anyways, wish me luck.

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