Posted by goldfish on March 27, 2008 at 10:54:37:Hi everybody! I am a first time poster to this forum and just wanted to add or reiterate a few things based on my MMA/GA surgery December 10, 2007 by Dr. RR at Stanford. I opted not to have the UPPP based mostly on the input I found in this forum. I realize this is a long post, but I figure the more information we share, the better we can help one another. Besides, this has a happy ending.
The quick background; 51 year old male (5' 10"" 225 lbs on day of surgery) diagnosed with severe OSA 3 years earlier, but my wife (bedmate) complained for at least 15 years about my snoring and breathing cessation during the night. She wasn't sleeping because she was constantly watching me and sometimes would actually wake me up when my breathing would suddenly stop. My RDI was 50 and more than likely getting worse, my minimum O2 Sat was 80%. I failed with CPAP that I tried for 9 months. The dental appliance slightly helped the situation, but my jaw kept getting dislocated no matter how many times it was modified. I was on antidepressants, gaining weight on a daily basis although I have always exercised very intensely and tried to watch what I ate. My body stopped producing testosterone (I'm only 51!!), I had high blood pressure, severe headaches, and of course no energy at all. I was miserable and at the end of my rope. You name it and some part of my body was shutting down, falling off or causing me to see a doctor. Poor or no sleep really was killing me. It took about 1 year to get the surgery scheduled.
The MMA recovery time line is spot on and really helped me set my own expectations, my wife's and my boss'. I was off work for 8 weeks and I needed all of the time. Hats off to those who returned to normalcy after a few weeks. These were my takeaways from the procedure which aren't earth shattering, but they do reiterate some previous experiences;
1. It hurt!! The pain was far greater than the expectation I was given, it may have had something to do with an advancement of about 16mm, but nonetheless I wish somebody had told me really how painful it was going to be. Those archbars became especially painful considering every exposed edge on those things was like a razor blade. I still have some intense pain and am seeing a Pain Specialist. Do not, under any circumstances be timid about asking for and getting a pain medication that works. This applies to immediately after surgery and during the subsequent weeks. There are hundreds of drugs out there and they aren't all opiates or opioids and there are laws about physician/patient pain management. Get a referral to a pain clinic if your surgeon has exhausted his or her abilities in this area. Do thios sooner rather than later.
2. You have got to make sure somebody is with you at the hospital at all times. My wife was a real trooper, and never left my side. I actually awoke from surgery in the ICU and she was suctioning my mouth! Good thing she was always there, she caught a couple of potential drug mistakes about to be made, and she also insisted people wash their hands before sticking them in my mouth or giving me an injection.
3. My physical appearance right out of surgery was cartoonish and unexpected. Even when the head wrap came off, I didn't recognize this person in the mirror. I wasn't prepared for such a change. Even today I look nothing like I used to. My wife doesn't complain, but people at work do not recognize me and I'm not really pleased with the result (I ended up a bit ape-like). I looked at the pictures of several others who have blogs (Apneamom, WesternJoe, Brandyleigh, etc) and after their swelling went away, they looked gorgeous! I was hoping for the same :-) People stare at me still, and I have no swelling. The expectation that you may be given about your potential physical change may not properly be set, so you have to deal with how you may turn out. I avoid mirrors and when people stare I actually tell them that I had jaw surgery, and they avert their eyes.
4. I tried to stay active during my recovery. It was tough, but despite the pain (or maybe because of it) I tried to distract myself with building up to longer and longer walks. I could feel that I was getting more air and the jostling while walking actually helped with being able to more effectively clean out the junk in my sinuses.Now the happy ending; I just got my sleep study results back. My RDI is 5 and my minimum O2 sat was 91%. I have, without trying lost about 50 pounds. I am off antidepressants altogether, my blood pressure is completely normal, I sleep like a baby, as does my wife, I haven't had a headache in 4 months and nothing on my body hurts! Despite the rather intense pain I still have and that which I endured right after surgery, I would do this all again in a minute. Its like somebody put a supercharger on a '56 Chevy! I am able to do physical things like running and cycling that I haven't done at such a level since I was 30! My mental acuity has dramatically changed, nothing at work gets by me now. This has been a complete life changing event for me. I feel wonderful! I know the lingering pain will get better, I try not to care too much about the ape-like look I have, and in the grand scheme of things if I am already feeling this much better, can you imagine how things will be in a few more months! I think that Billy Crystal character on SNL, Fernando was wrong; It is always better to feel good than to look good.
Thanks for listening
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