Posted by Captin Cannuck on July 21, 2008 at 08:14:40:In Reply to: Nasal problems after UPPP posted by Capistrano on July 20, 2008 at 09:18:26:
In my opinion, you are very correct in saying that UPPP is the surgery that keeps on giving. I think that UPPP is generally inadvisable.
The medical community is beginning to distance itself from UPPP. You can see this in the observation that Dr. Li made in the "Ask the Expert" section (Question 34). Li stated as follows:
"One should ask whether UPPP is a good operation for sleep apnea. From my point of view, the answer is no. The important issue here is that although UPPP does help some patients with sleep apnea, it can create side effects such as swallowing difficulties, throat dryness and sensitivity, as Capistrano is experiencing (LAUP is worse).
The central problem is that the operation is flawed in that the uvula is removed. Additionally, delicate tissues are replaced by scars which also contribute to the side effects. I have always lectured on this topic as I have opposed the removal of uvula for many years. I never believed that uvula contributed to sleep apnea and have designed operation to preserve the uvula while expanding the airway. (http://www.sleepapneasurgery.com/pharyngoplasty.html).
The key in sleep apnea throat surgery is not how much tissues are removed to open the airway, but is how the airway can be improve by making them less floppy. By preserving important tissues, side effects can be minimized."
As for the troubles that you are encountering, I think that one possibility is that you are getting increased breathing resistance due to narrowing of airway (pharnyx area). When I first encountered a drastic worstening of breathing as a result of LAUP surgery (a surgery similar to UPPP only offered with a laser), I wrote an Israeli researcher named Yehuda Finklestein. Finkelsten asked me if I felt resistance since the UPPP. He was right. I did. With more effort to breath, maybe small passages are more subject to irritation? That is just a guess.
I hope that you can find something. Have you tried CPAP. I am getting a good result using CPAP following MMA surgery. CPAP seems to make it easier to breathe (less resistance).
Best of luck.