Posted by Captin Cannuck on February 17, 2009 at 17:39:03:In Reply to: Re: Having Septoplasty.... posted by silvergirl on February 17, 2009 at 05:58:29:
Well... Let me say a couple of things. First of all, I suppose that there are some people who might benefit from the UPPP operation. From what I know, these are rare cases where people have an unusual anatomy. I am not categorically against UPPP. I just object to the way it is being used in a routine way, without propper screening. It could be that you might be one of the select few people who might benefit. But, having said that, I think that MMA is still a better first option, for three reasons:
1. Virtually all people who get the standard Phase One UPPP operation fail and require phase two anyway. I wrote Dr. L one time and asked him what percentage of people would go on to need phase two. He wrote me back "Overwhelming majorit will go on to phase two". So, basically, most people will end up failing phase one anyway. They will be getting the MMA anyway, but the sad fact is that they will no longer have the uvula, and they will expose themselves to the risk that significant scar tissue could form and worsten their apnea. See the blogs of Bobmisteer or Apneamom as cases in point.
2. The MMA operation widens the whole airway, including the upper airway. Thus, it may well make the UPPP redundant since the upper airway will become larger. An analogy that the poster known as sickandtired made goes like this: If your car doesn't fit in the garage, you don't cut the car in half, you build a bigger garage.
3. It has been found that usually the base of the tongue is the primary culprit for cases of sleep apnea. For more info on that, read the book "The Promise of Sleep", by William C. Dement. See the chapter "The Midnight Strangler". Basically, Dement explains that UPPP does absolutely nothing for that crucial base fo the tongue area. The tongue is a relatively heavy structure. It is made of muscle. THat is "ground zero for apnea". In my opinion, that is where people should start. Maybe that is enough to solve the problem. Let's suppose it is not... Well, you still have the option open to you to do the UPPP. But, at least you would be sure that it would be needed.
Take care, and best of luck.
- Re: Having Septoplasty.... silvergirl 07:05 2/18/09 (0)