Posted by Oakdale Paul on May 13, 2009 at 20:21:47:35 days ago I was closer to death than any 51-year-old guy should be. Five hours or so with Dr K. L. in the operating room at Stanford Univ changed that. I can now sleep, and breathe effortlessly, at the same time. I feel great. This post is offered to relate my experience such that it may help other OSA sufferers in their treatment decisions.
Background – I’ve had significant OSA for at least 10 years, probably longer. Two sleep studies (2004 and 2006) indicated oxygen levels in the high 60% range, and about 60 arousals per hour. Pretty bad, but somehow I tolerated it, did not have a choice since CPAP was not an option for me because of claustrophobia. So, since 2004 I have seen numerous doctors (regular ENT’s), searching for a viable surgical solution but to no avail. Genioglossus Advancement was suggested by one Doc, with only a 30% chance of success. Others suggested GAHM, or UPPP with Turbinectomy, again, less than 50% chance of success. I tried a dental appliance, a waste of time and money given the severity of my OSA. Kind of stuck at that point, feeling that there were really no options for me and I would just have to accept a diminished quality of life and tolerate the constant fatigue. Not good, but it was what it was.
That changed a few months ago. Maybe it was due to my gaining some weight, maybe just the process of getting older, but the OSA got much, much worse. The fatigue was out of control, what little sleep I could get was done sitting upright. I was hurting and something had to give. Back to Google, hoping to find some alternatives
Last 3 months – After more searching, I did find some other Docs. They confirmed what I knew, that the OSA was going to kill me, sooner rather than later. They recommended multiple surgeries with a tracheostomy and I was ready to move forward with this, but two things bugged me. The first was the trach. Something about going to a client meeting with a hole in my neck just did not seem like a good idea. The second was that the initial surgeries promised little chance of success with lots of pain, recovery time and cost. Even so, I had to do something and I was pretty much resigned to the idea that I would just have to go through with this series of operations, but the doubts sent me back to Google once again
Found Dr K. L. - And very glad I did. After his examination, the recommendation was MMA, period. No trach, no UPPP. Dr K. L. explained that a 90% chance of a major improvement was a reasonable expectation given my age, weight, overall health, etc. I was in disbelief. One shot… 90%... seemed too good to be true. Well, I questioned it pretty vigorously, and long story short, all indications were that I had finally found the ANSWER…. The surgery was about a month ago and I am recovering well. With the exception of the first night or two at the hospital, I have slept like a baby and woke up full of energy, no snoring, no OSA, no nothing, just sleep. Amazing
About Dr K. L. – I have nothing but positive things to say. This man is a brilliant doctor, a gifted surgeon, and intensely passionate about what he does. They don’t come any better, and I wish I had found him years ago. I know for a fact that Dr K. L. has given me my life back, and I hope he can do the same for you. Thanks for reading.
- Re: MMA Success techgeek 15:53 5/14/09 (2)
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- Re: MMA Success Oakdale Paul 16:36 5/14/09 (0)