Non-CPAP Forum Posting

Posted by shelbyscout on April 12, 2001 at 23:01:34:

In Reply to: Re: Please help posted by sean on April 12, 2001 at 21:54:58:

Let me jump in here.

First of all, if dental devices were as effective as surgery, no insurance company in the universe would agree to pay for surgery. Period.

Secondly, of the famous Stanford dr. foursome, most of those doctors are DDS (Doctor of Dental Science) in addition to MDs and ENTs. That is, they have specialty in both dental and surgical options. So I'm sure they explored the dental device.

Third, I think that the objection to surgery by those on the CPAP forum is well based, given that MOST of the "surgery" performed to "cure" OSA is UPPP. And guess what? It's not that effective. Surprise! So when you hear that "The Surgery" for OSA doesn't work, I think what people are talking about is UPPP and that's true, it really is very ineffective for a large percentage of OSA sufferers. However, the specialized surgeries like MMA, GA, and Hyoid ARE much more effective than UPPP alone.

I think there is resistance to this because the MMA/GA/Hyoid surgery requires a much greater level of skill and education than the UPPP. Therefore, doctors would rather perform the cheap, quick UPPP than learn to do the others. And that is if they even KNOW about the research done with the other surgeries. Let's face it--once a doctor leaves school, there's no law that says that they have to keep up with the advances in the field. Sure, they SHOULD, but they don't always. And there are a lot of hacks out there who are jumping on the "Sleep medicine" bandwagon. Wasn't it Alamo Joe who saw a psychiatrist who was picking up sleep medicine as a side business?

So when people say that surgery is not effective treatment for OSA, I am inclined to agree. However, if a patient educates herself on her condition and the different treatments available, then finds qualified doctors and advocates for the most effective treatment, then surgery can be VERY successful. But, most people believe their doctors, and a lot of people are lazy and don't want to do the research. And a lot of people don't mind CPAP and for those, that's great. I'm glad it worked for them. For me it seemed like a cruel punishment to be chained to a mask for the next 40 years, since I'm only 27.

There ARE drawbacks to CPAP too. I've read some studies that show preliminary results of the respiratory muscles degrading because of the air pressure involved--that is, the intake muscles atrophy and the exhale get overworked. CPAP is NOT a natural state, it is an artificial splint for the airway. Surgery corrects abnormalities that return the airway to a natural state.

There are a lot of pros and cons to surgery and the decision has to be made INDIVIDUALLY. As has been said, surgery is not at all effective for central sleep apnea. However, to the person who wanted to take a poll on this board as to how many people here were actually cured by the surgery, I think that they would be surprised to find that most of us who have undergone the CORRECT surgeries (that is, the surgeries that correct the exact areas of blockage based on individuals and not just the "cure all" UPPP surgery) have had significant improvement in symptoms.

Not to mention the people who have had such significant improvements that OSA is simply not a factor in their lives anymore and they don't have a need to hang around on a sleepnet forum :).

My 2 cents (that's 14 cents in dog pennies!)

Shelby :)

Follow Ups:

• Re: Please help sean 4/13/01 (1)
  • Re: Please help Shelbyscout 4/13/01 (0)
• Re: Please help Alamo Joe 4/13/01 (0)

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