Wednesday, March 18, 2009

BACK STORY




  • I come from a family of people who have sleep apnea.
  • Sleep apnea is a condition when a person stops breathing in their sleep. It can lead to tiredness, heart attack, stroke, low sex drive, among other things.
  • It can be caused by being overweight, nose issues, tongue issues, throat issues, and jaw issues.
  • Sometimes people with sleep apnea choke, snore, or stop breathing altogether.
  • I have always been told I snore very loudly, especially when sleeping on my back.
  • My lower jaw was too small and receded as well.
  • I tried to combat this many ways.
  • I had deviated septum at surgery at age 17 which had no effect. I also got a chin implant to fill out my underdeveloped jaw.
  • I got braces for the second time in my life to bring the lower jaw forward which had no effect.
  • I tried wearing a CPAP machine (otherwise known as a torture device) and that had no effect as well.
  • Surgery for this condition has a very low success rate. It was a failure for my father and other people I know.
  • However, there is a very major surgery with a high success rate called double mandibular advancement. They cut your jaws off and reposition them. It has a 95% success rate. I decided I wanted that operation. The doctors that I talked to were initially excited but always sort of backed out. So I did some research on the internet...