Re: PracticalAzureFalcon0046
"2) I could also go the oral appliance route. That doesn't seem to hold much chance of success, but could be the pathway to a UUUP surgery. Does anyone know if an oral appliance will help much with a very narrow throat/mouth."
I have a very narrow throat and mouth, and after suffering through unsuccessful years of CPAP and APAP, with a full face mask because I am a mouth breather also, I finally found almost total relief( avg 5 ahi/hour or less) with a custom fitted oral appliance called a MAD for mandibular advancement device. By gently forcing my lower jaw forward only 2-3 MM. it created enough space by pulling my tongue forward and creating a space behind it for the air to pass. I had 5 years of good sleep with only a MAD and NO Back Sleeping. Unfortunately, I remained a mouth breather and it caused chronic dry mouth and I began to lose teeth from decay at the gumline, and as soon as you get a new crown or two, the oral appliance does not fit, so I went though 3 of them before I lost so many teeth, I was told that until I have them all removed and implants w/ restoration completed and stable for 6 months could I go back to an oral appliance.
I thought that in the years that passed, may the newer APAP's and masks had advanced enough that I could use that until I had my teeth fixed, but the APAP was actually worse then before because I was 7 years older and my soft palate had softened and stretched and was blocking my throat when I exhaled. I havent even been able to blow my nose for many years because this flap closes off the access from my throat to my sinuses so quickly and with such little pressure. So due to complications from my oral surgeries which I attribute to not having any restorative sleep, I sleep about 4-5hours on a good night, but only 1 hour at a time ( I guess its the sleep cycles) I am told I need deviated septum repaired, and mny turbinates reduced to enable a decent air flow through my nose, and a UUUP to shorten the soft palate. IF that surgery is successful, I should be able to use APAP until I get my implants and a new mandibular device. It is finding the right surgeon to do the surgery, whicch has changed much over the past 5-10 years in that they have found more clever ways to reloate muscle and tissue in and around the softpalate to open it up without having to remove the Uvula and cut away so much of the soft palate. I heatr it is extremely painful for quite a while, and must be put in the hands of a surgeon is practiced in the most current surgery methods for the soft palate, can have a much higher and longer success rate. You really have to be careful.\, I am 18 months untreated for sleep apnea and am slowly dying. Seriously. The last ENT I went to suggested I get a temporary Tracheotomy to get some restorative sleep immediately. I want to live and save my body and mind to be able to support my famly, but no way am I getting a Trach with all the downsides of that.
Blah, Blah, Blah... I hope that helped.
