Today I had an appointment with a Dr. Heather Johns at Providence Ear, Nose and Throat to discuss getting the Inspire Implant for my Sleep Apnea.
From what I learned today, there are a number of things that can be done to help mitigate Sleep Apnea. The first thing she suggested was a surgery where they cut my jaw and position it forward. This creates more space in the breathing passage. She said it would slightly change the look of my face and it was a long and painful surgery with a long recovery. I told her that did not appeal to me.
The next thing she suggested was doing a sort of face lift in my throat. Again, the goal is to open the breathing passages. She said that from the looks of my throat, that procedure probably wouldn't work.
Finally we got to the implant. It would be placed on my right side across from my current implant. There would be a lead the goes to a nerve below my tongue. At night, I would use a remote to turn it on and anytime it detected my tongue in a certain position, stimulating the nerve would slightly push my tongue forward, enlarging my airway. To the point that the tip of my tongue would be sticking out of my mouth.
She went on to say that she needs to talk to my heart docs because I may not be eligible for this therapy.
The next step is they are going to order another sleep study and then I will meet again with Dr. Gross at Spokane Pulmonary.
After this meeting, my Bi-Pap head gear is looking more appealing.
Just for reference, I first started using the Bi-Pap on August 23rd, 2021. So it's been five years.
