My Steps To Healing From Sleep Apnea, Part 2

Yes, there was some surgery involved. The doctors said I had a very soft palate. This is the area around the throat, with being overweight, there was always some extra tissue that would get in the way. This tissue is what often blocked the air from coming in when I inhaled. This is what makes the loud snoring sound when especially large sleep.

And my nasal passages were kind of tight. I had always had problems with sinusitis. A deviated septum (the bone dividing the nose is more on one side than in the middle) was made worse when I broke my nose during a basketball game in gym class in 7th grade.

So, these things contributed to my need to have surgery to fix what could be repaired. I went ahead and had two surgeries. One was to enlarge the throat area, using lazers to cut away excess tissue, remove the epiglottis (thats the little hangy-ball thing in the back of the throat). The other was to enlarge the nasal passages to improve breathing.

Believe me when I tell you this. These surgeries were not pain free. I also had the best of narcotics and treatment, but I can assure you, it was not easy. There were positives and negatives about the whole experience.

One side effect of having throat surgery, is that you cannot really eat for about a week. No chewing, definitely no swallowing, and later when you are able to, it is painful, you lose any appetite you had. I needed the diet though, so it was good.

I remember one evening we took some friends out to eat. I thought I was ready for a nice, juicy burger. I was also up, out of bed and ready to get out of the house. We went to O'Charley's, where they have some of the best burgers in town! But, I could not eat. It all looked good, too! I settled for some soup broth and ice cream. But it was not the same... oh, I suffered... :(

Haha! Just kidding, I made it through. It was in fact good for me to develop discipline in this way. It was probably overeating that got me in this mess in the first place! My extra weight was weighing me down and restricting my breathing and living. I did not want to die young, but that is where I was headed if I did not change my ways.

I eventually healed from this surgery and started a normal, healthy diet. You can still see, though, the scar tissue in my throat.

Next post, I will discuss my nasal surgery. I always wanted a nose-job!