The Pillar Procedure - I remember researching this methodology a couple of year's back. It is a possible remedy for all of us who are endowed with the large uvula... An earlier site that I orginally went to also showed the entire procedure on video and it took around 5 minutes to complete with the spillage of a couple of drops of blood plus it was reversible if it did not work out. The success rate, if I remember correctly was around 80% (though I have not looked at any of this in at least two years). It might be of help to some of my fellow snorer's - take a look...

http://www.restoremedical.com/pillar.asp

Funny this topic should come up. I can snore enough to crack paint, (so says the wife), but have no sleep apnea. Two weeks ago, I got in to see the specialist. She took a couple of looks and asked a bunch of questions and said there is nothing terribly out of wack (with my airways, that is). She said some folks come in and she can tell right away that a particular procedure or machine will 'cure' their snoring. Not me.

One thing I did notice, (or should I say my wife noticed). Between the time the appointment was made and kept, the incidence of my snoring decreased. The doc said sometimes the awareness can help in minor cases. I have to be on my side to sleep without snoring. The left side is better than the right.

Hang in there, guys.
Les

In a pediatric context a tonsillectomy usually takes care of the problem.

But then, you are all adults.. ;)

I think I am getting a CPAP machine. Any recommendations?

Also, is there any truth to the rumor that sleep apnea diagnosis impacts life insurance?


Thanks,

JA

The breathe right strips seem to help, but not after a few drinks. I sometimes wake myself up.

+1.

Basically my story as well. My "mouthguard" is called a TAP. I HATED THAT MACHINE!

My airway "looked" perfect. Wasn't until I did the sleep study that they knew I had apnea. I didn't think you could diagnose (or rule out) apnea without a sleep study???

- Skip

:D

Like hell!

We have a winna!

I snore.
My wife says I don't stop breathing, (I suspect she has prayed for it when my snoring was really bad). I generally go out like a light about 10 - 15 minutes after hitting the pillow. If the dogs wake me up, I have no troubles going right back into dreamland and I wake up at about 6 AM (just before the alarm) energized and ready for the day. (I learned very early in my marriage NOT to whistle first thing in the morning.)
The Doc listened to the above and said it (SA) wasn't likely.
I'm not the one having trouble sleeping. ;)
Les

sleeping with a snorer can be tough. i used to wear earplugs..worked for me. when i didn't have 'em...woe was me.. ;)

i actually had something similar , right at the moment of falling a sleep, i jolt back awake feeling as if i had just stopped breathing

it escalated to the point i got anxiety before it happend, and had palpitations during the day as well... while my dr kept calling it stress related...
even quit smoking as i had read that SA benefits from that...

i did eventually get diagnosed for fatty liver, and now it's almost completely gone, trough mild dieting, less fatty food, no more caffeine, and a lot less sugar..

it happend most often when i would be laying on my right side, causing pressure on the liver...

hell , it's been weeks since i last had one

no more smoking still, stijn? i'd never heard of 'fatty liver'.
ryan

yep , still clean as a whistle

a fatty liver is just that, a fatty liver
foi gras

"Fatty liver (or steatorrhoeic hepatosis or steatosis hepatis) is a reversible condition where large vacuoles of lipid accumulate in hepatocytes (the cells of the liver). It may be caused by various diseases, such as in chronic alcoholism and obesity.

Accumulation of fat in liver cells may cause the liver to enlarge. The lipid within the vacuoles is a particular type of lipid known as triglyceride. Triglyceride molecules consist of a glycerol backbone with three fatty acid molecules joined on."


for the record, i am neither fat nor alco...

but i did eat very badly, not much veggies, fatty sauces, and i wasn't shy of the occasional boozefest...

define 'boozefest'.. ;)

Wow guys! I did google - apnea tap - and saw some possible solutions! Thanks!

I tried the CPCP machine over several months with every possible mask they had. They all squeaked, leaked. I lost more sleep trying the machine than I lost with apnea. I finally gave up. My Dr said to try a mandibular device that my dentist could perhaps recommend. My dentist is getting behind the times and didn't really offer me much so I figured I was SOL. Dead end.

http://www.21stcenturydental.com/smith/sleepapena_tapappliance.htm

New hope from the Pelican boards! Drinks are on me!

my drink never made it to arkansas...? ;)
ryan

lol , forgot to reply , boozefest : like october fest, but much more liberal in terms of the sort of booze, location and attire...

net result is quite similar though