Jaw surgery fixed my sleep apnea!

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fixmenow
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 8:31 pm

Jaw surgery fixed my sleep apnea!

#1 Post by fixmenow »

Hey everyone, I am 33 days post-op double jaw surgery. I had my upper and lower jaw moved forward, plus a small genioplasty. I went into surgery to alleviate severe headaches, neck aches, back pain and TMJ, as well as fix my bite. Before going into surgery I looked into it online, and came across something saying that this surgery also cures sleep apnea/sleep disorders. I've always been a snorer and a light sleeper, I've always felt tired through-out the day even after sleeping for 8hours. My boyfriend has told me that I snore a lot and sometimes gurgle/chock in my sleep. I've never gone for a sleep study, but after looking at my initial x-ray, and seeing this information online, I immediately noticed how compact my airway is! I'm certain if I had gone for a sleep study, I would have been diagnosed with a sleep disorder/sleep apnea.

So the wonderful news is I no longer snore! :D In fact immediately after my surgery I felt like I could breathe so much better/deeper. Now that I am a month post-op and feeling better in general, I am noticing that I am not tired through-out the day. I haven't had a side-profile x-ray post-op but once I do I guarantee my airway will be much larger than it initially was. :D

Anyway, I thought this was pretty cool and thought I should share. Has anyone else experienced this amazing thing?

snapdresser
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Re: Jaw surgery fixed my sleep apnea!

#2 Post by snapdresser »

Yep! I got mine for sleep apnea, tho I still have a stuffy nose a lot :( Considering getting a prescription nasal spray or something because Zyrtec and Flonase isn't cutting it.
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littlebird
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Re: Jaw surgery fixed my sleep apnea!

#3 Post by littlebird »

I got mine for sleep apnea, as well. My airway went from 4 mm to 15 mm. Crazy! I definitely notice a difference in my breathing, though I haven't tested it out with exercise b/c I'm not cleared yet (11 weeks post-op). My septum ended up being shifted out of place during the surgery, but oddly enough I can breathe better through my nose now than I ever could. I haven't snored since the surgery, which is a small miracle. I am having a hard time sleeping (I'm a very light sleeper and wake up often) but I'm hoping that goes away soon. When I do have a good night's sleep, I actually feel pretty awesome during the day.
Issues: Class III retrognathic jaw, overbite, open bite, 4 mm airway
Braces on: Jan. 13, 2016
Surgery: Nov. 7, 2016; Lefort I, BSSO, and genioplasty

fixmenow
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 8:31 pm

Re: Jaw surgery fixed my sleep apnea!

#4 Post by fixmenow »

I think I may have jumped the gun with having lots of energy. Yesterday I felt pretty tired, but I'm still recovering and am currently anemic due to losing lots of blood from my surgeries, so I'm sure that doesn't help.

Snapdresser, my nose has been clear almost from after week one, but I hear that many people have trouble breathing for months. I think I was just lucky in that regard and I'm sure your nose will clear up eventually, but yes maybe a prescription will help speed it up? Have you talked to your surgeon about it at all?

Littlebird, that is a big difference! I have no idea how open my airway is now, but it may be on par to yours. All I know is my jaw was advanced 13mm. How long ago was your surgery? If you're still early on, its normal to not sleep well. I know I am sleeping pretty good, but not 100% probably because I'm still elevated and am making sure to stay on my back and not move over to my side. Once you're recovered and able to sleep well I'm sure you'll see some life changing perks come your way :)

snapdresser
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Re: Jaw surgery fixed my sleep apnea!

#5 Post by snapdresser »

fixmenow wrote:Snapdresser, my nose has been clear almost from after week one, but I hear that many people have trouble breathing for months. I think I was just lucky in that regard and I'm sure your nose will clear up eventually, but yes maybe a prescription will help speed it up? Have you talked to your surgeon about it at all?
Not with my surgeon. I haven't seen her in like 7 months. I'm supposed to make an appointment and go in at some point tho, for an 18-month post-op. I did, however, see an ENT who did the whole -scopy thing. He sprayed one of those "use sparingly" nasal sprays into my nose and that made a big difference, but I can't just use those all the time! Then he said I have soft sides to my nose so when I breathe in it starts to collapse it a bit. He didn't seem to think that was a huge deal tho. He said it's ok to feel like the top of my nose is stuffy-ish cuz 90% of airflow is supposed to be along the floor of the nose anyways. The floor of my nose, however, he said was impacted from my maxilla when they moved it up in my surgery. He said that could be contributing and that if my nasal airway continues to bother me, he could go in and shave down the bone in the maxilla that was impacted up. I'm leaning towards that but I wanted to see my surgeon first and make sure my tooth roots and everything are such that shaving off a bit of the maxilla won't mess up my oral situation. Nonetheless, since the spray he used worked nicely, it'd be good to get something long-term that does that job, or else I'd definitely be interested in a turbinate reduction to make it long-term.
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Partial hardware removal 14 SEP 2018
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Jawbreak
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Re: Jaw surgery fixed my sleep apnea!

#6 Post by Jawbreak »

I also had my jaw surgery for sleep apnea, but I haven't noticed a difference in energy yet and I'm 7 weeks post-op :( Although yesterday I found out I was anemic too, so I'm hoping that the fatigue I'm feeling is from that, and not because the surgery didn't actually fix my problem! Did you get a blood test for it? How bad were your results? I haven't heard from my doctor yet, I only have my results, so I don't know just how bad it is yet... My ferritin is 8 ng/mL (normal range: 12 - 252 ng/mL) and my iron is 27 ug/dL (normal range: 35 - 150 ug/dL).

My airway is SO much bigger though (I posted a before and after X-ray comparison on my blog here: http://jawbreak.blogspot.com/2016/12/day-1.html), and my husband says I don't snore anymore, so I know that the sleep apnea is most likely fixed. Yay!

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Nozzelnut
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Re: Jaw surgery fixed my sleep apnea!

#7 Post by Nozzelnut »

From a guy that's been an OSA sufferer for a while; it's not over until it's over for sleep apnea. (double jaw surgery and had my tonsils out at 42...)

Please get a follow-up sleep study to confirm results. Even though you feel better; just get a sleep study to confirm what you're feeling. Would the 5.5 AHI be better than the 20 that you started with? Of course but that doesn't mean it's gone completely. Would a 5.5 mean you're essentially normal? Yes but the high end of normal.

Do your own research about sleep apnea and it's affects on the body, get a follow-up sleep study in various sleep positions, and take results with a grain of salt; that study was done on one night when you slept.
Round 3 (lifetime) Damon stainless applied 3/16/20 (after 4 weeks attempting invisalign) On for about 18 months
Night time elastics with invisalign retainers; still...
Double jaw surgery was 6/18/15...
Orthodontics never really ends...
I'm emphatically against extraction orthodontics!

BonFry
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Re: Jaw surgery fixed my sleep apnea!

#8 Post by BonFry »

Great to hear. I have sleep apnea too.

fixmenow
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Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 8:31 pm

Re: Jaw surgery fixed my sleep apnea!

#9 Post by fixmenow »

Hey guys, to answer your comments...

Snapdresser;
I agree, you shouldn't have to rely on nasal spray. If it is medicated it can't be healthy to use long term. Getting your maxilla shaved isn't a bad option if it is bugging you a lot. Especially if you primarily did the surgery for sleep apnea and are still suffering. The only downfall of another surgery is having to heal from it. Since it is minor compared to DJS your healing time will be quicker I'd assume. I guess you'll have to weigh your options.

Jawbreaker; looks like you had surgery only a little while before me, that makes us sugery buddies :D I think I may have jumped the gun with the energy comment. When I wrote it I had a lot of energy that day and I felt great! But the last few days have been Meh. I feel that the anemia doesn't help, plus I'm still recovering, AND it is the middle of the winter so people tend to have less energy this time of year. It's too hard for me to compare my fatigue to how I would be feeling normally. Right now I am not working so I can't compare the drowsy work day to my recovering low-key day. It just isn't comparable.

I did get a blood test on January 10th with my family doctor. I requested one because I felt very weak. I'm Canadian, so the measurements are done a little differently here. I found a conversion chart online http://www.endmemo.com/sconvert/ug_dlug_l.php

My Ferritin is 25 normal is 5-272 ug/L
Ferritin is a blood cell protein that contains iron. A ferritin test helps your doctor understand how much iron your body is storing. If a ferritin test reveals that your blood ferritin level is lower than normal, it indicates your body's iron stores are low and you have iron deficiency
From what I understand, the thing that makes a person anemic is a low Hemoglobin (red blood cell count)
Anemia is a condition that develops when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a main part of red blood cells and binds oxygen. If you have too few or abnormal red blood cells, or your hemoglobin is abnormal or low, the cells in your body will not get enough oxygen.
Mine is considered Low at 116 and the normal range is 120-160 g/L My doctor called me and told me I am anemic and need to take 300mg of FERROUS SULFATE daily, and I am to go back for more blood work on February 23rd to see if it has raised my hemoglobin levels back up to normal.

I don't advise taking Ferrous Sulfate unless your doctor tells you to. It can be dangerous if you take it but don't actually need it.

Anyway, I looked at your xrays and your airways look awesome! I've yet to see mine to compare, but am excited to see the changes. As for the snoring thing, I'm sure your husband is getting more sleep too Haha! My partner said he's feeling much more rested these days lol!

Nozzelnut; thanks for the tip. I've never actually had a formal sleep study, but if I can get one done for free (I have no idea if it is covered) I should look into it out of curiosity.

snapdresser
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Re: Jaw surgery fixed my sleep apnea!

#10 Post by snapdresser »

Wow, nice formatting fixmenow! :lol:
No braces
1-piece LeFort I + BSSO + Sliding Genio on 10 JUNE 2015!
Partial hardware removal 14 SEP 2018
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fixmenow
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 8:31 pm

Re: Jaw surgery fixed my sleep apnea!

#11 Post by fixmenow »

haha, thanks :D

Jawbreak
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Re: Jaw surgery fixed my sleep apnea!

#12 Post by Jawbreak »

Thanks for your reply! I definitely should have asked for a CBC panel when I asked for the iron test; I wasn't really thinking T_T He still hasn't gotten back to me so I emailed him again to ask for a CBC. We'll see what my hemoglobin levels are. I definitely think that your lack of energy is at least partially due to your anemia. Hopefully you'll feel better in a few weeks when the supplements kick in! Keep us posted :)

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