Vancouver, BC (photo from trekearth.com)
Thanks to everyone that has assisted me with my problem of evil questionnaire as I have 90 surveys in presently. However, I probably need twice that many in eventually, and so for those of you interested that attend Christian churches (my sample group) please contact me via a comment or email and I shall email or mail out a questionnaire to you.
In March of 2006 I had my uvula and tonsils removed which is known as Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, and in July I had nasal reconstruction called Septal and tip reconstruction, right turbinate debridement. According to my surgeon I am now 70% cured, and have one stage sleep apnea instead of three stage sleep apnea which I had previously. My throat which apparently had been swollen often since I was a toddler, according to Mommy, is much better. As far as I realize I have only awoke once in the night since the surgery with a slight loss of breath and it was minor compared to what I would have experienced previously. I used to go up to 45 seconds without breathing, 20-30 times in 1.5 hours. The nose had been broken in the United Kingdom and according to my surgeon the British GP who had tried fixing the nose by hand and without anesthetic and made the nose considerably worse. His two attempts at straightening my nose were the most physically painful moments of my life. After the first attempt blood went all over my shirt and lap as I sat in his examination chair with my hands grasping the arm rests. The GP stated "sorry". My surgeon stated something along the lines that prior to the nasal reconstruction surgery some of my nasal tissue inside was located near my ears thanks to the GP! The nose is much better now and does not get plugged up, but it is still soft compared to what it was before the surgery and still makes some noises when I move it slightly by hand.
To fix the third stage of my sleep apnea my surgeon had stated previously that there was jaw surgery available for a few thousand dollars which included the need for dental work, but later he informed me that if I really wanted my sleep apnea potentially cured, I would have to go to Stanford University and pay $100,000 for perhaps two jaw surgeries which move the jaw forward. I have heard from an American surgeon in another field that with medical insurance that figure could be drastically reduced. Prior to the two surgeries from about 2002-2006 I used to sleep approximately 10-12 hours a day and often woke up nearly exhausted. Now, I sleep 8-10 hours a day and have more energy although I often have trouble sleeping several hours straight. If for example I go to bed at midnight, I may sleep until 3 am and then not get back to sleep until 6 am. This means that I nap and sleep at strange times. Needless to say I would like to have the jaw surgery done eventually.
I do not want to use the CPAP machine because knowing me I would find it very difficult to sleep hooked up with anything. The two times I was hooked up to a machine for testing I barely slept. While being tested the technician told me that many of the other people being tested for sleep apnea were using CPAP and were trying to get the surgeries done! CPAP is probably very difficult to sleep with and not sexy at all! If I was to stupidly buy the CPAP machine I am sure I would quickly desire a divorce!
I realize that as a Christian I cannot save this physical body and God uses medical doctors to maintain it, but ultimately I need God to drastically change my circumstance. 1 Corinthians 15:42 mentions that the resurrection body is sown perishable but raised imperishable and this is my hope as God's grace provides me with spiritual redemption even though I am a sinner as described in Romans 3:23. The wages of sin are death, but everlasting life is provided freely for those in Christ as in Romans 6:23.
Russ
http://www.sleepdisorderchannel.com/osa/
ReplyDeleteOverview
Sleep apnea is a disorder that commonly affects more than 12 million people in the United States. It takes its name from the Greek word apnea, which means "without breath." People with sleep apnea literally stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, often for a minute or longer and as many as hundreds of times during a single night. Sleep apnea can be caused by either complete obstruction of the airway (obstructive apnea) or partial obstruction (obstructive hypopnea-- hypopnea is slow, shallow breathing), both of which can wake one up. There are three types of sleep apnea—obstructive, central, and mixed. Of these, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common. OSA occurs in approximately 2 percent of women and 4 percent of men over the age of 35.
Causes
The exact cause of OSA remains unclear. The site of obstruction in most patients is the soft palate, extending to the region at the base of the tongue. There are no rigid structures, such as cartilage or bone, in this area to hold the airway open. During the day, muscles in the region keep the passage wide open. But as a person with OSA falls asleep, these muscles relax to a point where the airway collapses and becomes obstructed. When the airway closes, breathing stops, and the sleeper awakens to open the airway. The arousal from sleep usually lasts only a few seconds, but brief arousals disrupt continuous sleep and prevent the person from reaching the deep stages of slumber, such as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which the body needs in order to rest and replenish its strength. Once normal breathing is restored, the person falls asleep only to repeat the cycle throughout the night.
Typically, the frequency of waking episodes is somewhere between 10 and 60. A person with severe OSA may have more than 100 waking episodes in a single night.
Risk Factors
The primary risk factor for OSA is excessive weight gain. The accumulation of fat on the sides of the upper airway causes it to become narrow and predisposed to closure when the muscles relax. Age is another prominent risk factor. Loss of muscle mass is a common consequence of the aging process. If muscle mass decreases in the airway, it may be replaced with fat, leaving the airway narrow and soft. Men have a greater risk for OSA. Male hormones can cause structural changes in the upper airway. Other predisposing factors associated with OSA include:
Anatomic abnormalities, such as a receding chin
Enlarged tonsils and adenoids, the main causes of OSA in children
Family history of OSA, although no genetic inheritance pattern has been proven
Use of alcohol and sedative drugs, which relax the musculature in the surrounding upper airway
Smoking, which can cause inflammation, swelling, and narrowing of the upper airway
Hypothyroidism, acromegaly, amyloidosis, vocal cord paralysis, post-polio syndrome, neuromuscular disorders, Marfan's syndrome, and Down syndrome
Nasal congestion
Originally published on www.sleepdisorderchannel.com, a website
written and hosted by Healthcommunities.com, Inc.
(Physician developed and monitored.)
Sorry to hear about your sleep problem, shared by many...hope you find relief and comfort from the distress of it S&T.
ReplyDeleteThanks, WW.:)
ReplyDelete