Sleep Apnea

WyattEarp · Aug 13, 2022

N T A C F said:
Back in the fall of 2020 I was diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea. I’d been having all the symptoms for years. I was “only” 39 and in decent shape. They immediately wanted to throw a CPAP at it and call it good. Something didn’t seem right to me and I hated trying to sleep with the machine on as I have a hard enough time falling asleep anyways.

I did some research on procedures that could help resolve the issue rather than just slapping an annoying band aid on the problem. I ended up seeing an ENT doctor in Joliet (Dr. Gartlan) who specializes in sleep apnea procedures, specifically “AirLift” hyoid suspensions.

He did an examination and felt I was a good candidate for doing this, along with a UP3 and tonsillectomy. He warned me that it’s a very painful recovery but after a couple of weeks I’d feel better than I had in years and if I could stay in shape and use alcohol in moderation (easier said than done) I would probably be good to go for decades to come. He recommended doing intermittent fasting (which I’ve done ever since) afterwards which has definitely helped my body composition and weight. I’ve also been exercising a lot more.

This was still during Covid and they were booked out a couple months. Went in to Silver Cross Hospital on January 13, 2021 and had all this done. He wasn’t kidding, it was incredibly painful for the first 11-12 days.

After the swelling went down and the pain had subsided somewhere around day 13-14 I slept a solid 7 hours one night and woke up the next morning feeling like a kid again. A month after the surgery I flew to Denver for a company steering committee meeting. I’d had issues for YEARS falling asleep during all day meetings like these, especially because I don’t sleep well in hotels the first night. Only this time I was wide awake and alert each day even through the dreaded early afternoon segments.

Coincidentally, the airline misplaced one of my coworkers’ CPAP machine on his inbound flight, and he didn’t get it until the next day. He was an absolute wreck that first day having not had it to sleep with the night before. It really kind of drove home the fact that despite a rough couple of weeks recovery, I’d made the right decision for me to deal with it in a more permanent fashion. A year and a half in and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I understand it won’t be for everyone, but it was absolutely life changing for me. I was on antidepressants for years and needed frequent doses of caffeine to function more often than not. Turns out the symptoms of the sleep apnea itself was apparently causing a great deal of the depression, and I didn’t need any meds after the procedure. I’m now 41 and haven’t taken any prescriptions in over a year, feel great, have great blood work and cardiovascular health, and bounce out of bed (most mornings) like I hadn’t done in ages.

Just passing along for those out there that might not be aware of such alternative treatments for apnea. Happy to answer any questions anyone has whether here or via DM.

Thanks for posting this.

Joel Goodson · Aug 13, 2022

Diagnosed with severe sleep apnea ~14 years ago. Been on CPAP ever since. Yeah, it took a little time acclimating. With the masks nowadays, they're pretty unobtrusive. Anyway, night and day difference once I started using CPAP. I wish I had gotten assessed sooner.

illini80 · Aug 13, 2022

I don’t know if this is interesting or not, but 20 years ago I had a ENT dr recommend I undergo an injection that uses a compound from snake venom to shrink and firm tissues in my uvula and surrounding tissues to help with breathing. I declined because I would have been his first patient! I often wonder how that would have turned out. I’ve yet to hear of anyone who had this done.

bdutts · Aug 14, 2022

N T A C F said:
Back in the fall of 2020 I was diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea. I’d been having all the symptoms for years. I was “only” 39 and in decent shape. They immediately wanted to throw a CPAP at it and call it good. Something didn’t seem right to me and I hated trying to sleep with the machine on as I have a hard enough time falling asleep anyways.

I did some research on procedures that could help resolve the issue rather than just slapping an annoying band aid on the problem. I ended up seeing an ENT doctor in Joliet (Dr. Gartlan) who specializes in sleep apnea procedures, specifically “AirLift” hyoid suspensions.

He did an examination and felt I was a good candidate for doing this, along with a UP3 and tonsillectomy. He warned me that it’s a very painful recovery but after a couple of weeks I’d feel better than I had in years and if I could stay in shape and use alcohol in moderation (easier said than done) I would probably be good to go for decades to come. He recommended doing intermittent fasting (which I’ve done ever since) afterwards which has definitely helped my body composition and weight. I’ve also been exercising a lot more.

This was still during Covid and they were booked out a couple months. Went in to Silver Cross Hospital on January 13, 2021 and had all this done. He wasn’t kidding, it was incredibly painful for the first 11-12 days.

After the swelling went down and the pain had subsided somewhere around day 13-14 I slept a solid 7 hours one night and woke up the next morning feeling like a kid again. A month after the surgery I flew to Denver for a company steering committee meeting. I’d had issues for YEARS falling asleep during all day meetings like these, especially because I don’t sleep well in hotels the first night. Only this time I was wide awake and alert each day even through the dreaded early afternoon segments.

Coincidentally, the airline misplaced one of my coworkers’ CPAP machine on his inbound flight, and he didn’t get it until the next day. He was an absolute wreck that first day having not had it to sleep with the night before. It really kind of drove home the fact that despite a rough couple of weeks recovery, I’d made the right decision for me to deal with it in a more permanent fashion. A year and a half in and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I understand it won’t be for everyone, but it was absolutely life changing for me. I was on antidepressants for years and needed frequent doses of caffeine to function more often than not. Turns out the symptoms of the sleep apnea itself was apparently causing a great deal of the depression, and I didn’t need any meds after the procedure. I’m now 41 and haven’t taken any prescriptions in over a year, feel great, have great blood work and cardiovascular health, and bounce out of bed (most mornings) like I hadn’t done in ages.

Just passing along for those out there that might not be aware of such alternative treatments for apnea. Happy to answer any questions anyone has whether here or via DM.

Glad to see you're doing well after the procedure. I wonder if anyone (edit: on here) has tried that Inspire that is being heavily advertised.

How are you doing intermittent fasting? I started it a couple of weeks ago, so I am interested to see how you're doing it.

IllinoisssssssVarsity · Aug 14, 2022

bdutts said:
Glad to see you're doing well after the procedure. I wonder if anyone (edit: on here) has tried that Inspire that is being heavily advertised.

How are you doing intermittent fasting? I started it a couple of weeks ago, so I am interested to see how you're doing it.

I worked my way to one meal a day. Primary focus is protein and fat, so I eat a lot of meat, and usually have a protein shake. Secondary focus is fiber, veggies, nuts etc.

I try to not eat much sugar.

Basically to build my meals, I ask what meat am i gonna eat today, and build out front there.

bdutts · Aug 14, 2022

IllinoisssssssVarsity said:
I worked my way to one meal a day. Primary focus is protein and fat, so I eat a lot of meat, and usually have a protein shake. Secondary focus is fiber, veggies, nuts etc.

I try to not eat much sugar.

Basically to build my meals, I ask what meat am i gonna eat today, and build out front there.

Got it, thanks! I am eating one less meal per day (breakfast) and I also try to stay away from processed foods and sugar. I only do mine during the week; weekends I eat breakfast and whatever I want but try to not eat processed stuff (too much) and not eat between meals).

IllinoisssssssVarsity · Aug 14, 2022

bdutts said:
Got it, thanks! I am eating one less meal per day (breakfast) and I also try to stay away from processed foods and sugar. I only do mine during the week; weekends I eat breakfast and whatever I want but try to not eat processed stuff (too much) and not eat between meals).

Honestly my transition was a product of the insane pace of my job about 4 years ago. Literally didn’t have time to eat. So it just kind of evolved like that, but I like it now.

On the weekends I might go to a 16:8 type setup, but normally after I eat once I’m too full to go back until the next day. I’m able to get enough nutrients that I can lift and play basketball multiple times per week and not feel worn down.

N T A C F · Aug 14, 2022

bdutts said:
Glad to see you're doing well after the procedure. I wonder if anyone (edit: on here) has tried that Inspire that is being heavily advertised.

How are you doing intermittent fasting? I started it a couple of weeks ago, so I am interested to see how you're doing it.

It’s nothing special. I do two 12 hour fasts daily. I have a comprehensive protein type meal replacement shake in the morning with some supplements and then a normal evening meal. I try to avoid junk/fast food, empty carbs, and anything that’s highly processed.

I work out 3-4 times a week most weeks and eat a lot of primal cuts of quality meat/fish alongside vegetables and lots and lots of Prairie Farms cottage cheese. Also snack on a lot of string cheese, slices off of cheese blocks, pork rinds, etc.

Still splurge on pizza and pasta and other things sometimes and cheat for lunch sometimes on weekends. It all has to balance. Some people think I’m nuts eating so much animal protein and fat but my bloodwork and body composition speaks for itself. The food pyramid we had drilled into our brains as kids is the same basic ration we use to fatten livestock.

N T A C F · Aug 14, 2022

Forgot to mention I also started consuming a couple servings of psyllium husk fiber during the day. It helps with hunger, cholesterol, and perhaps bloods sugar regulation. It also sorts out other issues beyond the normal indications that I won’t dive into.

IllinoisssssssVarsity · Aug 15, 2022

N T A C F said:
It’s nothing special. I do two 12 hour fasts daily. I have a comprehensive protein type meal replacement shake in the morning with some supplements and then a normal evening meal. I try to avoid junk/fast food, empty carbs, and anything that’s highly processed.

I work out 3-4 times a week most weeks and eat a lot of primal cuts of quality meat/fish alongside vegetables and lots and lots of Prairie Farms cottage cheese. Also snack on a lot of string cheese, slices off of cheese blocks, pork rinds, etc.

Still splurge on pizza and pasta and other things sometimes and cheat for lunch sometimes on weekends. It all has to balance. Some people think I’m nuts eating so much animal protein and fat but my bloodwork and body composition speaks for itself. The food pyramid we had drilled into our brains as kids is the same basic ration we use to fatten livestock.

I know exactly what you’re talking about. But you can’t deny the bloodwork, or just how much better you feel from eating that way in general. We have similar diets. It’s nice to feel full and satisfied by a meal without feeling bloated and gross. That’s one of my favorite things about it honestly.

bdutts · Aug 15, 2022

N T A C F said:
It’s nothing special. I do two 12 hour fasts daily. I have a comprehensive protein type meal replacement shake in the morning with some supplements and then a normal evening meal. I try to avoid junk/fast food, empty carbs, and anything that’s highly processed.

I work out 3-4 times a week most weeks and eat a lot of primal cuts of quality meat/fish alongside vegetables and lots and lots of Prairie Farms cottage cheese. Also snack on a lot of string cheese, slices off of cheese blocks, pork rinds, etc.

Still splurge on pizza and pasta and other things sometimes and cheat for lunch sometimes on weekends. It all has to balance. Some people think I’m nuts eating so much animal protein and fat but my bloodwork and body composition speaks for itself. The food pyramid we had drilled into our brains as kids is the same basic ration we use to fatten livestock.

I do the Ka'chava shakes for lunch, then some fruit in the afternoon after I work out. For dinner, I normally have a spinach salad with protein on it, some dried cranberries, nuts and olive oil. I exercise 6 times a week, half the time doing HIIT cardio and the other times, body weight exercises. Weekends, I cheat but try to keep it to a minimum. My bloodwork is excellent as well so I'll keep on doing what I have been.

N T A C F · Aug 16, 2022

I actually mix the Ka’Chava with the Costco Orgain Superfoods protein blend to keep the cost down but same concept. I do HIIT usually 2-3 times a week and go to a normal gym and do varying circuits depending on the day.