Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation For Osa

[john999]

I think I am progressing well. It looks like Medicare and my Blue Cross paid for the surgery and the implants. I would sure go with the Inspire system since the cutting is not major and it took about a month after surgery for me to heal enough for the Inspire people to turn on the device in my chest. My wife says I no longer snore and I do feel very different when I wake up in the morning. I don't have that desire to try and go back to sleep because I feel unrested. I was having 50 apneas an hour. I was on my way to a short life because I could not stand the mask and my oxygen saturation level was dropping into 70's and below while I slept. I was headed for a heart attack or stroke. If you have decent insurance they should pay for almost all of the procedures. You need a endoscopy to see if you qualify for the Inspire device and then if you do qualify then you get the operation and maybe you are in overnight. I had a sleep study done where they refined my programing because I was still having some apneas in REM sleep for some reason. You can feel the Inspire device when you are awake but once you fall asleep you don't feel it and it does not wake me up at all. If you want to PM me or email me about it I can give you more info. I think it would be worth the drive or flight to LA to get it done. Ask your pulmonologist (not VA) if they know of someone doing it in Seattle. I found out on my own about the doctor ENT doing it in Tampa at USF Medical School. Inspire had told me the closest place was Pittsburg. I was so discouraged by then I think I would not have gone to Pittsburg just for some chance at relief. Now knowing what I know I would have gone. What kind of insurance do you have? PM me! I am the first in S.E. USA to have the operation, so I am baby boy of Inspire. They will bend over backwards for you since if news spreads they stand to make millions. I have not asked for a kickback yet. All the cutting and other stuff usually does not work anyway unless they cut out your tongue. The tongue falling back and blocking the airway is one of the problems for us. Inspire moves the tongue out of the way. I was told by Inspire the devices in my chest last 11 years.

John

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John

[rootbeer22]

John:

You're giving me hope and I really need something like this...just to sleep at night in the same bed with my wife would be worth it. She really worries about this and there's no question that it's shortening my life at this point. She can't sleep at night in the same room because I'm too loud. I can tell it's really putting a strain on my heart, organs and other things. I'm really glad for you that it helps you...how was the surgical procedure and the threading the wire thru your neck...can you feel or see the wire? How long were you in Surgery? How much improvement do you feel how you were previously. Anyway, you've kind of made my day that I've contacted someone who this has helped? Anyway, if you don't mind feel confortable answering questions in this forum, I can give you my email - so we can commuincate that way..I think I can do an IM when you are in to give it that way...actually I'll try oto send you a chat with my email...address..

[georgiapapa]

I had an appointment scheduled in Atlanta for December 9th with an Inspire certified ENT to discuss the Inspire sleep system for OSA. I received a call today from his medical assistant advising I would not qualify for Inspire because they will not implant the Inspire system if you already have an implantable device. My pacemaker disqualified me. I never saw any mention of this on their website but they have a short video on the Inspire website which mentioned it. I am extremely disappointed.

I am still going for my appointment on December 9th to discuss other possible CPAP alternatives including the Pillar procedure.

Take Care.

[john999]

That is pretty awful papa. I would press the issue. I would call Inspire CEO. Go to their website. The only thing I saw was that depending on how your OSA worked you might not qualify or if you were very overweight (morbidly obese) then you were out until your reduced. Your other implant is a heart pacemaker? Tell them you will sign release of liability and talk to a pulmonologist private. Maybe you can get cleared. I would not give up right away.

[georgiapapa]

John,

According to the ENT's medical assistant, Inspire claims the signals from the Inspire system could interfere with the operation of my pacemaker. It is mentioned on Inspire's website that you can not have another active implantable device including pacemakers. I will check into it more but I would not want to sign a waiver if the Inspire system has any chance of interfering with my pacemaker. Prior to my pacemaker being implanted, my heart rate had been down as low as 30. I can't take the risk of my pacemaker failing.

I do appreciate all of your info and support regarding the Inspire system. I hope you continue to have good results.

Good luck.

Georgiapapa

[john999]

_r Rootbeer

Are you SC for OSA. You should be if it was dx'ed in service. However, you want a cure. I still think Inspire is the way to go if you have severe OSA. If is the oxygen saturation level falling below 90% that will chill you. It puts strain on your heart and drives up blood pressure.

Georgiapapa

Like I say I would call CEO of Inspire and start talking. I would not accept "NO" until there was just no chance. Is cpap a complete failure for you. There is a company in Texas I hear that makes custom made mask. I know there is one in Australia that makes a custom fitted mask. I know we all have heard stories of wonder cures for OSA but Inspire is a powerful treatment and FDA approved. In the next ten years I think it will become the treatment of choice. All I have is a small hand held device which I turn on and off at night. I slept 5 hours straight last night. I never do that before Inspire. My wife said I was not snorting and stopping breathing like before. I am not trying to sell Inspire. I just know how I suffered. I am still screwed up due to fact I took sleeping pills for years and now I have to get off them slowly.

John