- Physically in a good shape, no TMJ, numbness on the right chin, lower lip and tips of my front upper jaw where it meets the teeth.
- Emotionally still a little hard, when old friends who have not me since surgery say that they barely recognized them. Luckily these are a minority.
- Wake up on most mornings with vivid dreams and an elevated heart rate, though my resting heart rate is very low.
- Cannot violate sleep hygiene rules! If I stay up late, then I will pay for it with increased tiredness for the next few days. If someone wakes me up at 4 am (or I wake up) even for a few minutes, then I am dead tired and have to sleep till 9 am to feel refreshed.
- pjgirl recently told me that staying well hydrated before going to bed helps a lot. We human beings have been breathing air and drinking water for ever. It is amazing how often we need to be reminded to do this well :-)
- Afternoon somnolence is absent on most days, sometimes I have take a 15 minute nap. Probably a good thing anyway. Grogginess has largely disappeared.
- Seasonal summer allergies make the symptoms worse. Have to control it with lavages and occasional Flonase.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
[T+24mos] Thank my lucky stars
Its now two years since MMA. I continue to thank Dr. Riley and Powell for inventing this innovative surgery. It is amazing that there is no real alternative to this even after 25 years of medical progress since then. Where am I now?
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have you considered allergy shots? this may help reduce your overall sensitivity to allergies. i found that rx medicines for allergies do nothing, and I've taken all of them.
ReplyDeleteand have you also tried adjusting your diet? sometimes it's the foods we eat, and the foods that we like the most, that could cause inflammation.
i'd also like to ask you more about your experience. i struggle with many of the things you struggle with, and I think having a candid answer from a fellow sufferer may be more valuable than medical "professionals" who are often at a loss when it comes to giving a diagnosis.
Hi Jon,
DeleteI did consider allergy shots at one point of time. I have also noticed that certain foods (certain kinds of cheese) cause more issues, though I have never been able to pinpoint them precisely enough. I am trying to eat a bit more fermented food like Kimchi for probiotics, which seems to have improved what goes on my quite a bit. Thanks for jogging my memory on this, I will reconsider if my allergies get worse again.
I have started training and doing regular half-marathon runs in the last couple of years. I have also gotten rid of the carpet in my bedroom and switched to a hardwood floor. Due to this my allergies have improved considerably. I don't take Flonase anymore nor do I feel the need for a nap. I still need about 9 hours of sleep, but do feel refreshed at the end of it.
Please ask away any questions you may have, this is a journey!
Curious as to why you choose dr. Riley over dr. Li?
ReplyDeleteDr. Riley (and Dr. Powell) is the original inventor of MMA surgery for sleep apnea. I would think this happened about 30 years ago. Since then they have continued to improve on their surgery techniques and tools quite a bit. At that time, Dr. Li's time for post-surgical care was a bit limited, where as I got excellent care from the DO in Dr. Riley's office. I don't think either choice is worse. The important thing is that I am about 90% cured (still lingering deep sleep issues) and 100% happy that I did the surgery.
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