My Journey With Surgery for Sleep Apnea

Surgery is never fun. I’ve never heard anyone say, “Oh boy, I can’t wait for my surgery tomorrow!” The only thing that comes close to mind is the movie Repo the Genetic Opera, but I’m not counting that.

When I was about 16 or so, I had surgery for my sleep apnea. This article will recall my diagnosis, what I remember about the day of surgery, and the healing post-surgery.

Signs of sleep apnea were there all along

I suppose I’ve always been a heavy sleeper. When I was very young, I would sleep but when I woke up, I would have either misplaced the sheets, woke up on the floor, or both. I would hit people in my sleep and snore a lot. I also did this thing where I would wake up in the middle of the night, say 3 AM or so, and just stay up. I would eat cereal and watch cartoons – or whatever was on that early – and then when I got bored enough, I would go back to sleep.

I don’t know if that was from sleep apnea, but I would do it every night for years without fail. My grandparents (who I lived with) tried very hard to stop the habit. They would catch me up and angrily send me back to bed. But I did it so often that they eventually gave up and left a bowl of cereal out for me. Regardless, the signs of sleep apnea were there, but it wasn’t until my psychiatrist suggested a sleep study that we ever really thought about it or knew I had it.

The day of my surgery

I remember being very nervous and telling the surgeon so. She was kind and reassured me that I would be taken care of. I don’t remember being put under, but I remember when I woke up, I was groggy and asked if I could have another popsicle for my throat. I had my adenoids (again, they had grown back from a previous surgery), tonsils, and uvula taken out.

My post-op recoery

I was given pain medication after I left the hospital. Miraculously I didn’t need to take it that much. My throat hurt a lot, though. I couldn’t eat much except pudding, ice cream, and applesauce – and I hate apple sauce.

My recovery time was actually during a hurricane. I used to live in Florida, so that was a common occurrence. I remember walking outside to check in with the neighbors, so either the hurricane was a bit after my surgery, or I felt well enough to walk around outside. I don’t remember how long my recovery time actually was. My gut instinct is to say a few weeks.

Are you considering surgery for sleep apnea?

If you are considering going the surgical route, I had a good experience with it and based on that, would recommend it. I know back then, there was a percentage that the surgery might not work. It’s also been 12 years so the number could have changed. That makes me feel so old to say and I’m not even 30 yet!

Have you had, or are you considering surgery for sleep apnea? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!