46 Year Old Double Jaw Surgery for Sleep Apnea. Canberra, AU

In july 2013 i was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea i stopped breathing 70 times an hour. I was within my height to weight ratio but mum said i snored since the day i was born. I started cpap but couldn't imagine doing that for the rest of my life so started researching cures. In America there was surgeons doing double jaw surgery to open up airways but i couldn't find anyone in Australia until i called dr Peter Vickers who also worked in Canberra.I felt very confident with him and his ability, i booked surgery six months in advance and just forgot about it for a while. I had surgery on the 1/5/15 and had one month off work it was tough but was manageable . I had read heaps of blogs so was very prepared for what was to come. I am at 18 weeks now and still feeling better each week that goes by. Last month had another sleep study and am down to 7 blockages per hour so i am cured!

After being diagnosed with Severe Sleep Apnea and utilising a CPAP machine to control my disorder, I started researching surgeries so I did not have to use a CPAP machine for the rest of my life. As much as I had adjusted to wearing my mask to sleep, I hated having to use it and the inconvenience of travelling with it (Europe, through the USA and weekend aways), setting it up when you got somewhere and then packing it up, it drove me mad.
That may sound ridiculous but not only did I now have to live with being in the top 10 percentile of Sleep Apnea sufferers but now I had to rely on a machine to control it.
Also, after wearing my mask overnight, the lines left on my face from the pressure of the mask sometimes would not disappear until after midday. That may sound vain but I work face-to-face with people and I was always self-conscious of these creases.

On finding a surgeon who would perform the operation (luckily he was Canberra/Sydney based which is local for me) and also with a very good reputation throughout Australia, I booked my initial consultation. Dr Vickers was very informative and gave me the confidence to book my surgery. On the second consultation he organised a patient that he had performed the same surgery on for me to meet and discuss how she was going post-surgery. This was an invaluable meeting for me and I was more comfortable about my decision.

I needed to organise this surgery around a friend's wedding and another friend moving overseas but I also wanted to do it in winter when I tend to hibernate more and the recovery would impact less on my social life. A very important consideration for me as I am very social. Believe it or not, this created its own stress as i wanted to have the operation but had to consider other things as well.

I researched the operation obsessively, I read every blog, articles.....anything and everything. Some of the blogs online are so well done and were very useful to me before and after my decision. I read the GOOD and the BAD, I knew what to expect and I was also realistic to the fact that my journey would differ from others. Being informed about everything I feel is very important, knowing what to expect, seeing other people's 'before and after' photos was inspiring and gave me more confidence in my decision. I found it difficult to find information on Sleep Apnea surgeries so I broadened my search to ALL double jaw surgeries which opened up a world of useful, informative and inspiring blogs.

I avoided telling ANYONE (apart from my partner) about the surgery, I did not want anyone's opinions, concerns or thoughts on the operation. I needed to be in my own head and not have anyone influencing the decision that I had made. When I started telling people I told them that I was having Sleep Apnea surgery but avoided giving any details of the operation, I still didn't want anyone putting their 'two cents' in.
About one month prior to the operation I told my closest friends/family and by that time I was confident with my decision and nobody could sway me from my final decision. I ensured I was strong in my mind and prepared to ignore others concerns.

Having my partner being able to take Carer's Leave for the first two weeks post surgery was extremely comforting and necessary. I relied on him a lot in the two weeks after surgery and he was brilliant! He was supportive, he blended my food (in very creative combinations which made liquid food very palatable) and he was my emotional rock - at times you are so tired, you get depressed and at times fearful - you really need a trusted support person with you post-surgery.

More to come about my surgery and the recovery......including photos!!!