I’m two weeks out, and boy oh boy, I didn’t anticipate needing such a recovery time. I’ve had a lot of ear pain and a dull ache in the back of my head-almost migraine type of pain for me. I don’t have any tongue paralysis or wound pain, although my wounds are not flat- almost like the implanted devices are a little large or haven’t settled in. I would think twice about this surgery if you can wear a CPAP. Be open to the idea of the CPAP; I think that’s important, as well as getting a good fitting mask. I used my CPAP for about 8 years successfully until I had a rhinoplasty to correct a deviated septum. Since the bones in my nose had to be broken, the CPAP mask is now just too painful over the bridge of my nose. I tried all kinds of padding but nothing worked. What you decide upon is a personal preference so only you can decide if an Inspire might be right for you. Since my sleep apnea is currently untreated, I’m looking forward to the activation of the Inspire device to get good quality sleep.
The really uncomfortable part resolves itself in the first couple of weeks. For me, the ear pain and the headaches have subsided with activation. I’m not sure why but it improved. I’m so happy I did this now. It has been worth the trials to get to this place now 18 months out.
Thank you for your time in making this video. I was having doubts about the surgery and this along with other videos has made me decide to stay with my CPAP device. This surgery is too invasive for me.
Had mine last Friday. 5 Days ago. I cannot wait to turn it on. NO pain or discomfort whatsoever! Actually, recovery for me was about 36 hours. Feel free to reach out any time!!
Good morning @lisachambers6230 & @coachadamlazare. Lisa, you & I are Inspire implant birthday twins. Mine was performed at the Delaware Outpatient Center for Surgery this past Thursday. I'm going to be educating myself on this site - please reach to me if you'd like!
Great information. I wish I had seen this before my surgery March 16th . I constantly wondered why my ear felt pain when I yawned. You did awesome on this video, thanks
I am researching the possibility of having this procedure. I am so thankful to have found your video. Your info for WOMEN is awesome. It seems everything is directed toward men for sleep apnea. I'm encouraged to hear some women
@@JTXCattle I’m glad to have been helpful. I made videos parts 1-5 if you are interested in my entire journey. Just search the title and insert Part 1-5.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights. I am currently being evaluated had my second sleep study I have been struggling with my CPAP & masks for several years. My primary doctor referred me to the Inspire Specialist/Surgeon at Vanderbilt University Hospital.
Thank you for your candor. Your explanation is most useful, and no surprise, a far different depiction than Inspire would have you believe in its TV commercials. I have been on CPAP/BIPAP and still snore and don't tolerate high pressures. My DISE procedure showed that I was a candidate, but would still probably need to use my BIPAP machine. I have great reluctance in undergoing this procedure. Many thanks again for your honest explanation. I wish you a speedy and complete recovery.
This made me feel better. Just got the implant surgery today - first evening with this. What I’m feeling is a lot like your process. I was worrying about how bad I felt. Feels like I was hit by a truck almost ! Hahaha Now I know others have had this reaction also. I’m a lot less stressed about it. Also I will be sure to not rush it- my Dr made it seem like I’d be fine and ready for living within a couple days.
I just learned about this procedure from my Pulmonologist yesterday. I am unable to tolerate a CPAP machine due to having no sinus turbinates, ie - the pressure from the CPAP machine is too intense. My concern is I already have everyday/all-day nerve pain in my sinuses. Will this make this worse? I also have a metal allergy. I will address these issues with my Pulmonologist! I'm afraid of having something implanted in me. Thank you so much for sharing your experience!!!! I'm definitely going to check out your Part 2 next!!! Again, thank you!
WOW! Excellent video! Thank you for your openess and comprehensiveness - your video is exactly what I needed. I think I've been taking this decision too lightly and need to keep working with trying different CPAP masks before moving forward with Inspire. Again, thank you!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. You’ve included the exact details I’ve been looking for, excellent video. I hope that you will return once your health returns to normal and after you’ve had an opportunity to use Inspire to give us a detailed description of what your experiences are with this device. I’m newly diagnosed with sleep apnea and I’m waiting for my CPAP machine but I’m researching all of my options for treatment and trying to figure out what works best for me. I wish you continued success with your recovery and thanks again for this wonderful video. ❤
Thank you very much for telling us your experience, I very much appreciated because this is something that I am contemplating to have done very soon. I would like to know if you are sleeping better. Take care and God bless you.
I'm so glad I found this! I'm due for surgery Dec 16. Can I ask how the next couple weeks went after your video? I'm going on a quick vacation Dec 28 and am hoping to be fairly back to normal. That's only 12 days of recovery time. Wondering how you faired in that timeframe and how you are now. Thanks again for taking to time to post this!
I was still feeling pretty rough 2 weeks from my surgery. I was getting out, but on a limited basis and needed help with driving and shopping. My Dr. Advised me to not use my right arm much so the implant could heal properly and I found if I did try to use it too much I got sore. Bearing all of this in mind, your healing will differ from mine and I would recommend having an honest reflection with yourself about how you heal. I have had many surgeries and this one has been one of the most difficult because of the location of the incisions. The neck and face are more tender and so there is greater pain there and then the check muscles are used for all kinds of things you don't realize until it is impacted.
I am starting my aspire innovation device journey and my 1st appointment is March 18th with Dr hinnamon for the ears, nose and throat to check my airways and get the clearance for the surgery
I'm on the Dexcom G6 and Omnipod5 I can't take Tylenol because of the Dexcom G6, it affects my levels I'm severe Diabetic on Insulin and on an insulin pump
I had my surgery over a year ago. 2023. I’m still not hooked to a schedule. I didn’t have any problems after surgery. Like you. My problem is tongue tied and my tongue is on fire and hurts. The generator had been off for about two months now. Wait for the tongue not to hurt. Feels like I burnt it on hot soup all day and night. I get sharp pains around the generator that go away. Inspire told me not to worry about dental drills. Yesterday had tooth fill. They used a drill. Today my tongue is on fire. I also noticed spicy food make the tongue feel like it is on fire. That is short lived. I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to start therapy again. Before I would get to 3 and then level 4 and my tongue felt burnt. We have change the setting and started over after weeks off. Know one tells you about these things. I had mine at Kaiser hostipal, 3 hour’s surgery. Everything heal great small incisions. The company doesn’t get back to you about problems. I have called. Who do you reach out to next for complaints. The had a lawsuit and recall in early 2023. I want this to work. I’m loosing trust in this system. I just hope I don’t have permeant nerve damage to the tongue. Debbie
@@DebbieW-y9r While I have great compassion for your circumstance, I’m not qualified to offer any legal assistance. I would suggest you retain legal counsel if you are struggling to get through to the company. I have not ever had a problem getting them to communicate with me or with getting assistance from my rep. It has been a little over two years for me and the entire process has been successful for me. It was difficult but I’m glad I did it. Good luck to you. I hope you doing better soon.
Good job. I've been on cpap for 2 years and I'm miserable. I wake up at night, I don't feel like I got a good night's sleep. The first 6 months, the sleep deprivation was bad. The machine is complicated, it's hard to understand how to adjust all the settings. I mean which is worse cpap or severe obstructive sleep apnea. Cpap is tied for first. I think I meet the criteria for inspire.
I had my surgery on December 16. You described post op fairly accurately. I ended up staying overnight as I had more bleeding during surgery than expected. For the first 24 hours, it was extremely painful. At about 2 1/2 weeks out, things are much better. I do advise people to take it easy after surgery. I didn’t, and it has taken me longer to recover.
Six weeks!? I have this coming up soon and my Dr. told me only ten days!?? I hope it doesn’t take me that long, I’m having inspire two weeks after knee surgery too. 😢
@@drummerman4444 You’ll have to coordinate with your doctor about those questions. Using your arm will depend on how quickly you heal. The device is usually placed on the right side of the upper chest. I don’t know if there is an option to have it on the left.
I’m not sure what you’re asking. In this video the device has not been turned on yet. My throat isn’t closed off. I have 4 other videos that chronicle my recovery if you’d like to watch them. Just search Inspire Surgery Review and change the number (1-4) to see my recovery journey.
I wasn’t driving for a couple of weeks because the affects anesthesia stayed with me for a long time and I would get dizzy. I was also really sore so I waited. I take an unusually long time to heal and react quite strongly to the drugs. Most people are doing just fine within about 10 days. I don’t know the names of the anesthesia I had for my surgery. That is something you should go over with your doctor probably.
I think you asked how my tongue is doing? It’s fine. It gets a little sloppy in the morning after turning the device off but doesn’t impair my speech or anything. It resolves quickly and I really don’t notice it at all the majority of the time. I know this isn’t typical for most patients and attribute to my original issues early on.
My incision was above my breast. One thing that has disappointed me was, even though the implant is compatible with MRI’s, it still showed up on my recent mammogram and seemed to block some of the breast tissue on my follow-up breast MRI. This concerns me because I am a high risk breast cancer patient and I don’t want any areas of my breast to be covered and not able to be seen on MRI’s and mammograms.
I’m two weeks out, and boy oh boy, I didn’t anticipate needing such a recovery time. I’ve had a lot of ear pain and a dull ache in the back of my head-almost migraine type of pain for me. I don’t have any tongue paralysis or wound pain, although my wounds are not flat- almost like the implanted devices are a little large or haven’t settled in. I would think twice about this surgery if you can wear a CPAP. Be open to the idea of the CPAP; I think that’s important, as well as getting a good fitting mask. I used my CPAP for about 8 years successfully until I had a rhinoplasty to correct a deviated septum. Since the bones in my nose had to be broken, the CPAP mask is now just too painful over the bridge of my nose. I tried all kinds of padding but nothing worked.
What you decide upon is a personal preference so only you can decide if an Inspire might be right for you. Since my sleep apnea is currently untreated, I’m looking forward to the activation of the Inspire device to get good quality sleep.
The really uncomfortable part resolves itself in the first couple of weeks. For me, the ear pain and the headaches have subsided with activation. I’m not sure why but it improved. I’m so happy I did this now. It has been worth the trials to get to this place now 18 months out.
Thank you!!!! This is the kind of review I have been looking for. Thank you for taking the time to do this video
You are so welcome!
Thank you for your time in making this video. I was having doubts about the surgery and this along with other videos has made me decide to stay with my CPAP device. This surgery is too invasive for me.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. My surgery is on 4/11/24. I’m still a bit nervous and trying to hear more real stories like yours.
Had mine last Friday. 5 Days ago. I cannot wait to turn it on. NO pain or discomfort whatsoever! Actually, recovery for me was about 36 hours.
Feel free to reach out any time!!
I did have a little discomfort on days 1 and 2. However, I do have a high pain tolerance.....
Good morning @lisachambers6230 & @coachadamlazare. Lisa, you & I are Inspire implant birthday twins. Mine was performed at the Delaware Outpatient Center for Surgery this past Thursday. I'm going to be educating myself on this site - please reach to me if you'd like!
@@coachadamlazarehow has the device been thus far?
Hi! Would you share an update on how the device is going for you?
Great information. I wish I had seen this before my surgery March 16th . I constantly wondered why my ear felt pain when I yawned. You did awesome on this video, thanks
Thank You very much for your time
Thank you so much for this video. I’m one week out post implantation and you nailed exactly how I’m feeling!
I am researching the possibility of having this procedure. I am so thankful to have found your video. Your info for WOMEN is awesome. It seems everything is directed toward men for sleep apnea. I'm encouraged to hear some women
@@JTXCattle I’m glad to have been helpful. I made videos parts 1-5 if you are interested in my entire journey. Just search the title and insert Part 1-5.
Thank you so much!! I have been struggling with a decision on this and your review has been wonderful.
@@danniepierce2121 Glad I could help. I have 4 more reviews if you search the same title and change the number.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights. I am currently being evaluated had my second sleep study I have been struggling with my CPAP & masks for several years. My primary doctor referred me to the Inspire Specialist/Surgeon at Vanderbilt University Hospital.
Thank you for your candor. Your explanation is most useful, and no surprise, a far different depiction than Inspire would have you believe in its TV commercials. I have been on CPAP/BIPAP and still snore and don't tolerate high pressures. My DISE procedure showed that I was a candidate, but would still probably need to use my BIPAP machine. I have great reluctance in undergoing this procedure. Many thanks again for your honest explanation. I wish you a speedy and complete recovery.
Glad it was helpful!
This made me feel better. Just got the implant surgery today - first evening with this. What I’m feeling is a lot like your process. I was worrying about how bad I felt. Feels like I was hit by a truck almost ! Hahaha Now I know others have had this reaction also. I’m a lot less stressed about it. Also I will be sure to not rush it- my Dr made it seem like I’d be fine and ready for living within a couple days.
Glad to help. I have 3 more videos on my progress. Same video name just part 2, etc.
get well soon!
Thank you for sharing! Hope you have a speedy and safe recovery?!
Thank you so much!
Thanks for sharing and honestly telling us your inspire experience! Hope everything is working out well!
Thank you so much that you share this testimony.I myself going through the process of getting this surgery.Hope your share another interesting video..
I just learned about this procedure from my Pulmonologist yesterday. I am unable to tolerate a CPAP machine due to having no sinus turbinates, ie - the pressure from the CPAP machine is too intense. My concern is I already have everyday/all-day nerve pain in my sinuses. Will this make this worse? I also have a metal allergy. I will address these issues with my Pulmonologist! I'm afraid of having something implanted in me. Thank you so much for sharing your experience!!!! I'm definitely going to check out your Part 2 next!!! Again, thank you!
WOW! Excellent video! Thank you for your openess and comprehensiveness - your video is exactly what I needed. I think I've been taking this decision too lightly and need to keep working with trying different CPAP masks before moving forward with Inspire. Again, thank you!
I’m glad it was helpful. Good luck!
Do you have to have a 2nd surgery to have it activated,?
No. Just the one surgery. The activation is done with a remote control.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. You’ve included the exact details I’ve been looking for, excellent video. I hope that you will return once your health returns to normal and after you’ve had an opportunity to use Inspire to give us a detailed description of what your experiences are with this device. I’m newly diagnosed with sleep apnea and I’m waiting for my CPAP machine but I’m researching all of my options for treatment and trying to figure out what works best for me. I wish you continued success with your recovery and thanks again for this wonderful video. ❤
Glad it was helpful.
I’m having my Inspire insertion tomorrow. You’ve been very helpful! Thank you!
I may be tempted to share my experience also!
Good luck with everything! I hope your experience is less complicated than mine.
Thank you so much cause I'm so scared of the pain. I have severe RA and fibromyalgia and I'm so scared it's going make all that worse
Thank you very much for telling us your experience, I very much appreciated because this is something that I am contemplating to have done very soon. I would like to know if you are sleeping better.
Take care and God bless you.
Thank you for sharing. I'm going going to be doing this in a few months
I'm so glad I found this! I'm due for surgery Dec 16. Can I ask how the next couple weeks went after your video? I'm going on a quick vacation Dec 28 and am hoping to be fairly back to normal. That's only 12 days of recovery time. Wondering how you faired in that timeframe and how you are now. Thanks again for taking to time to post this!
I was still feeling pretty rough 2 weeks from my surgery. I was getting out, but on a limited basis and needed help with driving and shopping. My Dr. Advised me to not use my right arm much so the implant could heal properly and I found if I did try to use it too much I got sore. Bearing all of this in mind, your healing will differ from mine and I would recommend having an honest reflection with yourself about how you heal. I have had many surgeries and this one has been one of the most difficult because of the location of the incisions. The neck and face are more tender and so there is greater pain there and then the check muscles are used for all kinds of things you don't realize until it is impacted.
Two weeks after my surgery, I was still pretty bruised and the scars were just beginning to heal.
I am starting my aspire innovation device journey and my 1st appointment is March 18th with Dr hinnamon for the ears, nose and throat to check my airways and get the clearance for the surgery
You're an angel. Thank you so much
I'm on the Dexcom G6 and Omnipod5 I can't take Tylenol because of the Dexcom G6, it affects my levels I'm severe Diabetic on Insulin and on an insulin pump
Thank you for this video
Why can I hear you breath in? Is your throat open enough to breath normal when not sleeping?
Thank you
@@donnalewis5736 You are welcome. I have 4 other videos if you search the title and just change the number.
@@donnalewis5736 you are welcome.
Thank you for doing this.
You are welcome.
Thank you for posting these videos. Which sleep positions can you do? Can you sleep on your stomach? I got me inspire installed today.
I sleep on my back mostly. Other positions are difficult while the tissue surrounding the device heals.
I had my surgery over a year ago. 2023. I’m still not hooked to a schedule. I didn’t have any problems after surgery. Like you. My problem is tongue tied and my tongue is on fire and hurts. The generator had been off for about two months now. Wait for the tongue not to hurt. Feels like I burnt it on hot soup all day and night. I get sharp pains around the generator that go away. Inspire told me not to worry about dental drills. Yesterday had tooth fill. They used a drill. Today my tongue is on fire. I also noticed spicy food make the tongue feel like it is on fire. That is short lived. I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to start therapy again. Before I would get to 3 and then level 4 and my tongue felt burnt. We have change the setting and started over after weeks off.
Know one tells you about these things. I had mine at Kaiser hostipal, 3 hour’s surgery. Everything heal great small incisions. The company doesn’t get back to you about problems. I have called. Who do you reach out to next for complaints. The had a lawsuit and recall in early 2023. I want this to work. I’m loosing trust in this system. I just hope I don’t have permeant nerve damage to the tongue.
Debbie
@@DebbieW-y9r While I have great compassion for your circumstance, I’m not qualified to offer any legal assistance. I would suggest you retain legal counsel if you are struggling to get through to the company. I have not ever had a problem getting them to communicate with me or with getting assistance from my rep. It has been a little over two years for me and the entire process has been successful for me. It was difficult but I’m glad I did it. Good luck to you. I hope you doing better soon.
Thank you!
Good job.
I've been on cpap for 2 years and I'm miserable. I wake up at night, I don't feel like I got a good night's sleep. The first 6 months, the sleep deprivation was bad. The machine is complicated, it's hard to understand how to adjust all the settings. I mean which is worse cpap or severe obstructive sleep apnea. Cpap is tied for first. I think I meet the criteria for inspire.
I had my surgery on December 16. You described post op fairly accurately. I ended up staying overnight as I had more bleeding during surgery than expected. For the first 24 hours, it was extremely painful. At about 2 1/2 weeks out, things are much better. I do advise people to take it easy after surgery. I didn’t, and it has taken me longer to recover.
Thanks!
Six weeks!? I have this coming up soon and my Dr. told me only ten days!?? I hope it doesn’t take me that long, I’m having inspire two weeks after knee surgery too. 😢
Does insurance like Medicare usually pay
@@donnaboger7977 It’s an individual thing. You’ll have to call your plan coordinators to see what is covered.
How long does it last?
How long should it be before you can fully use your arm and is it the right or left arm. I drum, would that activity take a while to do?
@@drummerman4444 You’ll have to coordinate with your doctor about those questions.
Using your arm will depend on how quickly you heal.
The device is usually placed on the right side of the upper chest. I don’t know if there is an option to have it on the left.
So how is it working at night… kept you breathing for sure?
I’m not sure what you’re asking. In this video the device has not been turned on yet. My throat isn’t closed off. I have 4 other videos that chronicle my recovery if you’d like to watch them. Just search Inspire Surgery Review and change the number (1-4) to see my recovery journey.
How soon can you drive after the surgery?
What type of anesthesia did you have for this surgery?
I wasn’t driving for a couple of weeks because the affects anesthesia stayed with me for a long time and I would get dizzy. I was also really sore so I waited. I take an unusually long time to heal and react quite strongly to the drugs. Most people are doing just fine within about 10 days.
I don’t know the names of the anesthesia I had for my surgery. That is something you should go over with your doctor probably.
I had to be ventilated and that freaked me out
Can you do an update? Thanks!
th-cam.com/video/q6c8ytAhdds/w-d-xo.html
How we the stimulate of tounge dealing
I think you asked how my tongue is doing? It’s fine. It gets a little sloppy in the morning after turning the device off but doesn’t impair my speech or anything. It resolves quickly and I really don’t notice it at all the majority of the time. I know this isn’t typical for most patients and attribute to my original issues early on.
What about the breast? Are they able to lift up the breast & make an incision underneath?
That would be a question for your surgeon. I don’t know. The incision is up above the breast on me .
The incision is just under the collar bone.
My incision was above my breast. One thing that has disappointed me was, even though the implant is compatible with MRI’s, it still showed up on my recent mammogram and seemed to block some of the breast tissue on my follow-up breast MRI. This concerns me because I am a high risk breast cancer patient and I don’t want any areas of my breast to be covered and not able to be seen on MRI’s and mammograms.
I’m s there a part 2
Yes. There are 4 total. Just search inspire review part 2, 3, or 4 and you should be able to find them.
That will be a big "no thanks" for me !