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Has anyone had these 3 OSA surgeries done at the same time?

August 31st, 2013

I am getting my soft palate reduction, adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy at the same time as OSA Surgeries.

I have a couple of questions, i would rather have the general public address than the doctor. Because all the doctor can give me is statistics and ‘rare’ occasions.

Is bleeding of the throat prevalent after the surgery?
I heard i would not get my original voice back after the surgery, how true is this?
Would i lose weight, after the surgery?
How long would i have to go without solid food?
Should spicy food be avoided at all costs, after the surgery?
Would i be more prone to infections and allergies after the surgery?

I’m having this surgery because i have OSA – Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

There are three types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed; of the
three, obstructive is the most common. Despite the difference in the
root cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep.

In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe.

Mixed apnea, as the name implies, is a combination of the two. With each
apnea event, the brain briefly arouses people with sleep apnea in order for them to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. This is the most common form of breathing-related sleep disorder, marked by episodes of blockage in the upper airway during sleep. It is found primarily in obese people. Patients with this disorder typically alternate between periods of snoring or gasping (when their airway is partly open) and periods of silence (when their airway is blocked). Very loud snoring is a clue to this disorder.

Guess, the surgeon has decided to do a reduction of your elongated soft palate; which is one of the many causes of OSA.

Other risk factors or more realistic predisposing factors of OSA:

1) excessive weight gain or central obesity
2) Age- loss of muscle mass and thus replaced with fat
3) gender: male hormones
4) anatomical abnormalities such as a receding chin
5) enlarged tonsils and adenoids – common cause among children
6) family history
7) use of alcohol or sedatives
8) smoking
9) Diseases/conditions – Hypothyroidism, Obesity, Down’s syndrome, vocal cord paralysis; post-polio syndrome, amyloidosis, Marfan’s syndrome, neuromuscular disorders

Someone who has undiagnosed severe obstructive sleep apnea is likely to have a heart attack, a stroke, cardiac arrest during sleep, or a harmful accident.

If you have one or more of the other predisposing factors as mentioned above, esp obesity- having this surgery is not a cure-all guarantee – that your problem will be solved.

Normally, T&A ( Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy) is done during childhood for chronic tonsillitis. Thruout my childhood, I suffered from frequent upper respiratory infections such as common colds, and the flu; chronic tonsillitis, pharyngitis(sore throat) and laryngitis ( hoarse voice) so much so that I missed a lot of school days. I was constantly placed on antibiotics.

I didn’t have the surgery done until I was 26. Now, my quality of life is so much improved. I’m less prone to upper resp infections; such as tonsillitis with difficulty of swallowing. One of the many benefits of this T&A now is to enjoy drinking ice cold drinks and eating a cone of ice cream; without the side effects. .

Mind you, because of my age and that being my very first surgery, the recovery phase wasn’t a picnic and as pleasant as a child might go thru. I suffered a great deal of pain requiring quite a bit of painkillers. The surgeon stated that my tonsils were so enlarged that I must have suffered quite a bit growing up.

I had the post-op blues which is one of the side effects of surgery.and anesthesia. However, there was no bleeding, or infection. Nowadays, it’s a normal precautionary procedure for surgeons, to give an IV administration of a dose of antibiotic 24-hr pre-operatively.to prevent infection. You don’t lose weight as you resume eating normally after a few days. Besides, you don’t use this surgery to lose weight.

Of course, spicy foods are off limits initially; as they are irritating and might induce bleeding. Hot drinks are discouraged as would cause vasodilation and thus bleeding. Ice chips were tolerated and soothing. As a matter-of fact, kids are allowed ice cream 2 hrs post-operatively if there is no vomiting from the anesthesia. After the recovery phase, there is no limit as to any type of foods including spicy foods; which I enjoy.

There is no effect on your voice as your vocal chords are not involved. Immediately, after surgery, your voice might be a little raspy due to the soreness of your throat and your fear of straining. However, your voice would resume to being normal once the swelling and inflammation is gone. There might be a slight change with the soft palate reduction if any.

You should not be alarmed. It is a normal and required routine of all pre-op pts to sign this operative consent -. with the stated normal risks of bleeding and infection as with ALL surgeries.

So, I hope all of the above- answers all your questions adequately.

Oh, by the way, I still have my allergies and allergic rhinits but not as bad. But I’m not prone to acute tonsillitis anymore and more importantly, when I get a sore throat with the colds, I can swallow without difficulty. And the episodes of upper respiratory infections are less.

3 Responses

  1. Vid15-The Red Devil Says:

    I had tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy at the same time 3years ago.I didn’t have any bleeding or loss of voice or weight or any infections.

    I had the surgery in the morning and had solid food for dinner that day(the rice was all mashed up,though).Yeah,spicy food should be avoided for a few days because your throat will feel rather sore.

    I don’t know about soft palate reduction.I don’t think you should worry.Doctors tell you every thing just in case something bad happens.It doesn’t mean it will happen.
    References :

  2. lazerangel99 Says:

    Well bleeding is not that common if you follow the doctor’s orders. Surgery has come a long way from just the cut and sew you kind of surgery. Your voice will most likely not change that much. Mine hardly changed at all. You will most likely lose weight because you will be on a restricted diet for a while until things are healed. I went almost 2 weeks without soilds. I learned to like broth soups, jello, and other non soild foods. You should stick to bland foods after surgery spicy foods could cause a reaction, infection, or irritation. I became less prone to allergies, and infections AFTER the surgery. I hope my experience helps you.
    References :

  3. rosieC Says:

    There are three types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed; of the
    three, obstructive is the most common. Despite the difference in the
    root cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer.

    Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep.

    In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe.

    Mixed apnea, as the name implies, is a combination of the two. With each
    apnea event, the brain briefly arouses people with sleep apnea in order for them to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality.

    Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. This is the most common form of breathing-related sleep disorder, marked by episodes of blockage in the upper airway during sleep. It is found primarily in obese people. Patients with this disorder typically alternate between periods of snoring or gasping (when their airway is partly open) and periods of silence (when their airway is blocked). Very loud snoring is a clue to this disorder.

    Guess, the surgeon has decided to do a reduction of your elongated soft palate; which is one of the many causes of OSA.

    Other risk factors or more realistic predisposing factors of OSA:

    1) excessive weight gain or central obesity
    2) Age- loss of muscle mass and thus replaced with fat
    3) gender: male hormones
    4) anatomical abnormalities such as a receding chin
    5) enlarged tonsils and adenoids – common cause among children
    6) family hx
    7) use of alcohol or sedatives
    8) smoking
    9) Diseases/conditions – Hypothyroidism, Obesity, Down’s syndrome, vocal cord paralysis; post-polio syndrome, amyloidosis, Marfan’s syndrome, neuromuscular disorders

    Someone who has undiagnosed severe
    obstructive sleep apnea is likely to have a heart attack, a stroke, cardiac arrest during sleep, or a harmful accident.

    If you have one or more of the other predisposing factors as mentioned above, esp obesity- having this surgery is not a cure-all guarantee – that your problem will be solved.

    Normally, T&A ( Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy) is done during childhood for chronic tonsillitis. Thruout my childhood, I suffered from frequent upper respiratory infections such as common colds, and the flu; chronic tonsillitis, pharyngitis(sore throat) and laryngitis ( hoarse voice) so much so that I missed a lot of school days. I was constantly placed on antibiotics.

    I didn’t have the surgery done until I was 26. Now, my quality of life is so much improved. I’m less prone to upper resp infections; such as tonsillitis with difficulty of swallowing. One of the many benefits of this T&A now is to enjoy drinking ice cold drinks and eating a cone of ice cream; without the side effects. .

    Mind you, because of my age and that being my very first surgery, the recovery phase wasn’t a picnic and as pleasant as a child might go thru. I suffered a great deal of pain requiring quite a bit of painkillers. The surgeon stated that my tonsils were so enlarged that I must have suffered quite a bit growing up.

    I had the post-op blues which is one of the side effects of surgery.and anesthesia. However, there was no bleeding, or infection. Nowadays, it’s a normal precautionary procedure for surgeons, to give an IV administration of a dose of antibiotic 24-hr pre-operatively.to prevent infection. You don’t lose weight as you resume eating normally after a few days. Besides, you don’t use this surgery to lose weight.

    Of course, spicy foods are off limits initially; as they are irritating and might induce bleeding. Hot drinks are discouraged as would cause vasodilation and thus bleeding. Ice chips were tolerated and soothing. As a matter-of fact, kids are allowed ice cream 2 hrs post-operatively if there is no vomiting from the anesthesia. After the recovery phase, there is no limit as to any type of foods including spicy foods; which I enjoy.

    There is no effect on your voice as your vocal chords are not involved. Immediately, after surgery, your voice might be a little raspy due to the soreness of your throat and your fear of straining. However, your voice would resume to being normal once the swelling and inflammation is gone. There might be a slight change with the soft palate reduction if any.

    You should not be alarmed. It is a normal and required routine of all pre-op pts to sign this operative consent -. with the stated normal risks of bleeding and infection as with ALL surgeries.

    So, I hope all of the above- answers all your questions adequately.

    Oh, by the way, I still have my allergies and allergic rhinits but not as bad. But I’m not prone to acute tonsillitis anymore and more importantly, when I get a sore throat with the colds, I can swallow without difficulty. And the episodes of upper respiratory infections are less.
    References :
    professional nurse and my own personal experience

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