Sleep Apnea: What To Expect After Surgery
Posted on: 16 October 2019
Sleep apnea is a condition where a person may have highly irregular breathing while sleeping. In extreme cases, a person may regularly stop breathing and then restart breathing throughout the night. There are several treatment options for people with sleep apnea, but when those treatments do not work, surgery may be required. If you're suffering from severe sleep apnea and require surgery, you may be nervous, but most patients have very good outcomes, and understanding the recovery period can make things less stressful. Continue reading to learn more about what you may experience as you recover from your sleep apnea surgery:
Sore Throat
Following a surgery for sleep apnea, it is not uncommon for people to experience a sore throat. This is very normal, and you should not feel alarmed or think that you may be ill with strep throat or another type of illness. In some cases, a sore throat can last for a couple of weeks. If you still experience a sore throat several weeks after your sleep apnea surgery, it is a good idea to schedule an appointment with your sleep apnea surgeon to see if there are any complications that need to be treated.
Difficulty Swallowing
In the days and weeks after your sleep apnea surgery, you may have a hard time swallowing. If you experience this issue, it is a good idea to change your diet to softer, easily consumed foods until you are fully recovered. After surgery, make it a point to eat very soft soft foods, like mashed potatoes, yogurt, scrambled eggs, or pudding. Do your best to stay away from acidic foods, like tomato sauce, which can irritate your mouth an throat. It is also a good idea to avoid eating food that is very hot or very cold.
Need to Sleep Carefully
After your surgery, you will need to pay close attention to your sleeping position. It is important to not lay flat when you go to bed — always make sure that you use a few pillows to keep your head elevated at an angle after your surgery. You may also need to use a CPAP machine after your surgery, which is designed for people with sleep apnea. A CPAP machine is one form of treatment used for sleep apnea, but there is a good chance that you will no longer need to use it after you are fully recovered from your procedure.
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