Shawn

Age Range 45-60

Got Inspire August 11, 2015

Hello, my name is Shawn and I live in Orlando, Florida. I received Inspire in August 2015. Before Inspire, I endured many other surgeries for sleep apnea including UPPP, tonsillectomy, septoplasty, turbinate reduction, hyoid suspension and genioglossus advancement. I also used CPAP and a mandibular advancement device.

For the first time in many years, I feel like a “normal” person because I can go to bed basically like anyone else! Not only do I feel more rested and energetic, but I’ve been able to travel more.

Interests: I love to travel, and do so fairly often. I also enjoy reading (both current fiction and “classics”), doing home improvement projects, and watching my Tampa Bay Buccaneers play.

Why I chose Inspire therapy to treat my sleep apnea: For many years I’ve struggled with severe OSA, which has limited the things I enjoy doing or would like to do, particularly traveling. Over the years I’ve tried virtually every treatment option available, including CPAP, oral appliances, and a total of six different surgical procedures. Although I saw some reduction in the severity of my OSA because of the surgeries and appliances, unfortunately there wasn’t enough improvement (particularly in the long term) to be able to eliminate CPAP altogether. I was unhappy with CPAP for many reasons, from having to lug the machine with me whenever I traveled, to not being able to go certain places or do certain things at all because of my reliance on it. I always looked at CPAP as a temporary fix, and always hoped that one day I’d find a more permanent OSA treatment that would free me from CPAP once and for all. I learned about Inspire several years ago and eventually discussed it with my ENT, along with another much more invasive robotic surgical procedure. After getting his professional opinion and weighing the pros and cons of each, I decided to pursue Inspire therapy. I felt that Inspire was not only more promising in terms of treating my OSA, particularly on a long-term basis, but the surgery and recovery were also much easier and less daunting than the other procedure.

In a few short words, I would describe Inspire therapy as: Quite literally, life changing. With Inspire, my AHI dropped from 37 to 2.5 (yes, there’s a decimal point in there), and I’m finally 100% free from CPAP! I received Inspire in August 2015 and still feel every bit as good today as I did when it was first activated.

Why am I a Patient Ambassador? In all my years of researching OSA treatment options, I found the testimonials, and honest, unbiased experiences of actual patients to be the most beneficial resource in helping me decide what avenues to pursue. I thought that being a Patient Ambassador would be a great way to provide others with the type of information and answers that I, myself, often found so valuable.