Back on the bike: How Inspire® therapy is helping one man ride thousands of miles a year

He dozed off on the couch and relatives said he stopped breathing while sleeping. It confused him since he is an avid biker and athlete.

He later discovered he had severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). It took years of trying options before he found relief with Inspire® therapy.

“It literally saved my life,” Rush said. “Everything is so much easier and more accessible to me now.”

Rush’s journey began before that visit to his family. He fell asleep at random times often but didn’t know why.

He is young and active and thought it may be due to his lifestyle.

But after the visit to his family, Rush decided to try an at-home sleep study to find out what was happening.

That test eventually led him to a sleep doctor and a severe OSA diagnosis.

Rush used a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine for a few years after that initial diagnosis.

He still stopped breathing the same number of times he did without the machine, however.

Rush later tried a Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP) machine. His numbers still didn’t improve.

“Something structurally in my head wouldn’t allow me to breathe out with it on,” Rush said. “The mask would just peel off my face in the middle of the night too.”

He also had deviated septum surgery and lost 90 pounds. Still, nothing seemed to help.

Rush continued to go biking and camping. It became difficult to get by though.

He lacked energy and struggled to carry his CPAP or BiPAP machines on trips.

Rush asked his doctor if anything else could help. That’s when he first learned about the Inspire® implant.

Rush decided to go to an Inspire-trained provider and later qualified. He received the implant in May 2022.

Rush went from having more than 60 sleep apnea episodes every hour to having under 10. It also allowed doctors to find and treat other issues that also impacted his sleep.

He started to sleep better and noticed he had more energy. It also became much easier to go on trips.

Rush traveled 6,000 miles on his bike and was able to enjoy a camping & cycling trip in Wisconsin with a friend in 2024.

He only brings his remote when he heads out for an overnight ride now. Rush said that Inspire therapy is a “game-changer.”

“I have the freedom to get up and go, and it’s brought years to my life,” he said.