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California Woman Sleeping Well with Inspire® Therapy

Helen Heimann spent years fighting to have a good night’s sleep.

Published

September 12, 2024

Author

Megan Hoffman

Topic

Patient Stories

California Woman Sleeping Well with Inspire® Therapy — Helen Heimann enjoys going to the Price is Right with her husband and two daughters, a family tradition that she said she would be missing out on if she didn’t start getting quality sleep.

The California resident knew she had restless leg syndrome (RLS), which kept her up at night, but she believed there was another reason and was later diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) following a sleep study.

Her doctor prescribed a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine, but it didn’t work well for her. This led her to multiple doctors due to the complications from untreated sleep apnea.

Helen Heimann and her husband enjoy a night out. Heimann said she is sleeping seven hours a night with Inspire® therapy which gives her more energy to enjoy time with her husband.

Heimann decided to research OSA treatments on her own, and she came across an article about Inspire® therapy – leading her to a community health talk where she learned more during a presentation by an Inspire-trained doctor and an Inspire patient.

This ultimately led her on her own journey to have the Inspire implant procedure in November 2021, and it wasn’t long before she felt a difference.

“It has changed my life so much, and I can’t say enough good things about it,” Heimann said.

Before Inspire therapy, Heimann often sat up to gasp for air in the middle of the night, even after she got her RLS under control.

Helen Heimann still loves to dance at 80-years old, and she said she did not have the energy before Inspire® therapy.

The retired school secretary also fell asleep in the middle of conversations and was having panic attacks. She even collapsed once while at work.

This led Heimann to have a sleep study and eventually be prescribed a CPAP machine, but it didn’t work well for her.

Heimann has claustrophobia and said she fought the mask all night. She continued trying to use the CPAP for years but still stopped breathing at night.

Heimann saw a pulmonologist and cardiologist along with other doctors. She learned there wasn’t enough oxygen in her blood, and she was dealing with heart arrhythmia. Heimann had surgery for the arrhythmia but continued having trouble getting to sleep.

She wanted help and found it after the community health talk, when her doctors referred her to an Inspire-trained doctor.

Helen Heimann is a mother and a grandmother, and she said she would be missing out on quality time with her family if she didn’t start Inspire® therapy to help her obstructive sleep apnea.

Heimann qualified and received the Inspire implant. She said she felt different the first morning after the device was activated about a month later.

She woke up feeling like a new person.

Before, Heimann could only sleep three or four hours. Now, she can sleep for a full seven hours.

The restful sleep has also had another effect. Heimann’s doctors said her sleep apnea was probably contributing to the heart issues she was experiencing, and Heimann is feeling better than ever.