Inspire® therapy helps Oklahoma man battling sleep apnea for two decades

He felt exhausted each day and did not get enough sleep due to his obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). He dealt with this for nearly two decades.

It wasn’t until he began Inspire® therapy that his life improved.

“I started dreaming for the first time I could remember, and that blows my mind,” McCain said.

The dreams were silent the two decades prior, however.

The lack of energy even worsened after he moved from day duties to night work at his hospital.

He did use a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine to treat his OSA at first. It only worked well in the beginning.

It took McCain a long time to find a mask that worked with his CPAP. He still didn’t feel comfortable while sleeping.

He switched to a Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP) machine next. He said it was worse for him than CPAP.

“I thought CPAP was the only way for me,” McCain said. “But I traveled a lot, and it wasn’t working the way I wanted it to. It was ridiculous going through airports and having it searched every time at security.”

McCain had Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) surgery in 2012 to try and help.

He thought he was finally on the road to recovery because he lost weight and slept better at first.

Fast forward to 2015 and McCain started to use CPAP again. He developed daily exhaustion and couldn’t stay awake in the car.

“It was scary,” he said. “I thought I was sleeping at night, but I really wasn’t. I was falling asleep at red lights and in the driveway.”

McCain changed jobs and worked for a medical device company. This led him to read about clinical studies for Inspire therapy.

He began researching more and consulted with an Inspire-trained provider.

McCain qualified and received Inspire therapy in 2019.

He and his wife both noticed a difference within the first month after his appointment to turn on Inspire therapy.

He no longer felt exhausted when he woke up. McCain stopped falling asleep during the day, as well.

McCain’s wife also noticed his snoring decreased. This allowed her to stop worrying about his breathing at night.

“It’s really been a blessing,” McCain said.