Veteran with PTSD Finds Help for OSA from Inspire® Therapy

There were challenges before he learned about the sleep apnea alternative treatment, however.

Ball served in the military for almost 20 years before retiring in 2016 after spending time in the Air Force and Army.

He had a combined nine trips overseas flying planes.

Ball struggled to get restful sleep and had a sleep study done in 2015.

He received a diagnosis for severe obstructive sleep apnea.

Ball’s sleep apnea continued to worsen after he started working as a government contractor in Alabama.

He also has post-traumatic stress disorder. His therapist told him he needed to get his sleep issues under control to help with his PTSD.

Ball and his wife couldn’t sleep in the same room because of his snoring, bad dreams and night sweats.

He tried a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine. It didn’t work.

He consistently pulled his mask off in the middle of the night.

Ball finally hit a breaking point and researched alternative treatments. That’s when he discovered Inspire therapy in a Google search.

He lived in rural Alabama but found an Inspire-trained doctor only a few hours away. He attended an Inspire therapy consult appointment and had another sleep study.

It confirmed he stopped breathing more than 50 times an hour while sleeping.

Insurance approval came in the spring of 2021. Ball received the implant in April of that year.

The positive effects were noticeable soon after activation, which was about a month after the surgery.

Ball’s wife took a video of him that first night because she couldn’t believe he was sleeping well.

He talked to his doctor about his government job before his surgery, as well.

The Inspire implant is normally placed on the right side of a patient’s chest, under the collarbone. Since Ball needed to use a gun for his job, he is one of the few who received the implant on his left side.

Today, Ball’s sleep apnea episodes have reduced significantly.

He is in counseling to work through his PTSD. He is also able to work out again.

Ball said Inspire therapy has changed the lives of everyone in his family. He and his wife can also sleep in the same room again.

His mood changed as well. He doesn’t overreact to situations like he did before.