Making the MMA Decision

I just want to wake up rested

You know when it's time for surgery. Why? Because you've tried everything else.

The last time I woke up rested was in December 1991, the day after my brother's wedding. It's such a vivid memory since I had the flu the weekend of the wedding, and had to drive 200 miles after the wedding in a heavy rain storm at night. I woke up the next morning after the big day thinking "what a great night's sleep."

It's that rested feeling that I'm after. Whatever it takes, I'm going to wake up rested again.

Many have asked me why is it so important to wake up rested, and why can't I just get by being tired. The answer is simple: I deserve a better quality of life. Imagine how you would feel if you only slept a few hours each night, and the hours you got, weren't that great. Basically, you wake up with a dull headache, have little energy, become grumpy and irritable, and can't wait to get to sleep that night. Some days have all these challenges and other days have only a few. But you know it could be better. Throw in the reality that you need to put all your energy into a successful work day. I put every bit of energy into work. Being too tired to work was never an option.

When you come home to your family after work, if you've got nothing left and you're snappy with the wife, short tempered with the kids, and just want to lay down on the sofa - you miss out on all the best parts of having a family. The family deserves to see you at your best, not your worst. Being tired all the time just isn't fair to the family.

The first time I seriously thought about sleep surgery was in 2007 after seeing the most distinguished sleep doc. Since he's the guy who wrote the book on sleep apnea, and if he thinks surgery is going to help me, I had to believe that he's probably right. However, in 2007, I wasn't ready to have any surgery. I knew that surgery might be part of the journey to getting a better nights sleep.

The internet became the best resource to learn about sleep surgeries. The discussion boards, blogs, and medical studies provided more details than I could consume. Reading about other people's success and failures with sleep surgery made me think that perhaps surgery could help me.

Before surgery, I had to exhaust every possible option at least one more time -CPAP , oral appliance, medication , and outstanding sleep hygiene. Having tried all these therapies multiple times, surgery became the only remaining option.