SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – In the past several weeks in Healthbeat 4, health experts have explained what sleep apnea is, its health effects and why sleep tests are important for your wellbeing.
We have also discussed your options to help improve your sleep apnea diagnosis.
Now, one patient talks about his choice to have a surgical implant to improve his condition.
“I would definitely tell them, it’s a heck of an improvement over C-PAP,” said Mark Dorcey.
This is Inspire Patient Mark Dorcey.
“It’s just so easy and it works,” said Dorcey.
He has lived with the implant device for about three years and says, it’s a game changer for his sleep apnea.
“The outcome is wonderful. Boy, you go to bed and you just press the button and you go to sleep,” said Dorcey.
After nearly three years with a continuous positive airway pressure machine, Dorcey says for him, the change of devices has led to better sleep.
“No water, no mask and it just works all the time,” said Dorcey.
“You can travel with it,” said Maria Azpeitia, a Neurology Nurse Practioner with CNOS. “My portion is to make sure their apnea is actually being treated with the Inspire device,” said Azpeitia.
Azpeitia continues to assist Dorcey as he navigates his journey of better sleep. She also received the Inspire Sleep Apnea Innovation Provider of Excellence Award back in 2024.
She’s committed to helping her patients reach quality sleep after the device is surgically implanted.
“They’ll come in, we will program and activate it and make sure it’s working for them to start using it,” said Azpeitia.
With the touch of a button, right before sleep, the device is activated. Azpeitia said it normally takes about three months to get a person to their true settings for the device to fully manage the sleep apnea.
“Usually, the first three months a lot of it is just getting used to the device,” said Azpeitia.
Then it’s a six-month check-in.
“At six months usually people are doing really good. At that point, they come in, they follow up and we get an update from them. Then they follow up once a year after that,” said Azpeitia.
“If you’ve ever had any kind of surgery and been put out, well there’s nothing different about it. You’ll never feel anything different in your chest. It doesn’t hurt or anything.” said Dorcey.
After your device is activated Dorcey says you are on your way to a better quality of life.
“You do feel more rested because you’re sleeping the whole night,” he explained.
You do have to meet certain criteria in order to be considered for Inspire. First, you have to be diagnosed with moderate to severe sleep apnea. Second, you have to explain why breathing devices, like C-PAP, didn’t work for you. Third, local doctors say to be a candidate, the FDA recommends a patient have a body mass index of less than 40.
If a surgical implant doesn’t seem like the way to go to help your sleep apnea, next week on Healthbeat 4, we speak with a dentist who offers another option to beat sleep apnea.
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