BKeeper Therapy Thread - AlaxoStent

[Sleeprider]

Thanks for the excellent post and background information on palatal prolapse. The AlaxoStent is still a fairly rare item to come by and I'm glad this forum has become a place where it can be discussed as a viable alternative to CPAP to resolve sleep disordered breathing with PP. Can you elaborate on the process you went through to be approved for use of this device? Are you self-paying or is insurance covering part of the cost?

[BKeeper]

Yes, you need to get the stent down to your soft palate. The wave forms look like palatial prolapse to me.


I started out with the nasal stents. It took me weeks to be able to get a stent into my right nasal passage. I'd get it part way in, and go watch TV for a while. This exercise, I presume, slowly shifted the soft tissue enough to allow full insertion. So for you to be already hitting the back of your throat puts you weeks ahead of me!

I gently hit the back of my throat on that same side last night. I tipped my head back a bit snf swallowed - that allowed the stent to slide on down easily. (I had forgotten about the swallow trick). And sometimes I help things along a bit by lifting up a bit on the tube while doing all that. If that doesn't work, I switch sides. But usuaqlly I get very little to no hqang-up at the bqack of my throat.

[BKeeper]

In response to Sleeprider:
My sleep doc has been interested and sympathetic to my journey. I had shared my thoughts early on about the possibilites for me using the Alaxo Stents - before they were available in the US. He had seen other experiments I had done, and was confident that I could handle the challenges of adapting to the stents. So when the stents were available here, he wrote a prescription for them. He did it directly with AlaxoUSA - so I'm not sure what it entailed.

I pay out of pocket. I have a Medicare Advantage Plan, and my doc said that the stents are not covered. I haven't taken it beyond that point. I am fortunate that I can pay out of pocket, and I feel very, very fortunate to have access to such a good solution to me. For me, it is welll worth it.

[jdip]

BKeeper - very nice write-up of your treatment journey. There is a lot of good info here. It's remarkable how much of a difference the right mask + the Alaxo stent have made to the pressure you require. 

It sure does sound like your body prefers a pressure of 6-6.8 cm H2O over that of 4 cm H2O. Unfortunately I can't comment on why your pressure is "surging" at lower pressures.