“What does recovery time look like for UPPP surgery?”
My husband is getting Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty done for his sleep apnea problems. What can we expect recovery time and procedure to be? Will there be therapy or cpap machines involved to help recover, or permanently after the operation?
5 Answers
My advice would be to get a second opinion. That surgery is a VERY difficult recovery, and the results are very mixed. Statistically, the best he could hope for is to be able to reduce the setting on his CPAP machine. The chance of him "curing" his sleep apnea with a UPPP is slim, and it is a significant procedure to undergo for the results. He should have a consult with a maxillofacial surgeon to evaluate if his jaw position is possibly the reason for his apnea, and there may be better options for a more positive result.
UPPP surgery rarely cures Obstructive Sleep Apnea, as airway obstruction can occur at more than one level, and the ability of surgeons to discern the true nature and pattern of any individual's anatomic airway obstruction during natural sleep is very limited at this time... CPAP will likely still be needed following surgery...
Recovery time is highly variable, and is really based on the overall health of the patient. Without knowing the individual clinical situation, it would unrealistic to assess whether CPAP machines would be involved for recovery.
Expect him to be very sore the first couple of weeks. Make sure you have lots of soup and broth. Cold drinks are helpful also. He will have to have another sleep study after all is healed to determine how much improvement he has before deciding whether he needs any other therapy at night.
A good question to ask the surgeon performing the procedure. Each person's anatomy is different and can affect healing.
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