Jim Mefford is retired and proudly calls himself a professional babysitter and dogsitter for his daughter’s family. But his severe sleep apnea was getting in the way, even though he was trying to use a CPAP every night.
“There were times where I’d be just sitting, and all a sudden I’d be nodding off you know and tired I’d have to take a nap,” Jim said.
Besides not giving Jim the results he wanted, his CPAP machine was inconvenient to use and annoying to his wife. Although she had initially prompted him to treat his sleep apnea, the CPAP ended up disrupting her own sleep.
“My wife was not happy with it because it had the hose, you're moving around and if you don't have it just right the air would blow on her hair. So, it was a hassle.”
The CPAP also made traveling inconvenient. Jim and his wife enjoy going to their condo down in Florida with their family. His CPAP machine required him to empty the reservoir, dry it out, and then clean it up and put everything away daily.
All these things were enough for Jim to start looking into different treatment options for sleep apnea. That’s when Jim started researching the Inspire implant.
Jim Learns More About the Inspire Implant
Inspire is a device that is placed under the skin near your collarbone through a few small incisions during an outpatient procedure. The device is then controlled by a small remote that is used to turn the system on prior to bed and off after waking. Inspire works by sending pulses that move your tongue out of the way each time you take a breath, keeping your airway open while sleeping.
To learn more about Inspire, Jim read more on the internet and Inspire blogs. His research revealed many unhappy people who mentioned a lot about the pain they experienced and how unsatisfied they were with their device. Some individuals even went as far as having their device removed as a result of the pain. Despite this, Jim still wanted to learn more about Inspire from an expert. His daughter happened to know one.
Jim’s daughter is an anesthetist at Aurora BayCare Medical Center and works directly with Dr. Robert Sonnenburg, a board-certified otolaryngologist with BayCare Clinic Ear, Nose & Throat. She recommended that her dad go see Dr. Sonnenburg about the Inspire implant.
“I did a lot of research and decided to go with it,” Jim said. “Dr. Sonnenburg was the deciding factor. He took the time to explain things and tell me exactly what was going to take place.”
Dr. Sonnenburg also found Jim had a deviated septum which he had to fix before he could implant the Inspire device.
He took the time to walk Jim through what was going to happen step by step and answer any questions we had. Dr. Sonnenburg even brought the implant to show Jim where the device and wires would be placed.
Jim’s surgery went on without a hitch. The staff made sure he knew exactly what to expect. His personal experience did not match what he had read online. He felt great after waking up and was able to go home the same day.
“The device is the device. I read people are still in pain and not happy with it,” Jim said. “I think that’s more on the doctor.”
Jim’s device was set up in the clinic about six weeks after he had it placed. It turns on shortly before he goes to bed and stays on for eight hours. If he wakes up before it shuts off, he can manually turn it off with the remote.
“He gives you a remote to hold up to your chest at night and all you have to do is push the button to activate it. He does the set up for you and everything. It stays on until you turn it off,” Jim said. “It gives you a little shock in the back of your tongue. It kind of slaps your tongue up to the roof of your mouth.”
Inspire Implant is a Life Changer
Both Jim and his wife are very happy with the Inspire Implant and the results. Since having the device placed, she said there’s been an improvement in the way he sleeps. He no longer gasps for air while sleeping. Jim’s advice to others considering the Inspire sleep apnea device is to do your homework on doctors.
“The third best decision in my life was Dr. Sonnenburg,” Jim said with a smile. “The first two were when I married my wife and had a family.”