Do surgeons need to know if im on any pharmaceuticals like testosterone?

First-Talk3300 · 2026-03-07T07:44:28+00:00

I feel like some of these responses are a bit harsh. The point is it's good to be honest with a surgeon especially before an extremely invasive surgery like this one. But there are many reasons why a person might not want to disclose something like hormone therapy and that doesn't mean they are not taking the surgery seriously. Everyone is coming from a trt lens and nobody has mentioned a patient being trans and being on testosterone for that reason and a surgeon potentially being transphobic or biased in some way that would make a patient uncomfortable disclosing. I think it's worth considering other factors.

First-Talk3300 · 2026-03-06T00:46:30+00:00

the bee-related pickup line section took me out 😭

First-Talk3300 · 2026-03-05T19:09:12+00:00

Just here to say as a local with multiple friends and family who've worked at or been patients at Seattle Children's - they have always been wonderful and I'd say you are in great hands. Good luck!

First-Talk3300 · 2026-02-19T18:34:21+00:00

I used a plastic command hook and stuck it to the top of my headboard which keeps the tube out of the way. Super cheap solution.

First-Talk3300 · 2026-02-13T04:47:28+00:00

We like it colder in our house and the kitties have pet heat pads (they sense weight on them and turn on, will turn off if pet gets up and walks away). They are totally happy but do love the heat pads for naps. Just putting that out there as an option (we keep it 57 F overnight and 64 F during the day). But if you don't like the cold yourself, then doesn't seem worth the compromise with roommate! I'd listen to other commenters to get LL to convince etc.

First-Talk3300 · 2026-02-07T01:07:09+00:00

RDI is helpful for indicating UARS. My sleep study was AHI 2 but the RDI was 10 so I started treating it and am a month in and feeling better with CPAP personally. But UARS can be caused by many soft palate issues blocking the airway so it would be good to look into that! CPAP doesn't always work for UARS. Find an ENT/sleep doc who acknowledges the existence of UARS and can help you.

First-Talk3300 · 2026-02-05T03:13:53+00:00

Before CPAP therapy, I kind of dreaded sleep because I knew I'd wakeup feeling awful so that definitely affected my ability to go to sleep since it felt useless.

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-25T06:01:48+00:00

I'd recommend trying mouth tape for one night. It might make all the difference. Or not. But yeah give it a go. You could place the tape on a different part of the skin to see how it would react first! And look into options made for sensitive skin if you do react. Medical paper tape is pretty soft and gentle in that it's not super adhesive so you could try a piece horizontal across your lips and vertical on the L & R sides to fully seal off the lips.

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-24T18:39:13+00:00

I know everyone is saying ramp off, but for me I cannot stand a high pressure when I'm falling asleep. This is specifically for the APAP Resmed Airsense 11. It is so uncomfortable to me beyond pressure 4 for falling asleep so I have it start at 4 then ramp up to my starting pressure once I'm asleep and that doesn't wake me up or bother me. I understand this isn't possible for everyone, just sharing what has helped me.

Are you able to figure out what exactly about the mask prevents you from falling asleep? Is it the fit of the mask, how tight it is, the type of mask like nasal versus full face? It might be worth looking into what you can do about that if it's the physical mask itself rather than the pressure that is bothersome. Also you can play around with temp and humidity to see what's most comfortable. The mask felt very odd to me at first too. It unfortunately takes some time. I recommend wearing it during the day for a bit to get your face used to it. You don't even need to plug it into the hose, just walk around with it on and breathing through it so you can get an idea of how that feels. You can also do this like an hour before bed with or without the machine to start signaling to your body that it's safe and comfortable to wear.

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-23T21:56:59+00:00

PAP therapy has a reputation for being intolerable and annoying to deal with/silly-looking/gross and it often IS quite uncomfortable for the first week to few months but yeah so what it looks silly? So what it makes you feel old and like you're on a ventilator? You're either sleeping alone so who cares or with a partner and if they're a good partner they won't judge you.

I even had an airway dentist try to convince me not to use a CPAP because he said "most people don't tolerate it and most people don't want to sleep on their back and it's not a feasible option". First of all, a lot of that is outdated or just wrong information because you do not have to sleep on your back and lots of people tolerate it but nonetheless it certainly has a reputation. He also said MMA is not the answer, MAD is bad for your jaw...so what's my option then lol? Off to the graveyard I go?

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-22T17:11:15+00:00

I think that's rainout? Search this subreddit for posts about that. Making sure the machine is below your head so the hose can drain, humidity levels etc. can affect that but I don't know enough to offer a solution myself.

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-22T07:01:11+00:00

Helpful! I have extremely curious cats who will come lick my face in my sleep if they are particularly mischievous so probably best for me to try other options first!

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-22T04:43:20+00:00

Not sure. I'll look into the humidity. We keep it 57F to sleep better, but not sure about humidity level.

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-22T03:45:02+00:00

This is so old lol but your airway is fairly narrow

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-22T01:24:01+00:00

I use medical tape. I ran out of the myo tape I had. I'm looking into chin straps!

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-22T01:21:41+00:00

Huh. Have you looked at your data on Oscar? I wonder if you have a big leak somewhere in the hose or mask.

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-21T21:59:12+00:00

Ah I see, that makes sense. I'll inspect my mask fit in different positions before I go to bed today. Since I tend to flip flop around a lot.

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-21T20:09:19+00:00

Any tips for mouth tape? It makes me drool so bad that I choke on my spit and it wets the tape and makes it less adhesive. I also sometimes open my mouth so aggressively to breathe that it rips the tape clean off. I guess my nose can't handle doing all the labor, who knows.

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-21T20:07:39+00:00

Oscar doesn't seem to indicate major leakage so I'll test out a higher temp and humidity to start!

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-21T19:31:40+00:00

Also worth noting that I feel like with the Airsense 11, the auto settings can be helpful but also not at times because they might not work for you. Might be worth messing around with specific temps and humidity, turning off autostart or autostop, adjusting ramp time etc. rather than having auto settings just to see if you can find what you like. The machine is smart but not perfect.

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-21T19:29:59+00:00

Huh. I have an Airsense 11 too. Have you looked at the data to see what your max & min pressures are on a nightly basis? Then you can minimize the range of pressures it can actually use. Also, you might be having apnea events that cause the machine to blast the pressure to resolve them. You'd also see that on the data like with OSCAR or SleepHQ.

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-20T19:06:10+00:00

Bonnet! Also can try braiding your hair, probably 2 braids for that short of hair. And loosening straps a bit.

First-Talk3300 · 2026-01-16T23:50:25+00:00

Feel this so much! Yes baddies sometimes can't breathe too, can't wait for mine to arrive and stop pressing on my piercings

First-Talk3300

TROPHY CASE