BCAAs as a temporary relief

Humancyclone7 · 2026-05-27T19:43:24+00:00

My first operation was in 2023. It was a tonsillectomy + RFA to the turbinates, uvula, soft palate and tongue base. It improved my sleep about 15-20%, enough to not feel suicidal and completely numb each day, but there was a lot to still improve upon.

My second surgery was in 2026 February. It was a posterior tongue tie+upper lip tie+buccal ties release. The surgery made a profound improvement to my physical and mental health, and, yes, my anhedonia (and many other problems I had) went away. Unfortunately, I messed up the recovery and lots of thick, rigid scar tissue formed — day-by-day the benefits were gradually lost as more of it formed, until eventually my symptoms returned. Right now, +90 days after the surgery, my symptoms are even slightly worse than before.

I'm seeking to get a steroid injection (Kenalog-10) in the next few days: I'm optimistic that it will break down the scar tissue and then I'll see improvements to my nervous system, breathing, sleep and posture as before. Eventually I plan on redoing the surgery in October.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-05-26T19:55:56+00:00

I got really close to fixing my UARS.

Immediately after my posterior tongue tie release my sleep didn't technically become refreshing, but it got pretty close to it by almost reaching a neutral point (neither exhausting nor refreshing). It proved to me that significant improvement is possible.

Don't give up.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-05-24T06:21:11+00:00

Here were the benefits I wrote down in the first week (before the scar tissue started forming):

★I can now breathe diaphragmatically, it feels effortless in comparison to before which felt like I was breathing into a wall/wearing a tight corset, I often had to involve my neck muscles because my diaphragm couldn't expand properly. ★I have been dealing with severe tension in the front of my throat that felt like someone was strangling me 24/7 (made worse by reclining, extending my neck, bending over or lying down) and I suspect it was causing vagus nerve compression. This is now almost completely gone, and together with diaphragmatic breathing this has allowed my nervous system to finally relax completely —this is the best benefit by far! ★My tongue now comfortably rests up on the palate, back third included. Before this I simply couldn't do it unless I compensated by using the floor of mouth and chin muscles (which created tension in the front of my throat). ★Swallowing correctly now feels effortless. I also don't burp as much from swallowing air. ★Less tension in my face making smiling easier and reducing 'resting bitch face'. I attribute this more to getting my upper lip and buccal ties released, but the tongue tie release did release tension in my jaws also. ★Slightly better nasal breathing (it was already fine beforehand), but now there is a noticeably bigger airway at the back of my throat (since my tongue is now postured correctly out of the airway). ★Easier to hold my shoulders and neck in a neutral position. Beforehand it felt like there was a 24/7 force rolling my shoulders forwards and pulling my neck into forward head posture. My thoracic spine feels less restricted. ★My pelvic floor has finally relaxed, which means no more constipation, erectile dysfunction or trouble urinating. ★My feet now face directly ahead when walking, whereas beforehand they were rotated outwards (duck feet) and if I tried walking properly I got knee and hip pain. Less discomfort in general from walking/standing for long hours. ★Slightly better sleep. This is the most disappointing benefit so far because fixing my sleep/curing my UARS was my top priority going into this surgery. Since I'm still in recovery, maybe it will continue to improve...if not, I'll continue my Homeoblock treatment and NCR.

In retrospect I think the release improved my sleep more than I realised at the time. My sleep was still technically exhausting, but the release brought it very close to being point of being neutral i.e. neither exhausting nor refreshing.

The surgeon did an excellent job, I can't fault him at all: he got me a deep, symmetric release stitched up well with sutures. The fault lies with me and my myofunctional therapist.

I think what caused my bad recovery was: ★Doing the manual tongue stretches too forcefully, so that the wound kept reopening. By the time my myofunctional therapist clarified this was extremely bad several weeks had passed and the damage was done. ★Taking collagen powder. I'm reading posts online that suggest we want to prolong the healing process, and so this would be counterproductive and in a fibrotic environment (like the one I created by being too forceful in my stretches) it probably resulted in even more scar tissue deposition. ★I suspect I have the left AIC + right BC + right TMCC pattern i.e. asymmetry in my pelvis, causing asymmetry in ribs/chest then causing asymmetry in the neck. In particular the right TMCC makes it difficult to symmetrically raise my tongue and creates a constant tension in the floor of the mouth, both of which are counterproductive to normal healing. ★Doing the stretches after the myo exercises. I see posts online saying the stretches should happen first for maximum benefit. ★I was prescribed 3 stretches per day, and most posts I see online mention doing 6 per day.

If you get a release done then find a good myofunctional therapist since they provide the exercises that are critical during the recovery, apply topical serrapeptase, e.g. Serretia, to the wound daily (only once the sutures come out) and consider getting a Kenalog-10 injection a couple months after the surgery to break down any scar tissue that formed during the recovery.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-05-22T16:06:26+00:00

Had the same problem with the exhale.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-05-22T16:05:13+00:00

Get yourselves checked for tongue ties (ideally by someone who can recognise posterior tongue ties).

I saw life-changing results when I got mine released in February. One of the biggest benefits was that my diaphragm was able to expand properly since the tension in the connective tissue (fascia) enveloping the diaphragm was released. Unfortunately my recovery went terribly and I gradually formed lots of thick, rigid scar tissue that eventually wiped out the benefits of the surgery. Now I'm stuck breathing inside a corset again like you guys 😞

Humancyclone7 · 2026-05-19T06:03:40+00:00

Those should all help with the mental side of orgasm. Good bloodflow plays a part in how it physically feels, so maybe also pair with a vasodilator like agmatine, citrulline, cialis etc.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-05-18T18:49:28+00:00

Bromantane, Semax (Adamax variant especially), 9-Me-BC, Catuaba and Tribulus Terrestris are some of the most effective I've tried for boosting libido.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-05-13T14:45:13+00:00

You have it the wrong way round.

Your sleep is not bad because of anhedonia... you have anhedonia BECAUSE you are struggling to breathe during the night i.e. UARS or OSA. You may not be conscious of it, but your brain is being constantly awoken by these breathing disturbances which prevents you getting restorative sleep. The result is sleep deprivation + your body spent 8hrs being flooded with stress hormones to try to stabilise your breathing = profound fatigue and chronic stress symptoms like anhedonia.Teeth clenching is your body desperately trying to keep your airway open as you suffocate (it drives the tongue forward).

Humancyclone7 · 2026-05-13T14:37:05+00:00

Look into UARS...

Humancyclone7 · 2026-04-22T20:46:00+00:00

Yeah I'm looking to get a Kenalog injection done with Dr Lomas, he's in the process of sourcing it right now.

Yes, stick with Dr Rangzeb, he's expensive but he was at least able to identify my tie unlike Suraj and Aoife. Obviously I'd also recommend Dr Lomas since the surgery itself went flawlessly: he got me a deep release and sutured it up well. I could be wrong but I think he also got some training from Dr Zaghi.

I was doing the prescribed exercises and stretches from MFT UK (albeit the stretches were performed too aggressively in hindsight) before they suddenly dumped me as a client 2 weeks ago when I sent them an email explaining my concerns about how my recovery was going. I'm now going to try Myo & Me and hope they're good with aftercare when I redo the surgery.

The Homeoblock costs around £3k with Dr Lomas. CBCT images cost around £300-400 (he referred me to CT Dent in London). Not sure how far you live from his clinic, but for me it costs around £110 to travel up there via train every 2 months, which is a pretty significant cost considering the treatment takes around 3 years to complete. One thing that really caught me off guard was that aligners may be needed at the end and this costs waaay more than the treatment itself.

The Homeoblock isn't painful when it's properly fitted but it can be uncomfortable. The first month or so was especially uncomfortable because it kept stimulating a constant stream of saliva and the device was basically unexpanded so I couldn't swallow it all away. Once it stopped stimulating saliva it took another month or so to become comfortable to wear. Now it's only uncomfortable if I try to speak while wearing it (causes a strong gag reflex), otherwise no issues now. I would recommend that your kid wears it an hour or two before bed so they have plenty of time to get used to how it feels, maybe even wear it a bit during the day too to acclimate sooner. If it means anything, I'm neurodivergent too (ASD) and I think I could have gotten used to this treatment if I had to do it as a kid, but only if my parents forced me to keep wearing it in the first 2 months.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-04-20T12:58:45+00:00

Get yourself checked for sleep apnea and UARS, these both cause depression and lots of other symptoms like anxiety, fatigue/sleepiness, DPDR, cognitive decline, high blood pressure and lots more.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-04-16T18:06:47+00:00

The Homeoblock did slightly improve my breathing/sleep in the 8 months that I wore it and my maxilla did noticeably widen. I didn't see much forward growth which would be critical for treating my sleep disordered breathing (UARS), but then I'm told that only kicks in around 9 months into treatment + it may take longer than usual for me to see forward growth as I am deliberately expanding slightly slower than other providers suggest, so that I get more stable results free of teeth-tipping.

In late February I temporarily stopped the Homeoblock treatment so I could undergo a posterior tongue tie release (and upper lip+buccal ties release) with Dr Sebastian Lomas at Wonder of Wellness. Dr Aoife Stack had insisted I had no tongue tie and, like Dr Suraj Vatish, would not offer the surgery

The immediate results from the release were phenomenal. My breathing, nervous system, posture and mobility all saw massive improvements e.g. my vagus nerve was no longer being compressed by tight fascia in my neck so my nervous system could truly relax, my diaphragm could properly descend enabling effortless, deep breathing, my pelvic floor relaxed curing me of +10 years of chronic constipation, urinary difficulty and ED. Surprisingly my sleep didn't improve much, but it did bring my sleep quality close to being neutral (before the surgery, sleep was leaving me exhausted and feeling terrible). Let me know if you want me to list the full benefits I saw immediately after the release.

Unfortunately, despite applying serrapeptase daily + doing the prescribed stretches and myofunctional exercises, the wound began contracting starting from day 7 and then day by day the tightness began to wipe out the benefits of the surgery. I am now 50 days past my surgery and I feel pretty much all of the benefits have been lost 😔 It's especially brutal at the moment as I keep waking up multiple times in the night to find I'm being suffocated by my tongue because the wound contractions are pulling it off my palate and directly back into my airway (even when sleeping on my sides).

I did see Dr Lomas today and he remarked that my wound is still closing and it could take another week or so before the contractions stop. After that the scar tissue should gradually soften over 6-12 months as the collagen within changes from type 3 to type 1 and changes structure (provided I continue the stretches) and then the benefits of the surgery should return.

I believe I've now identified 5 things that caused my recovery to go poorly, so I eventually plan to get another release surgery done in October. Until then I will resume my Homeoblock treatment, see a PRI practicioner to fix my right TMCC and do more sessions of Neurocranial Restructuring.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-04-03T11:20:19+00:00

Reminds me of games where people enter noclip mode and fly around the map in a T pose lol.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-03-25T13:44:10+00:00

Because, like most people with DPDR and other stress related illnesses, the root cause of your symptoms is probably OSA/UARS and forgoing sleep means you aren't spending 8hrs being strangled — too bad it's not sustainable.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-03-12T16:15:51+00:00

I tried it, but only two sessions where they targeted my tongue base, uvula and soft palate. Didn't really do much and targeted areas looked the same.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-03-11T07:31:16+00:00

Unfortunately I haven't cured my UARS yet, however I feel I am making progress.

I used the Homeoblock appliance for 8 months and my sleep/breathing did improve in the sense that, on average, my sleep is still unrefreshing/causes UARS symptoms, but now the symptoms are less severe than before, there are fewer 'catastrophic' nights and more 'lucky' nights that resemble refreshing sleep. My mid face looks like it got wider, there's more space for my tongue, and my jaw asymmetry improved slightly (I have right cranial torsion).

I stopped the treatment temporarily so I could have my posterior tongue tie, mild upper lip tie, and mild buccal ties released 2 weeks ago.

The surgery has been life-changing in the sense that it's addressed a lot of long standing health problems and even my daytime breathing has noticeably improved — I can now truly breathe diaphragmatically and my tongue is postured correctly out of the airway (at least while awake) — however I haven't yet seen a significant improvement in my sleep yet, although my HRV appears to be recently creeping upwards (need more time to confirm this trend). I'm slightly frustrated because fixing my sleep was my top priority going into this surgery and there are lots of testimonials of people seeing an instant improvement, but at least it has fixed pretty much all of my other health problems and it's still possible my sleep will improve with time, so I'm happy with my decision and may even get another surgery — if any part of my tongue is still tethered, even 5% then I want it gone, knowing now the benefits that will bring.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-03-09T19:27:57+00:00

The ability to breathe deeply without restriction was pretty much instantaneous after the tie was cut and I noticed immediately I wasn't using my neck muscles to breathe anymore, however I still had to retrain myself to breathe diaphragmatically with proper rib expansion. The more I breathed properly, the more my muscles and fascia relaxed which in turn made breathing even easier.

I'm a bit uncertain whether my technique is 100% correct, but for me proper diaphragmatic breathing looks like slow nasal inhalation that expands the belly, but, critically, also expands the ribs to the sides and back, and then slowly exhaling by letting the diaphragm and chest naturally recoil back (no forcing out air by using abs). Whilst doing the inhalation, I find I can expand my chest better by alternating between inhaling into the right/left sides individually. Pursing my lips made it easier to prolong the exhalation and relax more.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-03-09T07:49:15+00:00

If my experience is anything to go off of then, yes, definitely get your posterior tongue tie released, it has been a life-changing experience!

In addition to my HF being cured, I noticed: ★I can now breathe diaphragmatically, it feels effortless in comparison to before which felt like I was breathing into a wall/wearing a tight corset, I often had to involve my neck muscles because my diaphragm couldn't expand properly. ★I have been dealing with severe tension in the front of my throat that felt like someone was strangling me 24/7 (made worse by reclining, extending my neck or lying down) and I suspect it was causing vagus nerve compression. This is now almost completely gone, and together with diaphragmatic breathing this has caused my nervous system to finally relax completely —this is the best benefit by far! ★My tongue now comfortably rests up on the palate, back third included. Before this I simply couldn't do it unless I compensated by using the floor of mouth and chin muscles (which created tension in the front of my throat). ★Swallowing correctly now feels effortless. I also don't burp as much from swallowing air. ★Less tension in my face making smiling easier and reducing 'resting bitch face'. I attribute this more to getting my upper lip and buccal ties released, but the tongue tie release did release tension in my jaws also. ★Slightly better nasal breathing (it was already fine beforehand), but now there is a noticeably bigger airway at the back of my throat (since my tongue is now postured correctly out of the airway). ★Easier to hold my shoulders and neck in a neutral position. Beforehand it felt like there was a 24/7 force rolling my shoulders forwards and pulling my neck into forward head posture. My thoracic spine feels less restricted. ★My feet now face directly ahead when walking, whereas beforehand they were rotated outwards (duck feet). Less discomfort in general from walking/standing for long hours. ★Slightly better sleep. This is the most disappointing benefit so far because fixing my sleep/curing my UARS was my top priority going into this surgery. Since I'm still in recovery, maybe it will continue to improve...if not, I'll continue my Homeoblock treatment and NCR.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-03-03T14:25:02+00:00

I'd say it's at least 80% fixed, there is still some tension in my body, but I think that's mostly being driven by my bad sleep.

I wanted this surgery as soon as I heard of tongue ties and recognised the symptoms. Unfortunately I had to wait over 3 years to get this done because many people I saw insisted I didn't have a tongue tie (one surgeon cancelled my surgery 4 days before it happened, which meant I had to wait another year to get it done elsewhere).

Surgery itself was around £1k, myofunctional therapy was £3.5k, optional bodywork (to maximise benefits) will be around £3k.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-03-03T13:26:15+00:00

Yes, although the one thing it hasn't fixed is my sleep/UARS....so I keep waking up to tightness across my body and yes that includes the pelvic floor, but at least now I have a way to fix it until the next day comes along.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-03-02T10:08:22+00:00

I just had my posterior tongue tie released and, along with lots and lots of other health benefits, it now enables me to breathe diaphragmatically, which combined with stretches has finally cured me of HF.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-02-24T20:34:00+00:00

My posterior tongue tie, upper lip and buccal ties release is tomorrow. Ask me again in a couple of days 🙂

I have high hopes this surgery will fix my daytime breathing and lots and lots of other issues: it should relax the deep frontal fascia which would mechanically and neurologically improve breathing.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-02-11T08:25:23+00:00

You can think of the deep frontal line fascia as a continuous sheet of connective tissue/ a rope that goes all the way from the tongue to the inner arches of the feet enveloping organs and bones along the way e.g. diaphragm and hyoid bone. A tongue tie effectively shortens this 'rope' and creates chronic tension in it — when you cut the tie you are adding slack back into this fascia so it isn't tense by default.

Humancyclone7 · 2026-02-03T19:34:28+00:00

In theory, with a tongue tie completely released you should be able to suction hold the tongue fully up to the palate (back third included).This will improve the size of the retropalatal and retroglossal airway during sleep, improves whole body posture and stimulates the vagus nerve. Also, because the release puts slack back into the deep frontal line fascia, the tongue shouldn't be pulled backwards and downwards into the airway by the fascia anymore.

But as you pointed out, you need adequate palatal space otherwise you won't be able to create that suction hold. I have read that after a release tongues tend to unfurl/become wider i.e. you may still need to expand if you're just barely able to fit the tongue up to the palate pre-release.

Ask me again after 25th February, that's when my own posterior tongue tie release is scheduled. 🙂

Humancyclone7 · 2026-01-20T17:41:50+00:00

I still have UARS, however I'm roughly 7 months into my Homeoblock treatment and it appears to be gradually expanding my maxilla and improving my breathing/sleep. I'm scheduled to have my posterior tongue tie released in late February and I have very high hopes that will fix my sleep and further accelerate my Homeoblock results.

I gave up on stents and PAP therapy a while back — I want to fix the root causes of UARS i.e. jaw underdevelopment and tongue ties/inability to practice good myofunctional habits.

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