Many of you know Brad had to undergo multiple surgeries before he left for Iraq. After the experience he commented about his care on a survey card, some time later they called Brad for his story. Steven's Hospital interviewed us both shortly before he deployed. Here is the story...
When It’s More than Just Snoring
When Brad Sharp realized his severe snoring concerned his fiancée, he had enough reason to see a doctor. But when he learned he actually had sleep apnea and it had the potential to end his life and his 17-year Air Force career, Sharp had to take more drastic measures.
“Just like everybody else, you don’t know you have sleep problems until someone tells you about it,” said Sharp of Edmonds. “There’s a huge misconception about snoring, it doesn’t seem like something that’s indicative of any major problem, it just seems like it’s indicative of a hard worker, a virile man in some respects.”
According to Sharp, what convinced him to go to his doctor, Dr. Kevin Harrin of Mill Creek Family Practice, was that his fiancée had such a heartfelt concern about his snoring. His doctor referred him to Dr. McCoy at Stevens Hospital.
When he was referred to Stevens, Sharp questioned his doctor and was assured that Stevens was the place to go. After his experience at Stevens his perception of the community hospital completely turned around. “I was a little worried about Stevens because it’s not Seattle,” said Sharp. “I was hoping for it to be ok but it was fantastic. It’s so anomalous to be treated that well, across the board.”
In his initial consultation, Dr. McCoy presented the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask, a system that delivers a stream of air to the nasal passages keeping them open, as the main treatment option for sleep apnea. Sharp explained to Dr. McCoy that he would soon be deploying to Iraq and that the CPAP mask was not an option for him. In fact, he found out the Air Force considers sleep apnea an incurable problem. If Sharp had to rely on a CPAP machine he would likely be discharged from the Air Force. “I was up against a wall,” said Sharp. “I have put 17 years into the Air Force and I don’t want to lose all that service because I snore. It was huge; it was going to take away the biggest part of my life.”
The first thing Sharp needed to do was complete a sleep study but the idea of doing that created a lot of anxiety for him. “The anxiety level was off the Richter scale for me,” said Sharp. “I couldn’t have had any higher anxiety walking through the door.”
After coming to the Stevens Hospital Sleep Center, Sharp admits, “It was kind of unfair to the Stevens people because they had no idea how much anxiety I had and how quickly I would have bolted if just one person would have given me just one raised weird eyebrow. I mean, I was looking for a sign. But the Stevens technician was great.”
Sharp had a lot of questions about the machines, what was monitored and what it all was going to mean. Kristen Asterhan, the Stevens Sleep Center technician, took time with Sharp to really explain the process.
“I felt like I got a first rate education about what was going on,” said Sharp. “I had no idea walking through the door what was going to happen except that I was going to be hooked up to some monitoring equipment and sleep.”
After getting the results from his sleep study, Sharp felt like he had some validity. “There is a huge amount of anxiety because it’s happening when you are asleep,” said Sharp. “It’s the weirdest thing to be diagnosed for something that you have no cognitive idea of what it’s really about.”
Because of the Air Force, Sharp’s only option for treatment was a series of five highly unpopular surgeries. Adding to that, Sharp was scheduled to deploy to Iraq in five months which meant that he would have to face all five surgeries, which are usually spaced out over months, at the same time: adenoids, tonsils, soft pallet, uvula and nasal reconstruction. Dr. Mueller of Everett Ear Nose and Throat was hesitant but agreed, telling Sharp: “Look, I’ll do it because you’re young and you care… but if you want me to hit a home run you better be fit to bat.”
“We kind of pledged to each other that he was going to do his best and I was going to do mine,” said Sharp. “Lifestyle changes are key. I took up running, became a vegetarian and other things that contribute to a higher success rate.”
Nearly 75 stitches, an intense two weeks and 48 pounds later, Sharp recovered from the surgeries and was cured of sleep apnea, saving his Air Force career. Typically, these surgeries are successful in relieving sleep apnea in only 40 to 60 percent of patients. Sharp attributes his success to a great surgeon and his commitment to the necessary lifestyle changes.
After having the surgeries and enduring recovery Sharp believes that it’s important to share his story with others. “There are a lot of misconceptions about sleep apnea,” said Sharp. “People don’t really take it all that seriously and the spouses adapt to it over time. If your spouse is waking up more than twice a night, I’d say you have a problem and you need to get it fixed.”
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