Implant Activation Day!
May 3, 2021 –
Yet another huge day in my life – the day my Inspire implant got activated! I had to wait a month after surgery so that my nerve in my neck that controls my tongue could heal. To activate my implant, my ENT doctor essentially places a device on my chest (over the implant) that can turn on and off the device, as well as increase or decrease the intensity depending on what my doctor is testing.
When he activated it, at first I didn’t really feel anything. But once he turned up the intensity, all I can say is WOAH. It’s such a weird feeling to not be in control of my own tongue. In the video below, you can see my tongue stick out and then go back in, all due to the device. It was a really surreal experience to witness. Technology is so amazing!
So how the implant works is – when I’m heading to bed, I take this remote (see photo below) and click on the big green play button. I then hold the remote against my chest where the implant is and wait for it to beep, indicating it is on. It is set to delay moving my tongue for 30 minutes so that I can try to fall asleep before then and not feel too uncomfortable.
So on the first night, when I had it on, honestly I didn’t even feel it. I think it’s because we started at a very low setting (level 2). Each week for the next couple of months, I will work on moving up one level if I’m able to tolerate it. I may develop sores on my tongue due to it hitting my teeth all night, but my doctor said I will eventually develop callouses and adjust to it. I had no idea you could develop callouses on your tongue! I woke up at 5:30 AM that first morning after. But I was exhausted and had a bad headache, like I usually do every day.
On the second night, I actually slept really well. I woke up again at 5:30 AM but this time I actually had a lot of energy and no bad headache. It was amazing! Something I rarely, if ever get to experience. I looked at my sleep tracker ring (Wellue 02Ring) data and saw that my oxygen dipped only on average 0.3 times per hour. What?! Usually it dips every 3 minutes due to the loss of my airway. I know it was only one night, but I’m truly hoping this is the start of a positive trend.
The last 2 nights haven’t been as smooth, but then again it’s been a very busy and tiring work week. I know this is just the start, but I’m truly excited for what’s to come! If all goes well, I should see bigger improvements over the next few months or so. Thank you for joining me on this journey to being happier and healthier, one step at a time. xoxo
