In this first‑person testimonial, the speaker recounts his gradual onset of excessive daytime sleepiness beginning in 2004, culminating in a diagnosis of severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with an airway narrowed to about 4 mm (versus a normal 15‑19 mm). He initially used a CPAP machine, which improved his breathing but left him chronically fatigued. After a dentist referral, he consulted Dr. Bill Hang, who presented three options: lifelong CPAP, orthodontic jaw widening (≈10‑20 years benefit), or jaw widening combined with surgical advancement in Texas for a full‑life‑expectancy restoration. Choosing the third option, he underwent surgery with Dr. Wolford’s team, experienced a painless recovery, and reports a dramatic return of energy, sleep quality, and physical performance (e.g., skiing at altitude without thigh burn). He emphasizes that for patients under 65, jaw expansion and advancement can eliminate the need for CPAP, and he advocates for orthodontic practices that preserve lower‑jaw growth rather than extracting teeth. The narrative underscores the life‑altering impact of the surgical solution, the compassionate care of Dr. Wolford’s family‑run practice, and the speaker’s gratitude for gaining potentially 20 extra years of health.
Chapters
How did you get diagnosed with narcolepsy? Well, I would say it started in August of 2004 when my supervisors at work had the courage to tell me face-to-face that I was falling asleep in meetings. Nodding off. Directly across the table from them. And I said, I'm totally unaware of it. Name a couple of meetings where that's happened. Well, they named 2 or 3 or 4. I said, oh my God, I can't believe it. And I said, I need to see a doctor. And they agreed. The problem I noticed that it was harder and harder to get up in the morning. I noticed I felt more tired and wanted to retire to bed earlier and earlier each evening, to the point that I was going to bed an hour or an hour and a half earlier than I used to and not wanting to get out of bed, almost having to force myself. Definitely getting to work later and later. Fortunately, I had flex time, so I'd stay later, but I'd be tired during the day. Eventually, you know, wanting to nap. Eventually, you know, wanting to close my eyes while I was driving home. And I'd play this game. Well, how long can I close my eyes and not run off the road or hit somebody? It was bad. Severe obstructive sleep apnea is when your airway, through which all the air passes to your lungs, is dramatically reduced from its normal dimension. Normal dimension is 15 to 19 millimeters in diameter. Mine was measured at 4 millimeters in diameter. A typical soda straw is 6 millimeters. So I immediately began using a CPAP breathing machine that forced air into my lungs while I slept. And it helped dramatically, but I still felt tired during the day because it was a struggle to get air through a 4 millimeter opening all day long. And I was on a medical leave from my employment, and I developed some jaw pain, probably due to eating too much red licorice. And I went and saw my dentist, Michael Reeder, and I happened to mention to him that I had sleep apnea. He could find nothing wrong with the jaw or the joint. But he recommended me to Dr. Hang. I saw Bill and he gave me the news in a very dramatic way. He said, Alan, you have 3 choices. You do nothing, you wear the CPAP machine religiously the rest of your life, and you're gonna die 20 years prematurely. Second choice is you let me widen your jaw with orthodontia, give your tongue more room to move forward in your mouth. That'll buy you 20— 10 years. Or you let me widen your jaw and then we send you to a surgeon in Texas who will advance it forward and give you a proper airway, and then you'll live your normal life expectancy. Well, I was just 60 at the time. My father and grandfather lived into their mid-90s. I didn't feel like kicking off at 72, so I took the third option. Hmm, I'd rather Not think about that, but the fact is that I'd be going to bed early, having little energy during the day. I would not want to get out of bed. I would lie around a lot more. I would probably be taking a nap in the afternoon, not able to keep up with other people. Um. And I honestly and truly believe that, you know, even with the breathing machine, I probably would have kicked off in my early 70s. And that's not a very pleasant thought to think about. I have 10 grandchildren, 5 from my side of the family, 5 from my wife's side, and I'd be missing an awful lot if If I wasn't around in 10 more years. And I went to Texas, had the surgery, totally pain-free. I mean, yes, I took medication to, to make it pain-free, but I never felt any discomfort Any pain. I never regretted it for one moment. Dr. Wolford's wife does the insurance in the office, and his wife's mother, that is Dr. Wolford's mother-in-law, Eve LeBlanc, sits at the front desk, and she's the receptionist and schedules all the appointments. Now that's a family business, and he is the most wonderful, caring individual. You'd ever want to meet. He, he always has a smile. He's always anxious to hear how you're doing. He always has time for you no matter when it is that you call. And as I said, in the days following my surgery, he saw me every single day, including Saturdays and Sundays. Took extremely good care of me. It's like being born again. I stay up now as late as I want, 11:30, 12:30. I get up at 7:00, 7:30, jump out of bed and start doing whatever it is I want to do, like I was 35-year-old again, or younger, who knows. But it's great. It is absolutely a life-altering experience. Yeah, the improvement in my breathing is such that when I'm skiing, even at high altitude, like in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, I can go from the top of the mountain all the way to the base An elevation drop of 2,500 feet without stopping and without any thigh burn whatsoever because now I'm breathing, I'm getting plenty of oxygen, and it's the lack of oxygen that causes the burning. I don't believe that anyone who has obstructive sleep apnea has to wear a CPAP machine the rest of their life, you know, unless they're, you know, they get it in their 80s or 90s. But anyone 65 or younger, I believe there are ways by widening the jaw, by advancing it, by oral appliances, To eliminate the need for a CPAP machine, especially if you have a problem with intolerance of it. And I hear that a lot from people with sleep apnea, that they just don't like wearing the machine. They can't turn over, it doesn't fit right, it leaks. And I hope there'll be a lot of orthodontists who, you know, learn that, one, you shouldn't pull teeth out of children. And 2, you need to make sure that the lower jaw gets advanced forward in the face instead of just, you know, correcting the malalignment of their teeth. It's life-altering. The fact that I'm now going to be able to live to my normal life expectancy is You know, how can you thank somebody for giving you 20 extra years?
