Testimonial from Inspire therapy user Matthias W

Get to know Inspire user Matthias

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  • Name: Matthias
  • Where he lives: Southern England
  • Occupation: Management consultant
  • Marital status: Married
  • Hobbies: Enjoys everything on, in, and under the water like open water swimming (all year around, especially in the cold) and recently discovered SwimRuns.
  • Date of surgery: Feb 2022
  • Treatment centre: Guy's Hospital, London

Life with a CPAP Machine

Travelling is a big part of Matthias’ life, and he often found it difficult to carry around the CPAP machine to ensure he was sleeping properly throughout the night. He found using the CPAP machine was affecting the quality of his sleep as well because it was not comfortable for him wearing something on this face during the night.

Matthias would wake up in the morning even after ten hours of sleep and feel extremely tired, taking him almost an hour to get out of bed, only to find himself drifting off to sleep very soon.

With his OSA diagnosis, Matthias was not looking forward to having another 40 years of his life using a CPAP machine and made the decision to look for alternatives. This led him to discover Inspire therapy.

“I reached out to my consultant at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. Very shortly after I had my initial consultation with him, and a few weeks of sleep study on site confirmed that I was an eligible patient.”

A few weeks after his surgery and once Matthias was fully healed, Inspire therapy was switched on. Matthias said it took him a little bit of time to get it exactly right for him, adjusting the settings to learn what best suited him.

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Improving the Quality of Life

Matthias used to have to pack light to accommodate his CPAP machine during his trips, making sure to carry a plug, cleaning equipment and sometimes even purchasing an extension cord so that the machine could reach the bed. Since his implant, he only needs to pack his Inspire remote which is no bigger than a small TV remote and lets him switch on the implant before he goes to bed.

“The main point for me really is the quality of life. Just going to bed when I'm tired, pressing the button on my remote and I can drift off to sleep. I'm not getting up at night for anything, and I definitely feel more refreshed in the morning. And in the morning, I just turn the therapy off and then can get on with my day.”

He usually meets with his sleep team once or twice a year to discuss how the therapy is helping him.

Before the procedure, Matthias was estimated to be breathing properly for 15 minutes in an hour in his sleep, with 36 to 40 episodes of breathing stops per hour of up to a minute long. Since the procedure, this has now come down to 3 episodes per hour, and these are only a couple of seconds long.

Matthias was one of the first people in the UK to receive Inspire therapy and encourages those getting the procedure to allow it some time to understand what settings work best for them.

“There’s definitely some patience required from making the decision to go ahead with the procedure and from having the operation to the activation, until the full effects show. The benefits and the quality of life and good night's sleep you could get back might be significant and very, very positive.”

To talk to Matthias 1-1, contact our Inspire specialist to discuss
www.inspiresleep.co.uk/contact

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The above patient testimonials regarding sleep apnoea treatment refer to individual treatment results. The statements are genuine, representative and documented. Responses to therapy may vary and is not always the same. Patients received reimbursement for travel expenses and an allowance for time spent in connection with their testimonials.

Inspire therapy is suitable for patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea. For patients with a confirmed medical problem with CPAP, such as a CPAP mask intolerance, Inspire therapy may be an effective treatment. For this reason, patient testimonials are only given from those patients for whom treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (e.g. with a CPAP mask) has failed. The product category (C)PAP mask is not called into question. Individual treatment outcomes may vary. For important information about Inspire therapy and its implementation, risks and safety, visit www.inspiresleep.co.uk/important-safety-information.

Our telephone advice does not replace a medical consultation.