Helmut Mollnow

Chapter 1 before surgery:

It all started when my wife noticed that I was having breathing problems at night in 2016. On the advice of friends, I then made an appointment at the sleep lab to have myself checked. The result was a disaster: 91 breathing stops per hour (equivalent to about 1.5 breathing stops per minute). Furthermore, I had only 61% oxygen content in my blood and the doctor explained to me that I have no deep sleep at night and urgently need a breathing mask at night to counteract a possible cardiac arrest. My private health insurance company LKH refused to pay for the ventilator "Ventimotion 2" on the grounds that you have to pay for some additional equipment (for your own health) yourself (stupid reason). However, since the whole thing was very acute in my case, I bought the ventilator from the Internet and paid for it from my money. With the use of the device at night, the risk of heart attack is reduced, but the cause is in no way addressed. As a result, I went to Switzerland to be examined at my own expense and got a clear answer about the possibility of a cure. The only possibility is: to put the upper and lower jaw forward, so that the airways become free again. After that I received a message from Mr. Heiko Musiolik, who made a suggestion for an operation in Heidelberg with Dr. Frey. Thereupon I immediately made an appointment for an examination. After several hours of discussion with Dr. Frey, it was clear to me that only surgery was an option. With the support of Mr. Musiolik, I took care of the payment with my health insurance and an appointment for surgery as soon as possible. At the beginning of 2017 I used the ventilator and in December 2017 I was operated.

Chapter 2 after surgery:

The surgery went without complications. The only painful thing was swallowing after the operation, but after several attempts, which I was advised to do, that was also OK after the first night. The inpatient care at the SeegartenKlinik in Heidelberg was 1a. The swellings in my face became less every day, also thanks to a special cooling mask that could and should be put on day and night. My blood oxygen level rose to 98% the very first night after the operation, which meant that my breathing was back to normal. I slept excellently through every night, which was not the case before (getting up 3-5 times was standard). The food intake is liquid of course ie all pureed to drink. This has a huge advantage because they eat very healthy, are full faster and lose weight very quickly. Conditional on the higher oxygen content in the blood, the burning of fats in the body is enabled again (with me it was from the surgery to the end of January 2018 over 20 kilos!). In the process, I ate (drank) a hamburger (except for the bun) and a curry sausage pureed in the first weeks afterwards, which was flawless in taste. Food-wise, you just have to come up with something. In no case should you start early with meat, nuts or similar things, because the bones have to grow together again. By larger chewing loads they can shift unnecessarily or in the worst case the splints break out, which inevitably leads to a new operation. After 1 month you can already chew different softer foods and after 3 months the bones have grown together again completely. The fixation by the splints and screws do not hinder you at all and they are removed after 6 months. The facial profile changes slightly, but to your advantage. A somewhat annoying side effect is numbness around the mouth area, but this recovers relatively quickly with lymphatic drainage. It can take up to a year for all the nerves in the face to be completely restored. For me, after 4 months, except for a small area on the chin, the feeling returned completely. After the removal of the fixation splints, I achieved the best values in the sleep laboratory. Immediately after the surgery, I no longer needed a CPAP ventilator. I am much more efficient than before (I run my own car repair shop with a temp), sleep through the night, wake up before the alarm at 7am, have now reduced my body weight by over 25 kilos and have turned 58 years old for their information (in July 2018). Orthodontic pre- and post-operative care is very important, as the upper and lower jaws need to be reunited after surgery until they can bite and chew smoothly again. This can only be done by braces and wearing the elastics, which have to be fixed in the right places. This treatment is lengthy, can take up to a year, and depends on their orthodontist (in my case) and the discipline of oneself. The elastics should be worn day and night to allow the dentures to shift back into the correct position. My recommendation also applies directly only to Dr. Frey in the SeegartenKlinik, since I cannot make any statement about other doctors in other clinics. The decisive factor for me was the choice of a doctor who has already performed this operation regularly and often and continues to perform it with great success for the benefit of the patient. I would like to thank him again for this.

In conclusion, I can only recommend everyone to have this surgery (if necessary after consultation with Dr. Frey) to enter a new phase of life that will bring back their health, increase their zest for life again, improve their performance and appearance. No more CPAP machine, breathing mask and breathing pauses(sleep apnea). I thank you for reading my report and hope that I have given them a little help in making the right decision for their future life.

With kind regards

your no-more-patient
Helmut Mollnow