'There have been several complainers - including my ex-wives and lovers - over
the years,' says twice married Henry, 67, who lives in Chelsea, London.
'People have said it was like being in the rainforest where trees were being cut
down with a chainsaw, the noise was so great. I used to wake myself up with my
snoring, but even when I was just dozing I could hear myself. I'd need a dig in the
ribs to get me to stop.'
Last month Henry has a minor surgical procedure to reduce his snoring. But unlike
many snorers who agree to surgery for social reasons, Henry - who separated 18
months ago from Swedish wife Bitten - needed the operation for the sake of his
health.
'Over the years I've been told that I stop breathing for short periods during the
night.' he explains. 'This is called sleep apnoea and I have since learned that is
can be fatal.'
Obstructive sleep apnoea occurs when the airway becomes blocked - the sufferer
then stops breathing, usually for about ten seconds (unlike with 'normal' snoring,
where more air gets through).
The brain then wakes the sufferer up, often with a loud snore - the noise is the
results of the breath trying to get past the obstruction. More than ten episodes
an hour is considered serious, although some sufferers stop breathing 20 to 30
times an hour.
Around 4 per cent of middle aged men and around 2 per cent of middle-aged
women develop sleep apnoea. Both sleep apnoea and snoring are linked to an
obstruction in the airway - you're at greater risk if you're overweight (which
causes the tongue to enlarge), if you have suffered trauma to the face, nose or
throat, or are a heavy drinker or smoker.
Age is another factor, and many snorers progress to sleep apnoea as the muscles
of the throat, like other muscles, lose their firmness - it's the lack of muscle tone
that obstructs the air flow.
Also, as we get older, the uvula - the small piece of tissue which hangs from the
back of the soft palate - can become elongated, causing a blockage.
Sleep apnoea not only leave sufferers feeling tired and often unable to
concentrate, but it can also damage their health.
High levels of carbon dioxide build up in the blood when breathing stops, which
may lead to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. And as British
researchers revealed last week, reduced flow of oxygen to the brain in linked to
Alzheimer's disease.
Sleep apnoea may also trigger the primitive fight-or-flight mechanism, causing
over-production of the hormone cortisol, in turn leading to insulin resistance and
diabetes.
Henry was especially concerned about his heart. In 1899, he had a double heart
bypass, after he'd suffered a painful tightness on his chest.
He was diagnosed with angina and within days had emergency surgery to prevent
a heart attack. Large branches or two of his arteries were blocked.
Although the operation to bypass these was successful, Henry's heart failed to
pump properly and nearly died in the intensive care ward.
He now has six-monthly ECG (electrocardiogram) test which have all been 'near
normal' - and Henry didn't want a condition as simple to treat snoring to endanger
his health.
He believes his snoring can be traced back to a traffic accident he had aged 17.
'I was cycling to cricket practice at Eton and turned to wave at a friend when a
bus full of members of the French equivalent of the Women's Institute came
round the corner. I was thrown into the bus and back on to the road.
My skull was cracked all the way round and I had to have several operations to
pick bits of bone out of my brain. My cheekbone was squashed flat, my nose, jaw
and collar bone were broken and an eye socket had to be reconstructed.
I was unconscious for three weeks and suffered severe brain bruising. I was
lucky to survive and not to have brain damage.
'I took me ten years to fully recover. A lot of my nose had to be rebuilt and I still
have scars. I think my sinuses were damaged or even obliterated - when I have a
cold it's nasty and hangs around for ages. I loathe it.'
Henry is also a chronic sneezer - 'even when I don't have a cold I sneeze like
billy-o'. However, his weight probably contributed. In recent years, Henry, a non
-smoker, has modified his diet. 'I don't eat animal fats (butter, cream or milk),
salt or eggs - unless I'm in Paris, where they make the best omelettes.
'I eat little fried food, though occasionally on Sunday mornings I go down the
King's Road to a cafe for a huge egg and bacon breakfast.' Yet, despite dropping
from 15st 9lb to 13st 8lb, at just over 6ft he is still a large man.
And his snoring persisted.
Then, a few months ago, it was found that Henry had an elongated uvula. When
he learned of the link between snoring and sleep apnoea, he decided to have
surgery to treat it.
Treatment to reshape the uvula can reduce snoring and, crucially, the threat of
sleep apnoea, by 50 per cent.
In the past, the uvula was removed, but it plays an important role in speech,
enabling guttural sounds in languages such as German and Arabic, as well the
consonants 'b' and 'm'.
The uvula also prevents food from going down the breathing passage during
speech, If necessary, snoring can be reduced a further 25 per cent by surgery to
the nose.
Henry went for a consultation with Dr Yves-Victor Kamami at The Private Clinic in Harley
Street. Dr Kamami is one of the world's leading experts on surgery to reshape the uvula.
He works part of the week in London and the rest of the week in the ear, nose and throat
department of a public hospital in Paris.
Unlike many British ENT surgeons, Dr Kamami was trained to carry out many
surgical procedures under local rather than general anaesthetic. Such procedures
can, then, be done as day cases and there is less risk to the patient.
Dr Kamami explained that there were two options, both to reshape the uvula, but
using different techniques.
With laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty - a method Dr Kamami developed - the
patient is given a local anaesthetic, and then the beam is used to break down
the tissue. With the other technique, radiofrequency palatoplasty, an electrical
current is used to reshape the uvula. This is the treatment Henry had.
'Henry had a longer-than-average uvula, but this technique enabled me to lift it
up by shrinking and stiffening it.' says Dr Kamami. 'Because it is stiffer, it is less
likely to vibrate, which is one of the main causes of snoring.
It is good for those who want a less aggressive treatment and where we need to
burn away less tissue. It is particularly good for women who have a smaller uvula.
Patients also tend to suffer less pain afterwards,'
Half a centimetre was removed from his two-centimetre uvula.
'A whacking great needle was thrust into the roof of my mouth. Then more things
were stuck in, and it went on for about 15 minutes,' he grumbles.
'I didn't have any pain afterwards, though - except for a nasty lump in my throat
for four or five days. I wasn't commentating until two weeks after the surgery,
but I was fine when I returned to work.'
Dr Kamami regularly repeats the radiofrequency treatment to refine the original
job, and plans to see Henry again.
Meanwhile, his patient is very pleased with ht initial results. 'I was a severe
snorer. Some people make a gulping sound when they snore, but others like me
honk like a pig.
'Soon after the surgery, I went to stay with friends. The next morning, they said
that when they walked past my room they couldn't hear any snoring at all -
usually my snoring echoed around the house. So I think, and hope, it's been a
great success.'
Aside from preventing health problems, Henry has seen immediate benefits from
the surgery. His favourite tipple is red wine, but he knew it exacerbate his
snoring. Now, he feels he can enjoy it again.
He says: 'I can get through two bottles of red wine a day. But before it wasn't
recommended by the Noise Abatement Society. I'm jolly please I don't have to
worry about that anymore.
Henry was treated at the Private Clinic.
To make an appointment call 0800 599 9911
or fill this form
To request a brochure click here
ADDRESS
98 Harley Street, London W1G 7HZ
Nearest Underground stations are: Regent's Park, Oxford Circus, Baker Street and Great
Portland Street
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St.James's Building, 79 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 6EJ
Nearest British Rail Station: Oxford Road
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FAX: London Fax: 020 7409 7854 - Manchester Fax: 0161 236 5094
EMAIL: data@theprivateclinic.co.uk
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