Sandi L.

Age Range 60-75+

Got Inspire on November 30th 2017

Hi! My name is Sandi Lindstrom and I had my Inspire device implanted on November 30, 2017 at the age of 66. I live near Minneapolis in Burnsville, MN. To describe how Inspire changed my life for the better, I will start with a couple of posts I journaled. 2-4-2014: "I have been so stuffed up and sick from my CPAP machine that I hate using it. Took it back today and got a new one. The old one was from 2005! I am almost giddy waiting to go to bed to see how it works. Now that is a true sign of an old person! I can't stand the sight of myself on this darn machine so my friend told me to pretend I am a world famous pilot bomber flying the skies on a serious and dangerous protection mission. So night all. I will be protecting the skies so that you might sleep safely this evening!" 12-29-2017: "My CPAP machine in on the shelf! I had my Inspire Device activated this morning and tonight I am tube free! So excited to sleep and see how this goes! Been waiting for this night for almost 14 months! Yippee!" I love my Inspire SO MUCH that I consider the date I had my Inspire implanted on November 30, 2017 my second birthday! It changed my life. Of course I had to wait for the healing from the surgery before it could be activated on December 29, 2017, but after my first night of sleep, I woke amazed at what feeling rested is like. I couldn’t remember that feeling! I had previously fallen asleep wherever I was and far too easily. I hadn’t had the energy to do things. Sitting down to read a book lasted only 5 minutes. I usually woke exhausted and ready to drop back into bed. My memory was foggy. Sound familiar? Well 60 days post surgery, I had another sleep study where the next morning they further customized my small remote. My life just kept improving!!! I wanted to stop people on the streets and tell them to look at my implant (which was barely visible) and brag about how miraculous it was! I didn’t stop people on the streets, but you can bet I have been talking about it ever since! Most people worry about insurance! Staff at Inspire will help you with your insurance as will your doctor. Many more companies are approving it day by day. All I had to do was meet my deductible. Next question I hear most often is about the surgery. I had pain for 3 days and my stitches were removed 8 days after surgery. I've never any chest pain from the day of surgery to this day. Keep this thought in mind: if I ever needed to do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat! Never heard of that being done very often! If I forgot to say it, I don’t miss dragging my CPAP mask, jug of water and my machine around, nor the cleaning. It is so much more simple to raise my remote, click over my chest and sleep! You too can change YOUR LIFE!

Interests: I now go to the club/gym to workout as often as I can weekly. I do enjoy doing research in my spare time as well as helping out students in a fourth grade classroom. After being a teacher, program director, principal, job coach, and substitute since 1973, it is hard to give up loving to encourage students to believe in their abilities.

Why I chose Inspire therapy to treat my sleep apnea: I was unable to tolerate my CPAP, I used endless different CPAP machines, had septoplasty surgery for opening up my nasal passages, used several dental appliances to move my jaw forward which were made by sleep dentists trained for sleep apnea and all I got was TMJ pain. I suffered from migraines, falling asleep while in meetings, trying to drive, or reading books. I suffered from brain fog, migraines, difficulty remembering things, depression and constant exhaustion. When my doctor asked me if I was ready to try something new, I felt like I exploded with excitement.

In a few short words, I would describe Inspire therapy as: This may seem funny to some, but to those of us who have had it implanted, it has transformed our lives. We have gone from waking exhausted, always feeling tired, risking dying in our sleep, dealing with heart and kidney disease or diabetes, and losing our bed partners due to our snoring. This device is a big deal. The surgery I had lasted 4 hours, but things have improved over the years and I was only the 9th patient my Doctor had implanted. Please learn more and change your life or that of a loved one. Insurance will help cover the cost!

Why am I a patient ambassador? Inspire promised to help. It was my golden ring on the merry-go-round and I was determined to find something to change the way I was living. Since the day it was activated, I have looked for people who are having sleep issues and share my experience in hopes of bringing them some relief. It is easy to bring up in conversation and gives me the deepest pleasure to help others find the help that was offered to me. Whether it has been in person, speaking to groups, video chats with interested groups in other states or leaving a picture of the device with information about it around the community, I enjoy spending my time responding to questions and sharing my experience. Inspire is not to be feared, but celebrated for all it can do!