I hope I didn't confuse anyone.
I mentioned my ex's surgery for sleep apnea because it was the same surgery my aunt's associate at work had for her own sleep disorder. This gal now claims she has no more gag reflex due to her missing uvula.
I DO know the uvula is involved in creating the gag reflex, but I do NOT know if it is the ONLY culprit. I rather suspect that simply shoving something down your throat will cause you to gag whether or not you have a uvula.
Not only is the uvula removed in this surgery, but also some of the upper palette. How much of the palette that is removed is determined by the surgeon and varies from patient to patient.
There IS a sound medical necessity for this surgery -- sleep apnea can be extremely dangerous. I recall MANY nights waking up to hear my ex gasp, shudder, then stop breathing for a short time. I'd always wake him up and he'd inhale sharply to catch his breath. He tried every alternative, including those CPAP machines, but found no relief until the surgery.
For the record, the surgery reduced his snoring by about eighty percent, I'd say. His apnea improved as well, though neither was completely cured. Prior to the surgery, however, I had to spend some nights sleeping on the sofa just because his snoring was so loud that it made it impossible to sleep at all.
I have not heard of any other surgeries available that would make any difference as far as deepthroating is concerned. I discussed the sleep apnea surgery because it is the only thing I know of that could POSSIBLY make a difference, even though it is NOT a viable option whatsoever.
Hope that clears things up. Now let's just hear from the expert deep throaters out there and give this guy some tips!
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