Nose Open, Mouth Shut on The Morning Blend

If you are living with a constant stuffy nose and lack of energy, you’re not alone. 61% of adults are mouth breathers due to the inability to breathe freely. This is the story of Andy, an active dad who suffered from daily fatigue and headaches since childhood because of HOW he was breathing. ADVENT Physician Assistant, Kristen Duas, joins him.
Andy and Kristen at The Morning Blend Studio
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ADVENT Staff
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Published on
September 18, 2023
Updated on
October 5, 2023

[Tiffany] And welcome back. Well, have you been told that you don't have sleep apnea, but you still don't feel great no matter how much sleep you get? Well, there could be a simple fix. Today, one active dad shares his story. Kristen Dudas is a physician's assistant at ADVENT and Andy Weins is an ADVENT patient and friend of The Morning Blend. Good to have you guys. Morning. Good morning. Yes, good morning. Okay, so I want to start with you because this is a cool little matchup. Obviously, people have seen you here on the show before. They've seen you here on the show before and now you're together. So how did you know, Andy, that you were having some breathing issues? Is it because everybody tells you your mouth breather?

[Andy] I used to be a mouth breather. It's true, though, all growing up. You know, my dad was a mouth breather and my grandfather. Right? So it's it's an inherited thing. And so I always grew up breathing through my mouth where people like swim lessons, like breathe through your nose. I'm like, I don't know how to do that. Like, my brain didn't know how to do that. And when I forced myself, I would have like three or four breaths and then I would just start like, gasping, I'm not getting air. This doesn't work for me. And then I slept and I always slept poorly as a kid. So that was like it was always there. And I had my tonsils taken out and tubes in my ears and all these things, and yet it never really solve those issues.

[Tiffany] They were always treating different things. My brother has similar issues. I, I know like growing up with someone, like when we would eat cereal, I'd hear him breathing through his mouth. Yeah, well, Captain Crunch, you know, it was like through the mouth, you know? So it's a thing and it really can help identify some things as a friend or family. But as somebody comes to you, Kristen, talk a little bit about how you evaluate a patient. So say and he comes into your anyone who says, you know what, my wife, my family, myself, I'm noticing these problems. How do you begin the evaluation?

[Kristen] Well, we begin by listening to the patient and we ask you what your goals are. And from there we'll do a very thorough Breathing Triangle evaluation. If needed, we'll order a CT scan of the sinuses.

[Tiffany] This is the breathing triangle. So we're talking the nose in the mouth. That's where we get all our air.

[Kristen] That's right. And that scan is reviewed immediately after the same day with the medical provider. They'll get to the root cause of any issues and discuss treatment options.

[Tiffany] So for you, Andy, because you had said you'd gone to other professionals, you've seen other people, you've been treated in different ways, how is it different for you with this process with ADVNT?

[Andy] So I did a sleep apnea test and I did the thing go stay overnight and it was terrible. I slept terrible regularly, all the machines. And then they're like, Yep, you don't have sleep apnea and there's nothing we can do for you. And that was like ten years ago. So I accepted that this was it. And just through networking and business, I met Dr. Kandula. I heard all about what ADVENT did, and he did kind of what you did. He's like, Well, let me listen to you breathe. And I'm like, okay. And he's like, Well, there's symptoms you have. And I told him, and of course I put it off for like six months. And then finally after six months, I went in, had the CT scan, had it evaluated, and instantly they're like, yeah, this is something that can be easily treated. So I was I was absolutely on board after that.

[Tiffany] I mean, that had to be good news because having sleep apnea is obviously very serious. So there was probably some benefit to it not being that, but then knowing it could be easily treated is huge. So, Kristen, what procedure are we seeing that was done on Andy?

[Kristen] So Andy had a balloon sinuplasty procedure and a turbanate reduction to help his treat his breathing triangle, improve his nasal breathing and allow him to not be a mouth breather anymore.

[Tiffany] Now, this is an in-office procedure, right?

[Kristen] It is. Simple in-office procedures that we do. You're in the office for maybe an hour. The procedure itself is about a half an hour.

[Tiffany] Wow. And it's been two years since you had it done.

[Andy] Yeah, before I had the procedure at about a 85% nasal blockage from the CT scan. After the procedure, they looked at it again. It was wide open. It feels like I feel like a freeway of air. Like. Yeah. I don't Now remember what it was like before when I couldn't breathe. So if I'm playing volleyball, I'm running around with my daughter. Like, I'm like I'm breathing through my nose. I'm like, yeah, it's it really going to the doctor was like validation, vindication that that I did have an issue and there was a solution. That was the number one reason why I'm here. And I joined them today because I want to get that message out to others that there is a solution in place.

[Tiffany] And it's it can be fairly simple in that respect. I bet you hear a lot of people like Andy who come in and they they've tried all these things or they've tried all the over-the-counter stuff or, you know, they're not sleeping well. They just don't have an answer. And you can see something that can change it.

[Kristen] Absolutely. So many patients I see that wish they had come in a long time ago or they question, do they really have a problem that needs to be addressed or not? And don't hesitate. You can call schedule a breathing triangle evaluation, Allow us to identify what is going on for you. Really. There's so many people who wonder if they might have a problem. They most assuredly do.

[Tiffany] Yeah. I think that's a great point. If you wonder if you have a problem, you likely do.

[Kristen] Most likely. You know, and people sit in front of me and they they question themselves, Is there something going on? Maybe there's no issue at all. And when we're able to evaluate them, they're really relieved, actually.

[Tiffany] I believe that. What would you say to people, Andy. The last word.

[Andy] Go in and get the evaluation done. So either you have a treatable thing or you don't. I'd rather know and then know what my course of action is.

[Tiffany] Absolutely. Thanks, you guys. I've been into ADVENT. I've done it myself. It's super simple. The appointments easy, You can get in and out. So all you have to do is go to AdventMorningBlend.com to take that Breathing Triangle quiz. Or you can schedule an appointment there in 60 seconds. It's so simple. Most insurances are accepted and there's no referral that's required. They have a location near you. There's Wauwatosa, Mequon Oconomowoc, Oak Creek, Pleasant Prairie and ADVENT also has offices in Appleton, Green Bay, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota. And again the website is AdventMorningBlend.com. Thanks, guys.

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First published by ADVENT on
September 18, 2023
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Nose Open, Mouth Shut on The Morning Blend