thelinestepper

I've had problems with my uvula in the past. It gets stretched out from time to time, sometimes so severely that I could clutch it between my teeth. A few times when it got that bad, I developed an ulcer on it, which turned into the most unbearable, long-lasting pain I could imagine. So it was recommended I have it removed.

I also have sleep apnea. The doctors said that in addition to my uvula, I had a rather large soft palate, and they said they could remove part of it as well, which could help my sleep apnea. So, in summary:

Shitty uvula Sleep apnea Big soft palate Removed uvula and part of soft palate

A few people have, actually. "Wait, uvula? Ohhhhhh.....UVULA."

Yeah, it was like a cartoon or something.

I don't think they're sure what its purpose is. It does affect some speech patterns, but my understanding is that it most affects French speakers. As an English speaker, the uvulaplasty shouldn't affect me too much, but the partial removal of my soft palate does have the potential to make my voice more nasally. However, I called my grandmother after the surgery and she said I sounded pretty much normal, so that's good, as I actually have a pretty good voice.

I was under general anesthesia for the surgery, so the procedure itself didn't hurt, but I'm in a fair bit of pain now. Just lying here it feels like a very sore throat. When swallowing it feels like I'm trying to swallow nails or glass shards.

I have full health coverage at the VA due to being an Iraq vet (5 years of coverage) plus my disability rating, so it's absolutely free.

I don't think the uvula itself is that bad, but removing part of the soft palate makes it worse. Also, the doctor informed me that they would usually remove the tonsils with this surgery, but luckily I had mine out as a child, because when added in it supposedly makes the recovery just unbearable for about two whole weeks.