If you have a tongue, lip, or cheek ties (or all of the above), will having those removed help symptoms? I’ve seen a lot about how these ties cause issues, but am unsure what the purpose of having them removed is and whether that is enough to help alleviate any symptoms, or if something needs to follow the removal of them like a palate expander (which I’m skeptical about in the first place after hearing about so many failed expander stories)?

@John Proper thanks so much for the in depth response! I have seen people getting their ties released and describing the experience as euphoric, but I assume that’s due to the temporary release in fascia. It would make sense that you’d need to retrain tongue posture before and afterward. It was something I had been considering looking into, but I’m not sure if it’s worth spending the money if there’s other root factors at play

Hi guys, I’m Aleyna! I’m based in Sydney, Australia. After several months of doing a deep dive into my own health and trying to figure out what on earth is wrong with me (PCOS diagnosis, gut issues, consistent muscular tension, scoliosis, bulging discs in my upper spine at the ripe old age of 26…the list goes on), I realised that there had to be an underlying cause for all of this. I had surgery to fix my deviated septum approx 7 weeks ago and am still finding that I’m unable to breathe through my nose properly. I’ve tried everything (and I mean mostly everything). After seeing your TikTok’s John, everything you were saying just clicked. I don’t suffer from severe TMJ pain, but I do grind my teeth constantly and have to consciously remind myself to relax my jaw. I had an Invisalign treatment a few years ago, but my teeth are still slightly crooked and unaligned with my nose. I suspect I have a very high and narrow palate. I wake up consistently throughout the night because I’m just not breathing properly. I started doing myofascial release techniques and daily qigong, trying to learn how to diaphragmatically breathe. When I was doing it properly, I noticed that I would involuntarily start crying/yawning (which is a normal sign of release), I would breathe much clearer and all the tension, bloating, and pain in my body would melt away. I suspect the majority of my symptoms stem from nervous system dysregulation due to not breathing properly/receiving enough oxygen. Some things I have implemented have been daily qigong in the morning (great for nervous system dysregulation) and core work to train my system to diaphragmatically breathe, though there are only some instances where I’m actually able to do it properly and maintain it. For now, it’s a mission to try and switch that side back on. I’m planning to see an airway orthodontist soon to try and get to the bottom of whether it really is my airway/palate that’s causing these issues. So grateful to have found a community and someone who is willing to share their journey with others (and sorry for the essay long message!!).

@John Proper Thanks so much for the warm welcome John! Whilst the circumstances are disheartening, it’s refreshing finding a community of people experiencing something similar and banding together to help. I agree that 7 weeks is early and still the recovery phase. I’m hoping by the 2.5-3 month mark I’ll notice improvement. I’m going to try and see the airway ortho sometime this coming week ideally and will share any info/findings here. Appreciate everything you’re doing and hoping we can all find some collective relief in the near future 😊