About seven years ago I had a knee replacement operation and after returning to the ward I was visited the next day by the anesthetist who had been in charge of my care during the operation.
She wanted to discuss with me the problems they encountered in bringing me out from under the anesthetic, apparently during the recovery I had stopped breathing for moments and at other times had actually been snoring loudly. Now whilst I was aware of my snoring I was not really aware of this stopping breathing. When I mentioned it to my lovely wife when she visited me she told me it was some thing she lived with all the time.
Eventually I was seen by people in various clinics and had tests that included me wearing various monitors for 24 hours including one which involved a sensor being pushed up my nose and down in to my throat, that was pretty horrible.
The outcome was that I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnoea that was running at high and dangerous levels and could have if it continued that way have affected the oxygen supplies to both my heart and brain, before any of you say anything I have got a brain! Just a pity I don’t use it more often isn’t!
Anyway I was then introduced to the joys of having to sleep in a face mask which is attached to a machine that pumps air in to ensure that my throat does not collapse during my sleeping period, it has taken a while and a few different masks and two different types of machine to getting working on a reasonable basis.
Now I can on most occasions wake feeling refreshed and do not drop off to sleep during the day without realising it as I used to before. This of course is one of the real dangers of sleep apnoea in the fact that a sufferer can fall asleep any where at any time without realising and for this reason alone if you hold a driving licence you have to tell the DVLA.
When the clinic confirms your situation you sign a form with them to let them tell the DVLA and then you have to contact them yourself, in my case after reviewing the information my driving licence was revoked! What a difference that makes I can always go out anytime and have a drink without worrying about being breathalysed!
Fortunately now my problems are under control, you can never cure sleep apnoea but with the right help and equipment you can control it, if you have a partner or loved one who is a heavy snorer and perhaps is a little over weight but who might go very quite on you for a split second or so and then almost gasp for air then it is sensible to get that person to consult their doctor explain the symptoms and ask to be referred to a sleep clinic, you just might save their life!
At least I do not drop off to sleep in the middle of the day now in my recliner chair! If you want to talk to me about my experiences with sleep apnoea than please feel free to contact me, if Sleep Apnoea is affecting the life of someone you know and I can help with information about my time with it then I would be happy to help.
Sleep Apnoea is a very large problem that is not detected properly or acted up on if you have a sleep problem during the day go to your Doctors and insist on seeing a sleep consultant!
Recent Comments