British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

I have not posted much lately because I have been having a few problems, which may or may not be related to OSA.
A couple of months ago, I had bad dizzy spells in the morning, and a couple of black outs on the way to work. Then one morning, I was sitting quietly in the office, and had a succession of sharp pains (Left side of chest), which lasted around half an hour. A couple of days later I went to the hospital, and they discovered a few things - I have an enlarged heart, my blood pressure was up (170/115) even though I am on medication, there was an irregularity on the ECGs.
They booked me in for a treadmill test, and wrote to my doctor, advising that my medication be re-evaluated. My Doctor ignored their advice.
That was back in May, and since then I have been feeling more and more tired, and I am now off work. I changed my doctor, and today I have seen a doctor at the new surgery, who has prescribed different medication, because the side effects of my current medication fits in with what has been happening to me.
They are getting frustrated with me at work, despite me keeping them informed, and I am getting more depressed (although today was a step in the right direction).
My weight has also gone up from 93.5 kilos to 99 kilos, so all the hard work of last year has been undone.

Andy

Hi Andy ,

Good to see you back on the forum mate ,sorry things have been not been to good for you at the moment ,lets hope your new doctor gets things moving along for you.

With regard to blood pressure i have high blood pressure due to my osa and have been taking ramipril 2.5mg for the last 18mths which keeps my bp at the required safe level also around 4months ago i started gym and weightlifting nearly killed me at the start but now i go 3-4 times weekly and i have seen my fitness levels improve greatly and i love it .

The best thing i bought to monitor my blood pressure levels was a automatic blood pressure machine of ebay £9.99 its a good way to keep a check on your bp.

They say that walking and swimming are good exercises perhaps a brisk walk each day or a swim may help you to keep healthy and fit and also get you out of the house and brighten your mood

Take Care Andy ,

Regards,

Hi Andy

Sorry to hear that thing's aren't great for you at the moment. I know from experience how difficult it is when work are displeased with your situation but there's not an awful lot you can do about it. Like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I think it may be worth you speaking to ACAS so you know exactly what your rights are as regards to the work thing, or maybe they can offer your employers advice on how to help you (adding stress when you have high blood pressure isnt great, is it?).

I don't have any experience with high blood pressure but NM has given you some great advice.

Take care, hope you manage to sort things.

Thanks NM and Jippity, its good to see the regulars are still on here. I am off work today, and as I am typing this, my hands feel like they have lumpy sausages for fingers. I am going to go for another long walk, weather permitting (then again, does it matter if I get wet?), to see if the fresh air helps. I cannot stop yawning.
I phoned work this morning, and they intimated that they will not be paying me for any more time off sick (they only pay 10 days a year sickness). I am on a contract, so I will have to drag myself into work tomorrow, as I cannot afford to stay away. As I work with figures all the time, and spend pretty much the whole day sitting in front of a screen, I know that my concentration will not be good, and it will be obvious that I will be working very slowly. It is a high pressure situation, but then so are a lot of jobs nowadays.
I phoned the local Virgin Gym yesterday, and they are sending me a letter to be signed by my doctor. It is around £49 a month for the yearly contract, and you get thirteen months, plus a special offer of the first month free. Like NM, I always said that exercise improves your mind and body, so I am going to in the great words of the prophet Nike "Just do it".

Andy

Hi Andy, you should be entitled to SSP still though shouldn't you?

Hey Andy ,

Regarding your gym package thats mighty expensive there mate ,
I go to my local council gym and have a personnel trainer who advises me on the work-outs ,weights and what exercises i should be doing to improve fitness and does body stats etc its £23.00 per month thats all gyms in the borough and free swimming chucked in aswell .

Shop around mate for the best deals .

Have you played your employer with the DDA card ????

Regards,

Hi Andy,

Hope you get sorted shortly

NM37 Wrote



From my experiance the DDA card does not work. Time off, lateness, falling asleep at work, production levels down.

They have you!!!!!!!!!!

Not able to fullfull your contractual duties

It is worth a try your employer may be good, mine was not.


Mac

Ah, but this is "Darn Sarth" where everything is expensive, and there are no council gyms. I even have to pay for my GPs letter to say I will not kick the bucket as soon as I look at the Concept 2 rowing machine - although it may cause a few palpitations

Ugh, yeah we don't have any council gyms either. Tell you what though, there's a YMCA that does a cheap gym. Is there one near you?

There is one other gym, and it is part council/part private. The fees are £35 a month, but the facilities are not comparable to the Virgin Leisure place, and the Virgin gym is one mile away, and the cheaper one is four miles away.
Regarding my inability to sleep at the moment, are there any methods that I can use (Apart from letting the missus hit me over the head with a large hammer ). I don't really want to use sleeping tablets, but every night is the same - waking up all through the night (No wish to go to the loo, no snoring, so it is not apnoeas) at hourly intervals from about one in the morning. I am dreaming, and it is as if the dreams are telling me to wake up. Also the dreams are very repetitive - trying to catch trains, driving along a motorway.
So, will herbal teas work, exercise or a hot shower before going to bed. I cannot even sleep during the day, because my mind is so full, and I am worrying about work.

Very tired Andy.

Andy

I really would recommend you call ACAS and chat to them about where you stand with work. They are free and can really help. They'll even mediate if needs be. It might relieve some of the worrying for you.

As regards to sleep, I am the same when something is worrying me, my brain wont switch off and any sleep I do get is fitful and nightmare riddled. I find showering and bath wake me up but sometimes sitting in a dark room drinking warm milk for half an hour before going to bed helps me to relax and put things out of my mind before I try to sleep.

Thanks Jippity, you have given me an idea. I used to drink a cup of hot milk before going to bed years ago. If I can get a good gym session early evening, followed by a nice long shower, then finishing it all off with a nice hot mug of moo juice may do the trick. Perhaps I need to be physically tired, rather than just mentally tired.

Andy

Insomnia is horrible. I have had patches of this, and all I can do is either not fight it and get on with things at night, out of sight and earshot of my OH and others in the household lucky enough to sleep ... such as watch TV or surf the internet. Sometimes though I put on a classical music audio channel and snuggle up in the study under a quilt in the dark, and just let myself drift, knowing that if the music has changed I've been asleep ... albeit just a short nap!

Also I try to deliberately relax every bit of myself, a bit like in ante-natal classes preparing for labour, but as I presume you're a gent Andy in every way, I can't assume you have already tried this!

Knowing my luck, I would end up having a phantom pregnancy, and considering that I am 25 kilos overweight, that is the last thing I need.

Thanks Alsa.