British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

Hi, I found this forum yesterday after being given the sleep apnoes info by my GP. It took me a couple of days to get my husband to read the info and he said it desrcibed my sleeping exactly. I was shocked by his answer when I asked how long it has been going on thinking maybe 6 months , a year. He told me I have always been like it, for 28 years!! I have known about the snoring for a few years and try to sleep on my side to avoid snoring but it doesn't always work. I have been tired for as long as I can remember and have had strange breathing episodes since I was a child.

I asked about my breathing at my asthma appointment because I have been waking up with a massive gasp of air as if I had been holding my breath. It has been happening a couple of times a night for a couple of months. When I read up on apnoea it seems to fit a lot of my current symptoms which were put under one umbrella when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 7 years ago.

I phoned my GP back this afternoon and I am being referred to a sleep clinic. If a diagnosis of sleep apnoea and its treatment could help reduce some of my symptoms it would give me back some of my life. Though I have to admit I did read about it years ago and discounted it because I didn't want to have it.

When I was a child and into my teens I had odd things going on that my parents decided was fear of the dark. I knew it wasn't. I woke up then with a massive jolt then my body started shaking and it was immpossible to stop. I am thinking that maybe that was something to do with breathing difficulties too.

Welcome to the forum! It's always a BIG shock to learn that one has a serious health condition especially if it's a discovery. But you would be surprised how many of us have OSA, but lead normal lives!!

Have a good read and get acquainted with the condition. Once you've had your sleep study, a diagnosis can be made and you can start to manage your OSA. You should find that the quality of your sleep improves and this will have a massive effect on your waking life too!

Do keep in touch, and don't hesitate to post any questions you might have.

Hello and welcome! Don't worry about feeling new, we have all been there. The people on this forum are friendly. Feel free to have a natter or vent your frustrations as long you are NOT threatening physical violence!Hope to hear of your progress.

Good luck Pooh, let us know how you get on.
You have taken the first step in the right direction

Thank you for the welcome. I am starting to doubt that I have OSA although I am still really sleepy every day. There is a play on locally tonight, which I would have loved to have gone and watched, but I hate to disgrace myself by falling asleep and even worse, snoring. If it isn't OSA I just hope they will do enough research to find out what is making me so tired. I am still waiting to find out which hospital I am being referred to. At least I now know my GP is on holiday and will do it on her return.

hiya pooh, welcome from another newbie. I got diagnosed in Nov 11 with severe osa, and am still coming to terms with it......dont mind the machine, jus dont like the masks lol. I think I must have had it, since I was about 17 years and am 52 now....big shock! No-one would ever sleep in same room as me me, and family holidays were a nightmare, with my snoring, in fact i even ended up sleeping in the kitchen on one holiday....I laugh about it now i know what the problem was lol. Even fell asleep once talking on the phone, soo embarassing.

There are lots of friendly people on here with a lot of advice, so you are not alone

Don't worry scooterchick, I have dozed off with a hot drink in my hand before....Not good!

Mind you, reading various posts has made me remember of a time when I was camping with a group of friends and one guy mentioned that I had snored. Being in my late teens at the time, I felt very, very embarrassed.

I have had a letter from the hospital this morning. I have an appointment with a physiologist nurse specialising in Sleep Medicine on 11th April. I am amazed it has come through so quickly.

The other thing I have to do is to go to the surgery this week for full blood tests.

Last week I fell and have sprained ribs so it feels as though I am getting no sleep at all at the moment. The pain meds are making me even sleepier

Sorry, another question. Does anyone else fall asleep in the bath? My friend tells me it is very dangerous but I always wake up with a start as I go under

My appointment is tomorrow and my hubbie has just informed me that he can't go with me!! I was hoping he would be the one to explain what is happening to me as I am asleep when it happens.

I have asked hime to write down what happens so it can be properly described to the nurse I have to see. Will that be acceptable? Or should I persuade him to have a day off work? He is a builder and we are in desperate need of any work he can get.

Hi poohbear

My advice is to persuade him if at all possible.

This is what happened to me at my initial hospital appointment which my Wife also attended.

I would say that the Consultant ask my Wife 95% of the questions and I was just there to fill in the Epworth Sleepiness Test form and to be something on which he could warm up his stethoscope.

The quality of BOTH our lives began to improve from that day on.
Hope this helps and Good Luck tomorrow.
Mike

I have been to the clinic without my husband but my GP's notes and my own experience were enough for an overnight sleep study at home tonight.

The specialist said that even if the study came back negative she still thinks that I am an ideal canditate for CPAP to help improve my quality of life. Obviously I don't want to have OSA but I do want to have a life spent not worrying about when I am going to fall asleep.

She did tell me not to drive.

I have to take the machine back tomorrow and can expect to hear from her in 2 months.

Well done poohbear .... it took courage to go on your own. All the best for tonight's sleep, and when you return the machine push very hard to have the results earlier than in two months' time ... GOOD LUCK and all the best.

All the best poohbear, 2 months is a bit harsh to wait for results though. I hope I don't have to wait that long. Surely it'd only take about 10 minutes for someone to study the data and write a prescription?

I have been given their phone number so will probably ask for the results in a couple of weeks. She did say the results would be processed in about two weeks so I should have asked why I would have to wait so long.