British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

hi,sorry i have'nt got in touch for a short while, I just thought i was going nuts and still am.
I had an appiontment at the neuroligy department at the southern general hospital on thursday 29th march.I was refered to a docter there by my consultant at gartnavel hospital,I was told that I was to go and get brain scans done to do with the central nervous system, not central apnoea.
I went with my daughter,as my family are worried about me.
I'm so sorry that i kept the appiontment,I saw a doc,whom asked if it was okay for a student to be
present,I did'nt mind as they have got to learn to.
The night before I went, I wrote a letter,so that the doc could read before i went in,I also gave a list of the recent blood tests i had done.
The doc said he did'nt want to read the letter and did'nt even look at the blood tests.
The doc started to ask questions about my symtoms, he also asked how much alchohal I drink in a week,I said about 9 small bottles about 1.4 units per bottle, but not every week.
He then done some balance tests,he would ask questions and tell me to do things at the same time,
he asked my daughter and I questions,but did'nt seem to listen to us.
Then came the shock,he said that i had a drink problem and i had given myself brain damage.
I burst out laughing ,i told him i do not have a problem with alcohal and he said i would get a CT scan in about 4 to 6 weeks just to see how much damage I've done,my daughter and i left in disbelief.How do i explain tha to my boss?diagnosed cerebellum degeneration@peripheril neuropathy.

Goodness Jim!

What a horrible shock. Thank you for having the courage to post.

Sorry if I'm being thick (and NO NM37 not a drop of sherry has passed my lips for a fortnight ... gin perhaps and other delights but NO SHERRY) but did the doc realise that you have OSA?

What do you plan to do now? Your brain must be in a whirl. Surely he's got the wrong end of the stick?

(However alcohol and certain types of antidepressants don't sit well together ... get your type checked out ... why not chat to a pharmacist for free advice and without needing to see your doc.)

Please stay in touch. We might not be knowledgeable about what the doc says you have, but we can still listen, support and perhaps advise. Hang on in there.

Sorry to hear that Jim, it sounds like a nightmare! Are you able to go anywhere and get a second opinion?

hi alsa and headthrob,the doc at the southern general knows i have osa as he was reading notes off the file from my cosultant from gartnavel hospital whom i see for osa.The reason he refered me was because i still wake up exuasted after sleeping long hours using cpap,my cpap has been turned up to 14.I have also developed more symtoms like numbness in my hands with tingling at the tips of my fingers,sore neck,shoulders ,arms ,burning sensations ,dropping things, and saying things where wrong words come out, also having trouble with balance.I would say alot of my symtons would be the same as Fibrmyalgia.I have an appiontment with my gp on wednesday,so i will be going through my meds with him as I've got even more pills to take,I've been given amitriptyline to take along with the other pills I'm on.My head is spining as i don't know what to do,{have you'se heard the old saying,stop the bus,i want to get off}.I just keep thinking about how I'm going to tell my boss,he has been really good,as to giving me light duties etc,i just can't sit around on the sick.
Nuneatonman 37,I got you're PM, but i don't know how to pm back,sorry about that. I hope you'se are all keeping well,and I'm sorry if i sound a bit negative all the time,but i use to have a really good life.I enjoyed socialising,holiday's abroad,diy,gardening and working as a bus driver,where i met alot of nice interesting people.Thanks to you all for reading my posts.

Jim,

Don't panic. Your symptoms could be down to many things. It seems that you have not got the results for the scans yet?

Don't forget that the pressure on alcohol consumption & weight is something being pushed by the government- they pretty much have to tell everyone they are too fat and drink too much!!!!! He also cannot confirm any brain damage without the results of the scan!

I have all of the same symptoms due to a neck injury & nerve root/ spinal cord compression.....combination of wear and tear, a car crash & years of being thrown around & strangled in Martial Arts classes!!! I take it you are not young(as you have a grown up daughter!). Cervical spondylosis, radiculopathy, thoracic outlet syndrome etc. etc. can all cause those problems.

You do need to get your meds reviewed. If they have given you 25mg of amitryptiline that will be used as a mucle relaxant at that dose!

Wait until you've got your results & meds reviewd!

Hi Mountain,thanks for reading my post,I am 49 years old,I have to wait for about 4 to six weeks for a CT scan.I thought i was going nuts as to my symtoms,Now i know its not only me that has these symtoms, gee what a relief, as i said i thought i was going nuts.Thanks for the reassurence pal.

Hi Jim, don't worry!

I've had tingly numb fingers, clumsy hands, loss of dexterity, balance issues etc. for ages. Been telling my GPs 'I think it's my neck' for years. I've been tested for everything and almost convinced I had pernicious anaemia, thyroid problems etc. They convinced me I drank too much ...had a liver scan.

All perfect, bloods, internal organs etc. all completely normal.

Fingers got worse...steroid injections, wrist splints, physio.... no improvement!

Finally an MRI scan. Guess what? It was my neck Just like I'd told them all along.

The problem is the Docs have to go through the motions these days. NICE pathways...basically they're made to follow these official flow charts

Hi Mountain,I've also said repeatedly that my symtoms started from my neck.What was you're diagnoses then? hope its nothing serious.

Well, going to get the whole lowdown from the consultant in a couple of weeks, but basically I have some worn vertebrae and herniated discs. These are compressing my nerve roots & my spinal cord.

Nerve roots to the arms = numb fingers, loss of strength, kind of buzzing electric shock feelings and so on.

The disc that's pressing onto my spinal cord is effecting balance etc.

Plus the whole lot make my neck, shoulders & upper back have muscle spasms.

Will probably have to have the offending discs removed & either replaced with prosthetic ones or a couple of vertebrae fused together with a bone graft. Scary stuff......found out about the OSA at around the same time. So, I know how easily it is to panicked when it seems like your whole body is falling apart all at once.

Sorry to be a bit of a pain Mountain,but would worn vertibrae and herniated discs show up on a CT scan? I hope everything goes well for you, when you're doc gives you the lo-down.

Hi,

Yes they should get an indication from a CT scan, but not the detail of an MRI.
CT scan will show up the vertebrae well enough and will show disc herniation, but it can't 'see' nerves the way MRI can.

They do specifically use CT scans to look for spinal problems such as Cervical Spondylosis.

So, it will show up on a CT scan!!!!
I expect if it shows disc issues they'll probably book you in for an MRI to see if any nerve roots are being 'squashed'.

Here you go. You can see a pic on both a CT & MRI scan!

http://www.buffaloneuro.com/cervdisk/cervdisk.htm