British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

I was slightly overweight but the point I made is I've probbaly had SA for 10 years or so and back then I weighed 8.5 stone which means I was underwight and still tired/suffering

Update:

it's been over two weeks now since I did my study and I have still not received anything so I thought I would give them another call just chasing up the status of my diagnosis. The nurse I spoke to said, that she recognised my name as she'd just seen it on some results. She found it and they were inviting me back on the 24th May to start treatment, that's 3 weeks away!!! So I asked if there was any way of getting an earlier appointment, she said that there wasn't and that she was sorry. I asked if they could put my name down for any cancellations and I can be there at short notice, she said she'd make a note on my file and then said, can you make 3pm tomorrow? I said, 'Yes please!' She didn't give me my exact results, she said that they would be discussed at the appointment (that's probably down to giving out results over the phone?).

So hopefully tonight may be my last night of crappy sleep, i may be a different man after Thursday night

GREAT NEWS ... not that you have OSA and will need treatment of course! ... but that you've reached the point on your journey where you have a diagnosis and a method of managing this problem. All the very best and please stay in touch.

That is great news. I have been following your progress as we had our sleep studies around the same time. I have my appointment for 8th May so don't feel it is taking too long. I hope all goes well and you have some news which will enable you to move forward and find solutions for your sleep problem.

Thanks guys! Last night's sleep was probably the worst ever, i feel terrible this morning.

I’m still new here and I’ve got no advice as such, I just wanted to say good luck for your appointment this afternoon Headthrob

Dee

I'm possibly a stone overweight now, so same here with regards to treatment. However, BMI is not the 'be all and end all'.

Before my neck problems, I used to do a lot of exercise. My BMI has been in the 'overweight' range for years. However, my body fat was always in the healthy range and my muscle mass was and still is very high. I was born this way! My dad is the same, my son is the same.

On the other hand, I found out a colleague has OSA today, and he is as thin as a rake!

I find this 'tick box treatment' to be really quite ludicrous. Treatment should be symptom led, and not because some chinless wonder sat in an office has decided these NICE says NO flowcharts can replace informed medical decisions.

Daily rant over

Headthrob, was the horrendous night your first cPAP night?
If so stick with it, it's quite a learning curve!

Doh! Sorry headthrob, just read it's results day for you. Hope they get you on track ASAP. Good luck

Hi all

I've found this thread to be the most informative, as I have just started on my journey to a diagnosis and following this has helped me to know what to expect.

I am a 35 year old woman, overweight but not in the obese category. I've had this sleepiness for some time now but put it down to just doing too much. How funny that sounds as I consider myself quite lazy at the moment but it is simply that I don't have the energy.

I went to my gp about two months ago after I fell asleep driving the car home from work, this was the first time I had actually fallen asleep, previous to that I have managed to pull over and wake myself up a little. I have (for as long as I can remember) felt so unbelievably tired through the day, wake up daily with headaches, don't ever feel like I've slept, am irritable, moody, totally uninterested in any personal relationships, I'm gaining weight despite eating reasonably healthy. I don't smoke, not a big drinker (the tiredness is same regardless of whether I've had a drink), have had all available blood tests which have all shown normal. My GP was not helpful at all, once the blood results came back normal she pretty much said "only thing it can be is depression". I refused this instantly as I have suffered on and off with depression for 22 years and am more than aware of the symptoms and how it makes me feel. This is different, entirely different, though the general feeling of helplessness is putting me back into depression. So, I argued with her, explained my symptoms: Extreme daytime tiredness, falling asleep driving, falling asleep at work, can no longer read a book or watch a movie (it has become a joke in my house), poor concentration, poor short term memory, brain fog, feeling like I hangover every day, I don't socialise anymore as I simply cannot muster the energy to talk to people. Struggle to form sentences and losing words from my vocab that were there before!!! Daily headaches/migraines upon waking, restless sleep, hallucinations of snipers on top of my wardrobe (obviously funny now but not so funny then!), snoring (not ground shaking). So frustrating! I pushed for a referral to sleep clinic from her and my appointment is 8th June.

Having read this thread I am so disheartened to see that appointment on 8th June is not likely to give me the diagnosis, that the results need to be analysed, then waiting further weeks for treatment etc.... I just want to know whats wrong, I want to get treatment and get some energy back. So so fed up.....

Thank you for posting your experience as it is helping me x

Hi Kerry,
Your story sounds a lot like mine, though I am a good bit older than you.

When I was a studint in 80s I went to my GP because I felt tired all the time and was told it was my lifestyle, I wish !!

I am a bit overweight and not obese too.

From my initial visit to my GP to Tuesday this week when I was given my own machine to keep has been less than two months. It was held up a bit by having to try sleeping with a golfball sewn into my jamas!! With the help of the lovely people on here I had the confidence to phone the hospital and they had me in the following week for a trial machine. That was just over a week ago.

Since I received my trial machine last week my life has changed. I went to the cinema after three days with the trial machine and stayed awake throughout the film :D First time in about 35 years!

My brain fog hasn't gone yet as I am still getting to grips with my mask etc but it has improved dramatically. I have noticed that I am not struggling for words or names as much as I was. So don't lose hope. 8th June seems like a long time away when you are desperate for change but after alll the time you have been struggling it isn't long at all.

I think it depends where you live how soon you receive help after your test results are through. I hope you get some answers and help very soon.

Hi Kerry and welcome

I'm glad that through sharing my experience it is helping someone else. I know your frustration with times for appointments, as soon as i heard about the OSA and did the Epworth test I knew that was what I had and I just wanted the fix immediately.

Whereabouts in the UK do you live, if you don't mind me asking, there may be someone on here from that area that maybe able to suggest something?

One thing you could try is calling the hospital department up and seeing if they have any cancellations? I found that once I started chasing results and when they said they had got me booked in for about 3 weeks later, my heart sank. I asked about a cancellation and she noticed there was one the next day, I felt very lucky. Maybe it's worth calling the hospital reception and ask to be transferred to the appropriate department, kindly ask about any cancellations and if there isn't any ask if they could make a note that if any arise then you can get there asap. Maybe chase this up every couple of days to see if anything new turns up? I found them very friendly and co-operative.

Please let us know about your progress and feel free to ask any question, no question is a stupid question. All the best

Hi Kerry and welcome from me too.

Completely agree with Headthrob's approach. I would be surprised if you didn't manage to get a cancellation, I did after my initial diagnosis, and I am in London.

Hang on in there, IMHO, being interested in your own therapy is the biggest single factor in getting better, and as I am sure everyone here will say, it's worth it.

While not being quite as bad as you, my symptoms pre-CPAP were pretty much the same. I've gone from feeling terrible as you describe with stupidly high, dangerous blood pressure to what I can only describe as a feeling of pretty much complete wellbeing, masses more energy and completely normal blood pressure. I recently completed a 2000 mile driving holiday which I could never have done before and I've been discharged from my clinic. That's after 5 months.

You'll be fine.

Hi Kerry and WELCOME! Your situation sounds very similar to many of ours when we were starting our xPAP journey. Good luck with your appointment and stay strong. Don't let anyone fob you off, your health is your number 1 priority.