Sleepdesk Problems Forum

Hi Nigel.
The main company in the UK that supply cpap machines to the NHS is ResMed UK Ltd.

If you email (reception-at-resmed.co.uk) they will send you details. They are really helpful (not surprising when you see the prices). The purchase has to be authorised by your specialist and the pressure set accordingly. The pressure is set electronically on the new machines and is critical to the treatment. Also, getting a mask to fit correctly is very important. If the mask doesn't seal properly, the pressure won't keep the airway open.

I don't think you'd save much, as you would be responsible for servicing, repairs, mask, headgear etc. Cpap machines are normally provided free, but some NHS areas don't have any funds left. If you purchase one through the NHS, I think they would maintain it, and replace it when it wears out, but you'd be better having another chat with them to find this out.

Has your mother in law had a sleep test?

Hi to you all. my mother in law has just been sleep apnoea. she has been told she needs a auto cpap machine can we buy them in the uk as the local NHS want over £800 for one thanks
Nigel

Hi John

Your symptoms sound just like my dad's, when he was diagnosed with OSA... Do you snore? My dad would sleep well, snoring that would raise the roof, but then would be up by 4.00am for a cigarette and tea, but would not be able to get back to sleep - sometimes he would be up earlier than that!

Do you get breathless easily?

I would suggest you make an appointment with your GP - ask for a referral to an ENT specialist, who can look at your symptoms and lifestyle, and then carry out some tests, possibly a sleep study.

Good luck...

Hi,

Can anyone give me advice?

Every night without fail I fall asleep OK but by 4am I am wide awake and cannot sleep after that. As a result I feel quite tired during the day time.

I have Osteo Arthritis in all my joints and I think sometimes this causes me to awaken with pain.

John

Hi Bob... thanks for your response.

Dad has been kitted out with a Nippy 2(?) and we will have an O2 concentrator fitted this week, before he comes out of hospital.

I would like to mention that the Lane Fox Unit at St Thomas' Hospital in London is an exceptionally good Sleep Disorders Unit, and with their specialist treatment my dad has at least been given a chance of a decent quality of life...


Ingrid

Hi Ingrid.
Sorry to hear your fathers in a bad way. I don't think even the doctors will know at this stage what will be needed when your father comes home. Isn't it possible that he could make a full recovery?
Bob.

p.s. don't worry about the space on this message board as it can handle 100Mb.

Hi, thanks Bob... I will take your advice.

My father has been in hospital since last Sunday evening with severe respiratory failure, possibly brought about by a pneumonia and heart failure. He has been in ITU since mid week, and has spent the whole week on various CPAP/BiPAP machines and is now on a ventilator. He's PCO2 levels are extremely high whilst his body cannot maintain O2 in the blood.

Can anyone tell me what to expect once he comes home - will he always be tied up to CPAP/BiPAP or will we be able to resume oxygen therapy with CPAP/BiPAP occasionally?

I really feel that I need to prepare for the long term and would like any advice.

I can be contacted on (idbutters-at-tesco.net) if there is not enough space to reply here.

thanks

Ingrid

Hi, just found this site and am impressed with the information content. I'm 39, was diagnosed with OSA 14 months ago and have been on CPAP for just over a year. It has transformed most aspects of my life. My father died 3 yrs ago, quite suddenly of a massive heart attack which was a surprise to us as he was quite fit and looked after himself and had no previous history of coronary problems. It was only as I was having my sleep study and discovering about OSA that my mother confirmed to my wife that all my night-time symptoms were common to my father. I am convinced that he must of had OSA for around 30 years prior to his death. This one fact made me hugely determined to accommodate the discomfort of CPAP (most of which is psychological in my opinion) and I found that after a week, I was sleeping throughout the night. I take the machine everywhere and only get a few jokes about Darth Vader from my friends!

Hi Ingrid.
The experts are not sure whether Obstructive Sleep Apnoea is hereditary (not to be confused with Central Sleep Apnoea) as that is totally different. OSA is caused my the throat collapsing during sleep and tends to occur in overweight people with larger necks, but this is not always the case.

These physical attributes could be inherited from our parents, and are possibly a contributing factor, but know one really knows. If you're worried, you should see your doctor and explain your tiredness, as it could be caused by many other things.

Try the Epworth test in the Sleep Apnoea section. This is the standard first line test used by doctors and sleep clinics. If you get a high Epworth score, you could mention the test.

My dad has been diagnosed with OSA, I experience occasions of severe exhaustion and could fall asleep at the drop of a pin.

Can OSA be hereditary? How can I find out if it is something in the genes?

Ingrid

I'm a visitor from the NeckBreathers Message Board site http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NeckBreathers/message/5310 - This is an excellent, informative site, and I wish I had found it earlier! Keep up the good work.

I am 75 years old and have been falling asleep without warning since my thirties. My sister always said I was the only person she knew who could fall asleep in mid sentence. Somehow I managed a heavy workload and have only become desperate now I am alone and retired. Being slowed down by age and disability and with no-one to wake me up I found I was spending most of my waking hours on chores with no time to do the reading and study I had planned - and constantly apologising because I hadn't done things I had promised e.g. a small voluntary secretaryship I had undertaken. This made me feel incompetent, useless and very depressed.

At last a doctor has mentioned sleep apnoea and referred me to a hospital. A friend found your excellent website and I am now looking forward with more hope to the rest of my retirement.

Thanks Bob, i'll certainly give it a try.

Hi again Tam.
Just did a search on Google (UK) for meditation tapes.
One which looked good was a none profit making site which just reviews tapes at www.calming.org

Also, I thought you might like this one at www.e-scotland.co.uk/shyam-tapes/ £6.95 + P & P.

If you do purchase one, please tell us if it helped, as not being unable to sleep at the right time is one of the most sought after cures.
Bob.

Hi Tam.
It certainly isn't your imagination. This seems to be a very common complaint. It's just as if your brain won't shut down and let you sleep. I'm not sure whether this is classed as insomnia or not, but it sure makes you feel terrible. You dread going to bed, as you know you have to, because you have to be at work in the morning. The first thing to do is see your doctor.

If everything is ok at the docs, you need to find a routine to relax. I find listening to music, but my wife hates this. She prefers read a book, then falls asleep half way through. There are some relaxation tapes you can listen to, but I've no idea were you get them from. I'll have a look on the net to see what there is. It's worth a try.
Bob.

My job entails rising at 03:45am six days a week, most nights I have between 3-5 hours sleep even though I go to my bed at around 9-9:30pm. I toss and turn and think about anything and everything, the longer this goes on the worse I feel.
During the day I am tired and have no motivation towards my work, occasionally I have nap in the afternoon but I feel awful when I wake up. This makes it even more difficult to sleep at night.
On my 1 day off I sleep for about 9-10 hours.

Do you think I suffer from insomnia or is it just my imagination.

I have just read a net article from a UK man who was diagnosed with OSA and who says that by law, Doctors must inform DVLA if you are diagnosed as suffering from OSA and "Your driving licence is usually withdrawn depending on the severity". I have a friend who uses a CPAP to great success. I was thinking of going to my GP about my obvious OSA (I have all symptoms that affect my marriage and life in all ways). This business about losing my driving licence has just stopped me. So I will probably die without ever having been properly tested because I can't risk losing my job that I worry about because I depend on driving. This is a real bummer as I have read your page and been encouraged up to now.

Hi Pavarotti69
I was first diagnosed with severe OSA when I visited the doctors for extremely loud snoring. After a sleep study at the hospital, I got a letter from the DVLA saying I had lost my driving licences (Car, Motorbike, HGV Class 1 & PSV Class 1).

I was promptly sacked from my job as a lorry driver, and was a bit annoyed to say the least. I now realise that I was a danger to other road users, as there have been many accidents caused by falling asleep at the wheel.

If you get treatment (i.e. CPAP) and your specialist is satisfied that it's working, you get your driving licence back as I did. If you were every involved in a serious accident, and they found out that you had a history of OSA, you could be sued or even jailed.

If you don't get treatment, OSA can put a strain on the old ticker. A friend of mine who I meet through having OSA, couldn't cope with his CPAP machine and died at 48 yrs old from heart failure. I felt like you at the beginning, but this altered my views on it.

Also, if you get it sorted, you'll feel much livelier. No more falling asleep during the daytime.

Hi,
Congratulations, your site is really informative and has given me the confidence to take the necessary steps. I've had an Oxometry Monitoring test, courtesy of a friend, Index 27.9 and Epworth 18+. My GP has referred me to a Sleep Consultant in early August. I don't think I would have made the effort to "go for it" without the encouragement and clear information you present. Many thanks.
David

I have been under papworth hospital for the last 6 years as a result of sleep apnoea my health has suffered badly i now have diabetes, renal problems and i have had heart failure so in all I'm in a bad state your site is the best one that i have found on the net. if possible i would like to put a link to it in my open university exam webpage
if i can, you can email me at (bill.2e1hhi-at-ntlworld.com)