You might recall that in my last posting I mentioned that my
husband has had some health issues. For some time now he had been feeling very
very tired. He had been waking in the morning with a headache and a sore throat
feeling that he just can’t get out of bed. His doctor referred him to a
specialist who recommended that he have a sleep apnoea test. I was sceptical as
he does not snore excessively and what I knew of sleep apnoea sufferers snore
loudly and stop breathing in their sleep and start again with a mighty snort of
a snore. I told the specialist that Jonathan never does that but he assured me
that surveys had been done and they had found out that what the sleeping
partner of the sufferer reported was hardly ever the correct situation.
We made an appointment with the sleep clinic, more to prove
that Jonathan did not have sleep apnoea than expecting a positive result. Jonathan
was given a machine to take home and shown how to attach it and told to sleep
with it on that night and to return it the following day. With all the wires
attached he looked like some sort of alien invader and he was sure he would not
sleep a wink that night. Surprisingly enough he did not have too bad a night
all things considered and we took the machine back the next morning and awaited
the results.
It took about six weeks for the results to be ready; on the
basis that “no news is good news” we were pretty sure that all was well so it
was quite a shock to learn from the specialist that Jonathan had very severe
sleep apnoea. Jonathan laughingly said
“Does that mean I could wake up one morning and find I’m dead?” and the
specialist said it did. He explained that the reading was 60.5 which meant that
he was having an average of about 60 apnoea incidences every hour and that he
needed to go on to an apnoea machine. He referred us back to the sleep clinic
so that they could do more tests and recommend the best machine for his needs.
The young ladies at the clinic were all very nice and they
explained further what it was all about and fitted him up with a trail machine
to begin with. The first machine did not seem to be working properly as
Jonathan said that it was pumping ice cold air into his lungs and was very
uncomfortable so they changed it for another machine which did not seem any
better. After struggling for about two weeks and not feeling as if he was
getting anywhere Jonathan decided to contact the brother-in-law of one of our
church elders who has been on a sleep apnoea machine for many years. He told us
that he did not use the humidifier on his machine and found it was much better
for him so Jonathan decided to try it that way.
This proved much more successful and he woke the next morning feeling
refreshed and so much better.
During the time that all this testing was going on Jonathan
received a letter from the driving licence
authorities telling him that as he was now 76 he needed to pass a
medical test to continue to hold a diving licence. I think if we had realised
that he really did have sleep apnoea we would have quickly gone to the doctor
and got the forms signed but we left it until our next doctor’s visit and of
course by then sleep apnoea had been diagnosed and he needed a letter from a
sleep specialist to say that he was receiving treatment for his apnoea and that
it was controlled. This took some time as he had a problem at first getting
used to the machine and then he had to have four weeks use of it before they
could say that it was controlled. This meant that he could not get a letter to
say he had passed the medical until after the date set down by the authorities
and was not able to drive, not a great problem as I can drive but an
inconvenience none the less.
We were told that a sleep apnoea machine would cost about
$2500 and that there was no assistance from Medicare to cover it. We really
don’t have that kind of money so we did a bit of research on the internet and
looked into the possibilities of second hand machines. We eventually decided on
a demo model that the sleep apnoea clinic offered us for $1185, still way out
of our pocket but my sister Adele, in the UK very kindly offered to pay for it
and for this we are both very grateful.
It is now six month since Sleep Apnoea was first mentioned
as a possible cause of Jonathan’s excessive tiredness and it has been rather
traumatic. We feel that we have had rather a run around, from one doctor to
another, having tests done, things not going the way we expected, worrying about
the effect that the apnoea was having of his health and generally feeling that
we were out of our depth and maybe being taken for a ride by people that only
wanted to make money out of us. But then we remember how poor Jonathan’s health
was before all of this and we have to admit that we have been given good advice
and he is really much better. Before he started on this treatment he would wake
up in the morning feeling as if he had not slept at all, or as if he had been
to a wild party the night before. He was having the hang over without the
alcohol. He was having difficulty concentrating and was grumpy and tired the
whole time. It is amazing what a difference a good night’s sleep has made. From
a reading of 60.5 the readings are now between 4 and 5 which is normal. Jonathan
now wakes in the morning feeling refreshed; he is able to get out of bed
instead of dragging himself out of bed. He is less stressed and much more
relaxed. Unfortunately a sleep machine cannot reverse all the effects of ageing
but it has got rid of a lot of the problems that we were putting down to “just
old age” and given him a much better health prognosis.
I have heard many different views on sleep apnoea, some
people seem to believe that it is all in the imagination. If it is suggested
that you might have sleep apnoea go ahead and have the tests but be very sure
that the machine is really making a difference to your health and well-being.
While searching the internet for a second hand machine we came across quite a
few machines that were being sold because “I have found out that sleep apnoea
is not the cause of my problem”. Jonathan’s machine has definitely made a
difference to his health and we are very pleased to have it.