newly diagnosed and worried

[gtsxmb]

I'm in my late 20s and was told last week that I have 'moderate' sleep apnea. At first I was pleased that I was finally able to pinpoint a reason for my exhaustion over the years and that there was a way to treat it - I've been referred to the Royal National Ear Nose and Throat hospital to have a machine fitted, been told an appointment should be made for 5-6 weeks.

Now it seems I'm suffering from a case of the more you read the worse you feel about things, I've read things about disability, about massively increased travel insurance costs, even about greatly increased risk of death that really frighten me. I thought that the vast majority of time the machines are supposed to work and if they do then the problem may as well not exist.

Despite, I strongly suspect having this problem for years I've coped, getting degrees and at the moment doing an intensive law course - admittedly outside of work(study) time I'm too tired to do much else which has obviously had an impact on my life over the years, so I was very hopeful that on getting it treated I would many more hours in the day. I still am hopeful but at the moment things are really bad I suspect knowing about the problem has made things worse for the time being as I am actually (or seem to be) aware of trouble breathing as I fall asleep which is not exactly conducive to a good nights rest.


Anyway I'm not even sure why I started writing this now.......

[Tigers Fan]

She'll be right, mate!

Welcome to the forum, gtsxmb, and congratulations! You've at last got yourself started on the road that will give you your life back.

If you leave OSA untreated, it can have dire consequences on your health and life in general. DVLA would want your driving license back, to start with.

If you treat OSA, your health improves, your energy levels go up, you are less grumpy, you continue to drive, etc, etc. You will be amazed what a difference a night's sleep makes!! You still have OSA but you don't suffer from it.

If you are lucky, you take to CPAP therapy as a duck to water. If unlucky, you will have a period of "learning" to use the new equipment and settling in to sleeping with a mask.

Read the posts in this forum and you will find a great number of 'it has saved my life' sort of posts - and a lot of 'my mask leaks' sort of posts from the newly begun.

Tigers Fan

[GrumpyBiker]

Now you have been diagnosed and assuming that you can adapt to CPAP, which the majority of people can, then the end is in sight - or at least a new beginning.

Diagnosed but untreated OSA will put a lot of obstacles in your way, both health issues and practical ones such as loss of driving license. Follow the treatment regieme and these are significantly mitigated.
Travel insurance, for example, need not necessarily be an issue, with several providers (such as Nationwide) allowing you to opt in or out of cover for pre-existing conditions. Pack your CPAP machine and head off for the sun....

This could also be a new opportunity for you - learn to play the didgeridoo - it strenthens the throat muscles and helps to limit your apnoea....

I remember how I felt just a few weeks ago. A real Oh Bugger moment. Give it time, things will get better and once you have had a few decent nights sleep it becomes much simpler to cope mentaly.

Andy

[leswaller]

Hi gtsxmb
Whilst you are supposed to tell the DVLA of your condition, all the reports on this site say that provided your are compliant with your treatment, then they are happy. The same applies for care insurance, there is no evidence of increased premiums. Any respectable life/medical insurance company should also take the same approach and your sleep clinic should be able to write to them and confirm your compliance if they need proof

[gtsxmb]

Thank you all for the welcome and the reassurances.

Actually driving is not an issue because I don't drive, always been on my agenda to learn, but living fairly close to central London you can get by without which is what I have been doing thus far anyway.

On further reflection and slightly more rest (I was pretty tired when I wrote that last post), I am very hopeful that the treatment when I do get it will be helpful, just this interim period between diagnosis and getting the machine really is tough because now I am consciously aware of the problem falling asleep is harder, waking up is harder etc. - hopefully it won't last too long though.

One more thing - I am simply amazed when I look back at how I just accepted the extreme tiredness as part of my everyday life. If I went to a cinema I maybe had a 50% chance of actually watching the film, get on train whether I wanted or not lights out within five to ten minutes, lectures : started drifting off in more than a few, and I always had this as normal, as if just hadn't slept enough the previous night or just simply had low energy.

In fact if not for an odd moment last year where I woke up and was unable to breathe for some seconds I would probably not have gone to my GP, and the sleep study would not have been done and then it would have gone on for who knows how long. If, as I suspect I have not had a properly good nights sleep for five years or more I can scarcely imagine what it will be like to have one. So I am looking forward to getting the machine and I really , really hope it works

[leswaller]

Your symptoms and signs are pretty typical of what happens. Each little thing creeps up on you over a period of time and so you are not aware of them until they cumulatively cause you a problem. I can almost guarantee that within a few days of starting on your CPAP you will feel unbelievely better. You may have a few problems getting a good mask fit, or getting the pressure right on the machine, but if you persevere you will overcome these. There are plenty of people on this forum who can help, and remember that we know exactly where you are coming from as we all started at that point ourselves.