Relieved at diagnosis.

[Mark the Snorer]

After suffering intolerable tiredness for over 10 years, losing a marriage and several girlfriends down to unacceptable snoring, ruining a £5000 dream holiday and finally telling my boss to "stick his job" on a particularly grumpy day I went to my local hospital with chest pains and stepped into the NHS mill.

Firstly I got a thorough heart check up with no particular outstanding diagnosis. Then it was decided I was in early onset Type 2 diabetes. During a consultation with my GP I asked to be referred to a Sleep Apnoea Clinic and finally today, ten years on, was diagnosed with severe Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. The Doctor was extremely nice when I apologised for "forgetting" to use the monitor on my first night of sleep monitoring and also failing to complete his questionaire as my dysfunction would have required an essay.

He immediately showed me the trace made by a normal person and then the trace made by a severe sufferer. Then he compared my trace which showed over 40 episodes an hour and almost constant Oxygen levels below 50%!

I now have to wait 2 weeks to be fitted up with a CPAP machine. I am so thrilled to have found the root of years of tiredness and health niggles and hope that treatment will be successful and normal service will be resumed.

As ever, the Internet has provided me with both answers and a place to explore the subject. So nothing subjective to pass on at the moment but trust me I will be sharing my experiences with you all.

Oh, and girls, I'm much quieter at night now!

[sheffgall]

Hello and welcome i myself a newbie to this forum. I have been missed diagnosed for many years with depression, even tho i told my old DR i never felt depressed and years of changing my tablets never worked i was forever tired and gaind weight, and he put my snoreing and choking at night down to my asthma.

It was not untill i moved house and im now back with my old family DR ive now been tested for all test that can gain weight including Type 2 diabetes and all came back negitive, and i spoke to my asthma nurse about my attacks i thought i just need a stronger dose spray. But since that day my DR sent me to the sleep clinic and now i know that i have sleep apnea. Like you i lost a couple of relationships due to my snoring, but i now have a loveing caring partner that understands its a health problem and is very supportive.

I was diagnosised last friday, i start my week trail tomorrow (fri 25th june) with a cpap machine. Now i know what i have im lookin forward to gettin sleep and feeling alive again, but i admit im not looking forward to wearing the machine has to me it looks like a passion killer lol, but im goin to put up with it , and my partner says he will duck tape it to my face if i dont lol, but also i know my partner will benifit too from my none snoreing has well myself.

You have to keep us all posted how you gettin on when you start on your machine. I found this forum so helpfull and very frieldly. It was good to see im not alone (even tho im female i noticed more men suffer from apnea) and found it very calming and less scary to hear other peoples views.

[Mark the Snorer]

I am so sick of the dysfunction that comes with this condition. I now suffer with Odema or fluid on the legs. Apparently this is another side effect. My GP put me on 40mg Forsamide yesterday and last night I enjoyed my one night out a week. 3 pints, a couple of joints and some great conversation & music in my local, home by 2. Not alot for a 52 year old rocker. But I've managed to sleep almost all day today and feeling shit for it. It's gonna be a long two weeks waiting for this machine. Since being diagnosed I'm beginning to feel cheated.

[James @ Intus]

Mark, if you've been diagnosed and fed up waiting for a machine, I hope you do know you can buy your own Auto-CPAP if you wish. That reduces waiting to 48 hours!