Implications of possibly having sleep apnoea

[Roch]

Hi all well i decided to talk to my doc bout my prob with sleeping especially as i am going down the wls route now.
Over 6 yrs now i have not had one nights sleep without waking up that i know of bout 8 times and that is physically being awake but i do know i twist and turn all night long and snore like a drunk old man and also my son says i make funny noises.
I took nytol for 5 yrs i know i should not of but without it i was disturbed even more, but tbh in 6 yrs i have not had one day where i have woken up feeling refreshed like your meant to after a good nights sleep.
I am constantly tired and feel i could drop asleep any time during the day and often do lie down a few times during the day.
I never thought bout sleep apnoea and just put it down to weighing 27 stone and taking quite a few meds for different health problems related to my obesity.

I had my first app at the Whit last thursday with 2 lovely MM crew Meggie aka Ellen and Pink lady aka Natalie and now we r all waiting for our next appointments which could be in 8 weeks time or so depending if we can get any cancellations are not.
I noticed that i would have to have a sleep apnoea study so i decided to talk to my gp today bout my sleeping probs as at the mo its getting quite bad and am really struggling to stay awake during the day.
My gp said he would refer me straight away to my local hospital to see a consultant then its up to him if i have a sleep study but he is sure i will.
My app will take 6/8 weeks then poss 2 weeks after that for a study.
Next came the bombshell " I MUST STOP DRIVING FROM TODAY"
this shocked me big time but i can understand why, it is worrying me as now i will be very housebound as my car is my only independence which now i dont have, and calling up to cancel my car insurance made me cry as the reality hit home.
Am wondering if i would of preferred to of waited 4 months then had the tests at the Whit and at least been able to drive, but then i realised that my sleeping during the day is getting worse and god forbid i ever fell asleep at the wheel i could never forgive myself, whether it was sleep apnoea or not there is def a reason why i am not sleeping and am falling asleep during the day far 2 often.
I suppose in a mad sense if i do have it then it will make my case for funding stronger but not sure how i will manage now without my car.
Was just wondering how it has affected you and how have you coped, take care and chat soon xx

 

[Caroline101061]

Should you fall asleep at the wheel whilst driving and have a crash, you would be totally liable and your insurance would be null and void - I was told at my initial thorassic appt to stop driving until I had been investigated even though I knew 100% that I didnt have it. Actually got the Doc to call the DVLA for clarification and he called back and said 'you can drive'!

You could pay and have the test done privately - think I saw a clinic that advertised the study for £250 in London. I totally understand about the car but its a question of safety.

On the plus side - sleep apnea is 100% curable with weight loss. In the interim, they give you a sleep ap machine that you wear at night which keeps the oxygen flowing to your brain. With that, your sleep pattern will improve and you will be able to continue driving. I would fork out for the private test if I were you and dont cancel the insurance on the car!

 

[lamornamiss]

I don't get a good nights sleep either, I snore like a pig and can sleep for 3 hour during the day after 6-7 hours of a night, As soon as i get up in the morning I want to back to sleep.
I had to have a sleep apnoea test done It can back as normal, no one was more surprised than me.
But at no time was i told not to drive.
I would phone your GP and explain how much you need the car and can he try to get the appointment Quicker (I waited 9 months before my appointment)
As you haven't been diagnoised with sleep apnoea there shouldn't be a problem with driving UNLESS you feel unsafe (do you feel sleepy when you are driving or had moments when you thought you were unsafe to drive)
Phone the DVLA and ask them for advise (be careful they can revoke your licence if they feel there is a problem)
Good luck

 

[Roch]

Should you fall asleep at the wheel whilst driving and have a crash, you would be totally liable and your insurance would be null and void - I was told at my initial thorassic appt to stop driving until I had been investigated even though I knew 100% that I didnt have it. Actually got the Doc to call the DVLA for clarification and he called back and said 'you can drive'!

You could pay and have the test done privately - think I saw a clinic that advertised the study for £250 in London. I totally understand about the car but its a question of safety.

On the plus side - sleep apnea is 100% curable with weight loss. In the interim, they give you a sleep ap machine that you wear at night which keeps the oxygen flowing to your brain. With that, your sleep pattern will improve and you will be able to continue driving. I would fork out for the private test if I were you and dont cancel the insurance on the car!

2 late have cancelled it :cry::cry::cry::cry: as did not want to take any risks.
I will be seen within 8 weeks and 2 weeks after that for a study so it wont be that long.
I cant fork out for a private test as i am not working due to my obesity so will just have to be patient and wait
Thanks hun and take care xxx

 

[Caroline101061]

Oh pet - I freaked when I was told that I shouldnt drive whilst I was being assessed especially as I knew damn well I didnt have a problem. Guess you will just have to be chauffeured in the interim. As you say, its 10 weeks max and could be less so you will be sorted by the time the weather turns. Fingers crossed its fast.

 

[Roch]

I don't get a good nights sleep either, I snore like a pig and can sleep for 3 hour during the day after 6-7 hours of a night, As soon as i get up in the morning I want to back to sleep.
I had to have a sleep apnoea test done It can back as normal, no one was more surprised than me.
But at no time was i told not to drive.
I would phone your GP and explain how much you need the car and can he try to get the appointment Quicker (I waited 9 months before my appointment)
As you haven't been diagnoised with sleep apnoea there shouldn't be a problem with driving UNLESS you feel unsafe (do you feel sleepy when you are driving or had moments when you thought you were unsafe to drive)
Phone the DVLA and ask them for advise (be careful they can revoke your licence if they feel there is a problem)
Good luck

Hi Wendy ty for ur response, i dont sleep like that in the afternoon just feel i need to have a few mins here and there but struggle to keep my eyes open continually.
Thankfully i will only have to wait bout 8 weeks for an appointment and once i get the letter through will call up continually looking for a cancellation fingers crossed.
I dont want to call the dvla as it is not a diagnosis just a suspicion so now i am not driving and have cancelled my insurance told them i sold my car when they asked
I dont actually feel sleepy when i drive as dont drive much as dont leave the house much and always have the window wide open when driving.
Anyway i would def prefer to know either way and if it is get it sorted as am continually shattered all the time.
Thanks and take care xxx

 

[Roch]

Oh pet - I freaked when I was told that I shouldnt drive whilst I was being assessed especially as I knew damn well I didnt have a problem. Guess you will just have to be chauffeured in the interim. As you say, its 10 weeks max and could be less so you will be sorted by the time the weather turns. Fingers crossed its fast.

Fingers crossed lol xxx

 

[thinkbethin]

Roch I'm sad to hear of the driving"ban" but relieved to hear you're going to be safe and not endangering yourself or anybody else. As hard as its going to be without the car its got to be worth giving up driving untill you know for sure. Hang on in there and see what happens at the sleep study. Its a plus if you have it for getting funding and its a plus if you don't have so you can drive again.Which would you prefer right now??? Good luckxx

 

[IRJ]

Ive have been confimed has having Severe sleep apnea and ime a sales manager who drives 30,000 miles a yr and have never felt i was going to fall asleep at the wheel.

I have to admit though that i dont sleep very well and havnt for 10yrs and knew i suffered with sleep apnea i havnt spoke to my company or our insurance company and wont until ime told to by my doctor or Salford Royal when they can be arsed to book a further investigation has they said they were going to urgently 5wks ago.

 

[Roch]

Roch I'm sad to hear of the driving"ban" but relieved to hear you're going to be safe and not endangering yourself or anybody else. As hard as its going to be without the car its got to be worth giving up driving untill you know for sure. Hang on in there and see what happens at the sleep study. Its a plus if you have it for getting funding and its a plus if you don't have so you can drive again.Which would you prefer right now??? Good luckxx

Hmmm part of me says the car and the other more rational part of me says the diagnosis as that will be a co morbidities to ensure i get my funding, but as my bmi is 60 already i dont think the funding will be a prob as my pct is 40 bmi with no co morbidities and 45 with and either way i am way over that but of course the surgery is worth not being able to drive even for 6 months as am so desperate to have surgery.
Def no way i will get in my car now have taken the key off my key ring to make sure i dont forget and just jump in the car as am so used to not having to think bout it.
Thanks hun xxx

 

[thinkbethin]

Everything will work out for you and when you're the new "slim" you and able to drive just think what a nice little car you could be driving lolxx

 

[Roch]

Ive have been confimed has having Severe sleep apnea and ime a sales manager who drives 30,000 miles a yr and have never felt i was going to fall asleep at the wheel.

I have to admit though that i dont sleep very well and havnt for 10yrs and knew i suffered with sleep apnea i havnt spoke to my company or our insurance company and wont until ime told to by my doctor or Salford Royal when they can be arsed to book a further investigation has they said they were going to urgently 5wks ago.

My gp told me straight away i cant drive :cry:u sound just like me, i have not slept well for over 6 yrs but never felt i would fall asleep at the wheel.
Good luck with the tests xxx

 

[Roch]

Everything will work out for you and when you're the new "slim" you and able to drive just think what a nice little car you could be driving lolxx

Lol i would want a little convertible but the prob is i have 2 staffy`s that come out with me lots and dont think there is much space for them in a convertible lol xx

 

[thinkbethin]

Poor doggies are going to feel so left out lolxx

 

[Roch]

Poor doggies are going to feel so left out lolxx

 

[Bonita]

I have Sleep Apnia (its one of my co-morbidities), Have a pic somewhere of me stuck on the machine they test you with, its far from sexy...lol.

When I first discussed it with my bariatric team and realised that it could affect my operation I contacted Mr Brent (the specialist at our local hospital that does the tests etc) and explained the urgency in having a proper diagnoses.

They were very good and arranged for me to have the test the following week and gave me the results by letter within another week so that I had my results in time for my pre-op.

One of the main symptoms is waking up with a headache that normally goes within a couple of hour of being awake.

I have never been told to drive but from the operation point of view it is important that your aneathetist knows if you have it or not because it affects what aneasthetic and post op pain relief you can have.

My advice is to get your doctor to make a referal to your local hospital for the test and then chase the hospital up and explain the urgency. The test is very simple, you just have to attach a machine to your waist, put a sticky on your waist, one on your chest and a tube under your nose for one night, dead easy.

Some aneathetists will also require you to sleep with oxygen for a month before your operation if you are diagnosed with Sleep Apnia, another reason why you need your diagnoses as soon as you can get it.

 

[swizzlestick]

Hi Roch

Hopefully you wont have to wait to long until your tests and will be back on the road before you know it.

good luck Xx

 

[Lady_in_London]

Hi Roch - hope you don't mind me posting on here rather than pm'ing you although my personal experience is prob not relevant. When I weighed 30 stone I had obstructive sleep apnoea and certainly woke myself up snoring/snorting and trying to catch my breath, dribbling etc. I woke very unrefreshed and had to nap during the day. Once I got from 30 stone to 19 stone the sleep apnoea went. That is because I lost the weight from my face, neck and chest. When I went from 19 stone to 24 stone I didn't get the sleep apnoea returning, and luckily have not had it return as the weight regain has been on my legs, which is bad for mobility, but good because of lack of sleep apnoea. It affects people who carry weight from the belly up. My clothes size on top is 24 and hip clothes size is bigger than 32. It's the fat high up that causes it. If you can lose weigh pre-op and once post-op your weight reduces from your waist upwards, the sleep apnoea will improve. CPAP machines are very effective, but cumbersome.

 

[margaretmc]

Hi Roch
I know a woman that had a bypass in Jan and she had sleep apnea and she was on the machine at night but she hasn't got it now . I`m sorry to hear about the car but hopefully after your surgery you`ll get your car back hun . Take care .
Margaret xx

 

[Roch]

I have Sleep Apnia (its one of my co-morbidities), Have a pic somewhere of me stuck on the machine they test you with, its far from sexy...lol.

When I first discussed it with my bariatric team and realised that it could affect my operation I contacted Mr Brent (the specialist at our local hospital that does the tests etc) and explained the urgency in having a proper diagnoses.

They were very good and arranged for me to have the test the following week and gave me the results by letter within another week so that I had my results in time for my pre-op.

One of the main symptoms is waking up with a headache that normally goes within a couple of hour of being awake.

I have never been told to drive but from the operation point of view it is important that your aneathetist knows if you have it or not because it affects what aneasthetic and post op pain relief you can have.

My advice is to get your doctor to make a referal to your local hospital for the test and then chase the hospital up and explain the urgency. The test is very simple, you just have to attach a machine to your waist, put a sticky on your waist, one on your chest and a tube under your nose for one night, dead easy.

Some aneathetists will also require you to sleep with oxygen for a month before your operation if you are diagnosed with Sleep Apnia, another reason why you need your diagnoses as soon as you can get it.

Hi Bonita and thanks for ur response, i 2 have headaches when i wake up never thought bout this b4.
As i still have a long way on my wls journey there is def time b4 i even go on the waiting list, have only had my first info meeting and expecting a consultant app in bout 8/10 weeks.
Spoke to the clinic today and they said i should have an app within 8 weeks and if the consultant says i need a sleep study should have one within 3 weeks of the app so all in all bout 11 weeks till i get a written diagnosis.
There is a good chance will jus bout have seen the bariatric consultant bout that time i have my first consultant app, but as soon as i get a date which should be in the next few weeks will phone them up and explain the situation to them.
Thanks hun for all ur help, have a good night xxxx