Today Im having a little rant...... Below you will find a question sent to me from a man suffering with the symptoms of Sleep Apnoea and yet not getting the correct treatment he should be getting. I am constantly in receipt of messages and phone calls such as this one. Here in the UK we have many good supportive sleep clinics and sleep medics, but if you are not getting the care you should be, do bear in mind, contrary to what many GPs would have a believe, we DO HAVE Patient Choice and can request to be referred to an alternative sleep clinic. (I, myself, have transferred to a sleep clinic out of my own area). nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Yourchoices/hospitalchoice/Pages/Choosingahospital.aspx MESSAGE FROM A SLEEP APNOEA SUFFERER:- I had a sleep study done at my local sleep clinic a few years ago (my 3rd Ive had done since being diagnosed 17 yrs ago) and there they said my OSA was moderate. They recommended mandibular advancement, so I bought one over the internet with a mediocre level of success. (EDIT BY ME.....NO GOOD SLEEP CLINIC WOULD RECOMMEND SOMEONE BUY AN OVER-THE-COUNTER MANDIBULAR DEVICE!!! ADDITIONALLY, A FURTHER SLEEP STUDY SHOULD BE OFFERED WITH A MANDIBULAR DEVICE IN PLACE). This year Ive been really suffering and noticed a marked decline in my health and the OSA. I have had a further sleep study done by a reputable hospitals sleep department (as part of another matter I am dealing with) and have now been told my Sleep Apnoea is severe!! I work full time (out of need) and Im finding each day more and more of a struggle. I feel horrendous all the time, work are noticing, I cannot remember anything and its ruining my life! When I see a GP at my practice they just stare at me as if Im an idiot when I tell them I cannot cope and that I cannot go on any longer like this. All they do is sign me off for a week from work. The sleep clinic who did my latest sleep study said I can ask my Dr to refer me to them. I did this and the Dr said the NHS Trust may refuse to fund it as there is a sleep clinic at the local hospital. I only ever get to see a nurse at my current sleep clinic who has been no help with my CPAP struggles. Ive had operations to remove my uvula, tonsils and to strengthen the back of the tongue and nothing has worked. (EDIT BY ME - I HEAR THIS ALL THE TIME! SOMETIMES SURGERY CAN HELP, BUT OFTEN IT DOESNT). What Im asking is I do not know what to do anymore, as far as I am concerned I have reached the end of the road, I cannot go on any longer like this and I think its only a matter if time before I have a heart attack or a stroke. (My response to this person was to push to be referred to the new sleep clinic because we only have one life, and if Sleep Apnoea is not treated, that life can be cut short, or at best, be very hard and miserable. I have known many people who have had to change to an alternative clinic to get the treatment they deserve - with fantastic results! I have also known people change their GP when they have been refused a referral for suspected Sleep Apnoea).
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 20:24:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015