Written by Rob for the BimblersBlog, June 22, 2021
When I had my kidney out, I had a few nights in the high dependency unit.
Drugged up to the eyeballs, I remember the nurses kept waking me up. In the end, I got a bit annoyed and asked them why they wouldn’t just let me sleep? They told me, while I was asleep, I stopped breathing.
The following morning when my consultant came to check on my progress, he suggested I probably had sleep apnoea and he referred me to the sleep clinic.
After a number of tests and a night in the sleep unit, it was established that I had not one but two different types of sleep apnoea. I was diagnosed with central sleep apnoea, obstructive sleep apnoea, restless leg syndrome and periodic limb movement.
The best treatment to help people with sleep apnoea is a CPAP machine. It basically forces air down your throat or up your nose. I’m a mouth breather, so I have to sleep with a full face mask which isn’t very comfortable.