Nov 2009
A good night's sleep
09/November/2009 02:47 PM Filed in: Health
Blogging about my experiences of health care has now
moved onto this site.
I usually write about hospital fiascos and poor NHS health care - perhaps more appropriately they should come under the title ‘near death experiences’. I would like to say health care is really good - but sometimes the trials and tribulations to get that care are nothing to really laugh about.
So, here we go with the latest quest to answer an important question ‘Do I nearly die when I go to sleep?’.
Now, this is quite an important question as I am rather fond of living - and the fact that sleep is something one tends to do on a regular basis is a little concerning. According to my neurologist either now or in the future my attempts to breath whilst dreaming will decrease - and effectively my oxygen saturation will plummet to about 40%. Now, most of my consultants don’t remember I have a medical degree and I know that we used to declare patient’s a gonner at about that mark. So it’s a tad worrying.
The idea was simple - take home a pulse oximeter that will record my oxygen saturation levels over night. I would borrow a machine locally and that would be that.
Of course it’s never that simple. I then get a letter from the sleep clinic attached to my specialist in Oxford (this is over a 2 hour journey from my house). They say I need to pick up their machine and drop it off the next day. Two problems with this - it’s too far to travel and I was working the next day. The letter said the machine was in great demand.
Now I have to call them and explain that my consultant said I could borrow a more local machine. They tell me they are the only ones in the country with this particular device. Hmm, not convinced there are no portable O2 recording devices in the whole of the UK other than this one. I explained that I would have to book a hotel and rearrange the date. They offered my the choice of staying in the clinic but they didn’t seem to understand about my night time needs (I can only sleep on a particular mattress, with a whole bunch of pillows and a willing hubby to get up during the night and turn me). It would be much easier to take those items into a hotel rather than a hospital. Now this sleep study was becoming expensive - probably over £100 at this point. Anyway, I booked a date and left it at that.
The other night I get a phone call from the sleep clinic making sure I was coming in the next night. This wasn’t my original or new date! ‘Eh, what’s you name then”, went the conversation. So they had the wrong patient. I did manage to once again explain my situation and ask if anything could be done more locally. She kept telling me how great this machine was and that it would detect my night time movement and everything - I tried to explain I can’t actually move at night so most of the technology will be lost on me! This seemed to be news to her - obviously not read any of my notes! Again I am retold how great the movement detectors are.... hmmm, someone isn’t taking this in.
The lady was very helpful though and asked why we weren’t being sent the machine by courier to make it easier. I wasn’t told this was an option. Apparently the machine isn’t in demand and is available any time in the next few weeks!
I now await a phone call saying when the courier will arrive with my all singing dancing sleep machine - let’s hope I can actually go to sleep that night! Ahhh ZZZzzzzz
I usually write about hospital fiascos and poor NHS health care - perhaps more appropriately they should come under the title ‘near death experiences’. I would like to say health care is really good - but sometimes the trials and tribulations to get that care are nothing to really laugh about.
So, here we go with the latest quest to answer an important question ‘Do I nearly die when I go to sleep?’.
Now, this is quite an important question as I am rather fond of living - and the fact that sleep is something one tends to do on a regular basis is a little concerning. According to my neurologist either now or in the future my attempts to breath whilst dreaming will decrease - and effectively my oxygen saturation will plummet to about 40%. Now, most of my consultants don’t remember I have a medical degree and I know that we used to declare patient’s a gonner at about that mark. So it’s a tad worrying.
The idea was simple - take home a pulse oximeter that will record my oxygen saturation levels over night. I would borrow a machine locally and that would be that.
Of course it’s never that simple. I then get a letter from the sleep clinic attached to my specialist in Oxford (this is over a 2 hour journey from my house). They say I need to pick up their machine and drop it off the next day. Two problems with this - it’s too far to travel and I was working the next day. The letter said the machine was in great demand.
Now I have to call them and explain that my consultant said I could borrow a more local machine. They tell me they are the only ones in the country with this particular device. Hmm, not convinced there are no portable O2 recording devices in the whole of the UK other than this one. I explained that I would have to book a hotel and rearrange the date. They offered my the choice of staying in the clinic but they didn’t seem to understand about my night time needs (I can only sleep on a particular mattress, with a whole bunch of pillows and a willing hubby to get up during the night and turn me). It would be much easier to take those items into a hotel rather than a hospital. Now this sleep study was becoming expensive - probably over £100 at this point. Anyway, I booked a date and left it at that.
The other night I get a phone call from the sleep clinic making sure I was coming in the next night. This wasn’t my original or new date! ‘Eh, what’s you name then”, went the conversation. So they had the wrong patient. I did manage to once again explain my situation and ask if anything could be done more locally. She kept telling me how great this machine was and that it would detect my night time movement and everything - I tried to explain I can’t actually move at night so most of the technology will be lost on me! This seemed to be news to her - obviously not read any of my notes! Again I am retold how great the movement detectors are.... hmmm, someone isn’t taking this in.
The lady was very helpful though and asked why we weren’t being sent the machine by courier to make it easier. I wasn’t told this was an option. Apparently the machine isn’t in demand and is available any time in the next few weeks!
I now await a phone call saying when the courier will arrive with my all singing dancing sleep machine - let’s hope I can actually go to sleep that night! Ahhh ZZZzzzzz
