Update: I re-read your earlier posts, Gcfcos , and it looks like you have been fast-tracked. Which means the people at the hospital know about your job, and the driving. But mention it again anyway. Also, at your first few appointments, don't say too much about this site or the info I've given you. ...

Yes, you're the one who has to tell the (UK) Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). That's the law. They will then send you the forms. The top one is a general "I agree for you (the Agency) to access confidential medical information about me." The next form - or forms - is: one for each major i...

sleepyhead 6867 I understand from your various posts that you smoke, and also have some history of COPD. So far, you've only had an overnight pulse-ox. If this has shown low O2 sats (saturations), then - given your history - they could come from several things. So clearly, you need further investig...

As you may know, the recommendation in the UK is that those between 18 and 60 have their eyes tested every two years, and for those over 60, every year. The process now routinely includes testing for pressure (ie, for glaucoma), ability to see across the retina (for macular degeneration), and a fund...

You say you are 'all ears to other possibilities', so here's one: hyper-ventilation syndrome, or HVS. More recently classified as 'daytime breathing disorder'. According to one source, a rise in tidal volume from 500cc to 750cc and an increase in resp rate from 12pm to 15pm can be enough - over time...

I'm assuming you're from London, England. If you don't mind me saying so, it will help people advise you better if you add the country or state. There's quite a few Londons in the world - London, Ontario, London, Arkansas - Ohio, Wisconsin, California - and some of the advice you may need can vary, ...

BlizzardUK wrote: "That is via mail order, I don't know any stores in the UK, big or small, that sell distilled water." Of the list on the webpage that palerider gave the link to, the Halfords offer is probably the most convenient. Halfords is the major chain in the UK for car parts, car improvemen...

Of course, you could always try the water-jug-plus-filter-cartridge method from the German company, Brita, which is widely available in the UK. And in recent years, the drug-store chain Boots, and the supermarket chain Tesco's have both been selling their own brand of jug-plus-cartridge-filter. Inde...

The 'limescale' in both bottled and spring water is mostly calcium carbonate and calcium bicarbonate with a little magnesium bicarbonate as well, and the amount varies by area. Even the water from the 'softest' water areas in the UK can have as much as 100mg per litre of calcium bicarb in it, while ...

With regard to the European bit of your trip - and more particularly, the UK: We don't have an equivalent to the Air Carrier Access Act, but most airlines* that fly in and out of the UK are usually sympathetic. What they would like is something that confirms your status as a patient, and which reque...

Hello again Gcfcos, If you read this forum a lot, one thing you'll twig is that many users here have, as their usual machine, some kind of auto-adjusting device. And, in general, and unless there are specific medical conditions against it (such as heart failure), auto APAP and auto BiPAP are better ...

Hi Gcfcos, Let me see if I can give you some useful information. Severe OSA is to be taken seriously. In the classification used in the NHS, that's 30 or more apneas per hour (called Apnea and Hypopnea Index or AHI). That's a lot. That at least one every second minute. If either Dorset County Hospit...

I had a couple hours between connections at Chicago O'Hare one time, and I spent it in an airport coffee shop, looking out the window. There was a plane pulled up outside, with a sloping luggage ramp on a wheeled flatbed pulled up next to it. There was one guy in the plane hatch and another guy - hi...

Hi everybody, I live in the UK, and I've been on APAP for nearly five years now. I've learned a lot from this forum - today is the first time I've posted. Please note : The following was added today, 28 November, 2016. The information I gave back in December, 2015 is out of date, and I have amended ...