doctors and cure for snoring continued

[Arthur Ole Lancaster]

I will try to describe the New Zealand medical setup.
All the major NZ hospitals are comunity run by hospital boards elected by the voters in the areas where they situated . All treatment is free to all nz born citizens and anybody who has lived in nz longer than four years .
The next stage is the ACC. (Accident compensation cor.) who cover all expenses for any injuries caused by accident.In nz you cannot sue.
the next group are the private health insurance companies who run the private hospitals.
Public hospitals are not charities but are funded by the Govenment out of taxes and are some of the most up to date hospitals in the world (you can get free transplants for example.)Unfortauntly there are long waiting lists for many of the operations.
You can get treatment in the private hospitals if you belong to a health insurance co.or you pay cash.so sometimes it is quicker to go private
In 1990 I tried to get treatment for my snoring with the results I described in my previous post,
I carried on for six years but I was getting gradualy worse to the point I falling asleep while driving (It was lucky I wasnt a truck driver) so I consulted my local doctor (a different one ) who arranged a consultation with another specialist who arranged a sleep lab test.The waiting list was to long at the public hospital (about six weeks at that time)so I opted to go private.
I turned up for my sleep test Boy what an eye opener,I was wired up like astronaute and tucked up in bed told to go to sleep.About four hours later I was awakend and fitted to a strange looking machine and told to go back to sleep.That was my introduction to CPAP.I have not looked back since.
the results of my sleep test are as follows

arousal index 23.9 per hour
rdi was at 55.8 per hour mainly hypopneas and obstructive apnoeas
Sa02 was at98%dipping to 78% while I was asleep.
any way thats my story so I guess I was Lucky I found a doctor who knew what he was doing ,I hate think tha I almost ended up with a dirty great hole in my throat and a tennis ball implant in my back

[dsm]

A genuine K1W1 - Kia Ora - Haere Mai, Haere Mai, Haere Mai!!!

I made the mistake of speaking K1W1 to one of the regulars here who has a Kiwi as his avatar. It never dawned on me that a non K1W1 citizen would do this - I never got a peep back but am not surprised.

Which Is are you from (guessing Nth) self started life in CHCH then went to Oz then back to AKL then to Oz then to motherland then to Oz then back to AKL then to WLG then back to Oz - bulk of my IWI are in Wanganui (I am Pakeha - but have 2 adopted Maori sons - both born in Oz until I took us all back to AoTeAroa).

To the regulars, please do forgive me for this, there are so few of us K1W1s that I was overcome by nostalgia esp after last night when the All Blacks trashed the Wallabies on their own home ground (NZ beat Australia - soundly, at Rugby - Bledisloe Cup - an emotional event to most of us from either side of the Tasman).

Anyway,

Welcome & thanks for your outline on what happens in NZ.

Cheers

DSM

[Arthur Ole Lancaster]

We pop in the most unusal places Kia Ora Kia toa BRO am in the far north Parengarenga Harbour to be exact A.O.Lancaster

[dsm]

We pop in the most unusal places Kia Ora Kia toa BRO am in the far north Parengarenga Harbour to be exact A.O.Lancaster

Hi Arthur,

That is well and truly North - I have other iwi in Waipu & Whangaparoa & one son in AKL but apart from the odd trip to Russell rarely used to go beyond Whangarei

The weather must be pretty unique up there.

Cheers

DSM
PS enjoyed your post re 1st visit to doc. I was in WLG until 1989 then went to Oz & did full sleep study in Syd in mid 1989 - was given the all clear. Back then I couldn't find anywhere in AoTeAroa that did the full all wired analysis.

[Arthur Ole Lancaster]

no that was star wars stuff back in those days.An enterprising young doc started a sleep lab at the Mercy hospital in the nineties The mercy hospital was private Catholic run hospital in Epson in Auckland .A.O.L.

[dsm]

no that was star wars stuff back in those days.An enterprising young doc started a sleep lab at the Mercy hospital in the nineties The mercy hospital was private Catholic run hospital in Epson in Auckland .A.O.L.

In mid 80s I lived nearby, in Wheturangi Rd - Epson end. I suspect that the free hospital system back then, delayed the intro of sleep studies even though Prof Sullivan was leading the way back in Oz then.

Similar problem at the same time, was trying to get a CAT scan - in those days it took a trip across the pond to SYD to achieve.

AoTeAroa shines in some areas but is woeful in others I am looking forward to getting back there in a few months.

Cheers

DSM

[Arthur Ole Lancaster]

Not much has changed.We are in the middle of an election,David Langey died at the weekend,the rich are getting richer and the poor are still on the benefit..But it is still a nice place to come back to A.O.L

[Guest]

Not much has changed.We are in the middle of an election,David Langey died at the weekend,the rich are getting richer and the poor are still on the benefit..But it is still a nice place to come back to A.O.L

I saw in the news that he was being dispatched to the big umu
I am convinced he would have lived longer if he had realised he had OSA

Wonder what Naomi thought (I guess she long since gave up being concerned). My oldest son went to Wesley at Pukekohe with Lange's oldest. We'd see him out there on occasions (back when he was ruling the roost).

So looks like the Nats under Brash might really give Helen a run for the money

Cheers & I hope it goes the way you want it

DSM

[Arthur Ole Lancaster]

Tena Koutou, to all our american cousins who have been following our korero,I will now close .A Hongi to all whenua .Hei Kona Ra A.O.L.