Yesterday I made the decision to start a chain of events which may end up with me losing my licence.
I went to the doctor to make an appointment.
Basically, I feel knackered all the time and it’s not getting better. No matter how much sleep I have, I’m getting to the point where I’m starting to nod off even on the drive to work.
I reckon it’s the main reason why I feel absolutely sick to death of the job as well because on the odd day I do feel quite perky, I enjoy the work.
I’ve been trying to convince myself it’s because I start at silly o’clock, only get 5-6hrs kip a night or because of the tedium. But that isn’t it. I’ve cut my working week down to 3 days and even after a few days off I still feel knackered. I reckoned the last time I can remember not having a problem is 6 years ago before I had to have the 10 months off with my back.
I know where it’s heading. I’m ticking all the boxes (god I hate that expression) for Sleep Apnoea which means I can kiss my HGV licence goodbye. Not sure yet if it would also mean my car licence. Need to make an anonymous call to DVLA about that.
Good thing is that its treatable so it wouldn’t be a permanent loss and the time away would give me time to address one of the main causes - the extra half person I’m carrying around. Fortunately I’m in the position that I can afford to take 6 months off at the moment but it will mean me buying a £400 “respirator” myself as the NHS waiting list for them is around 18 months now.
Good luck conor.
My mrs says i snore like a train and i know im probably about 5stone over my ideal weight :open_mouth: ( but then whos 5 11 and 11 stone?).
I`m often tired at work but i just stop and have a nap (cant afford 6days off never mind 6 months!)
had a boss acouple of years ago type 1 diabeates (the one that doesnt require injections) and sleep apnoea went to a sleep clinic for a couple off nights got treatment started eating healthy lost some weight and kept his licence followed what the medics said and it worked
I have sleep apnoea and have been using a c.p.a.p machine for 12 years.
As a service user of the health service you can be transferred to a clinic with less of a wait (been there done that got the mask to prove it)
I started on this road under the QE in brum and then was transferred to the heartlands hosp due to the list being shorter means a longer drive to appointments and the odd occasion I need spares to my machine or mask.
It’s all a bit daunting and scarery to start with. The mask blows air under pressure up your nose. It feels a bit like sticking your head out of a car window at a hundred mph but it is like a miracle cure
i was only in my late twenties and fairly slim
if you want any reassurance just get in touch .
Sorry to hear about your sleep apnoea Connor but don’t give up hope yet.
I have suffer from severe sleep apnoea too but i bought an inverter and the company wired it into my tractor, now i plugin my cpap and humidifier and
sleep like a baby the 4/5 nites i’m out
Good luck , Charles
would give me time to address one of the main causes - the extra half person I’m carrying around.
often the two go together.
Many years ago my missus went to Weight Watchers, and learnt how to eat healthily. Although I didn’t actually notice it at the time, she was feeding me exactly the same as she was eating, except a little bit more. I’m a terrible sleeper, snore like hell. Feel grotty in the morning, but once at work can keep going, and going. Probably because I’m at a ‘comfortable’ weight for my height.
If you scour the Net, there are some low tech, low cost, devices, that are “assured to work” and that are ‘guaranteed’ to keep the nasal passages open.
They might turn out to be a waste of money but, you could always deduct the cost from your weekly Pork Pie budget.
I did the Slimming World thing years ago but I was pulling 22 tonnes of flat pack out of a trailer every day which helped a lot. Nowadays being on fridges and tankers, there’s a lot of seat moulding going on and not much actual work.
Trouble is you end up in the catch 22 situation. You feel too knackered to go to the gym but if you were fit, you’d not feel knackered in the first place.
Even if it doesn’t turn out to be S.A, I’m considering taking some time off anyway to get shut of some of this lard I’m hauling around. It kind of brought it home to me when I saw someone climb out of a cab with their belly round their knees and thought to myself “That’s me by the time I’m 40 if I don’t do something”. At the moment, there’s still space between my gut and the steering wheel so it’s not too late to do something about it.
The diet isn’t too bad, it’s just the complete lack of any exertion.
Could just be type 2 diabetes, it makes you feel tired, and can usually be controlled by pills so you don’t lose your licence ( only lose licence if it is insulin controlled, the pills just help your body to improve how it uses the insulin you produce ).
Improving your diet and eating less would be a good idea, nowadays I have a bowl of porrage every day for breakfast, keeps you going for a long time but if you have diabetes you do need to eat regularly, more so than you may have done in the past.
If it’s type 2 diabetes, which it could be, my advice would be to change your diet, lose weight and do not take the pills. My son and his mother (my ex) are both type 1 on insulin, and my grandfather, father, uncle and brother are/were all type 2. I was diagnosed last October and the nurse at the clinic said I would have to take metformin, and would probably have to go onto insulin. Then she checked my blood pressure which was high (it has always been on the low side of normal). I pointed out that she had just told me I would have to lose my license if on insulin - not surprising my my blood pressure went up!
I refused to take the metformin, and changed my diet drastically. I have lost nearly 2 stones and my blood sugar is normal. Cut out carbohydrates and sugars and one of the worst I found, (this is going to hurt!) beer. The majority of type 2 diabetics do not need medication, just a change in lifestyle and diet, but the clinics automatically put everyone on pills as this keeps their quotas up to date.
Best of luck Conor - hope it’s nothing serious in the end.
When you go to the doctors ask them about “chronic fatigue syndrome.”
They cannot check for this directly but have to rule everything else out.
Hope this can be of help.
Conor i’m 6 ft and about 11 stone,i can jump up and down a trailer like a 16 year old You just need to get on the Bobby Sands diet plan like me !!!
But on a serious note its no fun when you’re not happy in your work, i think you’ve half answered your own question though. Once you lose some weight you’ll have more motivation/energy/ability to keep a bit in shape. Good luck with it. Keep off the pies and the computer for a bit and go for a walk instead !!!
Well there’s a ton of suggestions as to what it could be there so tomorrow will be interesting. Doubt there’s gonna be anything other than a “we’ll do some tests” at first.
Hang on there - we’re all professionals on here and we’ve given you loads of suggestions and advice. Why do you need to see a doctor
You’re probably right - do some tests. I went with blood glucose readings for a couple of weeks and the quack still did his own test even though I knew the score. Again though, best of luck mate.
gardun:
I refused to take the metformin, and changed my diet drastically. I have lost nearly 2 stones and my blood sugar is normal. Cut out carbohydrates and sugars and one of the worst I found, (this is going to hurt!) beer. The majority of type 2 diabetics do not need medication, just a change in lifestyle and diet, but the clinics automatically put everyone on pills as this keeps their quotas up to date.
Absolutely and completely true.
My wife has Type 2, did exactly the same as you and is a better woman for it.
She feels better and looks better - and the two go hand in hand!
They’re going to do a full bloods and thyroid function test but it’ll be a week next Friday before I get it done and another week or so for the result.
Was looking at my records and in 2003, I went there for insomnia. Completely forgot about that. I’ve obviously had some issues for a while.
Thinking of just doing the next few days I said I’ll do then taking a couple of weeks off until I get the test results.
I hope it’s thyroid function. Firstly it’s solvable by pills and secondly it’ll explain why I can’t shift the weight which has been a problem all my life. The only time I was ever a decent weight was when I was in the Army doing a few hours hard exercise five days a week. Doing 1-2hrs 3 times a week a couple of years ago didn’t even make a dent even after 9 months.
Someone told me about 8 years ago I suffered from SA ( a girl I was dating who happened to be a nurse). Back then it meant nothing to me,
Like you, Conor, no matter how much sleep I have , every day about 11 I feel shattered and if I don’t pull over for 40 winks, I am all over the road.
It is damned scary actually. I know I am overweight but what the hell do I do? Go to the doctor and risk losing my licence and therefore the only employment I know? Just 15 minutes nap and I am fine again but just sometimes it can’t be done.
A friend of mine was always tired all the time until he had tests which showed he had a under active thyriod.They give him tablets which they gradually increased the dosage until they got it bang on.Hes right as rain now.
(the one that doesnt require injections) and sleep apnoea went to a sleep clinic for a couple off nights got treatment started eating healthy lost some weight and kept his licence followed what the medics said and it worked
and that are ‘guaranteed’ to keep the nasal passages open.