My most recent piece of drafted writing has been split in four ways, first with a view on Royal Ascot already published 1309/2309, then with a political update which is now held over as I reflect on the issue and try and make coherent a number of developments which seem to me linked and could lead to premature breaking up of the Coalition Government, thirdly to events at the Leveson Inquiry, published on Monday 1310/2310 plus a piece about the Isle of Wight Festival which has now broadened to include the Hackney weekend event where I want to view more of the substantial hours now available on the BBC Player unlike Sky and the Arts Channel.
This leaves a miscellany of other matters including sport. The most important to me subject is the progress being made in the use of my CeePap (CPAP) Sleep Apnoea Treatment machine. Until the past seven days my experience was a very mixed one although I was learning to understand what has been happened although there are chicken and egg aspects which only others may be able to explain.
The basic problem of Sleep Apnoea as previously discussed is that with the face and neck muscles relaxing when sleeping insufficient air passes through to the lungs and there are stops in breathing which can last a few seconds to a minute or two and where such episodes can occur every few minutes within each hour. Overweight and thickening of the neck can be the main cause although there are more long term constitutional factors. A significant reduction in weight can reduce and even eliminate the problem, where it is primarily or solely weight related and the CPAP can only compensate by forcing air under pressure into the lungs thus establishing consistency which prevents the stop starts and therefore leaves the subject significantly less tired during the day, more energetic and able to exercise where the alternative is falling asleep, especially when relaxed.
The situation can become dangerous in two ways as a precursor for heart problems and a stroke and through the uncontrollable need to sleep become dangerous when driving, which is why notification to the DVLA is a requirement once a medical diagnosis of the condition has occurred.
While my assessment was borderline and therefore did not hopefully take me into the Driving Licence withdrawal category my experience when getting a head cold over the past three years led to seeking treatment accepting that my continuing ability to drive could be put into question. There was also the potential risks of nastier developments if the situation progressed although having reduce my weight by a stone and half had considerable helped and reduced my neck width before the 18 inch mark which was one of the signals for major concern.
I spent the first couple of weeks getting familiar with the use of machine, and at one level going away for the week was a handicap. The main obstacle has been a blocked nose which led to breathing through the mouth which dries up, causing swallowing air which produces body wind. How far the sinus problems are a consequence of the Sleep Apnoea or has other causes I need find out but the more hours I use the machine at night the less blockages, especially early morning, although just when one thinks the situation is mastered a further night of limited use is experience because of not being to breathe naturally through the nose.
One problem is that not having made notes or kept records before the treatment commenced I have no basis for making generalization or reaching conclusions. The machine has some in built record keeping in terms of the hours of treatment use per day, and therefore the total hours and average over a month.
While I was only averaging over just four hours just over a week ago I am now approaching five as this week progresses although this covers a couple of nights when there was no use and others where I was only able to use for one session during the night. Recent I have managed my longest period with 9.1 hours and several of eight and seven. What I do not know if there is a minimum of use for the treatment to be fully effective or one need to maintain use throughout the sleeping period.
Yesterday I was under six hours because of waking with a block stuffed nose or at least that is the way it felt I had rise and this led to a an early afternoon dose after a good walk which included a cheese and pickle baguette eaten overlooking the mouth of the Tyne from the North Marine Park. Then last night I failed in two attempts to get started and only clocked up over one hour just before rising.
I have posted my notification and application to continue driving to the Medical group at the DVLA who will decide if I am fit to continue driving and therefore hold a Driver’s licence, although I could not say that the sleep is yet under control (their terminology) as I do not know the parameters for being able to say this is so. I therefore decided to answer the question in the negative but explained why I had said this bearing in mind the borderline assessment and the forthcoming treatment progress review in the first week in July.
It was not until ten on Friday that I was ready to make a quick visit to the shops taking the car because it looked like heavy rain and it commenced to rain as I set off but stopped when after shopping in Asda I went onto the Street. I visited Wilkinson for second time in two days for plant support canes which are quite expensive about 40 pence each in a packet of 10. While the perspective of the patio remains essentially a green one there are signs of flowering which progressed a little more over the weekend despite the horrendous weather. The disappointment is that the mixed petunias appear to be only purple and white but I have the red geraniums in flower, a couple nurtured over the past three and several others well on their way as well as small yellowy chrysanthemums and the box of red phlox(I think) also small but in flower. The broad beans still look promising although hammered by the driving rain while only the sweet peppers grown from seed are now doing anything although I have those bought doing well as are the three tomato plants on one which begins to flower before forming the fruits.
The rain this Sunday was as hard as I have encountered and came through the ceiling to the window side of the desk. On the walk yesterday I saw the newsstand headline from yesterday’s local paper which said flood chaos in Shields and someone commented that Ocean road was awash no doubt from all the water which runs down from the two hills on either side. Looking out of the window there was a sheet of water river like across the road outside the house which is close to the top of the hill and therefore flushing quickly away. I mistakenly thought the weather was going to be fine tomorrow and warmer but according to the forecast there is only a period before ten and then a good spell from tea time so I shall aim go walking then. I had hope to undertaken another tip across the river. There are performances at the sea front at seven.
On Saturday I enjoyed southern fried chicken pieces, with boiled new potatoes in their skins and some baked beans and tinned tomatoes for lunch followed by a prawn salad in the evening, fresh cherries and a piece of water melon during day plus a cuppa soup. At Asda I had purchased for the weekend a lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, a made up mushroom stir fry, some liquorice, one small packet of peanuts and I thought two pints of milk. I forgot the milk and to get it the following day.
I run down the freezer for a defrost on Sunday but also containing as part of the attempt to reduce my weight further with below 16.7 still proving difficult to achieve. When getting the milk I purchased one of the biggest watermelons ever for only £2 and which will last days. I have also enjoyed helpings of raspberries also at £2 a carton. There was roast chicken boiled new potatoes in skins and a mixture of runner beans and peas from frozen via the microwave on Sunday with a salmon salad. The stir fry was yesterday with only a cuppa soup and crackers as the second meal while today I enjoyed the baguette as mentioned and made make a curry with the rest of the chicken...
Most of the sport has been disappointing with the looked forward to third one day between England and the West Indies at Headingley cancelled without a ball being bowled. I learned that Geoffrey Boycott has become the President this year and for next when the club celebrates 150 years of playing top class cricket. He will be justly proud of that and will hope to see Yorkshire return to the first division of champions so that for the first time in a long while, the quarter of Yorks and Lancs., Surrey and Middlesex will back where they should be. The sad aspect will be that Durham is not likely to be with them.
On Friday evening Durham played Yorkshire at Chester Le Street but with the weather forecast dodgy and Durham’s performances iffy I decided not to seek a ticket. Although the start of the match was delayed the full innings of 20 20 overs took place and for a short time during the start of the Durham innings I regretted not going. Yorkshire had gone off fast, getting runs on the board before the patches of rain cloud passing could interrupt play, The rain stayed away in this instance and Yorkshire amassed 171 runs which Miller hitting five fours and six sixes in his 76 not out and in most instances this would be enough to secure victory. It was with Durham’s special 20 20 signings of Herschelle Gibbs supported for a time by Johann Mybough started at over 10 an over and I prayed that rain would fall when the were ahead on the Duckworth Lewis system for matches which have to be stopped because of the weather. Gibbs also score 76 with ten fours and two sixes. However after they were out only Muchall 16 not out and Plunkett 15 showed resistance and the team was all out 12 runs short. Worse was to follow when last night on Sky I dared not watch as Durham were disastrously beaten by 8 wickets with overs to spare by Lancs at Old Trafford. There is no inclination to attend this Wednesday when anything but a win against the weak Derbyshire team means all hope of a place in the quarter finals will end.
I also watched part of the European Grand Prix from Valencia where Lewis Hamilton was set for second placed when he was taken out by Maldonado who went off the track in an effort to pass Hamilton and then came back sharply forcing Hamilton on to the fence. He was punished with a 20 second penalty which took him out of the points but Hamilton was unable to continue. Maldonado who has only come to the fore this season appears to have bad blood with Hamilton as I believe this is the second incident between them this season. This places Hamilton only third in the drivers championship, instead of second to the surprise winner Alonso, a winner in his home country for the first time. Jenson who started the season with a win has increasingly struggled and finished 8th which is also his position in the championship.
I hoped England would do better than they did in the quarter finals of the European Cup on Sunday evening and in fairness they started off well and had opportunities to score as then did Italy who increasingly came to control, the game. England‘s problem, thus it ever, was that collectively they are unable to complete passes consistently and kept losing the ball. Although the game went to extra time and penalties Italy were the better side and in the shoot out lottery they held their nerve better after missing their first spot kick after which England failed through Ashley Young and Ashley Cole for Italy to win 4 2 without needing the fifth. Twenty three million are said to have million watch the disaster. Moreover they have been practising penalties but the two players who missed showed that no amount of practicing can cover for the tension and pressure of the reality moment. However no one was really surprised by the result.
There was an unexpected better outcome when Andy Murray crushed his first round opponent in the Wimbledon Grand slam after prediction he would find it tough. This in part was because he had crashed out of the pre Wimbledon Tournament on grass at the Queen’s club a couple of weeks ago, He won the men’s singles as this competition last year. He has reached the Wimbledon semi finals of the men’s singles for three years in succession and this year he has the opportunity twice to go one better. He has also entered the Olympic Games event on behalf of the UK.
Mentioning the Olympic games I enjoyed the Torch coming to the North East although I woke too late to see it live in South Tyneside. I also missed out that the BBC were showing the relay live in the red button although from midday in one instance and then in the evening. I had hoped to see the journey to Whitby, Scarborough and York as well as Harrogate and Leeds back and forth to Cumbria and Carlisle twice. The service stopped suddenly although will continue next month, at least that is what one caption said.
McDonalds has opened its biggest branch in the world on the Olympic site seating 1500. There was also a showing of a model of the opening scene of the Opening show with the English countryside, farm animals and all. Then a paper leaked an aerial shot showing the land covered with coal Pit heads and industrial chimneys. Foul I cry why spoil the excitement of waiting to see what happened for millions and billions who will watch. Shame Shame Shame you......
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