On this historic day when it has become traditional for individuals and their families to set off fireworks, with local authorities and others setting off pubic displays over the past weekend I had my annual visit to the Freeman Hospital to review my use of the Sleep Apnoea treatment machine. The outcome is that I will not return, unless for some unforeseen circumstance until 2015.
The amount of sleep and bedtime, experienced because of the machine coupled with the undertaking of physical exercise daily has transformed my life in a positive way, enabling me to lead a much fuller day, to travel by car and public transport for long journeys without becoming tired and to attend evening performances in theatre as well as afternoons without falling asleep. I have become more positive in outlook and need to remind how old I am.
The other big change noted is that before I was always needing to blow my nose on getting up and during the year when I went swimming 3 to 4 times a week I found it difficult to breathe through my nose with my mouth shut
However I have been able to reduce my weight to a level which contents and this has become my priority although getting under 16 stone has become something of a barrier,
I have used the machine for a minimum of four hours every night for over one year and the average nightly use since April has been just above eight hours although the average includes nights when I read before going to sleep, and occasionally read when I wake during the night. I have turned off the machine and risen for a drink and to write or play chess against the computer for a few hours but at most half a dozen times in the year but sometimes I lay for what appears some time before going back to sleep after a comfort break.
While I did not keep any records my impression is that I was making do with only 5 to 6 hours of sleep before machine use whereas now it is over seven. My impression is also that I am waking less frequently but also staying awake for longer at times when I do. I have also noted a few nights when I have slept through without having to get up or waking and not getting up before sleeping again
I no longer wake with an unpleasant dry mouth and have occasional nights without a dry night and wonder if the room air temperature is a factor as well as when breathing through my mouth. I have tried to vary the force of the air flow settling for 3.5 to 4 as higher the humidifier dries out.
The highlight for me was to able to use the machine when having two colds which two years ago precipitated getting the diagnosis. I have made ten separate travels of overnight stays, with the longest of two weeks and three of seven days or more but all within the UK, an using the machine throughout.
In terms of exercise I use a Wii console and TV with a Wii Fit board and programme and Wii Sports for a total of between 1 and 2 hour a day apart from a period when I developed a thigh strain from being over ambitious and during travels when I undertake brisk walking for longer periods than previously although I still have to take care with steadiness going down steps.
I summarised my records of machine use April October 2013 in terms of Hours and average fluctuations with use every night
April
239-8.0 236-7.8 235- .8 234-7.8 235-7.8 235-7.8 235-7.8 235-7,8 335-7.8 235-7.8 235-7.8 237-7.9 237-7.9 238-7.9 239-8.0 238-7.9 242-8.1 with subsequently 8.2 hours use for several nights ending the 30 day cycle at 244 and 8-1 an with a range of use from 5.3 hours to 9.1.
May on 8th day reached over 250 hours for first time and average of 8.4 but apart from 2 nights at 8.2 average the average was steady at 8.3 reaching 250 hours use on three more occasions. And hour range 6.9 to 9.2
In June there was drop to 8.2 hours on 6th day and this remained the average for the rest of the month with 7 nights 8.1 and range 7.1 to 9.5 hours
In July cycle commenced 8.2 and ended .8.1 with 14 nights at 8.3 a range 7 to 9.7
In August the cycle commenced and ended at 8.1 dropping to 8 on nine occasions and a range 6.4 to 9.9
In September the cycle commenced 8.1 but ended 8.4 with range 6.9 to 9.2 and with 9 hours on five occasions and a high of 253 hours
In October the start of 8.4 ending the cycle 8.3 with one poor night on 6.2 and also one night where 10 hours was registered for first time and followed by a second night of similar length and once total hours was over 255 and average of 8.5.
I used by automatic barrier payment device for getting through the Tyne Tunnel noting that the fee for a car is now 1.60 although I forgot to make a note of the saving as well as in time of paying in advance.
There is a new queuing system at the Freeman where one goes from one organised line to the next vacant assistant rather than queuing for a particular consultant. Arriving by 1.30 there was time for a cup of coffee at the WVRS café before going to the right outpatient station. As a consequence I was called to be weighed ten minutes before my schedule visit and saw the Consultant with the new Registrar sitting in shortly after. My weight has decreased as it for each time of my visit and at a pace which the consultant considered was a good way.
Noting the single line traffic fort he way back I decided to return via Wallsend although the journey was significantly extended to get back on tot eh Tyne Tunnel A19 road, however the time was spent listening to an excellent radio play in which a domestic village situation where everyone had the same name and had the same life appeared at first to be the creation of one individual who had the power to abandon and destroy but who in turn was destroyed as the characters emancipated themselves.
I also called in at Lidl for cereals and then noted a Tex Mex mixture for £3.99 ( three servings, similar to that which Asda used to feature for between £ and £5.
I also commenced to prepare the back for the first and freezing condition but need another session. I then watching recording as two of the Police Federation Representative were called back to explain why one had implied that his reference to that woman was a typo and not the Home Secretary and why another had not disclosed the full extent of his disciplinary record. In the first instance the excuse given is that there had been a genuine loss of memory as the individual had not listened to the tape of what he had said for several months before the appearance before the Committee. I find this admission extraordinary, presumably on advice of their legal team. However the man admitted his use of the term has referred to the Home Secretary and was appropriate and apologised as he did for his original mistake. he was advised that his chief constable had written to the committee to say he did not regard the form of words used as appropriate for a serving police officer to make and later when the Chairman and a another deputy at the Independent Police Complaints Commission arrived they said the matter had already been referred to them by the man's chief constable and would become part of their new investigation. The Chairman of the Home Affairs Committee said in view of this they would not form their own judgement and would send the IPCC all their received papers plus the transcript of what the officers had said earlier. The officers did make a form of apology to Mr Mitchell for the distress that he and his family had experienced but this fell short of an apology.
The second officer also claimed he had misunderstood the question he was repeatedly asked and summarising the 13 occasions of disciplinary action said only two had been determined against him, one concerned an act of force and the other inadequate supervision of a piece of evidence. He was most reluctant to give an explanation to the Committee and obviously did not want the media to report the details and the details had to be dragged out of him.
An hour later the Committee heard from the IPCC that they were now not only in the position to rehear the case against the three for judgement having declared the previous judgement as void because of process error and decision which the three Chief Constables agreed, and already an investigating officer had been appointed with the new Deputy Chairman in the position to come to a judgement once she had received a new report with recommendations. The process would start with reconsideration of the terms of reference and where the issue should be of a hearing for gross misconduct which could involve dismissal from the force.
The investigating officer would then be able to use the evidence up which the original officer had formed the recommendation for a misconduct hearing is that unless something unexpected occurred they should be able to reach their conclusion before Christmas which pleased the Home Affairs Committee greatly. The IPCC emphasised that while they were given the matter priority it was important to follow due process from the point of view of Mr Mitchell and the three Federation representative. The two Tory lawyers in the Committee noted that the IPCC were not involved in how those taking the decision at the level of two deputy Chief Constables had reached the conclusions they had over ruling of he appointed investigation officer who had retained his viewpoint when answering question before the Committee. I cannot rightly see these Members and possibly the Committee leaving this aspect unresolved. It was a good day of justice.
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