Well this morning I was given my CPAP machine (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). I tried out the nose only mask and the whole face mask, opting for the latter as the nose only variety requires you to keep your mouth closed and that's always been an issue for me I wonder how Mrs SDA will react when she wakes up in bed with a fighter pilot sleeping beside her? Do fighter pilots wear pyjamas? These are crucial style cues you understand.

The machine runs off the mains and is a 9 ins or so cube with a small screen and a big start stop button. Apparently even if you forget to turn it on it will sense breathing and start automatically. It also senses when you stop breathing and ramps up the air pressure to keep the airway open. There's a plastic air tube out of one side that connects to the mask which has soft rubber edges to seal to the face and make it a comfortable as poss.

Instructions are to clean the mask daily with baby wipes and wash mask, pipe and mask harness fortnightly with baby bath liquid. Apparently this gives it a nice smell which helps you to fall off to sleep.

The box has an SD card which can be read to see how it performs and how often it's used etc. Apparently a minimum of 4 hours per night is required for the DVLA to be happy.

I've downloaded my DVLA SL1 form and filled most of it in but will wait a few days before submitting it. The DVLA then send a form to the hospital and by that time I should have had my two weeks review, so the hospital can advise the DVLA that the treatment is working fine. In the meantime I can DRIVE as from tomorrow! Great innit. Must remember to tell the insurance company. BTW the hospital say they can't load the insurance under the Disability Discrimination Act.

As you can imagine there are politics, even in OSA, apparently very few hospital fasttrack professional drivers which leaves them at risk of losing their jobs if they present for OSA. As a large percentage of accidents are caused by people falling asleep/being drowsy this seems daft. There must be lots of HGV drivers out there who suffer from OSA but daren't present because their livelihood depends on keeping their licence. If they knew the cure was just a few days away they'd be happy to see their GP and that would make the roads safer for all. End of rant.

I bet mrs sda is worried about the g forces, of flying you turning into a fighter pilot an all,
overalls in this establishment are known as baby grows but I suppose could be a one thingy
if you nod off on sofa do you have to be attached to this air machine?,

Camouflage overalls or bright orange? Decisions, decisions.

I was wondering about the non-bed nap situation, in theory I shouldn't need any because I'll have slept so well without the OSA constantly semi-wakening me. Apparently when tested I was having an average of 16 episodes an hour all night and 45 an hour when lying on my back.

The first night was interesting. It took me ages to drop off to sleep and then about 2am I woke to a rousing gale in the face mask and air escaping round the edges of the mask, making rather unbecoming sounds. I'd been warned about this and hit the 'kill' button on the machine, which takes the pressure down to the gentle start position. I then settled back to sleep but had the issue reoccur several times in the night. Apparently I should get used to it over time.
With all that shenanigans going on, do I feel more refreshed this morning? No, not really but give it time and we'll see.

orange you will awake with the dazzle, and camouflage wont match the bedding? so will stand out, perhaps go with the flight jacket and leather hat x trousers

Bedding is duck egg blue?

Leather trousers reminds me of a lovely young lady in the Swan Inn, Kettleshume one Friday night, all of 10 years ago. Should've had my pilot's goggles then!

I recall a driver friend using one of these, he sleeps on his right side, th keep the mask steady he
bought and modified a memory foam composite pillow bought from "Back in Action" in Bristol

There's all sorts of suggestions for bedding on the relevant forums, some companies charge a fortune for 'special' pillows, whilst modding an 'ordinary' one can save tens of pounds. At present I'm sleeping with the hose coming over the top of the bedhead, which seems to work, but in daylight is rather disconcerting as the hose snakes over my head.

Apparently us CPAP users have a nickname - Hoseheads!!!!!!

Do I take it you won't need my offer for us to drive you and your van to the July Meet? You never did repsond....

Sorry Lee I couldn't get my head round how I was going to tell Mrs SDA that another lady was going to come over and spirit me away for a weekend in Gloucester in our van

As it's early days yet, tonight is Night 4 as a Hosehead I'm sort of keeping options open.

Put it like that, I'll tow you and see what rumours that produces
Do you think your licence is still at risk then?? I know a good solicitor if that's the case!