Today I went to the ENT specialist who has said he is almost certain I have sleep apnoea. I shall spend tonight wired up to machines to confirm then it's off to Oxford for a CPap machine. This has left me in a bit of a quandary because this doc says the symptoms that have been put down to APS could be caused by sleep apnoea. I'm not thrilled about having to sleep with a machine attached to my face every night but I'm more worried that this will mean my GP wont do my referral to immunology at Frimley Park and my APS will continue to be untreated (except for aspirin) and unmonitored and I no longer feel safe.
It will be nice if this machine eases the fatigue and joint pain but I still feel I should be under an immunologist. I was so certain I knew where things were going but now I'm confused and worried.
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phoenix77
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Hi Dave, thanks for your speedy reply. I am hoping to see the immunology department at Frimley, I will take the name of the APS specialist listed here to my GP to ask for them specifically. I'm just worried that the sleep apnoea will muddy the waters with regard to whether I need treatment and monitoring for the APS. I think I do and my GP seems to agree but he said we need to build a case.
To that end I have been doing some interesting research recently. It occured to me that as a registered OU student I have access to the extensive university library. I've pulled quite a few papers (having checked that I am allowed to, which I am as long as they are for personal use) but I can't find time to read them until my next assignment is under control.Hopefully I will find something interesting and useful to get the referral.
Hopefully they will look at the issue of Sjogrens and possibly Thyroid that can go with Hughes Syndrome/APS. Let us know if you need any help finding papers, I can normally track down most things. MaryF
Yes I agree with above. One condition should not preclude the investigation of another. I would atill ask.
So............this ENT consultant (?) is telling you that you haven't got APS.....why does he need to be interfering with things he is not capable of diagnosing? It seems out of line to me. Complain if needed.
He's nottelling me I don't have APS, he's merely telling me that my current symptoms are all down to sleep apnoea rather than APS so my GP will no longer feel there is any need for me to be seen by an APS specialist. I'm hoping I can still persuade him to do the referral.
Thank you all for your support and advice. It really does help a lot.
My APS diagnosis is happily not in question. I was diagnosed almost 10 years ago after the loss of my daughter at 20 weeks of pregnancy. I had already had previous miscarriages and a dvt as a result of taking the pill at 16 (I'm now 37). I was being seen yearly by a haemotologist at st mary's paddington but he discharged me last year as I had been stable for so long and hadn't had any spontaneous clotting incidents. I didn't seem to have any ongoing symptoms of APS, at least none that the haemotologist took seriously. I have always suffered pains in my legs (put down to my excess weight) and frequent patches of livedo on my legs and arms and occasionally torso (the doc said that was nothing to worry about). I also suffered from frequent migraines which disappeared almost completely when I put myself on aspirin (his response to me asking if I should be on aspirin was 'if you like'). When the migraines started to come back I doubled the aspirin and they went again. Now I get 3 or 4 a year instead of the same number a month. I have also had ongoing problems with my ears and as a result my balance.
The problems for me started late last year with chronic crippling fatigue and joint pains with no swelling. These are the main symptoms that the docs say could be down to sleep apnoea. Or they could be down to the APS, or both could be contributing. Trouble is now I've started to experience these symptoms I no longer feel safe with no expert APS management. This is what I will tell my GP along with my research papers (although I'm struggling to find good papers showing the non-clotting related symptoms of APS).
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Manchester Specialist - Dr Thachil (haematology) at Manchester Royal Infirmary
Teachers's Pensions Agency (UK)
Sneddons syndrome?
Confused!
