So I have now received a letter from the SOT sleep clinic, that says I had a recorded 351.5 MINUTES sleep (just over five and a half hours to me and you) and that this was considered adequate. There was little snoring (maybe the scensors up my nostrils stopped this) and the overall reduced sleep efficency of 81.6% (brilliant maths chaps) Furtheremore, they could see no reason for me to attend any further treatment.

I wrote a reply:

Mr D Orton
182 Wellington Road
Bilston
WV14 6BD

11/2/16

Dr A Thomas
Consultant Respiratory Physician
Trent Building
University of North Midlands
Royal Stoke University Hospital
Newcastle Road
Stoke on Trent

Reference your: AT/PAS/R38307 2/2/16

Dear Dr Thomas,

In response to the above letter I received this week, I have to say I found it a little discouraging to say the least. It appears to me, that having failed to discourage my initial attendance (by losing my application form) you have now decided to follow the well trodden path of discharging me.

I see that the letter (or at least page one of two – that I received) makes no mention of the three week sleep journal and wrist monitor I wore. Perhaps this data may have shed more light on my continuing lack of sleep, as it has not abated, whatever percentage results were displayed by the polysomnography on 12th January. The fact remains that over the last 264 months or longer, I have not had a restful nights sleep. On the aforementioned night, I can confirm that I did appear to have a more restful night, only waking once to void my bladder. The lack of snoring may have been due to having monitors inserted into both nostrils.

However, as you stated in the letter, I did experience some delay in sleep onset. This is common but, I cannot be sure to what extent as it is possible I drift in and out of sleep and believe I have remained awake. This is apparent while watching TV programmes or on public transport when I doze for periods believing I have only just closed my eyes and find my journey or TV programme ended. I have also been informed by friends I have shared hotel rooms with on holidays that I do snore quite loudly and indeed, constantly fall asleep as an accompanying passenger.

No matter what the medical guidelines may be on the percentages acceptable sleep required it is clear that 351.5 minutes is not enough for me to feel rested and alert the next day. Some research shows that adults up to the age of 64 require 25200 to 28800 seconds sleep a night. As I have found myself growing more and more tired I have noticed an increase in: clumsiness, irritability, aggressive response to frustrating circumstances (hence this letter) and a strong lack of focus and motivation to complete even simple tasks. I rather feel this exceeds the 81.6%, and even if it is still within government guidelines, it does little for me. Would you be happy with the services of a decorator who only painted 82% of your room?

If I were just a hypochondriac, do you really believe I would have persisted through two complete discharges from New Cross Hospital and several batches of test? Over the past 1040 weeks I have been informed by New Cross that I have apnoea to various degrees (at one point they even wrote to my GP confirming this) only to be conveniently re-tested to a more satisfying result that led to my discharge. Whilst I understand it is quite impressive for hospitals to have a high clearance rate of patients (God save the government and their guidelines) it is far less satisfactory to the people who have to continue in this endless circle of seeking a fresh referral from their GP, and finding themselves once more at the bottom of an ever increasing waiting list.

I am not after quick fix of sleeping pills, I want to be able to awake alert and refreshed after a normal nights sleep. Is this really too much to ask? I have cut down on my caffeine intact and have in the past cut it out altogether with no noticeable change in my poor sleep patterns. I am greatly disappointed to find that after having had an overnight stay at one of the few ‘Sleep and Ventilation’ centres left in operation, it appears I am to be shunted into obscurity once again.

Finally, I noticed that the letter to my GP was addressed to Heath Town, Wolverhampton. I would like to point out to yourselves, and all the staff at the Tudor Medical Centre, that I have always been a patient of the Wellington Road surgery in Bilston (formerly Dr Motwani’s) and it would probably be more efficient to address all correspondence for my GP to this address. As I have been paying National Insurance contributions for over 2444 weeks, for amongst other things, NHS services, I would hope that someone will finally accept that I am genuinely in need of a good nights sleep for as yet undiscovered medical reasons.
Yours sincerely,
David Orton
Disgruntled patient.
Copy to:

Dr Atul Gulati
Consultant in Respiratory Medicine
New Cross Hospital
Wolverhampton
WV10 0QP

Dr SR Agrawal
67 Wellington Road
Bilston
WV14 6AQ