MY HEALTH PRE STROKE

This is me in 1989

Blood Pressure:
I was generally in good health until 1988 until my BP was recorded at a party as 210 / 100 by my doctor friend and straight away put on Tenormin. It did not work for me so I switched to Capoten. Capoten gave me a constant and irritating single cough. It was switched to Avapro that has suited me well. I have had three echos and stress tests and heart is fine except I have exercise induced asthma, meaning after 7 minutes on the tread mill I am gasping for breath badly. My lungs were badly damaged as a seven year old when Whooping Cough was misdiagnosed as TB and was given two injections a day for six long months. I was almost in a death bed when a second opinion was sought. Thank God for the Good Samaritan who insisted my mother take me to another doctor in Chennai. He gave one bottle of medicine he made himself and promised me by the time the bottle was empty I'd be cured.. True to his word I was.

Sleep Apnea:
In 1989, when my five year old son had fever and I took him to the 24 hour medical centre at 7.00pm. There was a big queue and I sat on the sofa and fell asleep and did not respond to the doctor when he called me. So the doc had to come and tap me on the shoulder and wake me up. It was awfully embarrassing and I said I was sorry..

He told me there was no need to be embarrassed and that he thought I might be suffering from sleep apnea. Do you snore he asked and I said yes 'I can bring the roof down on us..'

Off I went to to sleep clinic run by Dr Sullivan who was pioneering treatment for sleep apnea using Vacuum cleaners in reverse to keep airways open so people do not snore.

I have used sleep apnea 'cpap' machine ( Continuous Positive Air Pressure) since 1989 and truly a veteran and expert on sleep apnea and related issues. Generally, truly obese people with large necks have obstructive sleep apnea. Me, the unlucky Jonah that I am, have a normal neck but a pathetically narrow airway that collapses totally the minute I fall asleep blocking oxygen to the lungs and hence the brain.

In 2002 post stroke I was snoring despite wearing the cpap mask and decided to undergo a laser uvuloplasty in UK. They just cut and remove all the soft tissue in the throat. For four years I could not even mimic snoring and was sleeping better but 12 years later all the scar tissues have grown back with a vengeance making my sleep apnea much much worse.

In 1989 I required 4cms Pressure to keep my airways open. Today in 2014 I require 19cms pressure 95% of the time. Fortunately I have an excellent Respiratory specialist who is looking after not just my sleep apnea but my health in general and hand picking specialists to see me.

He agrees I am not a typical Type 2 diabetic and that It could be metabolic syndrome. Unfortunately They will not accept me in the metabolic clinic as I am not over 135 kilos, which is a requirement.

1996 - Hiatus Hernia and Esophageal Ulcers 

I had lunch on a saturday at home at 1.0pm and drove off to watch an indoor cricket match. It turned out one team was short of players and I was asked to get into the nets and bat. Bat I did but the game was very fast pace with youngsters and when I was run out I came out and collapsed.

Every one thought I was having a heart attack. Fortunately a team member was a doctor who checked me out and said the heart was fine and that I had hiatus hernia and severe reflux which required an endoscopy.

I had an endoscopy done quick smart and it revealed hiatus hernia and esophageal ulcers caused by hyper acidity and I was prescribed Losec ( Omeprazole)

I have been on 20mg Losec twice a day since 1996.