Patient Success Stories

After a month on the new machine …it showed that I had not had any irregular breathing at all

and it was much more comfortable!

I was excited, I thought wow!

This is great!

Christina Philippa

Christina Philippa lives at Speers Point on Lake Macquarie, north  of Sydney. Over the past 20 years she had become used to being lethargic, stopping for frequent rest breaks and falling asleep in  odd places. She thought it was just part of life with diabetes. But in 2005, a friend told her about a program that changed her life.

The program offered testing for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to Diabetes Australia–NSW members in the Newcastle area. “My friend said, ‘I think you might have OSA’, Christina recalls. ”So I took the test kit home to see if I did. They said it would measure every time I stopped breathing while I was sleeping.” 

The screening program, developed by Diabetes Australia–NSW and ResMed Asia Pacific, was a pilot study set up to investigate the association between OSA and diabetes. Of the 144 people with type 2 diabetes screened, 81 were found to havesevere or moderate OSA.

Christina’s results showed that she was one of the group with OSA—she was having irregular breathing every three minutes. “I realized that for the last 20 years, I haven’t had a good night’s sleep! ”She was given a two-week trial on a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine to use while she slept. Christina says she didn’t realize what a difference it made—until she had to give it back. “Because I also have asthma, and the machine pushes air at you, I had a little trouble with it due to the asthma. But it did help improve my sleep. After I gave it back, my body had to readjust to not getting good sleep again.”

So Christina consulted her medical team and decided to trial an S8 AutoScore™ CPAP machine. Although the S8 AutoScore was more expensive, Christina says it has been worth every dollar. “My lung capacity has increased dramatically, which has helped my asthma.”

Christina’s blood glucose levels have dropped and she no longer takes the two tablets she previously needed every day for her diabetes. “I have higher energy levels and I can concentrate. Yesterday I worked in the garden without getting tired, which I have not done in a long time. To do work around the house I would have had to break it up into small amounts over a few days. Now I can do it all in one day. My friends say I’m looking better, my skin has color and the dark circles under my eyes are going. They can have a conversation with me now, without me dozing off on them!”

Eight of Christina’s brothers and sisters also have diabetes, and she will encourage them to get a test done. “I want to say thankyou very much to the trial organizers. My quality of life has improved enormously.

”ResMed’s Medical Director Dr Glenn Richards said the levels of OSA revealed in the pilot program were similar to those found at diabetes clinics in the US and the UK recently. “We’re starting to see a pattern—about a third of people with type 2 diabetes have moderate or severe OSA, a third have mild OSA and a third have no OSA.”Dr Richards says that as Australian health care services become more aware of the association between OSA and type 2 diabetes, testing for OSA will become more common. “These trials are the first step towards that. Health professionals are increasingly recommending that their patients be assessed for OSA and perhaps they will make it a routine part of their diabetes assessments.”

This interview with Christina Philippa was first published in the Summer 2005 edition of Issues, a newsletter of Diabetes Australia – NSW. Republished with permission.

World health experts agree - problem is too big to sleep on

“My energy levels are up, I can do more exercise and most importantly I sleep soundly”.

Dick Adams MP, Federal Member for Lyons, Tasmania

Dick Adams MP, Federal Member for Lyons, Tasmania is one of hundreds of thousands of Australian’s suffering a combination of deadly health disorders which is sounding alarm bells for health specialists around the world.  Dick is a type 2 diabetic who has also been identified as suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). 

Dick Adams suffered many of the classic symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

“I felt poor after years of interrupted sleep due to episodes where I stopped breathing. I was lethargic and was unable to do much, even taking the dogs for a walk was really difficult”.  

A diagnosis of OSA nine months ago and treatment with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) has improved his quality of life.

“My energy levels are up, I can do more exercise and most importantly I sleep soundly”.

Dick has recently established a Parliamentary Working Group to raise awareness of this growing health epidemic.  “I want to make people aware of the problem, that there is a simple remedy and have informed debate in Parliament on CPAP and its linkages. Also, I would like to highligh tthe dangers faced by people at work, particularly in the transport industry or those working with machines if there is no diagnosis. The cost of not being diagnosed results in accidents and lack of productivity which can be avoided”.