| Beechbouy |
12-15-2014 01:37 PM |
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. As a former firefighter (33 years) and now a full time CFI, I would like to remind you all of something. In the years of my firefighting career, I have had several comrades die in their sleep at the station. some of them as young as in their 30's and most of them in their 40's and 50's.
ALL of them were attributed to some form of cardiac irregularity or disease. A common denominator in all cases were that they had no prior diagnosis of heart disease. What some of them did have in common was the silent killer SLEEP APNEA. Something had to have provoked a fatal episode. Perhaps hypoxia caused by sleep apnea? Let me tell you from personal experience, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea 2 years ago! I do not fit the typical profile for sleep apnea. Usually you are overweight, have a large neck and snore loudly. Do you wake up in the morning not feeling refreshed? Do you have a dull headache that a cup of coffee seems to fix? Do you have elevated blood pressure? Maybe you have sleep apnea. Now the good news, sleep apnea is very treatable! Like me, I have a CPAP machine at home and a small mouth piece that I take on trips that works very effectively. I wake up refreshed and no more dull headaches. My blood pressure is slowly returning to normal. I continue to exercise and try to keep my weight reasonable. Please see your personal doctor if you have any of the symptoms I mentioned earlier. Also, I don't know the cause of death of your beloved comrade and friend but it sounded like the same thing I have witnessed over and over again. If my post helps one person, I will be happy. Blessings to you all, your comrade and his family.
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