Newbie pls be gentle.

Hi all,
I've joined this group to hopfully be able to learn and provide some support to my partner. With him also being dyslexic it is difficult for him to use groups like this for advice and so on.
Well after years of whinging at him I finally got him to the doctor, then the specialist and finally for the sleep test. This is about the only time I've taken not pleasure in telling him I was right. I'm not sure about everyone else's experiances, but he suffered with the sleep test, spent thousands of dollars, the end was handed a scrap of paper (prescription) and told to visit again to purchase his equipment.
The specialist was very disinterested, said he had moderate obstructive sleep apnoea and virtually left us with that. So here I am, looking for any advice or insight you guys can all help me with.
Cheers ally.

Can you tell us where you are located as that will make a big difference. Some of your words indicate UK or Canada.

Janknitz wrote:Can you tell us where you are located as that will make a big difference. Some of your words indicate UK or Canada.

dollars may rule out UK... oz or canada could be though

And if you get basically no help from the doctors, the people here can súrely help.
Heck, some people here should teach the doctors.

Are you in Vic, QL, Perth, etc?

We can certainly help regardless... has he got a machine yet, and if so which one - fullest name & model # you can come up with, plus what type of mask, what pressure settings, etc. etc. The more info you have, the more we can try to help. There are v. good machines out there now, tho' I don't know your general financial situation, insce., etc. and that would help as well... plus a copy of his results (+ prescription) would go a very long way so we know what he's dealing with.. the extent, recommendations made, etc.

Julie, do you think it's fair to say that people here can help about pretty much everything else, but OPs local rules and regulations, and we here can't push the buttons, but we can tell how?

I certainly think you'll get lots of opinions here, and a lot of those will be very good - some people here are really knowledgable - though if I were asking I'd wait to get a consensus depending on the issue - it is your body after all. People give their best ideas, and intentions, but after all it's their best, not always the best.

Sorry I didn't even think to add. But it certainly says something that you can guess I'm australian by the amount of money we've already spent. Now I'm even more terrified about what we are going to be up against.
Ive had my own health issues and like understanding things inside out, my partner is easier going and its up to me to work it all out. His respitory specialist is appalling and shouldn't be allowed to deal with patients. His initial appointment I took along a video of him on his side asleep, struggling to breath. Was told that it looked like sleep apnoea, but to come back when he had lost 10% of his body weight (she HAVENT even set him on scales). He is 5'11 and 80kgs. So off we went.
Next appointment after confirming he has obstructive sleep apnoea from his sleep study, she scrawled out a prescription, I began to question her about his results and was told I wouldn't understand. I told her that's why I was asking questions and told very rudely that she is the physician and she doesn't have the time to sit and explain things to me. He has another appointment in a few weeks, but by that point I was raging and shut off.
To get to the point we are at now has taken a very long time and a lot of cash even with private health care. Not to mention the self restraint it has taken not to pull his doctors head off.
He is still sweating his heart out struggling to breath all night. So and advice or anything that you can share for his benefit or mine to support him would be wonderful.
Cheers guys.
Oh and I wasn't given a copy of his results.

Mcsqueel9 wrote:Hi all,
I've joined this group to hopfully be able to learn and provide some support to my partner. With him also being dyslexic it is difficult for him to use groups like this for advice and so on.
Well after years of whinging at him I finally got him to the doctor, then the specialist and finally for the sleep test. This is about the only time I've taken not pleasure in telling him I was right. I'm not sure about everyone else's experiances, but he suffered with the sleep test, spent thousands of dollars, the end was handed a scrap of paper (prescription) and told to visit again to purchase his equipment.
The specialist was very disinterested, said he had moderate obstructive sleep apnoea and virtually left us with that. So here I am, looking for any advice or insight you guys can all help me with.
Cheers ally.

OP's profile says Australia.

Hi Mcsqueel9.

In which part of Australia do you live?
There have been many, many folks from your part of the world on this forum over the years. Please feel "at home" here.

Your story is not uncommon, regardless of where folks live. Also, quite a few forum members are also not necessarily the ones who actually use the therapy but provide help for their partners/spouses who do.

Welcome to the forum.


Den

.

Wulfman... wrote:OP's profile says Australia.

well, it does *now* welcome to the party, Den

palerider wrote:

Wulfman... wrote:OP's profile says Australia.

well, it does *now* welcome to the party, Den

Yeah, I almost added the "now" to my post as I suspected it had been missing prior to that from all of the previous posts.

Thanks for the "welcome".......


Den

.

To be blatantly honest I've never used a forum before. After hours of googling and looking at some of the threads here I thought it was time to start. Just spending the past few hours reading your posts I've learnt more than I have from his doctors. Some of the posts here and in other places have left me feeling angry and discouraged. From what I've read the whole sleep therapy/doctors seem to be nothing more than a racket.
I don't want his health being compromised or taken advantage of because we are a little ignorant on the situation and what to do. So any suggestions on where I go next or how to proceed?? Obviousky without abusing his specialist

First thing to do is talk to the doctor's office and get your sleep study results - I would think they're yours by law regardless of being in Oz and regardless of the doctor's personality (if she fusses after being reminded of the above, get onto the Med. board or whatever and complain). Without those, and a copy of the prescription (again yours by law I think) it's hard to say much... but with them, we can help a lot.

You do have the right to copies of your medical records according to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Here is the relevant url explaining your right http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy- ... nformation.

Grab your records and don't let your Dr push it off.

Once you have them there is a lot of very experienced people who would love to help you and your partner

-Bill

Lets get started....

- get a copy of the sleep study and let us know of the results.

- Educate and continue to learn what to look for and what it means.

- I can't tell if you have gotten your equipment, but let us know what it is. If it's not a data-capable machine, see if you can return it for one that is.

- getting a mask that is comfortable that doesn't leak is the key to successful treatment.

-work all your issues here.

-learn your machine and understand what it's telling you.

- try to refrain from sayin' "I told you so"... just saying.

Sheriff