Best Current References or Resources for Newly Diagnosed?

[Mittens]

Several years ago, I found myself on a forum for diabetes and very quickly a couple of regulars recommended one or two websites and two well-written books for the layperson on diabetes. One was especially for the newly diagnosed and helped tremendously as I walked through the first year. There has been plenty of talk here recently about the "what-if's" on the future of this forum, citing changes in recent months.

Here is my question to those of you who have lived with sleep apnea and various sleep disorders for say six months or longer, and have seen some degree of improvement or successful treatment. What resources have most helped you during your first year? Were there any books, websites or other resources that have really stood out? If this forum were not available, where would you recommend a newbie turn (especially if questions are not fully answered by their doctor or DME)?

There's no lack of information online, of course, but when dealing with a new subject it can be challenging to sort through what is trustworthy and what is hype. My thought is, there are some folks here who have years of experience sorting who might not mind sharing.

[Guest]

Several years ago, I found myself on a forum for diabetes and very quickly a couple of regulars recommended one or two websites and two well-written books for the layperson on diabetes. One was especially for the newly diagnosed and helped tremendously as I walked through the first year. There has been plenty of talk here recently about the "what-if's" on the future of this forum, citing changes in recent months.

Here is my question to those of you who have lived with sleep apnea and various sleep disorders for say six months or longer, and have seen some degree of improvement or successful treatment. What resources have most helped you during your first year? Were there any books, websites or other resources that have really stood out? If this forum were not available, where would you recommend a newbie turn (especially if questions are not fully answered by their doctor or DME)?

There's no lack of information online, of course, but when dealing with a new subject it can be challenging to sort through what is trustworthy and what is hype. My thought is, there are some folks here who have years of experience sorting who might not mind sharing.

This forum!!!
Most of the other forums have fallen by the wayside over the years, but this one is still plugging away. (somehow)
There is also lots of resources on the Internet (medical websites) which also help.
But, the user-help type of site like this one give you the information from those who have lived it.

[Julie]

See the lightbulb at the top of the page? Start there...

[Mittens]

See the lightbulb at the top of the page? Start there...

Many of the links on those posts are broken, and I've wondered too, due to so many posts about good people who seem tired of the drama, what other trustworthy options exist.

[Guest]

See the lightbulb at the top of the page? Start there...

Many of the links on those posts are broken, and I've wondered too, due to so many posts about good people who seem tired of the drama, what other trustworthy options exist.

If you learn to use the Search function, there is a wealth of information in the archives.
Other than that, most of the folks who have stayed here still try to help others. Most of us don't belong to other CPAP forums.
Just ignore the "drama" and ask questions if you can't find the answers in the archives.

[TedVPAP]

Several years ago, I found myself on a forum for diabetes and very quickly a couple of regulars recommended one or two websites and two well-written books for the layperson on diabetes. One was especially for the newly diagnosed and helped tremendously as I walked through the first year. There has been plenty of talk here recently about the "what-if's" on the future of this forum, citing changes in recent months.

Here is my question to those of you who have lived with sleep apnea and various sleep disorders for say six months or longer, and have seen some degree of improvement or successful treatment. What resources have most helped you during your first year? Were there any books, websites or other resources that have really stood out? If this forum were not available, where would you recommend a newbie turn (especially if questions are not fully answered by their doctor or DME)?

There's no lack of information online, of course, but when dealing with a new subject it can be challenging to sort through what is trustworthy and what is hype. My thought is, there are some folks here who have years of experience sorting who might not mind sharing.

There are many things you can read, but without a real understanding of the subject it is impossible to truly learn anything from the reading. You may be able to remember some facts but that is not true understanding.
True learning takes involvement, not memorization.
With the advent of sleepyhead, the raw data is presented and all the inferred statistics can be visualized and challenged. That leads to understanding.

So post your data and ask questions. You will receive responses that you can accept of challenge/research.
Seeing the raw data is what enables anyone to develop a true understanding.

[Soothest Sleep]

I found the book Sleep Interrupted by Steven V. Park, MD, a useful source of information about sleep apnea. He's a board-certified ENT physician, specializing in sleep disorders. His writing style is geared to the layman, so although authoritative in scope, it is very readable.

I see he has a new book out: Totally CPAP which aims to assist cpap users in achieving success. Preview pages on Amazon include the table of contents, which has me interested in reading the whole book, and most of the introductionary section.

He also has an online presence; his website is http://doctorstevenpark.com/

Jean

[TASmart]

+1 for Steven Parks book, Sleep Interrupted. Also, Barry Krakow has a pretty good one out also. I would also avoid taking any advise from XXYZX. Some of his stuff is correct, some is wrong, and some is so heavily biased to his own situation he cannot see that not everyone is the same.

Edit: corrected spelling error. Also in response to the xxyzx challenge- How about your obsession with desaturations to the point that you seem to believe non-desaturation related arousals are insignificant?