I'm So Glad I ONLY Have OSA!

TXKajun · Post by **TXKajun** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:16 pm

A couple of weeks ago, it was suggested that if I didn't like the way things were here, that I head over to talkaboutsleep.com. Well, let me say I DO like the way things are here at cpaptalk.com, but I cruised over to the other site and did quite a bit of looking around. WOWZERS!

There's folks who can't fall asleep, there's others who can't wake up once they are asleep (and that means sleeping through multiple alarm clocks, people trying to wake them and lots of other stuff) and there's folks who suffer from all kinds of nightmares and screaming at night while they're asleep and quite a few other really horrific sleep disorders. The posts over there really hit me hard, to say the least.

So, I think I'm darn lucky to have only OSA as a sleep disorder. Strap a little piece of plastic over my face, hit a switch and next thing I know, the alarm's going off the next morning and I'm waking up. Folks, things could be WAY worse! Believe it or not, we're the lucky ones!

Kajun

This therapy WORKS!!! And it's simple!

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 5:23 am

TXKajun wrote:So, I think I'm darn lucky to have only OSA as a sleep disorder. Strap a little piece of plastic over my face, hit a switch and next thing I know, the alarm's going off the next morning and I'm waking up. Folks, things could be WAY worse! Believe it or not, we're the lucky ones!

Kajun

You're so right, Kajun. Have thought that many a time when reading about other types of sleep disorders, or even about other manifestations of sleep disordered breathing.

I remember one woman on TAS (she had just OSA, btw) listing all the stuff she put on to get ready for bed. Her routine was a bit more than just putting on a little piece of plastic. She used an eye mask, ear plugs AND ear muffs, tape over the mouth. She was laughing about how she looked. Said that any time she found herself throwing a pity party, she just thought of it as an overnight beauty treatment.

As hard as it can be sometimes to get comfortable with what some of us have to do to make this treatment work, we do have it very lucky, as you said, if simple OSA is our only health problem.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 8:45 pm

Right on Kajun!

minor inconvenience = huge results

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 2:51 am

hehehe you must have ran into that guy that argues with HIMself

SpookyFodder · Post by **SpookyFodder** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 3:03 am

Yup he is a bit off isn't he.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 12:44 pm

Inconvenience? Heck, it's an AID to sleeping, for me. Due to the close timing of two events (putting the mask on and falling asleep), apparently my brain is now conditioned that the former should cause the latter. Whenever I put the mask on, I get very sleepy in minutes. This is GREAT for when I'd otherwise have problems getting to sleep.

Fun part is, the effect works anytime, even in the middle of the day... put on the mask and I get sleepy within minutes, even if I wasn't tired at all!

Given that, and the fact that I barely notice the CPAP pressure and find the mask and headgear and hose and machine entirely and thoroughly agreeable, I'm not sure how much of a "chore" CPAP is. This may sound weird, but I rather like it.

I almost consider it an expensive, very complicated get-to-sleep aid.

Gidgie · Post by **Gidgie** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 1:54 pm

Oh, I do agree with you, Guest, completely. And when friends occasionally disclose that they had trouble going to sleep, I can't help feeling JUST a little smug.....!

sleepyinsunnyvale · Post by **sleepyinsunnyvale** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 3:43 pm

I volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House. I have met many kids and their families who wish that their biggest health concern was OSA.

As bad as it is, OSA is truly an inconvenience compared to other maladies I've seen kids suffer with. Don't forget to offer up a thanks as you put your mask on each night.

SelfSeeker · Post by **SelfSeeker** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 8:01 pm

Kajun, Of course, bringing us to reality.

Well said sleepyinsunnyvale.

sleepyinsunnyvale wrote:I volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House. I have met many kids and their families who wish that their biggest health concern was OSA.

As bad as it is, OSA is truly an inconvenience compared to other maladies I've seen kids suffer with. Don't forget to offer up a thanks as you put your mask on each night.

ehusen · Post by **ehusen** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 9:47 am

Hello all,

Not trying to be a negative Nelly here, just a thought on this. Isn't it interesting that we are supposed to look at all the people who have it worse than us and feel good but when we see people who have it better than us we aren't supposed to feel worse?

Why is the one comparison valid but not the other?

I understand that to be happy we need to value what we have and be grateful for all the wonderful things in our lives. So I'm not disagreeing with any of the statements in this thread. But it does seem like a bit of a "mental trick" to use one side of the situation to make ourselves feel better while ignoring the other side that could make us feel bad.

I read some happiness study somewhere that showed what really makes us happy is just being better off than those around us. So we really do use comparisons to generate happiness for ourselves. (i.e. if you make 50,000 a year and are surround by people making 40,000 you will be happier than if you made a 100,000 a year but were surrounded by people making 120,000).

Anyway, I'm not making any statement here just random thoughts. I've always been interested in the human psyche and how it works. As for me, the comparison thing doesn't work so well. I just feel bad for those people who've got it worse than me and feel guilty for not being happy about having OSA.

I think true happiness comes from understanding and valuing the good things you have in life. So I try and not even go down the comparison road, for good things or bad things. There's always going to be people who have it better and worse than you. It's Friday, the sun is out, and we're all still breathing for another day. And that's good enough to get us by...

sleepyinsunnyvale · Post by **sleepyinsunnyvale** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:08 am

ehusen

Boy have you missed the point (or maybe I missed yours)!

The only thing I will say to your post is to suggest you take yourself to the pediatric ward of a large teaching hospital that treats very seriously ill children. If you are like me you will NOT walk away with joy in your heart that it's them not you but you will walk away with a new prospective on life, NOT JUST OSA.
Not to minimize the problems we OSAers deal with but somehow a heart transplant, kidney failure or lukemia doesn't quite rise to the same level as a mask leak. IMHO

sleepyinsunnyvale · Post by **sleepyinsunnyvale** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 11:50 am

I thought about this a bit more on my drive into the office this morning.

Life is not a zero-sum game. One's happiness does not depend on other's misery.

It's rainy, dark and cold out today but it's a TERRIFIC day

TXKajun · Post by **TXKajun** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 2:00 pm

ehusen and all the others who took the time to read and answer this thread, many thanks.

I was not, by any means, trying to make myself (or any of the rest of us) feel better by comparing us to folks who are "worse off." I read a lot of posts over at TAS and some of them brought me to the verge of tears. I really feel for the ones who have sleep disorders like insomnia, idopathic hypersomnia, sleepwalking, etc. The fact of the matter is, I didn't realize that most of the other sleep disorders existed! I was just downright ignorant.

All I wanted to do was to express my relief that what I have can be easily treated (at least it's easy for me) with just a mask, a machine and a bit of determination. After reading the posts there, I had one of those "Thank you, Jesus" moments that I wanted to share here.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Kajun

This therapy WORKS!!!

I'm So Glad I ONLY Have OSA!

I'm So Glad I ONLY Have OSA!

Re: I'm So Glad I ONLY Have OSA!