Is there any reason why a person should take a couple of months off work (position held for their return) to treat sleep apnea?
I know I have sleep apnea myself (no idea to what degree... I just know no human ... or cat... can sleep in the same room with me while I gasp and wheeze in my sleep), and plan to treat it sometime, so I'm not trying to belittle the disorder.
But how could taking time off work possibly help? Also -- could drinking a huge amount of caffeine contribute to sleep apnea?
Your opinions on the topic are so appreciated. Not going to do anything with any information I receive -- just insanely curious as to whether this could possibly make sense (the time off thing).
Thanks so much.
Can/Should You Take Time Off Work For Treatment?
well.....
Since there is no "cure", only treatment, you would have to plan on taking an awful long time off.
The exception to this might be if you wanted to play the odds and do the full battery of surgery, up to and including an MMA, which could all told probably easily add up to a year off work. Also unfeasible in MY situation anyway, and certainly there would be no medical insurance coverage very quickly.
I have taken a week off work to get surgery to get my nose working, which seems to be a requirement for getting CPAP to work. (in my opinion) THAT was time well spent in my case.
On the other hand, for sleep studies and CPAP "treatment", I have yet to miss a single day or even arrive late to work after a sleep study. Maybe a few hours here and there for appointments.
Since there is no "cure", only treatment, you would have to plan on taking an awful long time off.
The exception to this might be if you wanted to play the odds and do the full battery of surgery, up to and including an MMA, which could all told probably easily add up to a year off work. Also unfeasible in MY situation anyway, and certainly there would be no medical insurance coverage very quickly.
I have taken a week off work to get surgery to get my nose working, which seems to be a requirement for getting CPAP to work. (in my opinion) THAT was time well spent in my case.
On the other hand, for sleep studies and CPAP "treatment", I have yet to miss a single day or even arrive late to work after a sleep study. Maybe a few hours here and there for appointments.
Remember:
What you read above is only one data point based on one person's opinion.
I am not a doctor, nor do I even play one on TV.
Your mileage may vary.
Follow ANY advice or opinions at your own risk.
Not everything you read is true.
What you read above is only one data point based on one person's opinion.
I am not a doctor, nor do I even play one on TV.
Your mileage may vary.
Follow ANY advice or opinions at your own risk.
Not everything you read is true.
Good issues
Hi Snorfest,
Many people will try surgery lots seem to try weight watchers (just look at the reasons many near new CPAP machines come up on eBay ) BUT, I believe those approaches don't solve the underlying problem. It is common to hear that people trying surgery often return to the same condition.
Weight loss can help a great deal to minimise or reduce the results of having OSA.
The thing about OSA (rather than mild to moderate snoring) is the slow insidious deterioration in your health & well being. It happens rather slowly & thus many sufferers don't fully realise how much energy they are losing and how much slower their life & alertness has actually become.
I strongly believe that the only certain long term treatment is with CPAP.
The real issue is getting 'good' sleep and improving the blood oxygen levels. CPAP seems to be the one guaranteed way to sustain the benefits.
If you have OSA, I urge you to regard CPAP as your insurance for a longer and much happier life.
Cheers
DSM (an evangelist because CPAP is delivering for me, on every promise)
Many people will try surgery lots seem to try weight watchers (just look at the reasons many near new CPAP machines come up on eBay ) BUT, I believe those approaches don't solve the underlying problem. It is common to hear that people trying surgery often return to the same condition.
Weight loss can help a great deal to minimise or reduce the results of having OSA.
The thing about OSA (rather than mild to moderate snoring) is the slow insidious deterioration in your health & well being. It happens rather slowly & thus many sufferers don't fully realise how much energy they are losing and how much slower their life & alertness has actually become.
I strongly believe that the only certain long term treatment is with CPAP.
The real issue is getting 'good' sleep and improving the blood oxygen levels. CPAP seems to be the one guaranteed way to sustain the benefits.
If you have OSA, I urge you to regard CPAP as your insurance for a longer and much happier life.
Cheers
DSM (an evangelist because CPAP is delivering for me, on every promise)
xPAP and Quattro std mask (plus a pad-a-cheek anti-leak strap)
no... it's not me taking the time off
No.... it's not me taking the time off. It's another individual at my job. I just cannot for the life of me imagine how it would help or why the firm should be granting this time off (it really puts us in a bind). I'm trying not to be heartless -- I know firsthand that sleep apnea is no fun with a capital no fun, but it just makes no sense to me.
I was hoping someone could 'splain it.
Thanks so much again.
I was hoping someone could 'splain it.
Thanks so much again.
Gravy Train
I would certainly be interested in what the person at your work is using for the SPECIFIC excuse for taking time off. It certainly seems far fetched unless specific surgery options ARE being tried. (whatever the odds).
Living in a "basic" neighborhood, I know of AT LEAST 3 neighbors that are likely abusing "disability" payouts. I including a guy with a "bad back" who is always working on his boat or hauling stuff around, or a neigbor that has been "end stage" for the 20 years we have been living next to her and only seems to look sickly when people are working on her house or yard for her. On the other hand I have friends who probably SHOULD be on disability due to actual health issues that can't seem to figure out how to get onto that gravy boat.
its a funny world.
But the guy at your work MIGHT have complications of some sort that go beyond "simple" OSA. Sure would be interesting to hear a followup on this!
Living in a "basic" neighborhood, I know of AT LEAST 3 neighbors that are likely abusing "disability" payouts. I including a guy with a "bad back" who is always working on his boat or hauling stuff around, or a neigbor that has been "end stage" for the 20 years we have been living next to her and only seems to look sickly when people are working on her house or yard for her. On the other hand I have friends who probably SHOULD be on disability due to actual health issues that can't seem to figure out how to get onto that gravy boat.
its a funny world.
But the guy at your work MIGHT have complications of some sort that go beyond "simple" OSA. Sure would be interesting to hear a followup on this!
Remember:
What you read above is only one data point based on one person's opinion.
I am not a doctor, nor do I even play one on TV.
Your mileage may vary.
Follow ANY advice or opinions at your own risk.
Not everything you read is true.
What you read above is only one data point based on one person's opinion.
I am not a doctor, nor do I even play one on TV.
Your mileage may vary.
Follow ANY advice or opinions at your own risk.
Not everything you read is true.
Still trying to get it
It's actually a woman, and I think she replied on another board. Here was her response:
"I can't believe it I think I am the person the guest is talking about. I am currently on a 2 month leave of absence for severe sleep apnea. I have a very high stress job that has many deadlines, long days and travel. Trying to deal with my job and exhaustion was getting worse and worse. I kept putting off my sleep study and when I finally did the study and got my results it explained a lot of things.
I had no intention to taking a leave of absence to get better. After all it wasn't an illness that required surgery. I visited my family doctor to review my diagnosis. As we talked I came to the realization that the stress of my job would effect my ability to adjust to the CPAP machine and start a healthier life style. My employer was not listening when I told them I needed to slow down. I hope the 2 months off will give me the time to feel better. I hope to go back to work in 2 months and be a better employee. I just hope my employer doesn't hold my right to do this against me.
I have 6 weeks to go on my leave and feel a little guilty."
I still don't understand what the 2 months will do. But I also don't understand what she means by "my right to do this." I would so much like to have some insight on what's going on here... all her clients are dumped in my lap. It's hard not to feel resentful.
"I can't believe it I think I am the person the guest is talking about. I am currently on a 2 month leave of absence for severe sleep apnea. I have a very high stress job that has many deadlines, long days and travel. Trying to deal with my job and exhaustion was getting worse and worse. I kept putting off my sleep study and when I finally did the study and got my results it explained a lot of things.
I had no intention to taking a leave of absence to get better. After all it wasn't an illness that required surgery. I visited my family doctor to review my diagnosis. As we talked I came to the realization that the stress of my job would effect my ability to adjust to the CPAP machine and start a healthier life style. My employer was not listening when I told them I needed to slow down. I hope the 2 months off will give me the time to feel better. I hope to go back to work in 2 months and be a better employee. I just hope my employer doesn't hold my right to do this against me.
I have 6 weeks to go on my leave and feel a little guilty."
I still don't understand what the 2 months will do. But I also don't understand what she means by "my right to do this." I would so much like to have some insight on what's going on here... all her clients are dumped in my lap. It's hard not to feel resentful.
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FYG
FWIW, I'll post my thoughts here.
I recently managed to have sleep specialist appointments, a sleep study, follow-ups and a CPAP fitting all by only missing 2 afternoons at the office. I was a completely new patient and diagnosis, so this sounds similar to what your coworker/employee is going through.
Sure, I had to schedule my sleep study on a weekend night, but that just made it more convenient for travelling home the following morning. Even as a new user, learning how to run the machine, wear the mask and sleep with it is a very easy process.
So, personally, I would say that anything beyond a couple days is definitely excessive time off.
I recently managed to have sleep specialist appointments, a sleep study, follow-ups and a CPAP fitting all by only missing 2 afternoons at the office. I was a completely new patient and diagnosis, so this sounds similar to what your coworker/employee is going through.
Sure, I had to schedule my sleep study on a weekend night, but that just made it more convenient for travelling home the following morning. Even as a new user, learning how to run the machine, wear the mask and sleep with it is a very easy process.
So, personally, I would say that anything beyond a couple days is definitely excessive time off.
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Guest
I'm trying to get what is the big deal if she needs time off of work to take care of herself. I know treaing sleep apnea is a good thing but just because some of us are doing great with our treatment or didn't need time off of work ok we are not all the same. We dont know how bad her sleep apnea is or how stressful her job is. she has to take care of herself in order to do her job right. When we work at a company and we have coworker we are supposed to look out for each other or be there when the job needs you. Who are we to judge someone illness or to say they dont need time off. OSA is a serious disorder and it's good they have treatment for all of us but it dont mean everyone will get better at the same time. It's more importmant things out her for us to be worry about then to worry about someone job or health. So I say to the person who needs the times off if you job ok 's it well good luck to you and I hope the best for you.
Personally, it took me about 3 or 4 weeks to get rid of the awful headache I had and at least that long to feel that I was able to keep up with the 4th graders I teach. I'm sure that some of their parents would have appreciated having someone that was more on top of their game than I was during that time. I can only imagine what it would have been like trying to dig myself out if I had to add travel or complicated memory and problem solving tasks to that. Yes, I functioned, but am I proud that I "plowed through?" no! Because I think there were many around me that suffered as a result. Perhaps a little time off might have helped me "catch up" so that I would be refreshed and ready to conquer things like I just now am getting - 6 months into therapy. I'm sorry that "her" taking time off has inconvenienced you. I hope you never have a time in your life that you need people to be sympathetic.
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I hope the two months she takes from work helps her. From every response I've read, it's either too long or not enough.
I also hope that someday someone can say what the two months will actually do for her. I know what it will do for us. It will make us unable to hire a new employee because her job must remain open. It will make me far more stressed than I already am (my plate was full to begin with). It will probably wind up costing us clients. It will make people who also have their own physical ailments (one officeworker is recovering from cancer treatments) have to work that much harder. And all for.... what? And when she comes back her job will be no less stressful. Why would the problem not keep recurring?
I also hope that someday someone can say what the two months will actually do for her. I know what it will do for us. It will make us unable to hire a new employee because her job must remain open. It will make me far more stressed than I already am (my plate was full to begin with). It will probably wind up costing us clients. It will make people who also have their own physical ailments (one officeworker is recovering from cancer treatments) have to work that much harder. And all for.... what? And when she comes back her job will be no less stressful. Why would the problem not keep recurring?
LOL! You have no idea.... when I was pregnant, not only did I work right until the day before I delivered, I spent 8 months making arrangements with my clients for the time away. Then I worked from home during my entire maternity leave, coming into the office or going to the client's office when telecommuting wasn't cuttin' it.
Temp doesn't work for our office -- you'd have to hire someone permanent. Even if it were that type of job -- do temps really work for anyone? Is there anything more useless than an office temp?
God I'm getting bitter. Maybe I should take a couple of months off. LOL
Temp doesn't work for our office -- you'd have to hire someone permanent. Even if it were that type of job -- do temps really work for anyone? Is there anything more useless than an office temp?
God I'm getting bitter. Maybe I should take a couple of months off. LOL