Who here works in medicine?

[Hawthorne]

MOST of the people on this forum are not medical prefessionals, certainly not in the Sleep Medicine field.

We are mostly a group of people using cpap machine and sharing what we have learned about things that helped us and helping people interpret their data (if the have fully data capable machines) so they can understand what is going on and make adjustments to manage their own therapy for optimum results.

Most of us don't get this from medical professionals, even the ones in Sleep Medicine.

[DawgDoc]

Can you guess what medical field I am in? I was also a Medical Technologist in a past life.

[chunkyfrog]

In a former life, I may have been a sorcerer.
I still tend to believe that I can DO something about the things that vex me.
In this forum, I feel at home--kind of geeky--warm fuzzy--well rested.

[LoQ]

MOST of the people on this forum are not medical prefessionals, certainly not in the Sleep Medicine field.

We are mostly a group of people using cpap machine and sharing what we have learned about things that helped us and helping people interpret their data (if the have fully data capable machines) so they can understand what is going on and make adjustments to manage their own therapy for optimum results.

Most of us don't get this from medical professionals, even the ones in Sleep Medicine.

Realize that the whole point of starting this thread was so Calist could get some support. He has been soundly defeated in arguments on other threads. He is condescending towards mere patients, and he was hoping to appeal to the egos of those in medical fields.

I posted a snippet of what he said previously to help those who are in the medical profession get an idea of where he is coming from. I'm sure most of them would not want to throw their lot in with him. Most of the medical professionals who post on this board don't think patients are stupid.

[jonquiljo]

At the risk of being stoned for heresy - I contend that any "professional" is not necessarily knowledgeable. Most of the people here are knowledgeable - probably far more than the people who do this stuff to bring home the bacon. Knowledge is far more complex that regurgitating outdated theories and knowing how to operate the latest machinery.

The problem with people like Calist is not just that they think everyone is stupid - but that they don't understand the limitations of their own intelligence. I never went into medicine because it just wasn't my thing - so I went into science. My scientific training taught me two things that have endured over the years.

1.) That I am a lot more stupid than I will ever imagine - to recognize that - and get over it.

2.) That I can always learn new things as I go along - and beyond a point there is no good reason to fill your head with unnecessary information - especially since most of it will be eventually proven wrong.

I've forgotten most of what I ever learned in 11 years of "higher education", but I never forgot these two things. More importantly, I've learned not to care. If they only tried to teach that in medical school ...

[elena88]

as for Calist....

save yourself from having to deal with him, check out

the link below, and put your critical thinking caps on... Then decide whether you want to have anything to do with this guy..

He started this "who works in medicine "thread to see if he could find people who didnt already have him pegged..

Calist, I believe you are a sick narcissistic puppy, and I have no idea why you have come here....

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=51460&start=120

[LoQ]

I thought this was hysterical:

are you just a CPAP.com employee trying to make it look like the forum is active?

Oh, yeah, if Johnny didn't have his employees over here posting, the forum would be totally dead. Snort!

[Madalot]

I thought this was hysterical:

are you just a CPAP.com employee trying to make it look like the forum is active?

Oh, yeah, if Johnny didn't have his employees over here posting, the forum would be totally dead. Snort!

Yeah, if I worked for cpap.com (which I don't) why in the heck would I claim to use a ventilator to drum up more business for this site? Most of the people here are using a cpap or bipap, with a few exceptions using more advanced equipment. Even then, not many vent users here.

And he calls us patients stupid!!! Hee Hee. (Sorry, I just couldn't resist).

[LoQ]

And he calls us patients stupid!!! Hee Hee. (Sorry, I just couldn't resist).

No apology necessary. He more than deserves it, and you have been a saint while taking his abuse.

[Madalot]

And he calls us patients stupid!!! Hee Hee. (Sorry, I just couldn't resist).

No apology necessary. He more than deserves it, and you have been a saint while taking his abuse.

You are very kind. I am blaming him and his abuse for the fact that I had a horrible night, choking on and off throughout the night ON THE VENTILATOR that he claims I'm not using and had one of the worst overnight pulse ox tests I've had since I started all this. I'm hoping I was just irritated by him and it's not a sign that I'm in big trouble. But I had a horrific night.

Oh, but there's no way I can be using the ventilator because according to Calist, it doesn't have an AVAPS mode. So I guess I'm not really typing here either!!!

[LoQ]

I thought it fitting to have a meet and greet. A quick getting to know you just for the medical professionals.

Hi, my name is James Stillwell I am an RPSGT and a REEGT. I have about 20 years experience in medicine and I work in Denver at the National Jewish Center for Respiratory Care.

Oh. Now I notice that this thread was limited to medical professionals--"just for the medical professionals." Sorry, I did not realize that.

For the record, I am not a medical professional. Not that it matters, I've already posted here without being one.

[JohnBFisher]

Greetings Calist, if you are hunting for other medical professionals here in the forum, you can find them as you search previous posts. However, since the focus of the forum is to allow users of xPAP therapy help one another, you will tend to find them not making a big deal of the fact they are medical professionals. Some use xPAP therapy themselves. Some just want to try to better help the patients with whom they work.

Why have a forum that does not try to gain the guidance of medical professionals? Could poor information be provided?

Well, the first question is that there is a SIGNIFICANT difference between prescribing and setting up xPAP devices and living with them - as you would know from your list of equipment. There is also the fact that by living with a therapy, the collective experience of the group exceeds that of any single individual. There is value in this. You will find members here taking a considerable amount of time and effort. Many consider it a method of "paying it forward". We all found help as we started the journey of xPAP therapy. Sometimes we get the chance to help others starting that journey.

There is also the advantage of having a LOT of members using the same therapy. Often you will find folks here who found answers to that worked for them. And it is that personal experience that makes this forum so brilliant. Someone might want to know what other full face mask might be available. Or they might wonder how others use the data from their machines with doctors. Or... The fact is that with all the members here, we stand the chance to learn from one another. By not "re-inventing the wheel", we stand the chance of attaining an effective therapy that addresses our needs, without spending as much time and effort.

This is not to say that medical professionals are not valued in this forum. You will see many of us making it very clear that while we can suggest things that have worked for us, we HIGHLY recommend the individual discuss their therapy with their medical team.

For the record, I freely and cheerfully disclose that I do not work in medicine. However, due to my own health issues, I had to learn FAR more than most people about sleep, central nervous system disorders and other health issues. I try to share this knowledge in an effort to help others attain a therapy that works for them. Sometimes I can help. Sometimes not. But I do try.

Does that make me less qualified than medical professionals. Yes, in some ways it does. However, due to the equipment I use and my own burning desire to LEARN and not just blindly follow the advice of anyone, I have learned more about this than many medical professionals. And certainly most medical professionals do not live with the therapy.

Fortunately for me, my current neurologist understands that as an engineer, I want to understand the "why and how". He is patient. And he also listens to me, when I bring information to him. He (correctly) requests other tests to confirm the thoughts. But he LISTENS. And that is the most important trait for any medical professional. Too many jump to conclusions based on their limited experience. Anyone who has walked the road toward the diagnosis of a rare disorder knows of seldom medical professionals really LISTEN. Those who do and are willing to learn from their patients and are willing to refer them to a specialist if needed are rare indeed.

As I noted, we have some who come here to learn more. Imagine that. Learning from their patients! But it is a wise person indeed who admits they can learn from each problem they work. And the exerperience here often helps other patients find solutions that also work for them.

[Hose_Head]

I'm not a medical professional, but I slept in a Holiday Inn (using CPAP) last night.

(For the record, I am a retired, Registered Professional in another scientific field)

[sleepydawn]

I wonder if one of the medical professionals here could tell me if I am looking in the correct place to verify RPSGT and REEGT accreditation? I looked at the two links posted below but when I searched for James Stillwell (Calist) there were no matches. Is that an indication that I am looking in the wrong place? I would like to check on the techs who did my and my kid's polysomnographies.

http://abret.org/verify/credential-search/
http://www.brpt.org/cvweb_brpt/cgi-bin/ ... Search.htm

[howkim]

27 years designing formulations for new chemical entity prescription drugs. A real conversation stopper at cocktail parties. Usually I just say I work in pharmaceuticals.

Boy, do I know what you mean by that one! I was a biotech scientist on the 80's until I couldn't stand the corruption any more. But we did make pharmaceuticals (well, we pretended to!). It wasn't a good line to use when looking for dates - for sure! Well, it helped if they knew about stock options, etc. - but then you got bored with them.

So, no - as my mother always told me - I wasn't a real Dr.! I used to play Dr. when I was a kid (I had a thing for blondes), but could never get past the exam stage. So I married a blonde instead (who didn't care about stock options).

I once (1980s) knew a drug rep who used to introduce her work by saying that she sold drugs. Until she met her new neighbor - an FBI agent.