True, these. I'd bet that there's a third one, though, in the case of commercial drivers, and that is the fear that they'll lose their CDL and thus their livelihood if they get the diagnosis and the treatment doesn't fully treat it, or takes a while before they see improvement.kteague wrote:In my mind, the foremost contributor to failure to seek a diagnosis or treatment is ignorance. For some the decline is nearly imperceptible until there is a recognition trigger. Makes me think of how not so long ago a person could be enjoying their life in the sun until one day they looked in the mirror and were surprised to see undeniable changes in the form of wrinkles. By then the process had done some damage. When I was young, little was being said to warn of this. Now when one sees sun damaged skin staring back at them from the mirror, they knew good and well it was likely to catch up with them someday as the risk is common knowledge. Even so, not everyone heeds the warnings. Discussions of sleep apnea and its potential consequences haven't yet saturated the consciousness of society at large.VVV wrote:Is it true that most people, whether by failure after starting or never starting or staying away from a diagnosis, choose not to treat sleep apnea? Choose to suffer the health problems and decreased longevity?
Second in my mind is denial. Can't believe it could happen to me. Can't believe it's that big a big deal. Can't believe that could be responsible for my symptoms. At that point, maybe ignorance becomes a choice, but I think that oversimplifies the problem. Handling of OSA may just be a part of a larger pattern in handling our personal health care, whether the root cause is personal inclinations, financial limitations, or - - - whatever. We are conditioned to hear the word cancer and feel an immediate sense of urgency. I don't know of one person in my circle of friends, family or acquaintances who has espressed a sense of urgency about being told they might have sleep apnea. Awareness and education are in my estimation sorely lacking, but even then, some will choose to do nothing with that knowledge.
It doesn't make good sense, and it's certainly not safe, but I've seen it in other things where a particular medical diagnosis is antithetical to employment. I have known several people over the years who would privately admit to serious depression, but would not see a doctor because even the hint of such a thing would lose them their jobs. I suspect that that kind of fear trumps all other logic in many cases.
