Husband help!

[Maria_Maraki]

You can tell your husband about my experience with CPAP. I was on the tram in the ATL airport and saw someone with a similar Respironics bag. (50ish but young looking guy). I said I had the same model. He said that he had had apnea for quite a while but did not wear his CPAP. He had recently suffered a stroke. Now he wears it every night. He was very lucky he had only minor deficits.

As far as the other excuses, I would say, many of us wearing CPAP work many hours (stress and obesity being contributing factors to OSA). It is next to no work to slap that thing on at night. I use "Sterile water for irrigation" for mine so I don't have to goof with distilled water on the road so it's handy for travel. I have taken the CPAP with me all over the world (Spain, Greece, the Caribbean, Saudi Arabia) and countless parts of the USA. I even took it with me on a bare boat charter to the Virgin Islands. Two sailboats and two CPAP users, but I had the jumper cables for the battery and mine was a better set up than the other boat where the guy used a long extention cord.

I would also offer the idea of using mandibular advancement devices (an oral appliance) for times when there is no power and/or for travel. My dentist made it for me but no one had suggested that to me in the beginning of my OSA diagnostic period. They are a good back up and they work for mild to moderate sufferers who can't take CPAP at all. I use my device as a back up. (remember hurricane Katrina issue with all those OAS sufferers without power?). It's pretty tough to drag out the CPAP in the middle seat in coach but I have the oral appliance handy in case I fall asleep. Before I had that, I woke up after a red eye flight and I was so disoriented and hypoxic it was scary. Airplanes are so bad for OSA sufferers because we get drowsy and because the air is so lousy but now they even make CPAPs for airplanes. They have thought about almost everything to take the excuses away. CPAP dot Com was more helpful than my first physician, actually.

Last but not least, I hope all of you have reviewed your medications with your pharmacist or physician to determine if your medications contribute to your apnea. Not everyone has an eye on this. As a pharmacist involved with patient safety and adverse drug event prevention, this is a common cause of preventable harm. (see the Joint Commission website for information on safe use of Opiates, but other drugs depress respiration too). I was so concerned about apnea issues during my own "happy birthday scope", I elected to get scoped without any pain or sedative medication. I was done in 30 minutes and I got to watch the scope. Not sure why so many people are knocked out for this but then again, it was a screening one. Not everyone's cup of tea but realize the typical fentanyl/midazolam combo is particularly worrisome to those of us with apnea because both drugs suppress respiratory drive.

Good luck to you. Stick to your guns!!

[Patzee]

You can’t reason with any Male In Mule Mode, no matter the cause.

You’ve gone over and over the critical aspects of this condition and therapy and he still doesn’t respond appropriately.

All you can do now for him is downshift to the Lowest Common Denominator (in mathematics - remember?)

In a calm, non-threatening manner try saying something like...

You are the master of your decision making.
You have severe sleep apnea, but are fortunate because this condition is the only human killer condition where you can simply, easily, and with near total control, improve your quality of life, and most likely even save your life.
All it takes is nightly use of a little, simple box that blows some regulated air under pressure through a length of tube, into a gasket that fits on the face which is held on with a strap.
Sure it takes a a little fiddling - a little time to get the various parts of the equipment selected, comfortably fitted, and working well together for you. Possibly, it takes even less time than it does for most people to figure out their smartphone.
It is estimated that 22 million Americans are affected - you aren’t alone. It is easily treatable, by YOU.

Zzzwife, my heart goes out to you.

Pattz