I'm too young and busy for this. [Rant]

[Starlette]

As CF stated, I would have given anything to be your age when I started my CPAP therapy. I really believe that many brain cells related to mine memory have been altered, largely due to this diagnosis. I truly believe that I've had sleep apnea for the better part of my life, and recently in the past five years (minus the first year where I used the machine two hours a night) was actually diagnosed with sleep apnea and given a brick CPAP for my therapy. At the nudging of my husband, is how I found out about this disorder. Once I found this forum, I felt like I had struck the motherlode for my diagnosis. No one on the forum will ever say that the beginning of your therapy is a cakewalk. For the very few, it happens right away. You need persistence and guidance to get you where you want to be in your therapy. We're here to help one another.

Starlette

[Sir NoddinOff]

Maybe later you can come back and change the subject line of this thread to; "I'm too young and DEAD for this". Just kiddin', don't get your undies in a twist... besides everybody knows people in their early thirties live forever. Listen to the advice these people are giving you. It could make a big difference in the way you LIVE.

[zoocrewphoto]

As CF stated, I would have given anything to be your age when I started my CPAP therapy. I really believe that many brain cells related to mine memory have been altered, largely due to this diagnosis. I truly believe that I've had sleep apnea for the better part of my life, and recently in the past five years (minus the first year where I used the machine two hours a night) was actually diagnosed with sleep apnea and given a brick CPAP for my therapy. At the nudging of my husband, is how I found out about this disorder. Once I found this forum, I felt like I had struck the motherlode for my diagnosis. No one on the forum will ever say that the beginning of your therapy is a cakewalk. For the very few, it happens right away. You need persistence and guidance to get you where you want to be in your therapy. We're here to help one another.

Starlette

Same here. I was just telling a couple of my coworkers today that I was unhappy with my doctor and very disappointed that she didn't ask me thr right questions years ago. I knew I had sleep apnea, but I didn't think it was a big deal. I thought it was just lack of sleep and more sleep could make up for it. I didn't realize it was serious and that my blood pressure at the high end of normal back then would be sky high in 10 years, giving me a much higher risk of Stroke.

My mom and I have the same doctor, and she was diagnosed with sleep apnea 20 years ago. You would think that sometime in the past 10 years, it would have occurred to her to ask me how I sleep, or if I snore. I would have answered honestly. If I had been treated when I was 32, I probably would have lost weight rather than gained weight. I would look better in my vacation photos, and the hiking would have been a lot easier. My blood pressure would probably have gone down in the lower range of normal rather than up and up and up. And today, I could have normal blood pressure without 4 medications every day. I could have skipped 8 years of waking up with choking fits (I didn't know they were caused by apnea episodes). I could have skipped a lot of bad dreams.

My biggest regret about my health is that I didn't confess (or get caught) 10 years ago, before things got so bad. I am grateful that it is not too late, and still earlier than most people get diagnosed. But I will always wonder how much better things could have been had I been treated years ago.

[archangle]

I think modern medicine has little for you. Look at the actual success rates!!!!!!!

The Chinese have been at healing a lot longer and still see HEALING as a goal rather than drug dealing or partial splint making. I would look there.

I'm sure there are plenty of witch doctors and faith healers who will be glad to take your money as well.

Traditional Chinese medicine is dangerous, and is pure quackery. Anything they have that actually works becomes part of western medicine.

[49er]

I think modern medicine has little for you. Look at the actual success rates!!!!!!!

The Chinese have been at healing a lot longer and still see HEALING as a goal rather than drug dealing or partial splint making. I would look there.

I'm sure there are plenty of witch doctors and faith healers who will be glad to take your money as well.

Traditional Chinese medicine is dangerous, and is pure quackery. Anything they have that actually works becomes part of western medicine.

It depends. It is my understanding that acupuncture can be quite effective for things like chronic pain issues. But I wouldn't depend on it for things like diabetes. Then again, western medicine hasn't done a great job in that area.

By the way, since drug companies have greatly polluted many studies in western medicine, I wouldn't assume that that just because it is mainstream medicine, it can be trusted. But at the same time, I don't trust alternative folks either. Not a good situation obviously.

49er

[archangle]

I'm sure everyone feels this way when they start, but I just joined this board and I'm reading over all the tips and I just want to scream

You got screwed when they gave you an S9 Escape CPAP machine, if they really gave you that. It can't monitor your therapy. The DMEs (CPAP sellers) get the same amount of money whether they give you a good CPAP or not, so they sell the cheapest machine they can get away with.

Throw that one in the back of your closet as a backup and buy an S9 AutoSet or a PRS1 Auto machine online. Or buy one second hand. You'll have to pay for it out of pocket, but the DMEs have obscene profit margins in their list prices.

Unfortunately, you'll get little help from many doctors. The doctors just go through the motions and leave everything to the sleep lab and the DME. Many of them are just "ring the register" assembly line operations. Many of us here on this board are here because we couldn't get good treatment from the medical mafia. Then you'll have to figure out how to run the software to look at your results, and figure out how to solve your problems.

It's a pain, but most of us end up getting it right with a little help after a while. You can get a lot of good (and bad) advice on this board.

The surgery simply doesn't work for most people, Success rates are low. The surgeons will claim success when it reduces your apnea by 50%, but apnea will still be killing you. The surgery is usually painful, and may have lifetime unpleasant side effects.

Yes, CPAP sucks. Not as bad as stroke, heart attack, brain damage, general health problems, being fatigued all the time from untreated apnea. Untreated apnea will steal your life from fatigue and health problems. It will probably eventually end your life prematurely and miserably.

[archangle]

It depends. It is my understanding that acupuncture can be quite effective for things like chronic pain issues. But I wouldn't depend on it for things like diabetes. Then again, western medicine hasn't done a great job in that area.

By the way, since drug companies have greatly polluted many studies in western medicine, I wouldn't assume that that just because it is mainstream medicine, it can be trusted. But at the same time, I don't trust alternative folks either. Not a good situation obviously.

49er

Western medicine definitely sucks these days. It's corrupt, expensive, uncaring, assembly line operations, that crush the patient with paperwork, phony bills, high bills, unnecessary procedures, coverups of problems, bad doctors, fraud, etc.

However, it does actually work to some extent. Actually, most of the time, it does do good. Remember, polio, smallpox, etc.? People used to die all the time from infections from minor cuts and scratches. How many people do you know who wouldn't be alive if not for some form of western medicine?

CPAP is an excellent example. Yes, it's got it drawbacks. Yes, the "system" is corrupt and inefficient. One generation ago, apnea sufferers simply "died quietly in their sleep." Lots of apneacs still die quietly in their sleep because they don't trust or believe in the "western medicine" of CPAP.

Acupuncture and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) doesn't work when you actually test it. There are lots of true believers, but when you actually test it, it doesn't work. Even the studies that are cited to indicate it works usually only show minuscule improvements. Even then, they are usually poorly designed. Even then, the studies are usually "cherry picked" and you ignore the 20 studies that show it doesn't work and emphasize the one study that shows a possible connection.

We've got a bias for "natural" and "holistic" stuff these days. That often blinds us to the truth.

The James Randi Educational Foundation has a million dollar prize available to anyone who proves that various forms of quackery are effective. It's open to accupuncturists, but unclaimed as of yet.

You'll also find people who believe that faith healers, voodoo, magic crystals, etc. work. Including some scientific studies.

[Todzo]

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
is much more of a holistic approach than is our symptom based so called “Modern Medicine” (not a good article but a place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditiona ... e_medicine
). As such it does not lend itself to western study methods which try to look at a single thing as the variable instead of how things fit into the whole system (see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3116954/
e.g. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2930399/
). Just to give a bit of a feeling for what I am talking about here my own study of one segment of TCM, Qigong, will take me though about seven books, at least three videos, and probably two years.

It is not at all like Western Medicine.

There are many out there who simply want to make a buck with it – and – you should be on the look out for those.

There may even be some using Western Medicine who simply “want to make a buck” with it and care nothing for your health.

[jtmarten]

CPAP mask?? Fahhhgettaboudddit. You're far too busy and young for such things. You'll have plenty of time for sleep when you're dead .... at an early age ..... from heart failure caused by years of poor sleep and low O2 levels.

[DreamStalker]

I think modern medicine has little for you. Look at the actual success rates!!!!!!!

The Chinese have been at healing a lot longer and still see HEALING as a goal rather than drug dealing or partial splint making. I would look there.

I'm sure there are plenty of witch doctors and faith healers who will be glad to take your money as well.

Traditional Chinese medicine is dangerous, and is pure quackery. Anything they have that actually works becomes part of western medicine.

[nanwilson]

Sure... go ahead and vent if you think it will help you deal with this therapy. Its like getting a good drunk on to forget your problems... but low and behold you did forget while you were drunk or stoned... but the problems still exist when you sober up . On top of all the problems still there needing to be addressed.. you now have one hell of a big headache. . You are no way the youngest person to be diagnosed with sleep apnea.... how bout the 16 year old that was here a few months back, or the young 21 year old firefighter... and the list could go on and on. None of us are happy to be on the hose, but on the hose we are, and making the best of it as this therapy IS KEEPING US ALIVE. We will help you through this transition on the hose, if you have problems, just ask we are here to get you through the jungle.
Cheers and good luck on being diagnosed so that you can function and LIVE.
Nan

[chunkyfrog]

You didn't reveal your gender, but during prgnancy, low maternal oxygen levels could have significant effect on the health and development of a fetus. OSA can affect the father's ability to help get the fetus there in the first place.

[Black Shampoo]

Thanks everyone for letting me scream it out a bit. It's subtitled "Rant" for a reason - I just feel frustrated and infuriated by this! But I'm 100% compliant with my treatment for 5 months straight now, and I plan to remain this way and get a data-gathering machine ASAP. I'm going to stay involved here, too - my doctor can go fuck himself for the lack of information and for pawning the brick off on me!

My Dad didn't get diagnosed until he was in his late forties and he died way too young in his mid-fifties. I ain't going out like that.

[pandatx]

We all have those days. A rant is just a rant...blowing off steam. You're having a day and needed to unload, uncensored. I totally get it. Now, back to your new hobby

[SleepyToo2]

It depends. It is my understanding that acupuncture can be quite effective for things like chronic pain issues. But I wouldn't depend on it for things like diabetes. Then again, western medicine hasn't done a great job in that area.

By the way, since drug companies have greatly polluted many studies in western medicine, I wouldn't assume that that just because it is mainstream medicine, it can be trusted. But at the same time, I don't trust alternative folks either. Not a good situation obviously.

49er

Western medicine definitely sucks these days. It's corrupt, expensive, uncaring, assembly line operations, that crush the patient with paperwork, phony bills, high bills, unnecessary procedures, coverups of problems, bad doctors, fraud, etc.

However, it does actually work to some extent. Actually, most of the time, it does do good. Remember, polio, smallpox, etc.? People used to die all the time from infections from minor cuts and scratches. How many people do you know who wouldn't be alive if not for some form of western medicine?

CPAP is an excellent example. Yes, it's got it drawbacks. Yes, the "system" is corrupt and inefficient. One generation ago, apnea sufferers simply "died quietly in their sleep." Lots of apneacs still die quietly in their sleep because they don't trust or believe in the "western medicine" of CPAP.

Acupuncture and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) doesn't work when you actually test it. There are lots of true believers, but when you actually test it, it doesn't work. Even the studies that are cited to indicate it works usually only show minuscule improvements. Even then, they are usually poorly designed. Even then, the studies are usually "cherry picked" and you ignore the 20 studies that show it doesn't work and emphasize the one study that shows a possible connection.

We've got a bias for "natural" and "holistic" stuff these days. That often blinds us to the truth.

The James Randi Educational Foundation has a million dollar prize available to anyone who proves that various forms of quackery are effective. It's open to accupuncturists, but unclaimed as of yet.

You'll also find people who believe that faith healers, voodoo, magic crystals, etc. work. Including some scientific studies.

The biggest problem with acupuncture and TCM is that they treat the whole individual. A clinical trial will have a carefully controlled hypothesis, set of inclusion/exclusion criteria for patients, and a set of "standard" techniques to "treat" the person. Unfortunately, that set of criteria may not include your particular pattern of symptoms and responses. The problem with Western medicine is that the practitioners, who have convinced the public to think the same way, all think that alternative therapies need to conform to their rules. The reality is that they don't. Therefore, my advice to anyone considering acupuncture, chiropractic, or any TCM, is to go for it. Just don't expect to have a cure for sleep apnea. SA is caused by an anatomical structure that leads to blockage of the airway when we sleep. No technique is going to correct that as well as xPAP does (surgery may do, but relapses are common). It may also lull the patient into a false sense of security that things are fixed.

The key with alternative therapies is that when practiced properly they are designed to try to get to the root cause of the problem - blockages in the flow of energy through the body. Because that is more of an art than a science, it is difficult to apply scientific principles in a way that scientists would like. TCM has been practiced for thousands of years. Look at how many Chinese people there are. The practice cannot be entirely wrong, can it?