embarrement with CPAP

[Rick B]

I have read a couple posts about people being embarrassed or hurt from comments made by friends. This is just NOT RIGHT. People talk about their pace makers, hearing aids, dentures and everything else from zit control to whatever. So what is the problem? I just feel blessed that I am on CPAP and not in a wheel chair. So come on let's get some more good reactions for bad people. What's yours?

About being overweight and apnea. I tell them, I may be fat, but your ugly and I can lose weight.

About the machine. I tell my friends that it's my connection to my home planet and I need it to survive on earth.

[jdm2857]

Na-Noo, Na-Noo.

[OceanGoingGal]

I have never felt embarrassed abut my cpap machine. It is a medical device that keeps me alive and helps me to get sleep. If people care about me then to them it is a neccesary device. I have yet to meet anyone that reacts negatively.

Laura

[BlackSpinner]

I was more embarrassed by my cast on my foot for falling off one (yes one) step and rebreaking it a week after it came off by tripping over the dog!

My cpap gave me my life back, my brains back and my creativity back - critique my machine and you will be in deep doodoo.

[elena88]

Well, I have a friend that tells me CONSTANTLY.. that if I just went to a chiropractor, he could fix my sleep apnea and I would never have
to use that machine again.. she is convinced it is something structural that is out of adjustment, and why dont I just get it fixed?

I signed up for a group singing glass a couple months before I knew I was going to end up on a cpap, and then
trying to sing in front of the class after the week long titration.. THAT was embarrassing!

[DreamOn]

I don't have any good comebacks. I just wanted to share my rambling (and probably pointless) thoughts about the prejudice/embarrassment....

As we all know, not everyone who has sleep apnea is overweight, but many are. As we are painfully aware, this society isn't very accepting of fat people. (I have lived as a thin person and as a fat person. There IS a lot of prejudice against fat people!) If you're overweight, then it's immediately assumed that you have sleep apnea because you're overweight, nevermind the fact that your airway may be small for anatomical reasons that have nothing to do with the excess weight! And they don't get that it's entirely possible that the SLEEP APNEA has contributed to the weight gain! I find that the media doesn't help either. When they mention sleep apnea, they always suggest weight loss. Weight loss does help some people, but not everyone. Thin people can have sleep apnea too. There are a lot of people who are never diagnosed because of that bias/misunderstanding, and that's tragic!

I think there's a lot of misunderstanding about CPAP machines too. A lot of people think it "breathes for you," like an invasive ventilator. They equate it with life support, I suppose. That makes people feel very uncomfortable. They don't know what to say when you tell them. I've had people that I thought would be supportive just not "get it." So I don't talk with them about it. Some of them are in denial themselves and don't want to consider that they also may have this problem. Some have come right out and said, "I would never sleep with that machine!" Well, that's their choice. They'll die too soon. I choose life and health.

Snoring has been the butt of jokes for eons too. Snoring means that the airway is partially obstructed. When you really understand what's happening when a person snores, it isn't so funny. I'm not sure how we can make people think differently about that other than to educate them.

I think I look absolutely ridiculous in my CPAP mask. But it's improved my life immensely and it will help me live longer, so I don't care how I look!

[Uncle_Bob]

About being overweight. I tell them, I may be fat, but you're ugly and I can lose weight.

About the machine. I tell my friends to f*** off as they have no idea

[base2balls]

Like I told my sister the other night, No matter how you feel about a diagnosis or what others feel or say , there will always be some one out there that is in worse condition that you are in. I don't feel bad about being on cpap, at least I'm not bedridden and I can do things now that I never felt like doing before. Have a great day, Huggies, Fay

[Jettagram]

[quote="elena88"]Well, I have a friend that tells me CONSTANTLY.. that if I just went to a chiropractor, he could fix my sleep apnea and I would never have
to use that machine again.. she is convinced it is something structural that is out of adjustment, and why dont I just get it fixed?

My chiropractor is thrilled that I am on CPAP. He says chiropractic can help us in a lot of ways, but it can't fix everything! It can't fix your "throat architecture"!

The people who care about me have no issues with me on CPAP and no comments about my losing weight so I can not have to use it. As for the rest, consider the source. There's no fixing stupid!

[Jaylee]

Last year when I temporarily lost my sight, I would not wear the eye patch out in public. I just would not do it. I was fine to bump in to things instead.

I sleep alone so thus far, the machine hasn't been an issue. Who knows if my opinion would change if I ever met someone I wanted to share a bed with. I would hope that I wouldn't be embarrassed by it. I have always thought that breathing was sexy.

[carbonman]

What's yours?

[carbonman]

Rick B, we all travel along the same path....
some farther ahead....some just getting started.
We all have the same thoughts and questions.
All things that we need to know.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=34155&p

[SleepingUgly]

Isn't possible to be embarrassed and grateful that things aren't worse and committed to CPAP? I'm just raising the possibility that embarrassed and grateful/committed are not mutually exclusive categories.

[GumbyCT]

Isn't possible to be embarrassed and grateful that things aren't worse and committed to CPAP? I'm just raising the possibility that embarrassed and grateful/committed are not mutually exclusive categories.

Is that like the opposite ends of the same pole meeting in the middle? Now, that IS possible but no I don't see how it could be possible to be both embarassed yet grateful.

For me - I just don't care what others think. I don't live my life to please others. Sounds cold but it's true damit.

For me - CPAP just extends my alimoney payments. For that I am grateful. Isn't that why they invented CPAP? To take my Extra Money?

Or is it ALL my money?

Edit = others

[elena88]

Like I told my sister the other night, No matter how you feel about a diagnosis or what others feel or say , there will always be some one out there that is in worse condition that you are in.

I was really upset when I got diagnosed, and my husband said, " hey, look, everybody has something. "

and, really he was right..

My chiropractor is thrilled that I am on CPAP. He says chiropractic can help us in a lot of ways, but it can't fix everything! It can't fix your "throat architecture"!

you got that right!