Sad Death of Young Man by Untreated Sleep Apnea

[Therapist]

When I checked my FB this morning I found this post:

One year ago tonight, I gave my brother a hug and said, "I will see you in the morning", but, that morning never came. I miss him everyday. Nothing can replace what is missing in my heart. I will always want my brother. Tell your family that you love them. My last words to my brother were "Love you"

The brother was 47. He was found dead in the bed at an early morning hour. He was not obese. He did not have hypertension or T2. His cholesterol levels were normal. He was not overweight. He was not under any mental stress. He did not have a family history of heart disease.

He was diagnosed with sleep apnea. He had a CPAP machine. He did not use the CPAP machine.

The younger brother snores and is constantly complaining about being awake not able to sleep at all hours of the night. He looks fatigued many days and has dark circles under his eyes.

The younger brother has a lovely wife, two girls ages 10 and 12 and two boys ages 25 and 17. The younger brother has been told he has symptoms of sleep apnea and should see the local sleep doctor. The younger brother is not making an appointment.

The younger brother's advice to his FB friends is, "Tell your family you love them."

That is very nice and syrupy sentimental. It is far from sufficient. Tell them to use CPAP.

[ched03]

Same thing happened to my sister in law a little over a year ago. She didn't wear her mask for one night and BAM, she woke up in heaven. Please make sure your wear your mask every night! You just never know!

[BlackSpinner]

He was probably sold a brick that didn't show his therapy and had a dme who couldn't care less.

[gasparama]

He was probably sold a brick that didn't show his therapy and had a dme who couldn't care less.

So true, so true. I've a friend who got her basic, no data CPAP at supplier X. She uses it every night and still falls asleep during the day.

So glad I was advised to get a data capable machine before I bought my first one.

[MaxDarkside]

Heck, you don't even have to die in your sleep. I died walking across a parking lot before I got treatment. My neurologist / sleep doctor is fairly sure sleep apnea was the cause... fairly sure... I hope so, cuz I'm getting treatment and therefore I've convinced myself it will not reoccur.

[rocklin]

.

He was probably sold a brick that didn't show his therapy and had a dme who couldn't care less.

You know, if a class-action law firm were to look at this the right way:



1. A nearly systemic behavior

2. Habitually practised by DMEs

3. That results in dangerously sub-standard levels of crucial medical therapy

4. Resulting in tangible damages to thousands of patients.

.
_________________________________________________________________
.


Naw, it's too easy, there mush be a catch . . .

.

[MaxDarkside]

Naw, it's too easy, there mush be a catch . . .

Yes. There is. It is difficult to sue anyone for neglect. If they took an action that resulted in a bad result, that's easier, but not doing something (like not providing a data capable machine) it is difficult. My mother in law died of a very treatable condition (lung clots) with clear evidence that she likely had them and us telling the Dr. she had a history and it's a simple test, but he did not do anything, she died. No attorney would take the case, because suing for neglect (in-action) is very difficult.

[Muse-Inc]

...

Just read your story. Sure hope you're monitoring your magnesium and potassium levels! It's been bandied about that perhaps as many as 3/4 of us are deficient in magnesium which is involved in over 300 biochemical interactions including helping smooth muscle tissue, like heart and blood vessels and bronchial tissue, relax. Friend of mine with cardiac issues had a fatal massive heart attack which they blamed on his extremely low potassium levels. Things to be checked on a regular basis until you are assured they are staying in the normal range. V8, low-sodium V8, and Campbell's (I think) veggie cocktail all contain high amts of potassium.

[rocklin]

If they took an action that resulted in a bad result, that's easier

I agree.

And they do.

Keep in mind, that we all agree, DME's often deliberately lie.

If it's your corporate policy to deliberately lie and consciously push patients requesting a full-data machine into one that doesn't give data, simply because the DME likes the profit on the cheaper model better, that is going way beyond neglect, imho

.

[archangle]

You know, if a class-action law firm were to look at this the right way:

Naw, it's too easy, there mush be a catch . . .

.

There seems to be a loophole of doctors can't be sued successfully if you follow "standard medical practice." i.e. if enough doctors do the wrong thing, you can't win a case against them for it, even if you can prove it's wrong.

As with anything legal, it's more complicated than that, but it's a big loophole.

There's a legal/medical buzzword for this. "Standard medical practice" may not be the correct term, but it's somewhere close.

There's also a very big legal loophole that effectively prevents most people from suing their insurance provider for medical malpractice. It's some very old law or ruling about not being able to sue your employer over benefits that has been twisted by the legal scumbags to immunize insurance providers from legal action if the policy is one of your employment benefits.

[chunkyfrog]

Mmmm, V8.

[MaxDarkside]

Just read your story. Sure hope you're monitoring your magnesium and potassium levels!

Thanks. My blood pressure meds do mess with my minerals / metals (and some vital organ functions) so the dr. does test me every 6 months or so. I also eat quite a lot of raw spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, rare beef, etc. to keep them "in the pink".

EDIT: Oh, and lots of skin-on potatoes, mostly pan fried to crispy in canola oil. Nom nom nom (burp) ahhh. Nice.

[SleepingUgly]

EDIT: Oh, and lots of skin-on potatoes, mostly pan fried to crispy in canola oil. Nom nom nom (burp) ahhh. Nice.

What are the potatoes for? To keep your blood sugar up?

[MaxDarkside]

What are the potatoes for? To keep your blood sugar up?

They have a lot of Vitamin B6, potassium (18% DV), Vitamin C, and yes, carbs, and I *think* the skins are pretty high in minerals too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato#Nutrition

[gasparama]

Avocados also are high in potassium and kind to diabetics and others watching blood glucose levels. In fact, there are lots of foods other than the starchy/sugary ones that are rich in potassium.