DEATH FROM NOT USING CPAP

[auntbek007]

i WOULD NOT USE MY CPAP BECAUSE IT BOTHERED ME, i CODED FIVE TIMES TWO YEARS AGO, THE LAST TIME I WAS ON VENT FOR TEN DAYS, ALL BECAUSE I DID NOT USE MY CPAP. I never believed it would happen, my doctor told me if I did not use it that it would, finally when the fifth ventilator and coding happened I used my CPAP and guess what I have not coded or been in hospital since. It can happen I am living proof.

[SleepyToo2]

Thanks for sharing! I am sure a lot of people will join me in thanking whoever is watching over us all that you are still around, and able to share! The value of treatment of sleep apnea is underestimated by many people, including docs. We need to continue to get the message out that although CPAP doesn't cure apnea, it sure does help prevent many of the complications. Just wish the insurance companies would recognize that fact, and not refuse to insure people who are lowering their risk of catastrophic events that will cost them huge amounts of money!

[Sleepynight]

Thank God sleep apnea is treatable and CPAP can reverse the side effects. There are also studies that show CPAP can reverse heart problems (this is relative new discovery). But you still need to use the CPAP without having leaks and with the perfect settings.

[chunkyfrog]

Lucky you, Auntie.
Too many people never get a do-over.
Thanks for the comments.
We need a bumper sticker/ribbon/something to grab folks' attention.
--any ideas?

[Cotay]

i WOULD NOT USE MY CPAP BECAUSE IT BOTHERED ME, i CODED FIVE TIMES TWO YEARS AGO, THE LAST TIME I WAS ON VENT FOR TEN DAYS, ALL BECAUSE I DID NOT USE MY CPAP. I never believed it would happen, my doctor told me if I did not use it that it would, finally when the fifth ventilator and coding happened I used my CPAP and guess what I have not coded or been in hospital since. It can happen I am living proof.

Thanks for sharing. I've been trying to convince my Dad to get checked out and he so far is refusing. Stories like this give me ammo to convince him to try. He promised that he would speak with his doctor (I actually use the same doctor and he was the one who suggested I might have OSA) next time he sees him.

[jilliansue]

For a bumper sticker, how about a predictable:

Got O2?
Got Oxygen?
CPAP - it'll save your life.
CPAP - it's what's for bedtime
Don't wake up dead, use CPAP instead

[VikingGnome]

My sister died at age 50 due to enlarged heart caused by undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnea. She was obese and snored so bad, she and her husband slept in separate bedrooms once the kids left for college. She never got to see her kids get married and will never see any future grandkids. She bought a mouth device about 10 years ago that was supposed to stop snoring. I had been on CPAP several years at that time and begged her to go for a sleep test. She was a nurse and refused to believe she had any apnea problems---just snoring. She died 5 years ago of an apparent cardiac arrhythmia from her enlarged heart.

[MaxDarkside]

Thanks for sharing. I've been trying to convince my Dad to get checked out and he so far is refusing. Stories like this give me ammo to convince him to try.

I'm walking proof that sleep apnea can kill. See my signature down below if you haven't read my story. Lucky for me I didn't have a heart attack (no pain! just the opposite... EUPHORIA) and that I could fight it and come back from the edge.

[macewa]

"My CPAP is my stay alive buddy"

For a bumper sticker, how about a predictable:

Got O2?
Got Oxygen?
CPAP - it'll save your life.
CPAP - it's what's for bedtime
Don't wake up dead, use CPAP instead

[Captain_Midnight]

I was going to start a thread on this very subject.

Just before Christmas, I got word that an acquaintance of mine had died (in his sleep). He was not in great health, (he had generally let himself go, physically). From what I understand, he was traveling for the Christmas holiday, and decided to skip packing the xpap machine. I can't say for certain, but one suspects quite strongly that he would still be around if he had decided to bring, and use, his xpap.

The lesson? Don't be tempted to sleep (or travel) without your SCUBA gear.

.