Jay Leno makes fun of apnea patients

[robrdavis]

I think it wold be GREAT if a bunch of CPAPers all visited the studio for a taping and sat in the front row with their masks on. I'd love to see his face when he walked out onto stage!

Even better would be to give him a CPAP mask and have him try it on...

Now, that would make for some interesting TV.

[Guest]

Honestly do you think Jay Leno is ignorant when it comes to Sleep Apnea? Even if he doesn't do the research himself, I'm sure he reads alot of it that his writers do. Given the high profile Sleep Apnea has in todays "main stream" society it's hard for me to believe someone in his position doesn't know the basics about Sleep Apnea. Especially when there are quite a few celebrities who have come forward like, William Shatner, Rosie O'Donnell, Anne Rice, and ofcourse Reggie White and Jerry Garcia, that's just to name a few. Who knows, maybe even Jay or his wife (the jokes may have been based on personal experience) has Sleep Apnea, or possibly even BOTH of them. It could possibly be his way of dealing with his own Sleep Apnea DISORDER.

[Paul56]

I think it would be hilarious if Leno walked out to greet the audience and found EVERYONE in the audience with an xPAP mask on and their machines sitting on their laps.

To have full effect... would need to have his band members, floor crew, and guests also ALL wearing masks.

"Hey what is wrong with that guy??? He is the only one not wearing a mask!!!"

[ractar28]

If sleep apnea jokes are offensive to some then it isn't funny to joke about sleep apnea and no-one can tell another that they should or shouldn't be offended/hurt/insulted by certain references to certain things.

Someone has taken PC to an extreme.

Geez. Now it's a my disease is worse than your disease discussion? Look, apnea is a disease - we're not arguing over severity. Both can kill.

No, it's a "get over it" discussion. The very idea of comparing the torture that cancer patients undergo during their treatment to having to wear a cpap mask is indefensible.

Sleep Apnea is a CONDITION, not a disease. If I were a bleeding heart, I'd find the comparison offensive, but not being a bleeding heart, I find it simply without merit.

[2girlsmom]

The thing that bothers me most is there is already such a resistance among a lot of people--people are afraid of having to wear the mask, afraid of being wired up for the sleep study, etc. I just think things like this make people even less likely to seek treatment. I have encountered so many people who know they have it and won't get tested. I just shared some info with a friend who said she knows her dh has it, his brother has it even... but her dh will not get tested. It's sad.

[ractar28]

Jay Leno makes fun of apnea patients

It actually sounds like he made fun of the same masks we all complain about and write scathing reviews about. How do we sleep attached to those things? From your own description, it's not like he made fun of anyone, just products.

[WearyOne]

[

Geez. Now it's a my disease is worse than your disease discussion? Look, apnea is a disease - we're not arguing over severity. Both can kill.

No, it's a "get over it" discussion. The very idea of comparing the torture that cancer patients undergo during their treatment to having to wear a cpap mask is indefensible.

Sleep Apnea is a CONDITION, not a disease. If I were a bleeding heart, I'd find the comparison offensive, but not being a bleeding heart, I find it simply without merit.

Amen. Cancer and many other things are diseases; apnea is not. Apnea is a condition or disorder. And Geez, if you don't believe me... ...just a few things from the many I found. Sure, it's miserable, it can do things to your body that cause death. I'm not trying to dimension OSA--I suffer from it myself--but it's sure not up there with diseases like cancer, especially when you consider the treatments involved with cancer.

Sleep apnea is a condition characterized by episodes of stopped breathing during sleep.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency ... 000811.htm

Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sleep-apnea/DS00148


Cancer refers to any one of a large number of diseases characterized by… http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer/DS01076

Cancer is not one disease. It is a group of more than 100 different and distinctive diseases.
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art ... lekey=2580

I'm not 100% sure that sleep apnea in and of itself causes death, but it puts a strain on many other parts of the body (heart, lung, etc.) and it's what it does to them that causes the problems. I know people debate that issue, but that's the conclusion I have from my research.

There are a "few" things in my life that I have to listen to jokes or put-downs about, and Jay's Jokes are nothing compared to that. I agree, ractar28, it should be a "get over it" discussion.

[robrdavis]

It actually sounds like he made fun of the same masks we all complain about and write scathing reviews about.

Come to think about it, don't WE have a whole section making light of the matter? Ironically, it's filed under "Our Wisdom." I can also recall reading the term "hose head" on this forum once or twice...

Ponderous.

Now, I'm not a huge Leno fan, but remember, Jay's job is to tell jokes. I can't remember ever hearing a joke that if taken out of context couldn't be deemed "offensive" to someone. "Why did the chicken cross the road? It doesn't really matter, as long as we don't offend the chicken."

I have to admit, when I first got my machine set up next to my bed and my hose over the headboard, I thought to myself "How am I supposed to make love to my wife with this thing on? I hope she likes Darth Vader!"

The answers were obvious: "Take the thing off, stupid." and "Doesn't matter if she likes Vader or not, she'll appreciate the sleep!"

I don't know how many people that Jay's comments would keep from considering OSA treatment. I'm thinking that most of them are looking for reasons to avoid treatment and have an entire arsenal of them. This won't really matter much as to whether or not they'd seek treatment.

[RafterRattler]

Ok fine...OSA is a 'condition'. It may lead to other complications, but it's pretty clear to me that it can cause death on it's own as well - unless you are telling me that my doctor is wrong and there's no risk of not recovering from an apnea event.

Either way, it's not a 'get over it' discussion. I view one of the jobs of this forum is to help raise OSA awareness and act as a discussion/support group for those who have or may have OSA - and I think ignorant jokes like this should bother us as a group. As I said before, I can laugh at myself. But the bottom line is that any joke that has the potential to prevent someone from seeking or accepting treatment is probably a joke not worth telling.

Mike

[ractar28]

Ok fine...OSA is a 'condition'. It may lead to other complications, but it's pretty clear to me that it can cause death on it's own as well - unless you are telling me that my doctor is wrong and there's no risk of not recovering from an apnea event.

No, if memory serves, a pro football player (or former pro) died in the last few years from either OSA or something aggrivated by OSA. I was glad to hear that the cause of death was given and also gave some credibility to the argument "it ain't just fat people". While the player may have been large, no one can tell me that those guys aren't in strong physical shape.

I'm all for getting the word out as much as you are. I just believe that society has grabbed hold of the "victim mentality" so hard that nothing can be said without someone finding a way to twist the statement into something they can be offended by.

If someone REALLY wants to do something about it, asking for a short appearance on the show to explain the issues might not be so bad. I ain't the guy though.

[Hercs Dad]

Wow, looks like the dictionary of emotions has been defined by the responses to Mr. Leno. None are more correct than others, none are less. Responses are as varied as the audience. As Mr. Gump said, "I'm not a very smart man, but I know what love is", while Mr. Gump and I may share a void in intelligence, I do know that I cannot control Mr. Leno's actions or comments but I do have absolute total control of my reaction to his comment . Life is great, but short!

[Filament]

Wow! Such controversy!

Personally, I've only had my mask a month or so, but my girlfriend and I think it's hilarious. My favorite trick so far is to whistle without stopping for breath.

Not long after I got my CPAP gear, I mentioned it to a friend of mine. He told me a hilarious story of going back home to visit family, arriving late at night. Turned out they had installed an alarm system and forgot to tell him. His dad also didn't mention the CPAP gear, so when my friend rushed into his dad's room with the alarm honking, they were both as confused as hell.

That I can joke about it with my friends makes me feel better about the thing; if everybody were all serious and silent when I mentioned it, that'd be much worse for me.

[goose]

Wow -- I'm sorry I missed that one.
I enjoy a good joke as well as the next folks, and even laugh at myself and the situation all the time. It takes a whole lot more than a joke to offend me......life's to short to sweat the small stuff.......

That said, if you feel like writing a letter, do it. I think it would be a very appropriate response as well as perhaps giving he and his staff a different perspective. It doesn't have to be nasty, nor mention that you were offended by the display -- just educate the reader to the affliction without emotion....."Just the facts ma'am, just the facts".......

Just a different look at things......

cheers
goose

[Wedge]

Just curious, but where you also offended by Monday night's The Big Bang Theory when Leonard stated something very close to, in exasperation, "maybe this will be the night my sleep apnea finally kills me?" for laughs?

[DreamStalker]

When folks are offended by a comedy show, it is time to look around the world you live in ... there are many many more things to be offended by like pre-emptive war strike doctrines, privatizing profits and socializing risk, a health no-care system, a dumbing of the education system, integrating religion into government, etc. etc.