My failing career

Disneymama · Post by **Disneymama** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:38 pm

Giant, it's clear that you care very much about what people think of you and how you are perceived. Please, don't let this be a barrier to effective treatment. Feeling crappy all the time can have a very serious effect on your outlook on life and can lead to serious depression. It's entirely possible that you're CPAP treatment isn't going well because it's not your only problem. (I'm not a doctor or therapist, just a person who's been through it.) If you think you may have depression, please see someone about it, a psychiatrist or even your primary care physician.

If you have both, you should treat both or the benefit of treating one will not be felt. OSA and depression are very real medical problems (just like diabetes) and nobody should feel bad about treating them.

scrapper · Post by **scrapper** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 3:34 pm

However, as I mentioned before, I will get back and if there is any consolation, I will solve sleep apnea, and I will NOT HAVE SLEEP APNEA ONE DAY.

I wish you well--you'll be a very rich man if you can solve this. In the meantime, if you'd like help solving your problem with sleep apnea, the offer still stands.

If you just want to argue back and forth with individuals about past posts and who said what, I'm not interested and won't be following this thread.

If you sincerely want help, there are many here willing and able to help you. I hope you're able to turn the fire inside of you constructively into finding or utilizing appropriate help--whether it be for sleep apnea or any other problems that contributed to your change in income or other issues that fuel your anger. Do this for you...it could be the best thing that ever happened to you.

giantred · Post by **giantred** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 3:46 pm

Ok. I need real help now. I'm having serious problems with the neck and back from the headgear of the machine. My goal for 2010 is this: I want to correct this problem the best I can. I don't even care about my career now, it's soon to be over anyway. If I can fix the sleep apnea, I'll fix the career later. I feel like crap all the time and I can't function and can't get anything done. I'm losing clients left and right and it's all because of this apnea thing, I know it is. I'm just not myself. Do you think the dental appliances might be a solution. The doctors said that the dental appliances might help me. Do you think that's possible. Does anyone know much about the dental appliances?

Gerryk · Post by **Gerryk** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 3:50 pm

Ok, serious problems with the neck and back from the headgear. Do you mean pain in your neck or back?

Gerry

BlackSpinner · Post by **BlackSpinner** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 3:53 pm

giantred wrote:Wulfman,

I demand an apology for being called a liar. I guess you also don't think I have anpea and should not use the machine. Yeah, bring me down, tell everyone here I'M A LIAR. I can't believe you actually looked at old emails trying to support a statement that I DID NOT MAKE. Go ahead everyone look at the link, did I ever claim making over $500,000. ????

It is exactly this attitude that has you stuck where you are with your so called friends baling out on you. How about putting that chip on your shoulder to good use and doing something about the simplest, most effective and least side effects treatment out there! I have seen people rebuild their lives after losing their limbs with less whining.

Who the fuck cares what you made or did not make in the last few years? The only thing of importance is whether you are getting effective treatment, not what people think, what your family thinks or what your co workers think! Healing is about you and your attitude not about your image.

scrapper · Post by **scrapper** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 3:56 pm

Someone here can also share about dental appliances or you can search yourself......but at this point, I would suggest that you search or start new threads with these concerns about headgear and dental appliances.

We do care about you. We don't want you lost in the shuffle.......this might be the best way to find solutions.

The current thread has about been worn into the ground.....

Beulah · Post by **Beulah** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:04 pm

giantred wrote:I get annoyed from people around me that don't suffer from this and they think it's a big joke. ....but now I'm barely surviving because of this condition. I seriously might be homeless real soon and I have too much pride to ask family to have me move in with them. I'm not going to wear this life support thing in front of them, I'd rather be under the streets collecting change.

Please don't take offense, but this doesn't make sense to me. If your friends and family are so neanderthal as to literally make fun of you, just don't talk to them about it! I've been on cpap for almost two years. One, ONE, of my friends knows. My family knows, of course, but other than the husband and children, they haven't actually seen me in the mask. Why is this even an issue with friends/family? You're bedtime habits are not their business and they probably wouldn't even know about it if you weren't talking about it all the time (and perhaps blaming things on it?)

I'm also not understanding why apnea and cpap is making you "barely survive". Sure, apnea is destructive, but if you're breathing at all, that seems rather dramatic.

"I'm not going to wear this life support thing in front of them" -- Just wow. Seriously think about those words. Life suppport. LIFE support. For the love of Pete, why would you hesitate? Because of some teasing? You're going to forego LIFE SUPPORT because you can't take some grantedly idiotic teasing?! Come on, man - Close your bedroom door, stop talking about it, and just be incredibly grateful that the technology exists and is available to you!

roster · Post by **roster** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:09 pm

Dr. Mack Jones went through much of what you have gone through. According to his own words, “ …. four years of failed PAP machines, and unsuccessful surgeries including a UPPP, hyoid myotomy, and two rhinoplasties.”

Then he underwent a permanent skin-lined tracheostomy and today is living a good and healthy life.

You can read more about Dr. Jones at:
http://www.sleepguide.com/profiles/blog ... vere-sleep

You can also purchase his book: http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Sleep-Your ... 747&sr=1-1

There is additional information about trachs for obstructive sleep apnea at:
http://www.sleepnet.com/noncpap/messages/885.html
http://www.trachs.com/cart/xcart/customer/home.php

Be careful about some of the information on the web. Much of it is outdated and some of the photos are repulsive. Surgical procedures and trach tubes and accessories have improved in recent years.

I suggest you look into a permanent skin-lined tracheostomy and consult with a doctor who does at least two or three per month for apnea patients.

Sleeprider · Post by **Sleeprider** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:13 pm

giantred wrote:Ok. I need real help now. I'm having serious problems with the neck and back from the headgear of the machine. My goal for 2010 is this: I want to correct this problem the best I can. I don't even care about my career now, it's soon to be over anyway. If I can fix the sleep apnea, I'll fix the career later. I feel like crap all the time and I can't function and can't get anything done. I'm losing clients left and right and it's all because of this apnea thing, I know it is. I'm just not myself. Do you think the dental appliances might be a solution. The doctors said that the dental appliances might help me. Do you think that's possible. Does anyone know much about the dental appliances?

Have you downloaded any data? What AHI is being recorded? Snores? Leaks? What pressure? compliance?
You are using a very basic nasal mask. A pillows mask like the Swift LT feels less confining and might help with some of your attitude adjustment to equipment. On the other hand, if you are leaking from the mouth you need a different solution.

Any real solution has to start with enough information to make informed recommendations.

roster · Post by **roster** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:19 pm

Beulah wrote: If your friends and family are so neanderthal as to literally make fun of you,

I have it from a good source that the Neanderthals lived in close-knit groups and were very courteous. They did not practice cannibalism as accused. The marks on their bones were from ritual defleshing of corpses - an act of love and respect.

giantred · Post by **giantred** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:29 pm

No problem, i'm not taking any offense. Let me explain myslelf.

barely surviving- financially. I'm in big trouble. Was $200,000, not $500,000 Wolfman, ha ha. dropped to $75,000 a while ago, see past email dates. Now , I don't even know or care, I know i've lost lots of clients because of this condiditon. It's way less now than $75,000k average per year. Way way less.

life support - i was being facetious about it.

BlackSpinner · Post by **BlackSpinner** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:41 pm

giantred wrote: barely surviving- financially. I'm in big trouble. Was $200,000, not $500,000 Wolfman, ha ha. dropped to $75,000 a while ago, see past email dates.

Let's put it this way - most of us haven't seen $75K except on our mortgage statements at some point in our lives - there is life after bankruptcy, divorce, fire, flood, death of loved ones......

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:58 pm

giantred wrote:Ok. I need real help now. I'm having serious problems with the neck and back from the headgear of the machine. My goal for 2010 is this: I want to correct this problem the best I can. I don't even care about my career now, it's soon to be over anyway. If I can fix the sleep apnea, I'll fix the career later. I feel like crap all the time and I can't function and can't get anything done. I'm losing clients left and right and it's all because of this apnea thing, I know it is. I'm just not myself. Do you think the dental appliances might be a solution. The doctors said that the dental appliances might help me. Do you think that's possible. Does anyone know much about the dental appliances?

OK. Now we're making some headway.
Time to forget about the income categories and all the other crap........and focus on your therapy.
Sleeprider asked you some questions (that I was also going to ask). Please try to answer them.

In that thread that I linked to (from back in July), I gave you some instructions (then) for getting into your machine setup.
If your machine is indeed the REMstar Auto w/C-Flex (the name should be on top of the machine), we need to know what the settings are.
If you'll write them down and then report them back in another post, it would be very helpful to us.

Thank you.

Den

carbonman · Post by **carbonman** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 5:14 pm

rooster wrote:
Beulah wrote: If your friends and family are so neanderthal as to literally make fun of you,
I have it from a good source that the Neanderthals lived in close-knit groups and were very courteous.

....what's the problem.....cpap...so easy, even a caveman can do it.

giantred · Post by **giantred** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 5:59 pm

Wulfman,

I lost the instructions, did you gave me a while ago, I can't seem to locate them. I'm in a total fog and I can't seem to remember anything right now. Can you let me know where they are. I will check the settings of my machine. I know it's an Autoflex, so it starts at 4 and changes as the night goes on. Also, I have to use the humidifier or my nose will bleed. So I'm not sure what to do about that./

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