49er wrote:zoocrewphoto wrote:I am totally puzzled by this weekly topic thing. I thought it was pretty clear that nobody agrees on what is number, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. So, it seems like each weekly post ignores the fact that nobody agreed on what the previous number's topic should have been.
Why bother with most important, second most important thing, etc.? Just pick a topic and talk about it.
Totally agree Zoo Crew. It comes across as a one size fits all mentality that so many people in the medical providers and folks in the medical industry have.
49er
Personally, I think the group here is way better than any book can ever be. The order of importance is going to vary based on each person's experience. Some people may get lucky with a good DME, a good machine, a suitable mask for the first choice, etc. Others may get all the worst things to start off. And most people will have a mix of good and bad.
I also believe it is much more useful to get this type of information from people who have actually experienced sleep apnea and used a cpap machine. I understand that Jim has tried some masks on, and I believe he tried them with pressure. But I did not get the impression that has slept a whole night with one on and running. I get the impression that most DMEs have no idea how hard it can be to get to used to sleeping with a mask and higher air pressures. They don't realize how disturbing leaks can be, how painful some masks can be, etc. So, they truly don't know what is important and how to really deal with it.
Books can only really give general information. Can you imagine how large a book would have to be to explain the fitting and tips for every single mask along with common problems with the masks and how to correct them? Yet all of that is here? You don't even have to know what questions to ask. The people here will ask you the important info, and people familiar with the same mask and same problems will help you solve them.
I do appreciate that the signature is better than before. But I have had an icky feeling about this whole situation since it started. I do not like infomercials. I do not want somebody who hasn't slept with a cpap machine to preach to me about cpap basics. And I find it really odd that a question is asked (what is number 1, 2, etc), yet the answer is ignored and the lesson continues on.
And I really don't understand the motive. Everything being "taught" has already been discussed many times, and is not new and not very specific. I really think it is a way to discuss the topics in the book so as to improve his book. Or simply a way to keep getting the sig line seen as often as possible as a way to advertise. To me, that is inappropriate. And probably useless since anybody here already has access to this forum, which is far better than any book.
Who would have thought it would be this challenging to sleep and breathe at the same time?
