Deleted

Muffy wrote:... BTW, how do you like my new "Cloak of Invisibility"? ...

Whew! I thought I was loosing it. Oh, wait! That's my normal state!

I looked through the replies for your picture, but could not find it. Then I noted the Muffy name, but no Muffy picture. So, I wonder: Has Muffy been hanging around Duke University recently?:

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/01/1 ... cloak.html

Deleted.

Kathy, I was sorry to see that you deleted all your posts.

From my PM to you on February 17 --
"Anyway, with a nickname like "Muffy" and that cartoonish avatar he uses, it would be easy to think he's just another poster. But he is an expert on respiratory matters and the machines. He also has posted in the past under the nickname "StillAnotherGuest." I'd pay very close attention to what Muffy says in your thread, and answer any question he asks you in his posts. He has a quirky sense of humor, and until a person realizes that, some of his posts might seem glib. He often peppers humor into the same post, along with professional sentences. Until a person is used to that about him, it might seem he is not taking a problem seriously, but he is."

I wish now that I had written "glib... or even rough." But, I guess a heads up about that wouldn't help much if a person is under the kind of stress you're unfortunately experiencing. I can't even imagine what you have been going through.

I have the advantage of having met "Muffy." I know how much he has helped me, and how much he's helped me to do what little I can to help others. Year after year on this and other apnea message boards, I've watched him help others figure out, in exactly the same way he was doing here for you, how to deal with very complicated respiratory problems. Those who've been able to glean the nuggets in his posts and shrug off or (better yet) laugh about how he said things to them have benefitted greatly. I thoroughly enjoy his sense of humor and to-the-point remarks even when they may come across to some as rude. I understand that some just can't, or won't, accept his unique style.

-SWS wrote:Madalot, Muffy is the one person on this message board from whom I would seek advice if my own wife or mother were in your situation. But that's irrespective of Muffy's wacky, weird, strange humor that happens to work rather well for me.

That said, we're not all made the same. Good luck with your treatment HOWEVER you decide to approach it.

I agree absolutely with those words from another person on this board I respect enormously.

Hope everything gets much better for you, Kathy.

If Muffy is a "he" why does "he" list Female (age 11) in "his" profile??? Is this "his" quirky sense of humor ???

LSAT wrote:If Muffy is a "he" why does "he" list Female in "his" profile??? Is this "his" quirky sense of humor ???

Yes.

LSAT wrote:If Muffy is a "he" why does "he" list Female (age 11) in "his" profile??? Is this "his" quirky sense of humor ???

You can be anything you want online. But behind all of that is the person and what s/he really knows and really can accomplish. I said it before on this thread and -SWS agreed.

-SWS wrote:

jules wrote:Madalot,

out of all of the people who frequent this insane asylum, Muffy or one of her alters is probably your best bet for help

listen to her carefully (or him if you get SAG) and bounce those ideas off your doc.

Good advice from jules IMHO.

Undeleted.

I agree with others and in the nearly 4 years I have been here, Muffy/SAG has the most technical expertise on the forum ... and also brings sanity to our OSA challenges via forum humor.

ozij wrote:

LSAT wrote:If Muffy is a "he" why does "he" list Female in "his" profile??? Is this "his" quirky sense of humor ???

Yes.

I agree. But I see some deeper social satire in it, as well.

We all bring our own social expectations into a forum, and it takes time to get a sense of who people are and aren't. So I consider some of Muffy's antics to be absolutely brilliant reminders about the nature of interactions on the Internet. Humor, yes. But based on truth and experience. I consider some of his posts to be some of the funniest stuff I've read anywhere. But the way he playfully distorts some of his observations gives them greater impact, too. Many powerful works of art require one to buy into the premise. For me, part of the great art in Muffy's approach is in his being one of the most helpful people usng the medium while at the same time making it clear he doesn't quite buy into some of the common premises of the medium itself. Self-parody at its finest.

Or, then again, maybe I pompously overthink things in order to entertain myself.

As ozij says, this is about Madalot, not Muffy. Or me. I just couldn't resist tossing my 2 cents in again. And again. And . . .

rested gal wrote: I have the advantage of having met "Muffy." I know how much he has helped me, and how much he's helped me to do what little I can to help others.

Muffy is not only a colleague, but a true friend.
He is everything I aspired to be, but could never achieve with my marginal ability.
He made me who I am today.

Banned

Ah yes the infamous "delete all my posts and flounce off" because people can't read minds over the internet.

Lots of great information and data is lost due to those flounces.

LSAT wrote:If Muffy is a "he" why does "he" list Female (age 11) in "his" profile??? Is this "his" quirky sense of humor ???

Why not? My ex husband now called Catherine.

I'm going to take a chance and reply on this thread again and try to explain/express where I'm coming from.

First off, thanks to those that have wished me well and expressed very supportive comments. It's not lost on me and I thank you sincerely for it.

Secondly, I am not a super sensitive person that is unable to handle the humor laden posts of Muffy. And as I have expressed several times, I really do appreciate the input he's given me. There has been a lot he's said that has gotten my wheels spinning madly and I was able to get something done or figured out based on what he said. I'm not forgetting that.

But as John has said, a person like me has to watch themselves and dance on a very fine line with their medical team. Because I am very concerned (more now than ever) about divulging too much information about my situation, I will not tell you exactly where I receive my care. But it is important that it be understood that I am under the care of very competent and prestigious medical professionals. I'm not referring to ABC University Hospital Center that nobody has ever heard of. I'm talking some of the BIG WIGS out there.

Now that being said, it does not mean they're doing everything they can or doing it the way every other medical professional would do it. I understand that -- and it is helpful to have someone with the alleged knowledge and expertise of Muffy try to help someone like me understand other things that I may not be aware of. Really and truly.

But when a comment is made that based on MY comments, I don't qualify for the equipment I'm getting, it frightens me. So, I question my doctor about it. And my doctor has told me, without any doubt, that I DO qualify for this equipment. So, based on comments here, I question a little further about the actual medical documentation to back that up. Now, I've done pissed her off, but being professional, she decides to let it go and simply answers my question saying "Yes, you do not need to be concerned about that." At this point, if I push it any further, I run the risk of her telling me to take a hike.

See, I trust her and am satisfied that she knows what she's doing and has my butt covered. But because I can't explain to Muffy's satisfaction what the exact test results are that PROVE this, he/she/it (that's a joke BTW) keeps insisting I MUST provide that information to him/her or he can't help me anymore.

What am I supposed to do? Piss off my entire medical team because a person named Muffy on the internet says I need to do this and that and demand certain things be done?

Who is Muffy? Is Muffy a doctor? A sleep technician? A plumber with a good knowledge of sleep apnea and equipment? I don't know Muffy other than a name on a computer screen. And while it seems that Muffy does, in fact, have a keen knowledge about this stuff and I admit seems incredibly well versed, I am not going to risk my entire medical treatment because he is telling me that I need tests or to do things that my doctors haven't done.

Just because Muffy is very intelligent, experienced and well versed in this stuff -- it doesn't mean he's always right. And his "method" of asking for information and providing "suggestions" is sometimes too harsh and I suspect that there ARE people out there that did what he said and found themselves without medical care because of it.

I don't blindly follow anyone, regardless of how intelligent they may seem or how many people admire them. I think for myself and decide who I will listen to.

So where am I right now? I may (or may not) post down the road about what's happened and where I am. I do think there are a lot of people here that want me to. But I'm not asking for anybody to help me figure things out. I would like to ask, but this situation has proven that sometimes even the most helpful comments can go too far and cross over lines that shouldn't be crossed. And while my DME has been difficult at times, my overall medical team is excellent and I am putting my care into their hands.

BlackSpinner wrote: My ex husband now called Catherine.

Really?!!!!

Madalot,

Please do keep posting as you go along in your journey. I am one of those people who is interested and wish I could do more to help you. I did piss off my doctor when I asked for the raw data of my sleep study. I did not tell him I was sending it to someone I met on the internet, just that I was entitled to it and that was that. I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones that Muffy/SAG took a personal interest in, even though I spent the first year of my treatment in a state of total confusion, he was able to walk me through it.

Hang in there, girl, we're rooting for you.

Bev

OutaSync wrote:Madalot,

Please do keep posting as you go along in your journey. I am one of those people who is interested and wish I could do more to help you. I did piss off my doctor when I asked for the raw data of my sleep study. I did not tell him I was sending it to someone I met on the internet, just that I was entitled to it and that was that. I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones that Muffy/SAG took a personal interest in, even though I spent the first year of my treatment in a state of total confusion, he was able to walk me through it.

Hang in there, girl, we're rooting for you.

Bev

Bev -- I am really glad that you got some great help and guidance from Muffy. I really am. That is great for you. Did your doctor dismiss you or did you have to work at rebuilding the relationship? You don't really need to answer those questions.

Here's the thing: like I said, I don't know Muffy. Shoot -- I don't "know" any of you. But my impression right now is that Muffy doesn't care about me at all. What happens to ME is totally irrelevant to him. My CASE is what interests him, not me as a person. And that's fine.

But I am a firm believer that in order to treat a patient, especially one with complicated issues such as mine, you have to look at the PERSON when trying to diagnose and treat the conditions. My situation is extremely complicated -- far too complicated to get every ounce of information out in a post or two (or 180 as Muffy so diligently pointed out).

My doctors have seen ME -- talked directly to ME -- know ME. Not just some words on a message board. And I'll be damned if I'm going to ruin that because someone on a message board tells me I need to do things in a certain way.