CPAPtalk.com

Yes, please do and leave your real name with them as well. Perhaps they might take you more seriously if you give them a call back number and mailing address as well.

Calist: I'd have no problem providing them my name and address along with this blog and your entries, because I am an honest and ethical person, who works hard for the employer and the industry I serve, and believes that much of education is building people's self esteem--not tearing it down.

Furthermore I understand that even though I am well educated with many degrees, I do not know everything on any subject. You have none of the above.......and you have no right to tear down the institution you work in on a public forum. That is wrong on so many levels..............and then there's the question about whether you are who you say you are anyway, since you are not on the professional registries.

Agreeing with scrapper 100%!

scrapper wrote:

Yes, please do and leave your real name with them as well. Perhaps they might take you more seriously if you give them a call back number and mailing address as well.

Calist: I'd have no problem providing them my name and address along with this blog and your entries, because I am an honest and ethical person, who works hard for the employer and the industry I serve, and believes that much of education is building people's self esteem--not tearing it down.

Furthermore I understand that even though I am well educated with many degrees, I do not know everything on any subject. You have none of the above.......and you have no right to tear down the institution you work in on a public forum. That is wrong on so many levels..............and then there's the question about whether you are who you say you are anyway, since you are not on the professional registries.

Apparently the National Jewish Center for Respiratory Care agrees with the spirit of what scrapper so well said---the part about constructively building patients rather than tearing them down.

To their credit, they even established a Division of Psychosocial Medicine ("whole person approach") to promote the exact OPPOSITE of what Calist and his ego does to patients on this message board:
http://www.nationaljewish.org/about/dep ... ocial.aspx
http://www.nationaljewish.org/programs/ ... ments.aspx
http://www.nationaljewish.org/programs/ ... ation.aspx

Either Calist works for National Jewish Center above or he does not. In either case, I'm positive National Jewish Center does NOT want Calist on this message board tarnishing that institution's good reputation with his condescending attacks on patients here. In my opinion it's just a "no fit" for that renowned organization. So I doubt that he even works for National Jewish Center above. And I doubt that James Stillwell is his real name.

Calist wrote:I thought it fitting to have a meet and greet. A quick getting to know you just for the medical professionals.

Hi, my name is James Stillwell I am an RPSGT and a REEGT. I have about 20 years experience in medicine and I work in Denver at the National Jewish Center for Respiratory Care.

In the meantime....

-SWS wrote:

Calist wrote: You aren't on a Trilogy100 are you? Are you even a real patient? Who the hell are you? Have you been sitting here just trying to argue this whole time? Do you really have a neuromuscular disease or are you just a CPAP.com employee trying to make it look like the forum is active?

Below is a document clearly showing Trilogy checkout procedures. Page two of that Trilogy ventilator document clearly shows that AVAPS mode is, indeed, a functional Trilogy 100 setting: http://trilogy100.respironics.com/pdf/T ... 011910.pdf

Calist, can you even admit that your condescending decree about AVAPS above was wrong? Can you even believe that you have disseminated very wrong information in your posts again and again?

Calist then wrote:<silence>

Don't worry, he'll probably be here at 2AM, that's when he's supposed to be conducting his sleep studies!

-SWS wrote:Either Calist works for National Jewish Center above or he does not. In either case, I'm positive National Jewish Center does NOT want Calist on this message board tarnishing that institution's good reputation with his condescending attacks on patients here. In my opinion it's just a "no fit" for that renowned organization. So I doubt that he even works for National Jewish Center above. And I doubt that James Stillwell is his real name.

I agree with you. James Stillwell may be his real name, but I seriously doubt that he works for the National Jewish Center. And if he does and they find out what he's done here, they probably won't be very happy about it.

I did find it interesting that he's not listed under any of the selections that NotMuffy posted in order to determine his credentials.

So I'm guessing that either the name is wrong or he's a big fat hairy TROLL! (of course that also goes if this person as actually a she instead of a he)

I've got no dog in the fight here. My only reason for piping up is to say . . .

If y'all are so upset with someone's posts on an internet forum that you are seeking to track him down and cause him real harm IN REAL LIFE - *you* REALLY need to take a step back and reconsider your priorities.

FWIW

DHC wrote:I've got no dog in the fight here. My only reason for piping up is to say . . .

If y'all are so upset with someone's posts on an internet forum that you are seeking to track him down and cause him real harm IN REAL LIFE - *you* REALLY need to take a step back and reconsider your priorities.

FWIW

Fair enough. I don't want to hunt him down or hurt him in any way. I want him to STOP disseminating inaccurate information, then berating and insulting the people here that are trying so hard to make this therapy work for them.

There is no place for someone like him on a forum like this. What he does or doesn't do in real life is of no concern to me. His postings here, his rantings with WRONG information and his attacks on people DOES concern me.

I've said it once and I'll say it again -- he's going to kill somebody with his inaccurate information. I, for one, cannot sit idly by and pretend that there's nothing wrong with what he's doing.

all I was doing was to check to see if he/she had the knowledge and credentials that they said that they did... and according to the accrediting bodies... they don't.

cflame1 wrote:all I was doing was to check to see if he/she had the knowledge and credentials that they said that they did... and according to the accrediting bodies... they don't.

And that's where I have a problem.

If I came on here and said that I was sleep physician and started telling people all kinds of things, some accurate and some very inaccurate, then gave a name and a facility where I supposedly worked, I would EXPECT people to check on it.

And several people have alluded to the fact that they have checked the registries where he SHOULD be listed -- and he's not. That means he's most likely lying about those credentials. Why would somebody do that if they don't intend to deceive?

In my mind, the only reason a person would come to an internet forum, provide FALSE credentials and use those credentials to provide information to people, would be to do harm to those people.

Madalot wrote:Fair enough. I don't want to hunt him down or hurt him in any way. I want him to STOP disseminating inaccurate information, then berating and insulting the people here that are trying so hard to make this therapy work for them.

There is no place for someone like him on a forum like this. What he does or doesn't do in real life is of no concern to me. His postings here, his rantings with WRONG information and his attacks on people DOES concern me.

I've said it once and I'll say it again -- he's going to kill somebody with his inaccurate information. I, for one, cannot sit idly by and pretend that there's nothing wrong with what he's doing.

I 'get it' that his communication style is one that some folks find offensive. The suggestion that his participation is going to kill somebody seems more than a little OTT, however.

This is the internet. People cruise around the internet for any number of reasons - not the least of which is to gather information. Woe be to the lunatic/fool who fails to conduct their own due diligence in gathering information from the internet. AND - the only way to prevent someone from participating in a way that some others might find offensive (maybe even worry about them causing death and derangement) is to massively censor the forum. Most reasonable people have already presented alternative perspectives so that ANYONE reading this topic is very unlikely to center on the one view y'all are upset with. Honestly - don't you think that is sufficient?

DHC wrote:

Madalot wrote:Fair enough. I don't want to hunt him down or hurt him in any way. I want him to STOP disseminating inaccurate information, then berating and insulting the people here that are trying so hard to make this therapy work for them.

There is no place for someone like him on a forum like this. What he does or doesn't do in real life is of no concern to me. His postings here, his rantings with WRONG information and his attacks on people DOES concern me.

I've said it once and I'll say it again -- he's going to kill somebody with his inaccurate information. I, for one, cannot sit idly by and pretend that there's nothing wrong with what he's doing.

I 'get it' that his communication style is one that some folks find offensive. The suggestion that his participation is going to kill somebody seems more than a little OTT, however.

This is the internet. People cruise around the internet for any number of reasons - not the least of which is to gather information. Woe be to the lunatic/fool who fails to conduct their own due diligence in gathering information from the internet. AND - the only way to prevent someone from participating in a way that some others might find offensive (maybe even worry about them causing death and derangement) is to massively censor the forum. Most reasonable people have already presented alternative perspectives so that ANYONE reading this topic is very unlikely to center on the one view y'all are upset with. Honestly - don't you think that is sufficient?

You seem like a very reasonable person and I respect that. All I can say is that while you feel my comment is over the top (and I respect that you feel that way), I disagree because he is touting credentials that imply that people SHOULD listen to him over other people. Sure, each person is responsible for the information they get from this type of forum. I agree with you there.

But a person coming here CLAIMING to be a professional that tells people to get rid of their doctors, questions everything, and makes claims about equipment and treatments better have the knowledge and experience to back it up. And I am almost 100% certain that Calist is a phoney through and through.

But I respect what you're saying and the way you have said it. So how about you and I agree to disagree on the subject of Calist? Sound good?

Madalot wrote:You seem like a very reasonable person and I respect that. All I can say is that while you feel my comment is over the top (and I respect that you feel that way), I disagree because he is touting credentials that imply that people SHOULD listen to him over other people. Sure, each person is responsible for the information they get from this type of forum. I agree with you there.

But a person coming here CLAIMING to be a professional that tells people to get rid of their doctors, questions everything, and makes claims about equipment and treatments better have the knowledge and experience to back it up. And I am almost 100% certain that Calist is a phoney through and through.

But I respect what you're saying and the way you have said it. So how about you and I agree to disagree on the subject of Calist? Sound good?

Madalot - I too find some of his/her responses quite caustic. It is easy to see how he/she might inspire an emotional response. In fact, it is probably their desired outcome.

My primary point - based on what I saw written upthread - is that when people begin to have their e-feelings so injured by what is written on an internet forum that they are actively seeking/conspiring to find the person's identity in real life - AND - to take actions that would cause that person harm IN REAL LIFE (and all this was posted upthread, I believe) - THEN the people who are taking those actions have lost rational perspective and need to take a break. That is all. I hope we can agree on that.

Take care.

DHC................

When you're here another 53 posts, or twice that many, you'll realize that we become like family here.........and anyone who attacks the long time, consistently kind members that Calist or the Guest also posting as Calist has, they deserve wrath!

No one is looking for Calist's identity.........he provided it. Individuals are attempting to verify the credentials he also provided....and if his comments were appropriate and honest, and provided with seemingly good intentions, no one would be responding in kind to his comments. Simply, the guy is a jerk. End of discussion.

gvz wrote:

The actual mechanics of 02 use is very different however. The lungs take damage, this can happen from a variety of sources. Pneumonia, COPD, Emphysema or anything which causes hypoxia are typically conditions which cause long term damage to the lungs. Although the lungs do not technically heal themselves, they can (over time) find work arounds and return themselves to optimal efficiency. If a patient is found to be in some kind of respiratory distress they can be placed on supplemental 02 to alleviate their symptoms while they recover but here is the problem...

If they are on supplemental 02, their lungs may have no reason to repair the scar tissue or make any changes to their current condition. This is why it is better for patients to be weened off of oxygen therapy thereby allowing their lungs time to compensate for the 02 shortfall. A patient who dictates their own treatment may not see it that way however, they may be prescribed 3lpm 02, there by bringing their baseline sa02 up from 80% to 93% but instead they decide to give themselves 5lpm 02 because (I get winded if I stand up too fast) thus their resting oxygen level is 99% and their respiratory system sees no reason to fix or heal anything as it is getting far too much oxygen nomatter what it does. The lungs become an oxygen cornucopia where it hardly needs to work for a bountiful harvest of 02. With patients such as these, they will eventually come to the realization that it is difficult to be weened off of 02 therapy as their lungs have made absolutely no progress in healing itself. They are in as bad a shape as they were the day they started using 02.

Thanks for the reply. I'm curious, do you think the "issue of allowing the lungs to recover/find workarounds" in people with damaged lungs applies equally to being on oxygen 24x7, versus only during sleeping hours?

I must warn you that aside from 'The basics' my knowledge of focused respiratory care is a bit limited and some questions I'm going to deffer to a respiratory tech. I entered sleep science through an EEG field and have very little in the way of a respiratory background. What I can say however is that although respiratory damage that effects patients in a 24x7 capacity would need to be treated during sleep as well- sleep breathing disorders are an entirely different beast.

These are respiratory disorders which ONLY occur during sleep. If a patient was sent to me with a 24x7 respiratory disorder, I would expect them to be treated before the study along separate lines. As for sleep breathing disorders and the recovery which ensues... it really depends on the type of the disorder and the cause of the disorder. For example, Congestive Heart Failure, although having a side effect of Central Sleep Apnea... can be lethal in it's own right. On the flip-side however, if a patient were to receive treatment and recover from, that cardio problem he would thus recover from Central Sleep Apnea as well. Oxygen treatment in that case would only serve as a temporary measure until the patient's underlying cause had been dealt with.

Likewise patients who are suffering from altitude sickness (very common over here) would require 02 treatment at night until such time as they had acclimated (which does not take very long at all.)

Let's say a person has some level of damaged lungs + sleep apnea + the doctor prescribes oxygen for sleep only. Does that mean the person has no chance of their lungs "repairing", or maybe it is just a longer process?

I see what you mean however it should not really make a big difference. 02 during sleep does not impede your lungs from recovering all that much, mainly it is because you are no using it 24/7. Using oxygen, 7, 8 or 9 hours out of the day still allows for 15-17 hours a day where your lungs have to fend for themselves. Additionally, it would also depend on the reason that your physician is prescribing 02 to begin with. Some physicians put their patients on nocturnal 02 at the first sign of hypertension secondary to cardio problems if they suspect their patient might have apnea. This is usually a temporary measure to protect the heart from damage until they can get their patient into a sleep lab to be treated.

Other times patients will have chains of central apnea at night, sometimes it is even medication related if the patient is taking a lot of drugs which have respiratory suppression as a side effect. The nocturnal 02 can counter this and protect the patient from having bouts of chronic pneumonia while they are recovering. There are few things more dangerous to the lungs than chronic pneumonia. So in short, no, the lungs can easily recover and are not impeded by nocturnal oxygen. Nocturnal oxygen however is not a permanent measure in any sense of the word however. Remember that central apneas and yes, even most forms of respiratory damage, are transitory in nature. When you physician decides to decrease or even remove nocturnal 02 treatment, you may notice some slight discomfort at first however your lungs should adapt quickly if your physician has treated the underlying problem.

I guess this may depend on what criteria is used (level of damage?) for a doctor to slap oxygen on a person 24x7 vs. sleep hours only.

Very very much so. A person with a 24x7 respiratory problem that requires 02 is a person whose condition is threatening to spiral out of control and needs immediate treatment, where as a person who requires nocturnal oxygen can be related to any individual with a possible sleeping disorder of a respiratory nature. Sleeping disorders can spiral out of control as well however they have a lot farther to go before a patient will end up in the ICU staring at a respiratory tech.

When you refer to the damaged-lungs, you're serious about "baseline of 80% saturation" ? Wow, that sounds pretty bad / very damaged.

Some physicians actually consider baseline 80% to be uncomfortable non-emergencies. I've never liked 80% however because it is a little too close to the high 70s. I have patients that live on 88% however and that is considered acceptable but a lot of pulminologists. As far as sleep science goes however it is not so much a question of their baseline sa02 (as that belongs to the respiratory department) but centers more on sleeping desats and the causes there of. I've actually had patients that have desated to the 60s, 50s, 40s. I had one patient that dropped down to 17% at one point. It was an extremely brief moment however but he made the hall of fame in my book. I have never seen a larger desat than that. It was a minute and 30 second event and in ten years I've never seen anything like it.

If your baseline sa02 was in the mid to low 80s, you may not notice it outside of exertion. (moving around). While sitting in a chair relaxing you may suffer headaches and lethargy but it would not be until you tried to get up and move quickly that the full weight of it would hit you. People typically don't realize how little 02 they have in their blood until they attempt to use it.