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my uncle who convinced me that it made a difference to him

Ever since then, whenever I brought up the subject of sleep apnea and CPAPs to some of my friends... they would either become curious as they have similar symptoms i had before CPAP, or they would mentioned knowing someone or being on it...

its like believing its a "Fight club" where the first rule of fight club is there is no fight club... everyone being secretive about it...

3 relatives and 2 others

Two, my mother who hasn't used her machine in 10 years and my father-in-law. Trying to convince my mother improvements have been made but at 86 she's not to interested.

I know 6 men and 4 women. Plus one friend who seems to want to die ASAP, I'm sure he has OSA since 20 years ago and he doesn't want to do anything about.

Wish we could get the folks we knew needed help to get to a sleep study.

Elena, what did you mean when you said "even though I cover it with a scarf". I'm wondering why and how you pull that off?

Well, my apap is on a little tiny table next to my bed, and I hang the hose from the curtain tie back, so I hang a four foot long very pretty scarf over the tieback,and it drapes over the hose, and down over the machine too. I showed it to my cousin yesterday, then put the scarf back, and then blurted out, I cover it becauseI felt like I was a little too young to have medical equipment in my bedroom!
That was probably a odd thing to say, but that is what came out of my mouth. Maybe Im just a little overwhelmed, or embarrassed, or still a little
weirded out about the whole thing.. but the scarf looks great, and since we remodeled our house so it would look "old" the scarf fits in the decor
a little better than the apap..
Mind you I have pink fluffy strap softies on my opus headgear, and a sherbert colored hose cover. I love color! Maybe if the apap was a sunset color, I wouldnt cover it.

I know it sounds silly, but we have so many people in and out of our house, I only want to explain it, if I FEEL like it, so I just toss the scarf on it
every morning. It works great, covers the hose, the machine and the headgear too. It also keeps the pets from wanting to play with any of it.
Out of sight, out of mind! My hose wrangling system is a black and gold french ribbon tied to my wrought iron canapy bed, so it fits right in.

I've found lots of users, and have actually convinced a few to get a study. I also know many that should be and/or should be tested.

One of my successes was a brother in law who went through 2 years of drugs, therapies etc. for a condition that didn't seem to call for xPAP, but after one of my "Lectures" at a family gathering, my sister-in-law insisted the doc schedule him for a sleep test. He went along very willingly because by this time he was willing to try anything to figure out what was wrong.....
Severe sleep apnea, he's been on the xPAP for about 6 months I think, and all symptoms are gone. She says he also sleeps all the way through the night now for the first time in the 14 years they've been together!!!!
Pat goose on the back!!!
I think that at some level we all become evangelists when we find what it's done for us......

Good topic!!!!
cheers
goose

I know 6 people outside this forum. That I know for sure have OSA. I also know a lot of people on RV Net. That also have OSA. Also know of several people on Endurance net that I think have OSA, by the questions that they post on that forum about battery packs and or running generators at Endurance Rides.

elena88 wrote: since we remodeled our house so it would look "old" the scarf fits in the decor a little better than the apap..

...Oh Elana - you are a tonic!
Looking forward to your next question

I thought I was the only one in this city using cpap! but then the other day I mentioned it to my cousin and she told me her sister is also
on cpap therapy! Visited her the other day for some tea - we carried on talking about this and that about the family, etc
and eventually we started talking about our jewelry!
Oh my, we don't have just this one thing (snoring) in common but two.
Both of us have one ear shorter than the other - as they say - it runs in the family!

Currently on, none.

My best friend was on it in the past. He was severely overweight and had a gastric bypass. Once he lost a bunch of weight he had a sleep study done and was able to get off the cpap. Let's just say he really should go for another study now.

My aunt was on it a long time ago. She couldn't adjust and quit. She's 66 and stubborn (runs in the family) so there's no getting her back on. She still has her old machine, just refuses to use it.

OK, I was thinking at the reason why my friend doesn't seems to be interested to go to make check his terrible snoring, big apathy, high blood pressure, lack of energy, perpetual tiredness, maybe some level of depression, etc etc.

I think the reason is because he is making a big denial, he has no insurances and a very difficult financial situation. He lives with his younger daughter which has 3 children. He help them financially with his small income. He is a very independent person and somebody who doesn't speaks a lot, so I imagine he doesn't want to even think at another problem.

This is very sad because if he continues like that he risks a heart attack or worst still a stroke. He is in a psychological situation were I think he is no more able to make the steps to go out of that without a lot of help. I would like to find one of those thrift shop machine with one of my spare masks to bring to him an try to push him to do something .

Two co-workers and 3 relatives....cousins. Although, my mother and brother probably have OSA.

elena88 wrote:
How many people do you know off this board who are on cpap?

Would you have known they were on it, if you had not mentioned your story to them? It seems when you share that you are on one, they feel
very comfortable saying they are too.

The first person I knew with it was a friend in high school. I didn't see the machine or anything at the time, I just knew he had sleep apnea. Right now my coteacher's husband has it, my boss's brother and my Dad. My Dad diagnosed himself when he went with me in October to my sleep doctor. So they made an appointment for him then and there.

I did not answer the other half of your question, sorry. Everyone at work knows that I have it. My personality has done a total change. So when people ask I usually blame the OSA, and not my marriage. I don't mind that people know that I have it.

Not only did I find a plethora of friends and relatives on CPAP.... but by talking about it, I convinced my BEST friend and BEST man to have a sleep study. He has SEVERE sleep apnea and has chosen to try the dental appliance route. We are waiting for the results of his second sleep study to see what, if any, effect it has had on his OSA. I feel that I have saved a life of a loved one by being open and honest about Sleep Apnea and I applaud you for doing the same. You WILL, make no mistake, one day very soon, save the life of a friend or a loved one rather than hearing "Oh, Don? He died peacefully in his sleep two months ago". (His BP skyrocketed and popped his aorta right off his heart in mid beat).

My brother in law (my sister told me to get tested after she stayed here) My down stairs neighbour("I will sleep without my wife before I sleep without my machine") a close friend and another close friend who had a sleep study yesterday because I went on about how great I felt after I got my machine and she realized she had been falling asleep and tired the way I described for years.
Every body at work knew - mostly because I looked so much better after I got the machine and wanted to know what I was "on".