In my defense.

Slartybartfast wrote:... Too bad the forum software doesn't appear to support the creation of polls. ...

Sure it does. There are plenty of polls on the forum.

Xerort, while I agree that changing settings without involving your medical team is unwise, I would propose you compare sleep therapy to diabetes therapy.

Do diabetics test and check their numbers on an ongoing basis? Of course they do. Why?

Because for Type 1 Diabetics not doing so can be life threatening. Period. Oh, by the way, they change their therapy (their insulin amounts) all the time. But they do so based on that testing they do. However, and this is the BIG however, they do so using guidelines they develop with their doctors.

What about Type 2 Diabetics? If they are not insulin dependant, why should they test all the time? Of course for similar reasons. Certainly the chance of severe blood sugar swings is not as severe. However, continued high blood glucose levels is devastating to our bodies. It must be controlled. Though we do not change our insulin levels, those with Type 2 Diabetes DO change their habits to control the high blood glucose.

How does this compare to sleep therapy? First, let's be VERY clear that sleep deprivation is DEADLY. My doctor is VERY clear about this. Read most letters of medical necessity used for xPAP therapy. They are very clear that this is not an option. I've been in too many near misses due to being sleepy. I *know* this is true.

But just as with the Type 2 Diabetic, research confirms more and more that poor sleep leads to chronic health issues. These include uncontrolled high blood pressure. Increased tendency toward high blood glucose. Increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Pretty serious, wouldn't you say?

So, we have both the life threatening aspect of sleep deprivation and long term impact to health. Why on earth would we NOT want to keep an eye on our xPAP therapy? Should we not keep an eye to be certain that we are sleeping well. Not just how we feel from night to night, but how the numbers show we are doing. Objective, clear measurement of our progress.

I am not saying to not keep an eye on this and tweak it without discussing it with our medical team. I am a clear advocate that folks should discuss changes with their doctor.

But don't pretend that our current system - a single sleep study, maybe followed by a visit with a sleep doctor, and then get an xPAP device - meets our ongoing needs. At best that amounts to three different contacts with my medical team. I have the other 362 days of the year to live. I need both the measurement and the guidelines to live those fully.

So, consider the comparison to diabetes. The parrallel is quite high.

Goofproof wrote:Run the DME has called the XPAP Police again.

Those are two bands I never listen to anymore: Run DME and the XPAP Police.

To lighten up the mood a bit, here are some laws that are still on the books (I did not check the sources, so maybe some of these have been repealed!):

In Missouri, it is illegal to drive with an uncaged bear. [Then I hope the vet makes house calls.]

In Maine, it's illegal to have Christmas decorations up after Jan. 14. [And they picked the 14th because....??]

In New Jersey, it is illegal to wear a bulletproof vest while committing a murder. [We can save the taxpayers a lot of money if police can kill you before a trial.]

In North Dakota, beer and pretzels cannot be served at the same time in any bar or restaurant. [Too gas-producing together?]

In Idaho, It is illegal for a man to give his sweetheart a box of candy weighing more than 50 lbs. [OK, that right there is just wrong.]

In Ohio, it is illegal to get a fish drunk. [How about sea monkeys? Can you get them drunk?]

It's illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church in Alabama. [There goes all my fun...]

In Tombstone, Arizona, it's illegal for citizens over the age of 18-years-old to have more than one tooth missing when smiling. [What if you're frowning?]

In Hawaii, you are not allowed to put coins in your ears. [How about a bean up my nose?]

In Georgia, it's against the law to keep a donkey in a bathtub. [Muse, we promise we will visit you in jail!]

I LOVE NJ!!

In my city, it used to be illegal for a man to beat his wife on Sunday.
I think they finally made it illegal for the whole week!

chunkyfrog wrote:In my city, it used to be illegal for a man to beat his wife on Sunday.
I think they finally made it illegal for the whole week!

Here it is illegal to have English signs bigger or the same size as French signs. However the word F*ck is not legally an obscenity here.

In Minnesota it's illegal to sleep naked (not to mention too cold to sleep naked)

rosie

I looked some of these things up a few years ago and Virginia has got a TON of laws on the books that are funny as heck. They date way back and don't make any sense now, but nobody bothered to take them off the books.

Let's just say that pretty much every adult resident of Virginia is breaking the law if they have sex -- even the married ones.

rosiefrosie wrote:In Minnesota it's illegal to sleep naked (not to mention too cold to sleep naked)

You're kidding - not about the too cold part (I'll take your word on that)! Why would anyone make that kind of law?

Gee, in California it's probably illegal if you don't sleep naked.

If you're ever bored, do an internet search for stupid/archaic laws and key in your state. I just did it again for Virginia.

Yep -- my husband and I are breaking the law (not at the moment --in general) because it's illegal in Virginia to have sex with the lights on. Seriously.

Madalot wrote:If you're ever bored, do an internet search for stupid/archaic laws and key in your state. I just did it again for Virginia.

Yep -- my husband and I are breaking the law (not at the moment --in general) because it's illegal in Virginia to have sex with the lights on. Seriously.

Then it would definitely be illegal to have sex with the lights on while typing on an Internet forum.

I think it's illegal to put two cats in a sink in Virginia.

SleepingUgly wrote:I think it's illegal to put two cats in a sink in Virginia.

OMG -- That's funny!!!!

As someone who grew up in Va, I must thank all of you who mentioned the crazy laws of my home state. It's really lightened my dark mood this afternoon and given me some laughs!

Nothing personal Madalot, but you have the wrong ends of the cats in the sink...............best if you hold the other ends under the water until they quit wigglin'

Must be a law somewhere..........

Don't take it personal.........

(PS Unfortunately I do have a "used" cat in the house, it joined our household after it wasn't fitting in at a relatives...............Really though, I'm just a big talker--but truly not a great fan of the critters................)