CPAPtalk.com

nanwilson wrote:

Afterhours wrote:i'm not sure that I really like the recent rash of people bashing other people here on the forums. I got chided here the other day by someone who
apparently has not been laid in quite a long time. I thought we were here to help each other and encourage, Not sit in judgement. I'll get off of
the soapbox for the time being.

Actually Afterhours you seem to be "bashing", as you put it, too. Since when does someone need to get laid to not be out of sorts or grumpy. You brain is in your pants, you need to put it back where it belongs and allow it to think about other things besides getting laid.
My 2 cents
Nan

Oh come on... getting laid is not what he was referring to! You are just adding fuel to the fire.
My 2 cents

DENIAL!
I was tempted to delete the original post--obviously spam.
Any doctor permitting that 'treatment' should be tarred and feathered..

Ditto on the distraction while driving!
The OP didn't mention the breed, but my 50+ pound chow lunged across my lap with his leg through the steering wheel, to get a better look at the cows in the pasture on the driver's side.

What if the dog gets sleepy?

I just have this mental image of that poor dog hunkering over this person, ever vigilant, lightly tapping them hundreds of times a night to get them breathing again.

Not my dog:
Walking the dog:
Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, tree!
Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, bush!
Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, cat!
Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, rabbit!
Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, weed!
(I put the ‘wee’ in weed; all of them. )
Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, squat!
. . . “You are so demented, human. You throw a fit
when I do that indoors; now you put it in a bag to take home!”

Yup... I agree with the majority... but it's about the way things are said and then interpreted here, especially when it's a new person. No one, the one who's been around for awhile or the newbie gains anything when someone comes across as mean and hostile.

Service dogs do some really amazing things, but I don't see much about what they can do for apnea.

I guess they could nudge you awake when you have an apnea. That would prevent the low O2 problems, but you'd still suffer from the effects of being aroused from your sleep. The poor dog would have to be awake all night watching you though.

Apnea is not usually a case of stopping breathing so long you get immediate damage. It's a case of stopping breathing hundreds of times a night and dying the death of a thousand cuts. It's not like a seizure alert dog where he only has to alert once every few weeks.

As for the idea of the dog helping you drive, the dog might help you in the case of flat out falling asleep at the wheel, but a lot of the accidents for apneacs isn't from someone who closed their eyes and started snoring at the wheel, they're from people who were just too tired and groggy to notice something.

You're advocating a false, ineffective solution that will get you, other apneacs, or innocent bystanders killed. Sorry if the response here wasn't more gentle and welcoming. CPAP is the treatment. Almost everything else is just snake oil.

All I am trying to say, Nan, was that I posted a question earlier about my NuVigil med and immediately got made to feel as if I was some kind of drug crazed
lunatic by someoneone who apparently was having a bad day and does not know me personally in the least. And I don't believe thats helpful to anyone. Constructive criticism
is one thing, and if people can help and are willing to, thats great. But I don't think people lashing out at other people is right. I may have flew off the handle in
my earlier post and in fact be just as guilty as the other party. Sorry if I offended (and thinking with the other head isn't easy sometimes

Afterhours wrote:All I am trying to say, Nan, was that I posted a question earlier about my NuVigil med and immediately got made to feel as if I was some kind of drug crazed
lunatic by someoneone who apparently was having a bad day and does not know me personally in the least. And I don't believe thats helpful to anyone. Constructive criticism
is one thing, and if people can help and are willing to, thats great. But I don't think people lashing out at other people is right. I may have flew off the handle in
my earlier post and in fact be just as guilty as the other party. Sorry if I offended (and thinking with the other head isn't easy sometimes

Learn to utilize the good and ignore the remainder.

As somebody who has been sleep deprived for multiple reasons for many years, I can tell you have lack of sleep can affect visual estimation of distances. And no, I do not drive. I don't even have a license. I have a phobia of driving.

Even with effective cpap treatment, I have some short nights due to being a night owl and having to get up earlier than i would like. I may feel okay. But I have found that I turn into a clutz. I will whack my hands on corners of desks or anything that is along my route. This does not happen most days, just when I am short on sleep. And I will do it again and again. Also, I will whack my shoulder on a door frame as I go through. At work, we have places where the door frame is a good 5 feet wide, and I will stick whack my shoulder. I don't see it coming. I know where I am, and I can fit through easily with a couple feet on each side. But when I am tired, I have a tendency to not clear corners and edges. I just seem to list off to the side of the walkway and hit stuff.

I suspect this is similar to what tired drivers do. They aren't always falling asleep at a stop light. They just start straying off to one side of a lane until they run off the road or stray into a lane and hit another car. My nephew flipped a semi truck a few years ago because he was running late, and thought his nap was long enough. He felt safe to drive, but he was young, didn't know his limits, and drove when he wasn't rested. He was okay, and fortunately, he did not hurt anybody else. But he drove into the ditch between the directions on the freeway, totalled a semi truck and its cargo. He lost his job and the ability to get a driving job for 3 years. He works for a drug store while he pays off his driving school loan.

All it takes is one sleepy moment. A dog gives you somebody to talk to, which is nice to keep away monotony on a long drive. But the dog can't possibly keep a sleepy person alert. Officially awake, *maybe*. But alert? No.

And the dog won't help the sleep apnea at night, and that is a cumulative problem. Back when I was in college, I had a neurological problem that I did not realize was serious. I was forgetting normal words, several times a night. I was routinely getting 2-4 hours a night as I could not fall asleep before 2am, but I had to get up at 5 or 6am to get to class. My classes were only offered in the morning, so I was stuck with a horrible schedule. My coworkers would laugh with me as I forgot the words and came up with creative descriptions. The microwave is that thing over there that cooks stuff. (This would be in response to, where is the XX?). In the thing over there that cooks stuff. When I quit college, the word problem stopped. Now, it only comes back if I have several days in a row with very bad or little sleep. And I recognize it as a sign that I need to take action and catch up on a sleep. Back in college, I didn't see it as a serious problem, and considered it a joke.

Part of what makes these problems so serious is that the person experiencing the problem, just like a drunk person, cannot recognize how bad the situation is. So, while they may think they are making a rational decision, they simply cannot. And it feels like being picked on when other people point this out. It is kinda like the phrase "young and dumb" It is not meant as an insult, but young people assume it is as insult and incorrect. Older people know that it just means that when we were young and inexperienced, we just didn't know better. And sometimes the only solution is to get older (and more experienced).

Haven't we looked at this before?

"Visions of large big cheeked bloodhound standing over you at night blowing in your mouth to act as a splint whenever you stop breathing. Just give him a mint before bed and Shazam! the ultimate APAP, BiPaP, humidifier and mask all-in-one!

So much easier.

Mask is only applied when needed.
DME just sends you dog food once a month. Probably end up getting sent 3 brushes and 4 leads a month.
For DME compliance data, just a few barks down the phone.
Howls when your O2 falls below 80%
Don't have to worry about power failures or batteries.
Have to take your APAP for a walk every day so it makes you exercise too.
Still have to clean your APAP once a week but no vinegar.
Still have to top off water daily but it doesn't need to be distilled.
Problems with cats attacking APAPs is probably worse, but you get an alarm to let you know when it is happening.
Does not look as scary as a normal APAP to your partner, but actual operation probably slightly more difficult to sell.
10+ year estimated life span.
Leaks have to be managed but don't affect your therapy.
Still need pursleep."

I would love to see you bring your dog to court and tell the Judge, "it's all my DOGS fault I killed that kid."

portiemom wrote:I would love to see you bring your dog to court and tell the Judge, "it's all my DOGS fault I killed that kid."

Yes and that poor dog had to work all night, waking her up at least 20 times an hour to get her AHI down from 60-100 to 40 AND then sit in the car with her to keep her awake during the day. That is against labour laws - the dog should strike for better working conditions.

Hey, all you doubters... I have a hamster that I've trained to whistle 'Dixie' in my ear when I get apneas during the night. Works great, except that I wake up every morning hungry for bacon gravy on biscuits. As for staying awake while driving, I have a trained gerbil that I stick up my... well... never mind where. Boy, you cynical folks have no faith in 'new cures'.