They still just don't "get it"...

A quote from Jan. 16 (streaming cpap news) Health concerns ride on linemen's hefty shoulders

"Neither Myers nor Shelper are troubled by sleep apnea, but Myers isn't alone in his battle against high blood pressure."

That sentence was referring to two high school sophomores - heavy built young linemen. Wonder if "not being troubled by sleep apnea" means they've actually had a sleep study with full polysomnogram? Not troubled, hmmm?

Another they still just don't get it comment from a high school player in that same news article:

White's death caught Toothman's attention and put some health concerns in the back of his mind. But that, he said, is where such worries have to stay.

"You think about it, but you don't think about it, because you can't play football and be worried about getting injured or hurt," Toothman said. "You've got to play all out."

Ummmm, apples and oranges... sleep apnea is not about what's happening on the field. It's about what's happening when you're asleep - something that a mask and a machine can take care of during sleep. And guess what? That night time machine and mask just might even make a better player out of you while awake. Ya reckon?

Two things need to happen:

Coaches, team doctors, team trainers, and proud parents of the already-big young athletes have to understand what sleep apnea really is, and how it's diagnosed and treated.

But most of all, the young players themselves have to understand that a machine and mask at night could possibly enhance their performance on the field. Make stronger players out of them. Increase their ability on the field and increase the number of years they can play the game they love. Many people, not just the young, push future health concerns to the back of the mind. Young people in particular need a more compelling (to them) reason than "you'll be healthier in the future, if you do this now."

The only reason a sleep study and treatment would mean anything to most football players would be if it helped their football career - right here and now. And it could. That possibility might even really get the attention of coaches and trainers. To heck with talking about future health concerns. Talk about treatment for sleep apnea making better, stronger players - a better chance to go out and win those games - right now!

(Might help some athletes stay awake in their academic classes too, but that's not worth mentioning. )

Thanks rg,

You've got it. What are these "kids" afraid of. Everytime I read a post from a "young" person lamenting the idea of wearing a hose to bed at night I thank God that I have my cpap and that I can get treated at night while I sleep in the privacy of my own bedroom. We joke about the postings of some of the pictures of monstrous mask contraptions we've come across in our search of the web but the truth is these ugly things are worn by real people with real illneses, luckily not the one we have. I'll never forget reading the post telling about how before cpap the treatment for OSA was to cut a tracheotomy into your neck which would be closed during the day and opened at night to breath. Talk about putting a crimp on your lifestyle.

Your point should be well taken by all that read it. If you have it (OSA) get treated and be thankful that you can.

What surprises me is the "fear" factor so often expressed. Fear of wearing a mask, fear of having to do this all the time, lack of discipline in continuing to continue the "cure".

Without wishing to sound sanctimonious, I think many OSA sufferers just don't get it. We have a problem. It can be "cured". It's simple to fix. Just do it.
OK, the actual logistics may require some fiddling - machine type and mask wise - but the outcome is the same, use them and live.

Am I alone in thinking that spending many more years with the ones I love is worth a little discomfort at night?

(And obviously, if one of my "laminated list" shows up I'll just shove the bloody machine under the bed for a while.)

Gets off soapbox.