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Re: Patient or User?

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 2:18 pm
by robysue
Not to offend anybody.

I've never had anybody "blame" me for my OSA with those insidious "well if you'd only lose some weight" comments that are both cruel and unnecessary. I've never had those comments because I'm 5-foot 1-inch tall and my weight has never been above 115 except when I was 7+ months pregnant. At the time I was diagnosed my weight was about 105-110 pounds. At that weight, you don't get people saying you need to lose weight.

Indeed, I think part of why so many of my family and friends reacted in horror when I first started having to use a machine for OSA was the very fact that I am so far removed from anything that resembles the stereotype of an OSA patient as far as weight and neck size are concerned. I think it never dawned on some of these people that OSA was something that could affect folks who were not morbidly obese.

Re: Patient or User?

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 2:42 pm
by jlmoorekcmo
I prefer to refer to us as "Brothers & Sisters of the Hose".

Re: Patient or User?

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 3:12 pm
by robysue
jlmoorekcmo wrote:I prefer to refer to us as "Brothers & Sisters of the Hose".

Re: Patient or User?

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 3:37 pm
by BlackSpinner
jlmoorekcmo wrote:I prefer to refer to us as "Brothers & Sisters of the Hose".
And the term "Hosers" has a long and dishonourable tradition in Canada - the term meaning something similar to ornery redneck with beer.

Re: Patient or User?

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 9:04 pm
by Stormynights
I have been told I was a hypochondriac and that sleep apnea is a scam. I don't mention it much anymore. I bet they don't believe me about the back pain either but I know it is real.

Re: Patient or User?

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 11:21 pm
by kaiasgram
jlmoorekcmo wrote:I prefer to refer to us as "Brothers & Sisters of the Hose".
Sooo..... we're a cult!?!

Re: Patient or User?

Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 9:43 am
by oak
Stormynights wrote:I have been told I was a hypochondriac and that sleep apnea is a scam. I don't mention it much anymore. I bet they don't believe me about the back pain either but I know it is real.

Well you know you can chalk that up to ignorance. Sounds like that person has issues...

Re: Patient or User?

Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 9:37 pm
by robysue
oak wrote:
Stormynights wrote:I have been told I was a hypochondriac and that sleep apnea is a scam. I don't mention it much anymore. I bet they don't believe me about the back pain either but I know it is real.

Well you know you can chalk that up to ignorance. Sounds like that person has issues...
Ignorance? maybe. Or maybe it's just denial ...

Re: Patient or User?

Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 10:33 pm
by mgaggie
It has always inferred that if I lose weight, all my problems will miraculously disappear. I just don't bother telling most people anything health wise. The only people I do tell are my bosses at work if a particular health matter may cause problems at work. I have told a few people I stop breathing when I sleep, and one said to me "Oh that will explain why you look so tired all the time". The other one said she'd wished that she hadn't of poked her ex when he stopped breathing at night