groups

Check and see if it's online Will. They may just have a website.

Here's a link that will help, see view link

In the beginning...

I probably looked at some of these websites, looking for answers myself; over time, much of that was forgotten, but not lost on the internet.

Here's the main link to the American Sleep Apnea Association

see view link

Will you find everything you need to know here? I think it depends on how much people have honestly discussed and published their experiences.

I wonder now, why wasn't I directed to such a group in the beginning? The hospital where I first had a sleep study done supports such a group.

Does the sleep apnea sufferer have to find this information out on their own? What is the responsibility of the medical profession in this regard? It should be there for us, not just to push CPAP use, surgery, and sleep aids, but also patient support and understanding.

Mike

Mike,the Good Samaritan and the Corvallis Clinic and the supplier Care Medical Equipment all have been in contact with me a lot,checking to see if i have any problems or questions too.and of coarse a DVD on the RESMED MIRAGE QUADRO,which i forgot and is in the bottom of the bag.
i have my monthly check at the Clinic tommorrow.from what i gather from other people that i know with the symptoms and on the machines ,this outfit that i am going thru sounds like the best and surprising not one kick from the insurance company.
i still would like to go to the AWAKE classes but the info and support you and loveart helps too.you alls good people.
Doyle

I think that over the years, there has been an increased awareness of the medical issues connected with sleep apnea.

BUT, at the same time, I've seen some real spoilers to it all, especially from the surgical side.

It's also a new frontier in the medical field, too bad we're still made to feel as guinea pigs so the surgeons can learn from us.

I didn't sleep real well last night, so little grumpy today; I was even tempted to slip the mask on for a while and relax, but didn't.

I have the machine sitting out on a night stand yet, in case of really tough nights; but I know I soon have to remove it from my sight.

There's always the thought that one day I may have to pull it from storage for use again. Scar tissue development is my biggest concern.

I've yet to become a free man.

By the way, the support you're all showing toward each other makes me very happy.

Mike

Mike you did good.
I knew you would find it. Problem is in this area, the group states, on the website, that they meet ONCE A YEAR at a local hospital, (and not the one I am affiliated with at the present.) HMO's do limit you to one or the other hospital. I did copy the local number and will give a call to the administrator. Some of the content of the link (bottom of the page) has not been updated for three years. My doctor told me that there used to be an active group in our city but that they were not very active now. We are a fairly moderately sized town with approximately 1/2 millon people.
Perhaps as Will says, the great support of the Medical supply, hospital, doctor, and Respiratory Therapist have replaced the need. You need to know Will, that once you have achieved the goal that has been set for you, it is a once a year visit with the sleep doctor.
As long as you are buying the machine, you have the others at hand at your beck and call.
It still would be nice to have an active group that is up on all the latest but think that is not going to happen in my fair city.

i am not buying the machine yet,or i should say the insurance company rents them to see how it works out with the patient and after 3 months they buy the machine.one guy who i use to work with has the same deal as me but been on the machine for at least 7 months and same medical supply,he has told its better if they rent it,that way if it is bought you have to pay for maintenance on equipment but if rented the medical supplier takes care of everything.
since it cost me about $50 on copay on this i am not sure if that will be a monthly bill or not.
gosh Mike first you have to get use to all that then now you have to get use to not have it.hang in there buddy,you have been thru the wringer but you will win this too.
glad you got the right ladder for doing stuff off of loveart.20 or more years ago we climbed up on pumps,pump motors ,pipping,electrical(ouch)conduit. sometimes 10-30 feet of the ground,shiver to think about what a young man did for a buck or two back then.

Will, I am renting my machine and therefore I have the medical supply store available for service, and help from the Respitory Therapists for the whole year. After a year it is mine. They are under warantee for a year (is my understanding) and should they need to be replaced, they can be once a year. Insurance will cover that.

I would be so scared of your job. I don't do heights well and I just must face the fact thatI am not very graceful on land even. I do best with two feet on the ground. I am dreading the step-ladder, but will approach it just like I have that darned machine. I will eventually win the battle.

loveart,i don't work anymore,i took a early out at age 55 ,5 years ago.insurance was the main reason,if i waited to leave after december 2006 i would have lost it,i still pay monthly premiums,deductible and co pay till i am 65.unless the union finally will sell us retirees down the river.
also because safety became a real big issue we had to stick to standards set down by OSHA.

I retired in 2001 but I just contracted back in for a few days a month. I finally am ready to retire completely. I was lucky that insurance was available, but now,it is less available for new retirees. I want a few days, years, whatever just to call my own. I think I am beginning to know just how old I am. (I think it is the painting thing, lol)