Are all CPAP users disabled?

[prodigyplace]

My dear old Gramma used to say, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything OR I'LL SLAP YOU!"

[RicaLynn]

While not every user of cpap is disabled, too many have to get there before they will use cpap.
Sad.

Bingo. Many don't even realize they have OSA until there is major systemic damage. Hence the disability rating.

[SirGaspAlot]

I bet the 50% only applies if diagnosed while on active duty. I'm retired Navy E6 and still do what I did when I was on active duty 17 years ago, certainly not disabled.

[Okie bipap]

I've been retired from the Air Force for 35 years. When I retired, the VA gave me a 10% disability for degenerative arthritis, and it has definitely degenerated. I have had to have arthrodesis on the right foot, one total knee replacement, one hip replacement and laminectomy of the lower back to relieve pressure on the nerves and clear out the scoliosis. I consider my sleep apnea to be a minor inconvenience, not a disability.

[zonker]

HA! I figured that out right away! Good grief! Which one of us NEEDS more aggravation!? Thanks for being here!!

oh! okay, i'm glad you got there. and i certainly agree with you. one comes here and is generally freaked out about so many things-how do i adjust? why is this taking so long? what is all this LINGO you all are speaking? you don't need a political lecture thrown in on top of everything else.

anyway, good luck!

[greatunclebill]

I've been retired from the Air Force for 35 years.

My, how time flies. This oct will be 38 years for me.

[Muse-Inc]

...This oct will be 38 years for me.

[chunkyfrog]

The bullfrog likes to announce we have been married for 50 years (truth)
Then he says I am the only one he has ever been with.
After pausing for oohs and aahs, he says, " All the others were 9's and 10's"
And you tthought I was a bad froggie!

[prodigyplace]

The bullfrog likes to announce we have been married for 50 years (truth)
Then he says I am the only one he has ever been with.
After pausing for oohs and aahs, he says, " All the others were 9's and 10's"
And you tthought I was a bad froggie!

And then he is banished to the doghouse for time to rethink those statements.

[nicholasjh1]

He said because he is a tied to the machine, he is disabled in the same way a person who is tied to an oxygen machine is disabled.

A thinking person would be able to easily see the difference in these.

Few people are "tied" to a cpap the way many people are 'tied', (literally, 24 hours a day) to oxygen supplementation. and while not having cpap will cause your health and energy to degrade, not having oxygen has an entirely different result.

But, again, that requires *thinking*.

Lol, except for severe sufferers at least not having the CPAP does equate to not having oxygen.

[nicholasjh1]

While not every user of cpap is disabled, too many have to get there before they will use cpap.
Sad.

Bingo. Many don't even realize they have OSA until there is major systemic damage. Hence the disability rating.

Or don't even realize they have it. For me I didn't get the typical "daytime" sleepiness related to Apneas, and I am a severe sufferer (52 AHI(with which I completely "slept" through the night... Yay blackouts!). I've heard other people on the the forum say this... there just seems to be a certain genotype that does not get falling asleep issues... instead for me my Norepinephrine/noradrenalin (depending if you're from the US or UK) was about 9 times higher than it should have been (according to lab tests). This kept my body moving, though I'm sure under severe stress (and I felt fatigued... but not "sleepy"). eventually my adrenal gland might have given out and I would have experienced more sleepiness. Though it should be noted whenever I got something that needed antibiotics, like strep... once I started taking antibiotics I would fall asleep left and right. something about them would take down my defenses that allowed me to "stay awake". So even though sleepiness is a major indicator of sleep apnea it is not 100% comorbid with sleep apnea.

[chunkyfrog]

In order to be "tied" to any machine, one would need to use it 24/7.
That sounds like a RESPIRATOR.
It is this kind of ignorance that prevents people from even starting cpap.
Grrrr! I need to cool off.
(Splash)

[love2sleep69]

Of course. Imagine starting drama on a CPAP forum and signing every post with your first name.

[love2sleep69]

I set trigger sensitivity to very low on my AirCurve and now it's unusable, but at least I'm not a liberal. Joe

[Dive Apnea]

This thread got me thinking of a recent experience I had.

I recently went camping in the Eastern Sierras, CA. It is a state park with flushing toilets, even showers. Tent spots, as well as, bigger RV spots. No hookups. But I was wondering if they could have a battery charging stations for cpaps? The bathroom had a plug, (for hair dryer? lol) I was tempted to ask the camp host if I can charge my battery on the third night. We stayed four nights, used my battery ~8 hours a night, humidifier set at 2. I checked my deep cycle battery when I got home, read 12.49. So maybe I don't need a charging station.

Should there be charging stations? Or designated spots with electricty plumbed in for "disabled" cpap users. I am a tent camper, so I am not hauling around a generator, which are annoying. Next year we plan on doing a longer 10 day trip, so I may need to use the hair dryer plug.