Why CPAPs Need to Be Available
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Just do what I did - buy a used one off craigslist while you wait for all the bureaucratic bullshit.
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@MattSpeller Edit: as to having to get a referral, I also disagree with you. I think they're quite necessary (though damned annoying). Not everyone cares enough to educate themselves on these devices and many would make very poor choices. That's not even getting into Münchhausen cases etc.
You clearly are unaware of how this works in the US. There is NO oversight from the doctors here. None. You go to a doctor, get them to write you a prescription. Then you go to a store and are completely on your own. You have to know all the terms and pick out the device yourself, the same as if no doctor is involved. The only thing that the doctor does is make it legal for you to buy one.
So all of your logic doesn't hold up in the US. None of that applies at all. It is purely a barrier to getting what you need. There are no protections.
Even if there were protections, the risk is so high and the protection so pointless. You put the innocent at risk in order to protect idiots from harming themselves. That's just wrong.
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@scottalanmiller That's nothing like what I'm used to here!
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@Nic said:
Just do what I did - buy a used one off craigslist while you wait for all the bureaucratic bullshit.
That's a good idea. Although I've put together some ways to acquire one now. There are some tricks for people who really know what to do.
Or just get one in Europe where healthcare is sensible.
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@MattSpeller said:
@scottalanmiller That's nothing like what I'm used to here!
The idea of controlling the creation of the devices I totally agree with. A CPAP should be a regulated device made to certain specs. But they should be available to people who need them.
They treat them like a drug. But drugs (nearly any) can be bought anywhere. Pharmacies are everywhere. But only really large cities sell CPAPs. And only a few dealers. You can't run to the corner and pick one up.
And pharmacies are open 24x7 a lot of places. Long hours at least. CPAP dealers are often 8x5!!
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In general, getting a CPAP right this minute isn't a life and death situation, which is why it can take so long. But I agree that the process could be faster and easier. At least a loaner right after your sleep study until you get a permanent one.
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@Nic said:
In general, getting a CPAP right this minute isn't a life and death situation, which is why it can take so long. But I agree that the process could be faster and easier. At least a loaner right after your sleep study until you get a permanent one.
Problem is, for many people it really is life or death. Regulating something that might be life or death like it is a casual device isn't dangerously reckless and a complete disregard for human life no matter how infrequent it is.
Getting your first one is rarely life or death. But getting one later easily could be.
It's the people, typically, who develop central sleep apnea, not mechanical sleep apnea, who must have them no matter what. Thankfully at least I qualify for emergency power so that if the power goes out I get mine back earlier since I can't sleep until it comes back on.
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Why does @MattSpeller and @scottalanmiller feel that a CPAP needs to be prescribed?
I'm all for the device itself having to be created under regulation for safety - but here's my question - if a person who quote unquote doesn't need one uses one, will they die?
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@Dashrender said:
Why does @MattSpeller and @scottalanmiller feel that a CPAP needs to be prescribed?
I don't feel that. I feel that it's completely unethical to have a doctor get to hold your life hostage when life saving devices are available and well known.
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@Dashrender IMHO it's less about a specific device than it is about all of them. I am so unfamiliar with how it works down there that I'm only muddying the waters, I'll stay out of it.
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@Dashrender said:
I'm all for the device itself having to be created under regulation for safety - but here's my question - if a person who quote unquote doesn't need one uses one, will they die?
No, they are completely safe to use when not needed. It is only when you need one and don't get one that there is risk. Prolonged use could create a dependency, potentially, I suppose. But there is no real risk.
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Usually it isn't immediate life or death. Yes over the long term it will shorten your life and make you die of a heart attack, but usually you've been living with it for a while before you even get diagnosed.
There are some possible negative side effects, such as having the pressure too high and causing central apnea.
The thing you have to remember is that you and I, Scott, are 3+ standard deviations above the mean intelligence, so we're perfectly capable of purchasing and setting up our own system. The other 99.9% of people aren't that smart
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@Nic said:
Usually it isn't immediate life or death. Yes over the long term it will shorten your life and make you die of a heart attack, but usually you've been living with it for a while before you even get diagnosed.
There are some possible negative side effects, such as having the pressure too high and causing central apnea.
The thing you have to remember is that you and I, Scott, are 3+ standard deviations above the mean intelligence, so we're perfectly capable of purchasing and setting up our own system. The other 99.9% of people aren't that smart
I'd be curious where I fell...
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@Nic said:
The thing you have to remember is that you and I, Scott, are 3+ standard deviations above the mean intelligence, so we're perfectly capable of purchasing and setting up our own system. The other 99.9% of people aren't that smart
Other than being made intentionally obtuse, they are REALLY easy. There is only one setting. Just set the number that was on your old one, or make it feel similar, and away you go.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Nic said:
The thing you have to remember is that you and I, Scott, are 3+ standard deviations above the mean intelligence, so we're perfectly capable of purchasing and setting up our own system. The other 99.9% of people aren't that smart
Other than being made intentionally obtuse, they are REALLY easy. There is only one setting. Just set the number that was on your old one, or make it feel similar, and away you go.
True, but you do have to make sure you know the number that you're supposed to be at, and have a mask that fits properly. Again, easy for us, not so easy for the huddled masses
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@Nic said:
True, but you do have to make sure you know the number that you're supposed to be at, and have a mask that fits properly. Again, easy for us, not so easy for the huddled masses
Do either of those matter though? I can use a higher number or a different mask pretty easily.
But more importantly, neither of those services were provided to me the last time that I got a CPAP. So if those are reasons, they've already failed.
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The number matters because if it is too low then you still have apneas, and if it is too high then you can swallow air or cause central apnea.
The mask fitting matters because if you have leaks then you don't get good pressure and have apneas, often without realizing it.
It's too bad you didn't get either services, so it sounds like you got the disadvantages of a regulated and unregulated system combined. Reminds me of my favorite quote about long distance relationships - they combine all the disadvantages of being in a relationship with all the disadvantages of being single
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@Nic said:
The number matters because if it is too low then you still have apneas, and if it is too high then you can swallow air or cause central apnea.
I got central apnea from not having one. Swallowing air doesn't kill you. I'd weight those as inconsequential risks.
