British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

Hi folks, here is anew one, instead of me always hijcking others journals I have decided to have my own, but this time please hijack me.

First one is titled 10 commandments, no pun intended Alsa, but will keep it clean.
1 I promise to stop wearing my mask when I greet family and friends at the door.
2 I promise to stop writing in the family diary wind problems must ring clinic!
3 I will not purposefully adjsut my mask when wife is just dosing off to sleep.
4 I will stop using cpap as a make shift jacuzzi, and be more kind and take my wife out for one.
5 I will limit my humidifier night caps to one per night.
6 I will stop titirating the pets with the cpap on.
7 If or when friends visit, I will stop making them wear my cpap even if they do snore.
8 I will only wear my wifes tights, at bed time and only as an aid to stop my mask from those irritating leaks.
9 I will store my cpap accessories in a closed draw not for public display.
10 I will remove my car bumper sticker honk if you have been hosed!

carrying on with my dripple, I am going to be much more serious hoping from an educational perspective some people will read it and take note.

OSA and the many physical links such as coronaries/heart attacks strokes, along with cognitive impairment have been discussed before on this forum. If we are able to look closer at the cognitive issue, we will soon see links with memory loss. In fact loss of brain tissue, has also been a known fact for sleep apnea sufferers for several years, a University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) study in 2008 showed findings demonstrated that impaired breathing during sleep can lead to serious brain injury that disrupts memory and thinking," principal investigator Ronald Harper, a professor of neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said in a prepared statement, " evidence actualy showed a shrinkage of the actual brain size due to prolonged apneas".

From my many years of nursing, a certain amount of memory loss is common with age, stress, so we probably never see or feel it developing, or fully aware of its limitations, until we are given cognitive tests especially designed to identify it in our daily life routine. Prolonged oxygen starvation is of course the main cause of brain cell death, when working it was common place for Thiamine or Vit B to be used to prevent brain cell death from developing further, that often occurs with alcoholism, or even the many other illnesses that affect the cardiovascular system.

CPAP, of course has an international reputation of managing it, but to quantity of hours, for fuller benefit has never been fully explained from a scientific perspective, or length of time we need it, although some personal suggestions are seen as life time. From an ability to keep awake for a driving perspective, 5 to 6 hours seem to be seen as ok, same as some suggestions we may need to remain constant compliance for at least 3 to 6 months, for any cognitive affect to show itself.

If I am to reflect from my own case perspective, staying awake within the an average of 8 hours attachment for first week of use, showed evidence, but from a cognitive perspective, that is far harder to explain, although it was not until at least 6 to 8 months, did I really start to see differences, especially with regards to emotional stability, and being able to think more clearly, as my wife termed, “more thinking self”.

the title is chosen nm I never thought of it as weak, but rare will certainly be the case.

google "dripple," meanings are weak, or rare. not sure of the issue regarding yet another utility meter, having enough costs and concerns from down under with the present method, don't think I will take it up. I am getting too old for such new fangly ideas, lets go back to candles and oil / gas lamps I can always put a bigger dynamo on my bike to drive this, then get on your bike term will be a reality at least it will cheaper than going to the gymn for a work out, and much more the yorkshire man approach. (tight as ducks ... and thats water tight)

That's given me yet another idea, a bIke without wheels to power a portable alternator off the car, if geared properly, could quite easily get upto 30 amph quite enough for this slow machine, as it is I still have time to make a cup of tea whilst it boots up, the local scrap likes me, full of junk.

I knew you were going to say that, wait it's rare, I have so enjoyed your breakast tv slot, even if it means getting up and going back to bed even fair madens from across the channel are changing their habits, especially for it. you will go down in records only thing you need more followers. nm

Well thats one excuse, other is rather less eliquant, had a power cut all day, energy company took notice of my need to reduce cost and did a trial run by 3-00 was starting to sweat under the collar what if I can't get my fix! I really will have to get on my bike

Now the serious bit what dripple do you want me to write?

one wet saturday night at 2-00 am within 8 weeks of me starting my training was asked to take a body to the mortuary, and somebody made a creaking noise, before I could turn around the charge nurse with me locked me in, and turned the lights off...............

Luckily the fire escape light for the stiffs! was left on, saw the esacpe route via the skylight, shimmied up the fridge and got through it, was back to ward in 15 minutes, 1 hour later the sirens went to sound the warning of a lost body. All spare staff reported as usual, at reception waiting for their orders, only to be told, your lost

The charge nurse never did forgive me, only casualty was a broken window we all denied responsibility for, saying "it was Freds fault" he always was a creeper.

Many years later a mate of mine here in sx, we were asked again to take big stiff to the mortury, no lift from upstairs ward, and weighed in excess of 15 stones, no problem we thought sweating and swearing profusely got him down on the trolley covered in a white sheet, ran over a brick and he fell off into a snow drift 2 feet deep. searched high and low. then had an idea to roll in the snow to find him a colleague came seeing the comotion and took a photo of us laying arm in arm with him.

Asking the first year student nurse to go and collect a long stand for a fallopian tube from the pharmacy.

My morbid sence of humour has got on top of me as nm suggested I started to write some of my stories down, even if was funny to me at time. well it provoked a lot of personal thoughts of losses I wished would remain locked away behind Joharis window for little longer, but alas what with neighbours death yesterday it was not to be, sadly her ex husband was also a person I had a dealing with professionaly and also had funny yet emotive story, so my feelings are running high again.

Has any one tried to sleep with cpap on and waking with tears running down your face thinking oh that damn rain out again! don't, it became rather dramatic, far worse before I knew what was hapening, I was suffocating. To a certain cpap spares provider, your b fleece was no good for that water in your face or any of the other respiratory tract vents. Thankyou I am more emotional stable again now, so here is a more sensitive dripple. although for some it will not be weak, but probably more strong or heavy than their mind may allow.

Being diagnosed with severe OSA, knowing I had spent more 30 years working for the same system health care system that had not recognised my needs, then telling me I needed help, was very strange, making matters worse, these same symptoms were often ignored in that time being forced to take early retirement due to ill health, and on several occasions being either laughed at or told to pull my act together, did nothing for my esteem.

Yet I did and here I am today, I admit it did not just happen it developed over many years for my mental health to adapt to a positive approach to life, along with much love from friends and family to take on this new challenge of CPAP which I have pleasure in writing still taking place and with more help from more friends.

With this new life comes new words as compliance, yet for the sake of me what does it mean, “do as your told”, for me is no more than a negative one sided statement, when they do not come forward with constructive positive advice showing ways to tackle the many pitfalls we users have with these daily stressors.

There are a lots of cognitive (thoughtful) ways of dealing with stress. Personally I believe many of them stink, or are just morally wrong, many may be very simple minded, useless or shallow. I personally hate it when someone offers me trivialities as a lame offer of help for a major issue that I am experiencing. Or giving patronizing comments just irritates me, doing no more than to belittle how I really feel, or show any respect for me as a person.

Yet if we are to fully adapt to this new life with the use of CPAP, we will need to see it as a challenge and a developmental phase to cope with the many emotional challengers, very similar to learning to manage loss, slowly being able to take all the new experiences this new life offers. Probably like opening a new chapter of a much loved story, wishing the old would fiinish, and can't wait for the next instalment to start.

Mike Moran in his notes of Seven Stages of CPAP, identifies these stages as Denial, Realization, Diagnosis, Frustration, Immersion, some may think as an obsession, yet if we are to still develop, we need, Ownership, and an ability to take responsibility for ourselves, finally Inflation, and being able to become confident with our new way of life to reap our own rewards.

You are most welcome to, that was why I started it, and named it, as mac replied once, "always can expect a thought provoking statement". Do I take he is not well? must email him, am already missing his notes, how sad?

hence bigger they are harder they fall I think that hurt his over inflated pride. it's dripple, "rare or weak," it started out as rare but things are changing, if you guys keep stroking it wil become well done

gone to printers, wait, I am thinking of titling it nuneaton's revenge, told you it is rare. or is it me that is rare. Good to see your back on form again, have you got any of your magic lotion left? I have been sipping red wine most of evening, bit rough though so should be well done by bed time or more dopy Mind you already dopy enough as wife reminds me frequantly.

ponder slowly ye gentle folk

Revenge …..?........

NM’s comments regarding him being firmly on immersion, makes it sound as it’s all to do with hot water! (Metaphorically and practically) I have used CPAP 54 weeks and still ponder will I ever reach that over inflating stage. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, so often used, to motivate another persons opinion or views, or just for the development of change explains development as a 5 tier hierarchy, starting from bottom up; he also suggested without the bottom 2 levels, the rest will never be attempted.

Self Actualisation

Esteem; Respect

Belonging Family and Fiends

Safety; Shelter, Security, including financial.

Physiological: Food Water & Air


At a glance with CPAP we automatically have that so precious one served to us, but for security may be much more complex, often knowing we are given the machine after a 20 minute introduction and left to sort it out, along side of many complications that can arise knowing our own behaviours has changed, even unknowingly cognitively, socially and occupationally. Not forgetting the severity it has on our health, no wonder we find it so traumatising, yet our own desperation to feel safe with having financial security should not be ignored. The sense of belonging is all so often given via this site, along side of that use, esteem and sense of respect can all so often come naturally, alas though not forget the esteem we so often receive in return.

If I am to reflect about Maslow’s work, although as good, as it is, it also raises several big questions, will I or where is that Self Actualisation be achieved? I don’t think I know where mine is, probably that is what nm is suggesting, belonging in the immersion state, I do know, I am at a stage of fighting hell or high water to keep it, instead I see CPAP compliance more like a journey, not knowing the final end of this journey, but we all have enough knowledge to know we will have various stations to encounter in that journey along with diversions to endure. Ironic last few weeks the forum brought up an issue of financial security, which for me ignored, yet after some pondering, I decided to go out of my way to try and get some understanding on it, especially knowing such little of it, and so little on the Webb about CPAP energy castings, I knew it was not going to be easy, but I have never walked away from a good challenge. With this site I also believe we all can have confidence to manage those daily challenges, diversions, even if we do not know the final outcome. Yet if I am to speak for CPAP users, all I ask for is respect for trying.

Good health and happy breathing to CPAP!

you mentioned in your 31st note you had gone past the obsession, stage, well I would say I am difinately well and truly in it, I presumed therefore that you gone up a notch, and reached the secured dizzy heights of inflation, I must admit I can not explain what it is, as in Morans notes, he does not even fully explain it himself, hence why I likened it to maslow's hierarchy of needs, and very few ever reaching it.

When it comes to coping with cpap my fellow sufferer, I will be the first man to say I do not have those answers, but ask for others to enlighten me. Is ther another stage above our dayto day obsession of putting our mask on? coping with our day to day changes we all endure. NM I did suggest your revenge

I cannot say I support morans developmental theory nm, and with regards to what you are doing, I think I am hence day to day fight. I wrote it as a quandry is there a theory of compliance? and expected you to question it my learned friend, hence nm revenge. Yes we can all suggest because some one has qualifications they have the answers to most of our worries, with CPAP, and if I was to adopt my old professional skills, I would say it's a lot of twaddle, Ironic it's an american cpap site that tends to promote and sell his ideals has factual, and I will not share openly my views of a lot of their money making sites.

In the maslow theory, which I suggest is much more reliable, we see self actulisation is an unachievable position, thus suggesting we never reach the ulitmate goal. I would suggest and await to be shot down there isn't an ultimate goal, I do believe though that with the self esteem we few definatly try and promote via this site self esteem, by actualy encouraging all to reach there own ultimate position of coping with cpap daily.

in bed, keeping my date with cpap, it's becoming better than a good woman, how sad is that then.

They reckon restless leg syndrome is a symptom of osa, yet if cpap users had it, we could soon develop a complete new range of cpap machines, from used bicylce parts attached to a pair of bellows, resulting with faster we peddle more air we would have to breathe, only problem there would be shortage of participants for the tour de france, or the tour hindering compliance. Lets face it it also would cut electricity costs, don't tell edf, mind you halfords could develop a complete new line of use in their shops. and rename themselves as get on your sleepers stores

Poor old owl being made redundant again mac