CPAP Heaven

It says something when three of your immediate family members have CPAP machines.

I mean, at this point, my youngest son, my sister and my 2nd husband all have little black boxes sitting on their nighstands. My hubby just got his yesterday and I felt like an old hand at all the instructions. I wanted to know what his titration setting was (6), did he need to go back for another sleep study to confirm his apneas were indeed stopping (not right now) and what was the reorder schedule and procedure (every six months and he will get a call).

I believe sleep apnea is one of the most undiagnosed diseases in America right now. Many people are battling daytime fatigue, drowsy driving and bad memory, and it is due to not enough oxygen at night. Think about it. My son is 12, my sister is 33 and my hubby is 38. All of them did not get diagnosed until this year. What the heck was going on all those other years?

Well, in my sister's case, we have diabetes and a series of strokes. My hubby needed changes to epilepsy meds and stronger doses at that. My son, well, I have outlined pretty much how his autonomic system is a mess.

Which came first, I wonder? Or is it part of the same thing? Right now, the sleep industry is still out on this one. Yes, OSA is linked to heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure. But how much does it contribute to or cause these diseases? No one knows for sure right now.

So, for this family, yet another member (I am calling them the Three Masketeers now) of my family dons the mask and hose and tries to get through a night...at least, breathing normally. Let us hope that this will avert any future health issues.