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Friends and Family Call it a Breathing Machine. How do you deal?
Got this question from a friend. My friends and family haven't been this ignorant about it:
I assume you're a CPAP or BiPAP machine user, correct? I use a CPAP and I'm so tired of explaining over and over and over to family and friends that it's not a breathing machine. How do you deal with this?
Views: 47
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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I would use it as an educational opportunity. Technically it is a machine that helps us breathe while we sleep. Do the people in question know how it works? Do they understand how it helps us to breathe?
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Permalink Reply by 99 on
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if they are not asking i would not tell them and just ignore thier ignorance would be a course of kindness
should they want an explanaiton that would be different
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Permalink Reply by Chris H on
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Keeeping it simple I just say if you broke your leg you would cast or splint it .We use an Air Spint to keep our airway open so we dont become hypoxic and croak.Good sleep ,Chris
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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on
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I have used the term "breathing machine" to explain to my grandkids that it helps grandma sleep at night.
It seems to me (in my opinion) that you are over sensitive and haven't fully accepted the fact that you need help at night to keep your airway open. There are soooo many other medical conditions far worse than sleep apnea.
Why keep explaining if it gets under your skin --- especially if they know it is actually a cpap?
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Permalink Reply by Donna B. on
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I still think it's funny when someone tells me to just drink an extra cup of coffee in the afternoon. Oh, if it were that easy.
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I just use it as a 'teachable moment' and try to educate them about sleep apnea. If YOU have OSA, odds are someone else in your family does, too, and it's likely to be untreated and/or undiagnosed.
And, really, it IS a breathing machine in a way, because we literally can't breathe without it during sleep.
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