was interviewed for a column about sleep apnea. thought i'd share the questions with you and how i answered them.

Questions:

1. Can you introduce yourself? (name, age, occupation, etc.) MIKE GOLDMAN, 35, FOUNDER OF SLEEPGUIDE.COM

2. How was your sleep apnea condition diagnosed? What kind of problems or symptoms were you having at that time? I WAS ACTUALLY DIAGNOSED BY A FRIEND WHO HAS SLEEP APNEA. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS HAVING WHAT I DESCRIBED AS PANIC ATTACKS, WAKING UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT FEELING AS IF I WERE SUFFOCATING -- HE SAID "OH NO, THOSE AREN'T PANIC ATTACKS; THAT'S SLEEP APNEA. GO GET YOURSELF CHECKED OUT"

3. Which treatment options did you choose or go through? Did you try more than one? Was it simple or was it challenging? ALTHOUGH MY DOCTORS WERE PUSHING ME TOWARD SURGERY, I REALLY WANTED TO TRY CPAP FIRST. MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH CPAP WAS A MISERABLE FAILURE. IT WAS A BASIC MACHINE THAT WAS DROP SHIPPED TO ME BY MY EQUIPMENT PROVIDER. I COULDN'T TOLERATE IT AND GAVE UP AFTER 2 NIGHTS. MONTHS LATER, MY FRIEND TOLD ME ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF OTHER CPAP MACHINE OPTIONS, AND ENCOURAGED ME TO TRY SOMETHING NEW. I DID AND HAD NO PROBLEMS. I'VE BEEN USING IT CONSISTENTLY NOW FOR OVER TWO YEARS.

4. What were some major obstacles or challenges you had to overcome before finding a treatment (regiment, therapy, etc.) that worked for you? NOT KNOWING ABOUT ALL THE TREATMENT OPTIONS OUT THERE AND HAVING THE ATTITUDE THAT WHAT MY DOCTOR PRESCRIBED MUST BE THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD WORK FOR ME.

5. Do you feel that sleep apnea is something you can handle on your own or need other support systems? if so, what or who are they? FOR ME, I WOULD HAVE HAD NO CHANCE OF SUCCESS WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF A FRIEND WHO WAS GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING AND CHEERING ME ON. THAT'S WHY I STARTED SLEEPGUIDE.COM, A COMMUNITY OF PATIENTS AND PROFESSIONALS WHO CARE ABOUT SLEEP APNEA.

6. Do you have family members that you've alerted (since it's hereditary), or friends that may have similar conditions? ABSOLUTELY. I KID AROUND ALL THE TIME ABOUT MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY "CATCHING" MY SLEEP APNEA. WHEN I SEE SOMEONE ELSE WHO I SUSPECT MAY HAVE SLEEP APNEA, I REALLY ENCOURAGE THEM TO GET IT CHECKED OUT.

7. If you had to go through it again, knowing what you know, what's your one advice for someone that's newly diagnosed? What would you do have done differently from the beginning? EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT SLEEP APNEA SO THAT YOU'RE NOT RELYING ON ANYONE EXCEPT YOURSELF TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE DECISIONS ABOUT YOUR TREATMENT. SLEEP APNEA IS A CHRONIC, COMPLEX DISORDER THAT YOU WILL BE LIVING WITH EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE. NO ONE WILL CARE MORE ABOUT YOUR SUCCESS IN TREATING IT AS YOU WILL YOURSELF.

8. Any other words of advice? FIND OUT FROM THE VERY GET GO WHAT THE LATEST, GREATEST OPTIONS ARE FOR TREATMENT. IF YOU'RE DOING CPAP, FIND OUT WHAT THE NEWEST LINES OF MACHINES AND MASKS ARE AND ENCOURAGE YOUR DOCTOR TO PRESCRIBE THEM. TECHNOLOGY IN THIS AREA IS EVOLVING QUICKLY, AND EQUIPMENT IS ALWAYS GETTING MORE COMFORTABLE AND BETTER TO USE.