Hadn't hear from you in a while, there some pretty interesting discusssions going on right now if you're following the forum. Hope to hear from you soon.

Mary Z.

Welcome to the SleepGuide community!!

The forum contains topics dealing with sleep apnea and various treatment options and methods of treating obstructive, central, and complex sleep apnea, as well as other sleep disorders. It is possible to have more than one sleep disorder, and this is why it is typically recommended that one have a sleep study to rule out other sleep disorders that maybe present.

The forum is made up of members that have one or more sleep disorders and professionals that contribute their time through the forum to help patients, family members, friends, and others to learn about the various sleep disorders and ways to cope with treatment options available to them.

For many patients, we are given a diagnosis and left on our own to deal with the adjustment period getting used to the treatment option(s) chosen. For those with sleep apnea, the gold standard in treatment options is the cpap machine. In order for the cpap to be effective, the patient must use some type of mask to deliver the air to the airway. Typically, many of us find that we are not educated on how to deal with the many issues that plague most users. This site helps educate patients to take control of their own therapy and learn ways to cope with the various issues that may arise.

If you are a patient may I suggest that you check out the FAQ and Group tabs near the top of the page. You will find answers to many common questions there. When posting questions on the discussion page, it is helpful if you have filled out your equipment on “My page” as it will allows to see which machine and mask you are using. You will find the full name of the machine written on it somewhere, typically the top. The different machines have different capabilities and it will help members answer your questions.

The professionals that participate in the forum are invaluable with their expertise and advice on different treatment options and explanations of what is happening. They give their time freely, and are greatly appreciated among SleepGuide users!!

Due to the nature of internet forums, each forum member is responsible for their own postings. Any information that you may find on this forum is the sole opinion of the writer and should not be construed to be medical advice, nor take the place of your medical doctor.

I hope that you find the forum useful and will participate in the discussions and groups.

Thanks, Lisa. Michigan is a long way from NYC. Will there be a transcript of your presentation available at a later date? I should think it would be quite interesting.

Welcome to the forum, Lisa. I'm curious as to just what role psychotherapy plays in sleep therapy. I assume, of course, helping those w/an emotional "block" to accept CPAP therapy but I also assume there is much more to the role of psychotherapy than that.