Death from sleep apnea

[okiegal61]

So glad to find this forum. I just had a sleep study, and I will find out the result soon. But I thought I need to be reading up on everything. Yesterday I was excited to find a cause for some problems, but today, I am more freaked out and scared. I guess it is just a process I must go through. I want to make my life the best it can be, and a machine at night, could be all my problems. so I am trying to keep positive today.

thanks for this board, and all the contributing members.

[Sleepster]

Yesterday I was excited to find a cause for some problems, but today, I am more freaked out and scared.

Just keep in mind that you are not going to die from sleep apnea while you wait for your CPAP machine. The medical care system takes its time getting that machine to you, but keep in mind that while you are waiting you need to educate yourself about your options.

Find out the names of the DME's in your area that accept your insurance and contact them. Ask them what brand of machines they offer and at what prices.

[okiegal61]

Thank you Sleepster, I will be looking up that info.

In the mean time, seems like there is a lot to learn, that I do not understand.

[Ugly]

Just keep in mind that you are not going to die from sleep apnea while you wait for your CPAP machine.

You know better than to say that! Sure the chances are low, but... I've had my bouts - many before my CPAP and often when I forget to wear it - that I wake up choking, gasping for air. I have feared the day when I may not be able to help myself. So yeah you could die from it. You know fully well that if sleep apnea was no big deal then this website wouldn't exist!

[archangle]

Sorry guys, but OSA is NOT a cause of death. It is a contributing factor to the cause of death, yes, but it is NOT a cause of death.

Well, bullets aren't a cause of death, either. It's usually the blood loss that does you in.

And it's not the fall, it's the sudden deceleration at the bottom.

However, I do understand your statement.

If someone with apnea dies, and they wouldn't have died if they had done their CPAP, is it fair to call apnea the cause of death? It's a question of semantics.

Maybe it would be a good thing if more obituaries listed the cause of death as untreated sleep apnea, smoking, etc.

[SuperSleeper]

I got this email just now. I have no way to determine whether this is actually the Meredith Dill listed in the obituary, but here is the text of the email, nonetheless... it appears to be legitimately her:

Subject: Paul Scannell's obit
From: Meredith Dill <email address removed>
To: apneaboard@gmail.com

I just googled myself and found this thread on your boards about my Paul:
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...leep-apnea

I don't want to register just to post about this, but I would like to
clarify that we don't know that it was apnea. The family was guessing that
it was apnea, the preliminary autopsy was inconclusive and they wanted to
put something down. He had mild apnea, didn't finish the whole test before
pulling off the thing. The doctor didn't think it was severe enough to
repeat the test.

Could you please post for me on the thread that he had mild apnea, but that
we are not certain that it was the cause of death?

Thank you,
Meredith Dill

.

[Meredith]

That was me. If you google my name, you can see that the pics match the ones on the obituary at the funeral home. I'm the only one with my name in MA as far as I can tell.

It took nearly a year for them to determine that he had a heart attack, which all the medical professionals tell me was unrelated to the apnea.

I doubt I'll be back here, but I wanted to tie up loose ends.

[Mark Douglas]

That was me. If you google my name, you can see that the pics match the ones on the obituary at the funeral home. I'm the only one with my name in MA as far as I can tell.

It took nearly a year for them to determine that he had a heart attack, which all the medical professionals tell me was unrelated to the apnea.

I doubt I'll be back here, but I wanted to tie up loose ends.

There is a whole lot of info to suggest otherwise. As archangel said above it may have not been the proximate cause but very likely a contributing factor. Were I the suspicious sort I would wonder if this were not a case of circling the wagons.

[PaulaO2]

I am so sorry for your loss. And I am sorry it took them a year to determine the cause of his death. It should not take that long for you to get closure.

[SuperSleeper]

Meredith, thanks for coming here to tie up those loose ends. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

I'll go ahead and close this thread for now.