Posted by Perry on July 07, 2002 at 13:47:45:

In Reply to: seriousness of OSA posted by MikeD on July 07, 2002 at 13:06:57:

Depends on what you consider serious.

Is having a good chance at a great future something you would consider a serious matter.

The following will likely occur (and is well documented).

1) it gets worse if left untreated.

2) it causes major cardiovascular problems. Circulation problems and a heart attack or two at an early age won't affect your future, will it.

3) it will affect your job performance (and already probably is), social life, and family life. Does it matter if you don't get those pay raises and promotions other people will get. Is a quality family and social life important to you?

4) Memory capablilities of your brain will deterorate (and short term memory abilities may be permanently reduced).

In addition the following might occur.

6) many people have weight gain caused by OSA, that then makes the OSA worse (a vicious cycle). If the weight gain gets significant - all kinds of other medical problems appear.

6) you might have an accident where you seriously injur or kill someone else.

7) you just might die in your sleep if the problem gets bad enough.

In addition, it makes a whole series of other medical problems worse. The body just does not function of heal right when it lacks proper sleep. Nothing like stepping on you when you are down. Of course, in this case - you are the one stepping on yourself if you don't learn all you can about it and get proper treatment.

I would like to honor you as a volunteer service member (I too was one). You have a right to be proud of your service to our country. I would like to wish you a long and prosperous future. We need good alert people in the service - and we need them to stick arround. Unfortunately, your future is in your hands - not mine.

You can choose deniel and tough it out, or you can take the harder choice and choose to deal with the problem now - so that you can have a great future. I will warn you, dealing with it now may affect your military service (and it may not - depends on what you do and where you do it, and the needed treatment).

Your choice. Just don't say no one warned you.

If only I had been properly diagnosed and treated about 14 years ago. You have no idea how much I've lost (and there are others here who will tell you the same).

Perry

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