Changes I Should Have Made

It’s pretty easy to look back and see all the things I have done right about my diagnosis and treatment for sleep apnea.

I made sure to discuss my symptoms with my doctor, which led to my diagnosis and acquisition of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. All of these tasks were pretty simple, with no real reason to have anything I would change because it is a fairly simple diagnosis and treatment plan with what is available.

However, there are a few things I would change if I could go back in time. They are things I will change going into the future.

Learning about sleep apnea

The first would be my research on sleep apnea. It seems pretty straightforward, but there really is a lot more to it than you would think. I am big on knowledge. The more you can learn about your condition, the more you can look into treatments and have better and more meaningful conversations with your doctors.

A lot of times, unless it is your sleep doctor, your primary care doctor or any other doctor won’t know much more than you do about sleep apnea. Unless they have taken the time to learn more about it, don’t expect everyone in healthcare to know everything about every condition.

Becoming my own advocate

I have gone along with whatever doctors have said about my sleep apnea without any questioning about what is going on. I know they did what was best for me, but there are more things I could have questioned or offered to try alternative solutions.

Even just having a simple talk about my ideas would make me think I was more involved in my care than I am. Even if no changes were made, it is always a good feeling to know you had discussions about your care no matter the outcome. I’ve also found when you are involved and knowledgeable, you are less likely to have a provider take the simple approach.

They will know you know what you are talking about, and sometimes that will push a lazy physician or nurse to give it their all. I know they should anyways, but we all know the reality that not every provider is like that.

Putting my health first

One last thing I should have changed was my work schedule. I let myself stay on a night shift schedule I knew was bad for my sleep and my condition, but I did it anyways to stay in a job I liked rather than looking out for my health.

When it comes down to it, money is not everything. Health is much more important. I could have dealt with a job I did not care as much for to make sure I lived a better life and possibly added years to by getting better sleep.

A work in progress

I am working on that, and hopefully, it will become a reality. If not, I may have to make some changes to reflect the change I need to make.

I know that is easier said than done, but we can only go for so long without finally stopping to take care of ourselves. It's either that or I die chasing the all-mighty dollar.