Friday, April 5, 2013

This Week in Angela, part 1: Fat

Some of the potential benefits of a CPAP machine are:
A.  Less strain on the heart leads to a lower risk of heart attack
B.  Uninterrupted sleep leads to more energy during the day, improved mental functions, coordination, etc.
C.  Fewer breathing interruptions leads to a lower chance of suffocation during sleep.
D.  Improved energy sometimes leads to more activity which can lead to weight loss.
E. Opening the breathing pathways eliminates snoring.
This is what I've determined from reading about sleep apnea, mostly online.  Since I have had no complaints about my energy or quality of life, I was mostly concerned about snoring (superficial I know, but at the time I was sleeping with someone), and the whole less-likely-to-die bits.  Getting a CPAP was sort of like quitting smoking.  It's something I wanted to do in order to avoid future regret.  So I went to an ear, nose, and throat doctor, told him all of this, and got tested for apnea.

Given that I have told him, repeatedly, that my quality of life is good, and I am rested and active and happy, given that the potential benefits from the CPAP machine include NOT DYING, I am starting to get really pissed that the one thing the doctor continues to mention and check with me is my WEIGHT.  When he was telling me about the benefits of the machine, he told me about the possibility of weight loss.  When he proscribed the machine, he told me that I might lose weight.  When I came in for a checkup this morning, he asked if I'd lost weight.  The guy who rents the medical equipment mentioned it, too.  Possibly more than once. 

It assumes that I want to lose weight.  It assumes that I'm trying, and not succeeding.  It assumes that the reason I'm not losing weight is because I don't have the energy to get my fat ass up to exercise.  If I only had more energy during the day, I'd be able to stop being so fat.

I will put together a version of this in a letter.  I will let them know why I will not be returning for services again.  That much, I can do.

ETA: And it will be an actual letter, because they have no way to contact them by email.


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