I'd Like To Start A Crusade (a spinoff of jarbabyj's sleep apnea thread in GQ)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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My husband suffers from sleep apnea, and has to wear a CPAP machine to keep his airway open at night. Without it, snores horrendously, chokes, and stops breathing. This machine has been a Goddess-send, I’m telling ya.

Another contibutor in that thread, someone named RufusLeaking, mentioned that he qualifies for a discount on his PG&E bill, because his CPAP machine is medically necessary and requires electricity.

SO, I call Consumer’s Energy (my gas & electric company) today, to see if there’s anything like that here. The answer is no, but, they’ll note my account, and if there’s ever an outage here in my neighborhood, they’ll be sure to try and see that my neighborhood is turned back on ASAP.

Feh.

Sleep apnea is a dangerous disorder. It is life-threatening if left unchecked and untreated. My husband needs this machine. Without it, he could die.

Yes, there are other methods of treatment, like surgery. But a) surgery is highly invasive and painful, while the CPAP is neither of those things, b) my husband is a guitarist/singer with a very distinctive voice, and surgery will almost definitely change it (this is according to three different doctors). And as long as the CPAP is working (which it is), my husband is not willing to sacrifice his vocal tone, and c) Hi Opal!

Anyway, I’d like to start a Crusade to get Consumer’s to change their policy about CPAP machines. But I have no idea how to go about beginning a Crusade. I know that swords, horses, and flaming arrows are pretty much out. But I also know that I’ll be fighting Big Business. Anyone got any tips?

BTW, I’m actually serious about this. I want this company to recognize the importance of these machines, and do something to help their customers that must rely on them.

Thanks!

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My father, who is 52, also has the CPAP machine for his sleep apnea. It wasn’t until 2 years ago that a doctor recommended this treatment for his disorder. My mother would awaken at night when he stopped breathing and have to coax him to start again. He Wasn’t getting enough sleep which not only effected his work, but his relationship with his wife and children. He would fall asleep any time he was in front of the TV. He would usually be in bed by 9:00pm at the latest. He was obtrusivly cranky and short-tempered. On top of it all his disorder was life threatening. He could stop breathing altogether and not regain his beathing. It could cause brain damage due to lack of oxygen.

Since he has gotten the machine, he doesn’t snore, thus letting my poor mother sleep better. He also get significantly more sleep than he has his whole life. He actually takes my mother out to dinner and a movie and stays awake. (even during the chick flix:D) He goes to my lil’ brothers school functions at night. He has the energy on the weekends to work around the house, which he loves to do.

I think that it is a siginificant health problem and it should be recongnized by not only utility company’s, but by the government as a whole. The machine is extremely expensive and requires electricity to keep it going. The parts that need to be replaced are a continuous need as well. This should definitly be condsidered a life threatening disease and given consideration by all involved.

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Try contacting the manufacturer of the machine. Explain that your utility company doesn’t feel that their machine is medically necessary. That should get them pissed off enough to make a move. I’d imagine that a strongly worded letter from the company, and maybe one from the sleep center/doctor involved would get things moving.

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They probably don’t think it’s life-threatening because most of the people with sleep apnea don’t realize they have it. I have sleep apnea and I do wear the comical and veeerrry uncomfortable CPAP mask.

If you’re starting a petition, I’ll sign it!
[sub]maybe I should call Los Angeles DWP about a discount[/sub]

5

Just read in the paper today that Consumer’s Energy AND Michigan Consolidated Gas Company (MichCon) are going to be raising their rates come April 1st. Consumer’s is going to double, and MichCon is going to go up by (hold on to your hats, folks) *75%.[/]

The numbers that they presented in the paper today were laughable. They stated that an average residential yearly bill, before the increase, was about $395. “BWAAAAAAHAHAHA!” said I and all of my co-workers today, after reading this nonsense. “That’s three months of winter bills for us!”

They say that we’ll be getting some kind of credit on our bills to help offset the price increase, but I can’t remember how that’s going to work, right off the top of my head. All’s I can say about that is if it’s not going to offset the increase forever, it’s not enough of a credit.

Now I’ve got to campaign for some kind of discount. I had to make a payment arrangement to pay my current bill. There’s no way on this earth I’ll be able to afford that kind of increase. There’s no way most average Michigan residents will be able to afford it.

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Whoops. Sorry about that bad coding. If a moderator would care to step in & repair the damage, I’d be most appreciative!