Introducing Sleep Apnea Pathfinders

This is episode zero for Sleep Apnea Pathfinders by your hosts Juanita Crawford, a sleep health professional and David Bishop, a sleep apnea patient.  Join us as we discuss this involved sleep disorder from two differing perspectives.   

There are many paths other patients and families are on when experiencing sleep apnea.  The many paths that make up our collective experience as patients and providers are made up of changes and successes and those that are in between.  Our podcast will give voice to the challenges and also learn from those who have been able to adjust.  The spouses, partners, and families are just as much a part of the experience as the patient.  We want to see what path they have been on while serving in a support role to their loved one.  

We also seek to connect with health professionals both in sleep profession.  Those in the sleep profession have experiences which are valuable to learn from.  And those medical professionals outside of the sleep profession, we hope to show those connections between sleep apnea and various medical conditions.  

Our podcast will take a more complete view of sleep apnea and discuss the various issues and challenges from four different perspectives.  The social perspective which encompasses relationships, work and leisure time.  The physical perspective that involves all of the co-related illnesses which have been shown to either have a cause and effect relationship or increase risk for those illnesses.  The emotional perspective that covers everything from the relationship to depression, anxiety, executive functioning deficits and more.  And, lastly we will cover the numerous issues which arise along the continuum of awareness, recognizing signs and symptoms, getting diagnosed,  starting treatment and adjusting to treatment.   

We invite patients, families, health care providers and sleep health professionals to let us know what pathway you are on and what your challenges and successes have been no matter how small or large.

You can connect with us at SleepApneaPathfinders@Gmail.com and don't forget to subscribe to our weekly podcast.

Transcript

Announcer: 0:00

Hi, everyone. Welcome to sleep apnea. Pathfinders, a weekly podcast for patients, their families and healthcare providers to share their stories of success and challenges. We are passionate about sleep apnea and its impact on our overall health. Please join your hosts, David and Juanita, as they share their passion on all things, sleep apnea.

Juanita Crawford: 0:35

Hello, and welcome to episode zero of the sleep apnea Pathfinders podcast. My name is Juanita, and I'm David. And we'd like to introduce ourselves so you can get to know us. My name is Juanita Crawford. And I've teamed up with David to record the sleep apnea, Pathfinders podcast, because I'm passionate about sleep, particularly sleep apnea. I've worked in sleep medicine as a registered sleep tech since 2009. So I primarily stand on the healthcare worker side of things.

David Bishop: 1:07

Hi, everybody, my name is David Bishop, and I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea in 2006. I'm all about patient empowerment, and finding new pathways for growth. We wanted to do this podcast to talk about issues important to patients and families. We also want to reach out to other health care providers outside of sleep medicine. To discuss the connection sleep apnea has with a variety of illnesses and conditions.

Juanita Crawford: 1:35

As David and I navigate through this journey, I'm aiming to connect with everyone who's been impacted by Sleep Apnea directly and indirectly. So if you've been diagnosed with sleep apnea, if you wonder if you have sleep apnea if you're in a support role for someone with sleep apnea, if you've been successful with pap therapy, or decided against pap therapy, if you're an oral appliance user, if you're a sleep provider, or healthcare worker, this podcast is for you.

David Bishop: 2:07

This podcast will highlight the many areas of our lives sleep apnea impacts, we plan to interview other patients, and you'll get the opportunity to connect through their stories about the challenges and successes, no matter how big or small. By listening to this podcast, we hope to help you navigate through the challenges of sleep apnea and see that you are not alone. We'll interview other sleep professionals to get a better understanding of the range of treatments available for sleep apnea. Each week we will discuss a different aspect of sleep apnea, we're going to look at sleep apnea from four different perspectives, a social lens, a physical lens, and also through an emotional lens. The last area which is significant to discuss is all the issues which come up over the course of awareness, diagnosis, treatment. And then finally, adjustment.

Juanita Crawford: 3:05

I want to hear about your path that led you here so we can see it as you see it. I want to know if you found therapy that works for you. I also want to know what kind of support you've received along the way, or perhaps support you didn't but hoped you had. David and I are aiming to cover every conversation needed for the sake of sleep apnea awareness, and we hope you come away feeling empowered and motivated to learn more as our episodes evolve.

David Bishop: 3:32

We'll be putting out new episodes weekly and we invite you to email us with your suggestions or comments. At sleep apnea pathfinders@gmail.com. We plan to rotate through the areas weekly, and we'll focus on the social lens next week to be followed by the physical lens emotional lens. And the final week will be spent discussing anything across awareness, diagnosis, treatment and adjustment. So I'm going to pass it back to Juanita.

Juanita Crawford: 4:04

Our future podcasts will average 20 to 30 minutes in length, making it convenient to listen while commuting, having a lunch break or out for a jog. Thank you for listening. And we'll talk to you next week.

Announcer: 4:18

This has been an episode of sleep apnea Pathfinders. Thank you for joining us. Don't forget to subscribe.