This is driving me nuts

Julie wrote:Can you afford to buy direct from an online dealer like Cpap.com and just forget insce. for now? Do you have a prescription?

no on both counts, I am unemployed living with my parents who both just finished collage last year ( they both work in healthcare now cleaning surgical instruments for at two different hospitals in the big city) so between student loan debt, general debt from going to school, bills they wouldn't be able to help and my doctor in under the notion that losing weight with cure my apnea and didn't even mention prescribing a cpap for me.

Have you COMPARED the prices of cpap.com or secondwindcpap vs the local clip joint/monopoly?
Medicaid, and most insurance, will not provide you with a spare/backup machine anyway,
--Which it is wise to have, so you could get that one right away. Just don't tell anyone you have a machine;
no sense giving them another excuse to deny you what should be their responsibility.
It also would not hurt to bring your situation to the attention of local lawmakers.
Somebody is always running for something.

*cough*craigslist*cough*

palerider wrote:*cough*craigslist*cough*

the big issues I have with that is I have been bured too many times on craigslist, I don't know what all they could have done to or with the machine ( the could use the humidifier as an ash tray for all I would know), and last no money or mode of transportation to get meet someone and I am sure as hell not giving my home address to someone on craigslist ( I might have been born at night, but sure wasn't last night XD)

pettyfan45 wrote:

palerider wrote:*cough*craigslist*cough*

the big issues I have with that is I have been bured too many times on craigslist, I don't know what all they could have done to or with the machine ( the could use the humidifier as an ash tray for all I would know), and last no money or mode of transportation to get meet someone and I am sure as hell not giving my home address to someone on craigslist ( I might have been born at night, but sure wasn't last night XD)

well, there are people here on the forum that sell machines that they've checked out, for a good price. though, not free.

you might pm grayghost4 and see what he's got, so you'd know what kind of money would be needed, it might be within the realm of possibility. he also might be able to find you a good deal on craigslist, he does that a lot for other people here.

pettyfan45 wrote:

palerider wrote:*cough*craigslist*cough*

the big issues I have with that is I have been bured too many times on craigslist, I don't know what all they could have done to or with the machine ( the could use the humidifier as an ash tray for all I would know), and last no money or mode of transportation to get meet someone and I am sure as hell not giving my home address to someone on craigslist ( I might have been born at night, but sure wasn't last night XD)

If you do go this route, all you need to do is arrange to meet at a Starbucks. They have power outlets handy, so you can test the machine to make sure it is blowing and sounding okay. You can also let the air blow with the mask up to your face to make sure it doesn't smell like cigarette smoke. I got my backup Resmed S9 autoset for $200 that way.

If you don't have a Starbucks nearby, look for one that is near a bus route. Or check out your local grocery store. They will often have power outlets in the lobby area.

zoocrewphoto wrote:

pettyfan45 wrote:

palerider wrote:*cough*craigslist*cough*

the big issues I have with that is I have been bured too many times on craigslist, I don't know what all they could have done to or with the machine ( the could use the humidifier as an ash tray for all I would know), and last no money or mode of transportation to get meet someone and I am sure as hell not giving my home address to someone on craigslist ( I might have been born at night, but sure wasn't last night XD)

If you do go this route, all you need to do is arrange to meet at a Starbucks. They have power outlets handy, so you can test the machine to make sure it is blowing and sounding okay. You can also let the air blow with the mask up to your face to make sure it doesn't smell like cigarette smoke. I got my backup Resmed S9 autoset for $200 that way.

If you don't have a Starbucks nearby, look for one that is near a bus route. Or check out your local grocery store. They will often have power outlets in the lobby area.

+1 the other good thing about starbucks is that there's usually plenty of people around, so nobody's likely to get robbed or hurt.

Totally agree with the poster who says to tell them you've lost weight but it hasn't helped your symptoms. That says that you're following doctor's orders, but puts the ball back in their court. Hopefully it will force their hand.

Does anybody know the actual specs for Medicaid regarding covering CPAP? I'm thinking it is not Medicaid who is preventing your coverage, but some facility standard of recommended treatment. If your doctor will order the machine, I'm thinking Medicaid will cover it 100%. Can you find out what the standards are in your state? Several years ago when I had a gap between becoming unable to work and waiting 3 years for disability to go through, I was on Medicaid. They covered my machine. Now, you may not be able to get a provider to give you a Cadillac of machines, but you should be able to push for a data capable machine considering you are in the process of weight loss and could reasonably anticipate your pressure needs to change. You have to be able to monitor your treatment. I feel like a parrot, but want to also co-sign that you do not accept a machine without getting the specifics and asking here. Can't tell you how many people on here thought they remembered, when one word makes a difference. In your situation, I'd try to work within the system. Please consider that even within organizations or facilities the quality of care can vary between departments and between the doctors. Try not to plan for failure, or it may be a self-fulfilling prophecy as it sets the tone for interactions. Sounds like your experiences have left you a bit jaded. Many of us here have had some disappointing encounters. Push past those to find the satisfying ones. I've had some very dedicated doctors even when on Medicaid. It is not without hope. Good luck.

pettyfan45 wrote:I have seen my doctor twice since my study and he told me "we don't treat mild apnea" and that I just had to loose weight and that fix it.

Your doc is a quack. Find another one.

You need CPAP. Lose the weight too, but you need CPAP.

tiredandscared wrote:I can se why the doctor recommended weight-loss first. Your sleep apnea is disturbing your sleep, causing sleep fragmentation and disrupting your REM sleep. You're not getting enough restful sleep and your body is constantly experiencing elevated cortisol. But you're not at the point where you're risking developing comorbid health-conditions or physical damage. You still need to get it treated, as untreated sleep apnea can get progressively worse. I'd recommend trying a jaw-appliance or a sleep apnea pillow, which forces your head to sleep in way conducive to having your airway open. If you can get a CPAP machine, go for it. But I'd follow the doctors recommendation of losing weight. There are other benefits, besides sleep apnea remission. Including improving your ADHD symptoms and concentration issues.

Allow me to add my voice to the "tiredandscared" is wrong on this issue, and is suspect in general.

pettyfan45 wrote:

palerider wrote:*cough*craigslist*cough*

the big issues I have with that is I have been bured too many times on craigslist, I don't know what all they could have done to or with the machine ( the could use the humidifier as an ash tray for all I would know), and last no money or mode of transportation to get meet someone and I am sure as hell not giving my home address to someone on craigslist ( I might have been born at night, but sure wasn't last night XD)

I've bought 7 CPAP machines on Craigslist and helped a friend buy another. Only one was defective in any way, and that one was really cheap.

As for the machines being nasty, the most that's likely to happen with the machine itself is to get a smoky smell.

The big problem with rolling your own is getting a mask that fits, and sanitizing a used mask.

Ok did some looking at the DME's in my area and they mostly sell resmed and respronics stuff. So I shouldn't be stuck with a total crap machine, yes? http://www.bendersrx.com/searchResults. ... tOrder=rel here is a link for their machine selection. As far as Craigslist goes, at time of posting I only see one machine (a resmed S8) and they want $200 (way out of my price range), so I will keep looking. Also I sent an email to a nurse practitioner that works in same area as my current doctor to see if I can have her as my new primary care physician (and what it would take because I have never changed doctors before so I know not what the process entails). I have seen her a couple times when my current doctor was out of town and she seemed rather nice and caring (unlike my current doctor). And one more question, even if they give me a CPAP that is not so great as long as it is usable, once I get a job can I just go to an online store and buy a better one or would I need to talk to my doctor about getting another prescription for that.

kteague wrote:Totally agree with the poster who says to tell them you've lost weight but it hasn't helped your symptoms. That says that you're following doctor's orders, but puts the ball back in their court. Hopefully it will force their hand.

Does anybody know the actual specs for Medicaid regarding covering CPAP? I'm thinking it is not Medicaid who is preventing your coverage, but some facility standard of recommended treatment. If your doctor will order the machine, I'm thinking Medicaid will cover it 100%. Can you find out what the standards are in your state? Several years ago when I had a gap between becoming unable to work and waiting 3 years for disability to go through, I was on Medicaid. They covered my machine. Now, you may not be able to get a provider to give you a Cadillac of machines, but you should be able to push for a data capable machine considering you are in the process of weight loss and could reasonably anticipate your pressure needs to change. You have to be able to monitor your treatment. I feel like a parrot, but want to also co-sign that you do not accept a machine without getting the specifics and asking here. Can't tell you how many people on here thought they remembered, when one word makes a difference. In your situation, I'd try to work within the system. Please consider that even within organizations or facilities the quality of care can vary between departments and between the doctors. Try not to plan for failure, or it may be a self-fulfilling prophecy as it sets the tone for interactions. Sounds like your experiences have left you a bit jaded. Many of us here have had some disappointing encounters. Push past those to find the satisfying ones. I've had some very dedicated doctors even when on Medicaid. It is not without hope. Good luck.

Yeah they might cover it, but I fear it might be like getting glasses where they pay for the exam, lenses, and frame as long iI don't get any extras like thin lenses, photogrey, and my frames are from the "bargain bin". I can't find anything on how they do it now, so might just have to ask my doctor.

pettyfan45 wrote:I am a 23 year old male and I had an in lab sleep study in late December and they calmed I had mild obstructive sleep apnea (I had an AHI on 14, RDI of 16, and I had 36 hypopneas in the 160 minutes of sleep I got). My primary doctor thought my weight was causing this, so he told me start losing it (never told me how much I should lose mind you), so I went down from 248lbs in March to about 224lbs right now and I have experienced no change. I am still tired all the time, have a headache all day that nothing over the counter seems to help, fall asleep at my computer at home, I wake up sweating and short of breath occasionally, and sometimes wake up with chest pain that goes away after a few minutes. Should I see about getting another sleep study to see if me losing this weight has helped at all or should I try lose more and see that helps before that. I am also wondering if some of my other medical conditions could effect this like ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or Cerebral palsy with muscle weakness ( because of that I have issues walking for prolonged amounts of time and chronic pain in my legs)

Thank You for any help,
Pettyfan45

You said you have a headache all day. Is it a normal headache or is it a lack of oxygen headache?

Enchanter wrote:

pettyfan45 wrote:I am a 23 year old male and I had an in lab sleep study in late December and they calmed I had mild obstructive sleep apnea (I had an AHI on 14, RDI of 16, and I had 36 hypopneas in the 160 minutes of sleep I got). My primary doctor thought my weight was causing this, so he told me start losing it (never told me how much I should lose mind you), so I went down from 248lbs in March to about 224lbs right now and I have experienced no change. I am still tired all the time, have a headache all day that nothing over the counter seems to help, fall asleep at my computer at home, I wake up sweating and short of breath occasionally, and sometimes wake up with chest pain that goes away after a few minutes. Should I see about getting another sleep study to see if me losing this weight has helped at all or should I try lose more and see that helps before that. I am also wondering if some of my other medical conditions could effect this like ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or Cerebral palsy with muscle weakness ( because of that I have issues walking for prolonged amounts of time and chronic pain in my legs)

Thank You for any help,
Pettyfan45

You said you have a headache all day. Is it a normal headache or is it a lack of oxygen headache?

I do know how I could tell the difference, all I know Is I wake up with a headache and it lasts all day.

pettyfan45 wrote:$200 (way out of my price range)

$200 is out of your price range?

An S8 was a good machine but $200 is a bit much for that old of a machine.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=106699&p=1014862#p1014858
This guy is/was selling an S8 and I think he got talked down to $150 for the machine. I do not know this person so I can't say anything about him or the machine.

If that is out of your price range, You will need to have someone give you a machine then since that is pretty cheap for a good working machine.

Enchanter wrote:

pettyfan45 wrote:I am a 23 year old male and I had an in lab sleep study in late December and they calmed I had mild obstructive sleep apnea (I had an AHI on 14, RDI of 16, and I had 36 hypopneas in the 160 minutes of sleep I got). My primary doctor thought my weight was causing this, so he told me start losing it (never told me how much I should lose mind you), so I went down from 248lbs in March to about 224lbs right now and I have experienced no change. I am still tired all the time, have a headache all day that nothing over the counter seems to help, fall asleep at my computer at home, I wake up sweating and short of breath occasionally, and sometimes wake up with chest pain that goes away after a few minutes. Should I see about getting another sleep study to see if me losing this weight has helped at all or should I try lose more and see that helps before that. I am also wondering if some of my other medical conditions could effect this like ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or Cerebral palsy with muscle weakness ( because of that I have issues walking for prolonged amounts of time and chronic pain in my legs)

Thank You for any help,
Pettyfan45

You said you have a headache all day. Is it a normal headache or is it a lack of oxygen headache?

I strongly suspect that drop in oxygen, even if it's within a normal range, will cause some headaches. Even though 90% is not going to do long-term damage, it might be enough to make the oxygen saturation optimal. It could also be sleep fragmentation and other stuff. It could also be that his polysomnography missed something.