CPAP, BIPAP, APAP Machines

[Harry Dresden]

I bought a new machine called an APAP (automatic CPAP) which is supposed to adjust pressures based on need. It senses the user's breathing and adjusts itself accordingly (or that's the claim).

I have the money for the study, but I feel like it's highway robbery. I was shocked when they charged me nearly $300.00 for a 5-minute consultation. But $2000.00 just to hook up a couple of probes while I sleep? That's obscene, in my opinion.

but life saving at the same time....

 

[Harry Dresden]

I don't know how you folks sleep with that thing on, I feel for ya, I really do. I would suggest a glass of tea about a half hour before bed that helps you sleep, I've actually been surprised at how well it works. I'd suggest Celestial Sleepytime Peach (tastes good) or Traditional Medicinals Nighty Night Extra.

there is more to sleep apnea than just falling asleep....take all the sleep aids you want...you still will have the apnea....

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Well ... the issue isn't whether we can sleep or not. I have no problem getting to sleep. I don't have insomnia. It's apnea which is a situation where the airway sort of collapses during sleep which (in my case) causes me to snore heavily (according to my 3, consecutive wives). When that happens ... I either wake myself from the sound of my own snoring or because I am gasping for air.

That's exactly what happens to me. Since I've been on CPAP the last five years I've only had one night that I've slept all the way through without using it where my snoring didn't wake me up and that was a night in Mexico where I got bombed out of my mind at the bar, went back to my room, threw up, and then passed out on my bed.

 

[badger2]

Why is sleep apnea not on Wiki?

 

[ActionJackson]

Why is sleep apnea not on Wiki?

Sleep apnea - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[braalian]

I’m a little on the fence about sleep apnea and the industry surrounding it.

On the one hand, it’s a real disorder and the machines are an effective treatment.

On the other hand, I’m sure the sleep study clinics are robbing patients, insurance and the government blind by recommending a mountain of tests and equipment that probably aren’t needed in many cases.

Those people are 90% hard-sell salespeople and 10% legitimate medical practitioners.

 

[Harry Dresden]

I’m a little on the fence about sleep apnea and the industry surrounding it.

On the one hand, it’s a real disorder and the machines are an effective treatment.

On the other hand, I’m sure the sleep study clinics are robbing patients, insurance and the government blind by recommending a mountain of tests and equipment that probably aren’t needed in many cases.

Those people are 90% hard-sell salespeople and 10% legitimate medical practitioners.

what tests?.....after i had mine there were no further tests.....just the machine and the mask apparatus...

 

[ActionJackson]

I’m a little on the fence about sleep apnea and the industry surrounding it.

On the one hand, it’s a real disorder and the machines are an effective treatment.

On the other hand, I’m sure the sleep study clinics are robbing patients, insurance and the government blind by recommending a mountain of tests and equipment that probably aren’t needed in many cases.

Those people are 90% hard-sell salespeople and 10% legitimate medical practitioners.

I'm proof that they're scamming people. Here's a step by step interaction I had with a local clinic.

1) I called and set up an appointment to discuss the possibility that I had apnea.
2) Before I could see the doctor, I had to pay $45.00 office visit. That seemed fair.
3) I spent about 5 minutes speaking with the doctor.
4) He left and sent in a girl to schedule a sleep study. She said that I would have to give them at least two days' notice if I decided to cancel, or they would charge me $100.00. Fair enough. She said she would call me to let me know what portion of the sleep study I would have to pay. But she had to contact my insurance company first.
5) Three days before the sleep study was to take place, she called me and told me that I would have to pay $1000.00 for the first study and another $1000.00 for the second study.
6) I cancelled right then and there.
7) They called me back later and told me that I could take a home study with an apnea monitor for $40.00. Quite a difference in price. They said I could pick up the device the following Monday.
8) I wasn't able to make it on Monday, so they charged me $50.00 for failing to pick up the monitor.
9) A couple of days later, I got a bill for almost $300.00 minus the $45.00 I had already paid. Turns out, the office visit cost WAY more than the initial $45.00.
10) So, all said and done, I had to pay a $50.00 "no show" fee plus over $300.00 for an office visit and I have ZERO to show for it.

Yes ... one, big scam.

I realize everyone thinks I should go and pay them for the study, but I won't deal with those thieves ever again.

 

[Harry Dresden]

I'm proof that they're scamming people. Here's a step by step interaction I had with a local clinic.

1) I called and set up an appointment to discuss the possibility that I had apnea.
2) Before I could see the doctor, I had to pay $45.00 office visit. That seemed fair.
3) I spent about 5 minutes speaking with the doctor.
4) He left and sent in a girl to schedule a sleep study. She said that I would have to give them at least two days' notice if I decided to cancel, or they would charge me $100.00. Fair enough. She said she would call me to let me know what portion of the sleep study I would have to pay. But she had to contact my insurance company first.
5) Three days before the sleep study was to take place, she called me and told me that I would have to pay $1000.00 for the first study and another $1000.00 for the second study.
6) I cancelled right then and there.
7) They called me back later and told me that I could take a home study with an apnea monitor for $40.00. Quite a difference in price. They said I could pick up the device the following Monday.
8) I wasn't able to make it on Monday, so they charged me $50.00 for failing to pick up the monitor.
9) A couple of days later, I got a bill for almost $300.00 minus the $45.00 I had already paid. Turns out, the office visit cost WAY more than the initial $45.00.
10) So, all said and done, I had to pay a $50.00 "no show" fee plus over $300.00 for an office visit and I have ZERO to show for it.

Yes ... one, big scam.

I realize everyone thinks I should go and pay them for the study, but I won't deal with those thieves ever again.

if you dont one day you may not wake up.....get a new doctor....find a cardiologist or a doctor who is a sleep specialist.....if i cant make it to my doctor,which has happened a few times,i have never been charged a fee...can you get a better ins company?....

 

[ActionJackson]

if you dont one day you may not wake up.....get a new doctor....find a cardiologist or a doctor who is a sleep specialist.....if i cant make it to my doctor,which has happened a few times,i have never been charged a fee...can you get a better ins company?....

My insurance is through my company. Obamacare has made getting "a better insurance company" completely out of reach for me. Maybe if I was illegal or on welfare, I could find an affordable plan. But I'm a middle-class, taxpayer, so I get to live with what I've got.

As far as I know ... there's only one sleep specialist in the smallish town I live in, and they're rip-offs. However, I have seen some online services that will send an apnea monitor in the mail and then get you the result when you return the unit. I may give them a try. I think it was around $125.00 or so.

 

[Harry Dresden]

My insurance is through my company. Obamacare has made getting "a better insurance company" completely out of reach for me. Maybe if I was illegal or on welfare, I could find an affordable plan. But I'm a middle-class, taxpayer, so I get to live with what I've got.

As far as I know ... there's only one sleep specialist in the smallish town I live in, and they're rip-offs. However, I have seen some online services that will send an apnea monitor in the mail and then get you the result when you return the unit. I may give them a try. I think it was around $125.00 or so.

good luck.....

 

[JoeMoma]

I needed to use a bipap machine for awhile because I found myself falling asleep on the job. It could also be dangerous to drive medium to long trips. The bipap machine did help me sleep "well" for a few hours each night, but after getting maybe 3 to 4 hours of sleep I couldn't sleep very well because I was no longer exhausted and the discomforted of the mask/machine would keep me from sleeping. I've lost a lot of weight since then and I've stopped using the bipap machine. I probably still have a milder case of sleep apnea, but I'm no longer falling asleep at inappropriate times. I'm not paying another couple of thousand for another sleep study.

 

[ActionJackson]

I needed to use a bipap machine for awhile because I found myself falling asleep on the job. It could also be dangerous to drive medium to long trips. The bipap machine did help me sleep "well" for a few hours each night, but after getting maybe 3 to 4 hours of sleep I couldn't sleep very well because I was no longer exhausted and the discomforted of the mask/machine would keep me from sleeping. I've lost a lot of weight since then and I've stopped using the bipap machine. I probably still have a milder case of sleep apnea, but I'm no longer falling asleep at inappropriate times. I'm not paying another couple of thousand for another sleep study.

I hear that there's a relationship between weight and proper sleep. Heavy people tend to experience apnea at a higher rate than thinner people. And people with apnea tend to gain weight. I'm a little overweight, but not that bad. I'm 205lbs at 5'10". I am on the Keto diet currently and hope to get down to around 180lbs. I'm hoping my APAP will help me reach that goal.

 

[SweetSue92]

I’m a little on the fence about sleep apnea and the industry surrounding it.

On the one hand, it’s a real disorder and the machines are an effective treatment.

On the other hand, I’m sure the sleep study clinics are robbing patients, insurance and the government blind by recommending a mountain of tests and equipment that probably aren’t needed in many cases.

Those people are 90% hard-sell salespeople and 10% legitimate medical practitioners.

Yeah honestly. Every man our age maybe except my husband has these machines it seems. He snores sometimes. I just wake him up, tell him to roll over and it stops. How did we survive as a species without masks on our faces all night?

 

[Harry Dresden]

Yeah honestly. Every man our age maybe except my husband has these machines it seems. He snores sometimes. I just wake him up, tell him to roll over and it stops. How did we survive as a species without masks on our faces all night?

before anyone knew about the apnea ,many of those in the past died of heart problems.....

 

[ActionJackson]

Yeah honestly. Every man our age maybe except my husband has these machines it seems. He snores sometimes. I just wake him up, tell him to roll over and it stops. How did we survive as a species without masks on our faces all night?

I think modern diet has a lot to do with it. The Pioneers weren't living on Big Macs, Coke, and Twinkies.

 

[Harry Dresden]

I think modern diet has a lot to do with it. The Pioneers weren't living on Big Macs, Coke, and Twinkies.

a good diet can help reduce the symptoms but it wont cure it.....

 

[DGS49]

Not to trivialize your problem, but have you tried taking a couple Advil PM before going to bed (an hour before)? Or if you can't tolerate Advil, Tylenol?

Works well for me.

 

[Harry Dresden]

Not to trivialize your problem, but have you tried taking a couple Advil PM before going to bed (an hour before)? Or if you can't tolerate Advil, Tylenol?

Works well for me.

that wont do jack if you have sleep apnea.....it might help you fall asleep but it wont alleviate the apnea....

 

[Unkotare]

I've had sleep apnea for years. I can't remember the last time I had a really good, night's sleep. So I decided to have a sleep study done in preparation for CPAP therapy. That is, until I found out that it would cost me $2000.00 (out-of-pocket) for a two-night study. So I decided to buy a used BIPAP from an acquaintance (only $50.00). But since it was used and old ... I never really used it, and I wasn't sure how to set it up. So I just bought a brand new APAP (Automatic CPAP) off of Amazon. Around $450.00. It came with a nasal mask.

Anyway ... I've tried it two nights in a row. The first night, I tried it without water in the humidifier. That didn't work out too well. An hour into using it ... I pulled the mask off because my mouth and throat were super dry. Last night ... I tried it with water. Better ... but I still woke up with a dry mouth and I stopped using it. Apparently ... I like to breathe through my mouth at night, so a nasal mask isn't going to work for me. Also ... I had two whiteheads on my nose this morning, so I'm wondering if I may be allergic to the plastics in the mask??? I can't remember the last time I had a pimple or whitehead.

So I'm going to search for a hypoallergenic mask (if there is such a thing). Also, I have a beard, so I don't know if I can find a mask that will give me a good enough seal.

I guess the point of this thread is to find out if there are any CPAP users out there who can share some of your ideas, experiences, opinions, etc.

Clean the thing religiously.