well, whadya know- apnea

[mopinko]

just got the results from my sleep test. the doc bet me that i had apnea, and i thought i won the bet because they did not bring in the cpap, which they do if they get a finding. turns out that i have a little apnea most of the time, but just under their guideline during rem sleep. so, i get a cpap test.
i can't wait. relief. yeah.

i tell you, tho. these specialists. they are like the blind guys and the elephant. i only ended up at the sleep doc of my own accord.

[The empressof all]

1. When you get the C-Pap

Your life is gonna get so much better. Not only will you sleep, you probably will drop some weight, your body will ache less and you'll find you are able to think more clearly. It took about 6 months to get my apnea diagnosis. I thought I was depressed. Thank god I saw a good Psychiatrist for assessment who hooked me up with the sleep study. It would have been easy for him to just prescribe the psych drugs. I am so grateful to him.

It's been over 12 years since my diagnoses. I couldn't imagine being without my c-pap.

[mopinko]

2. i'm trying not to get my hopes up too much.

but then again, i have never had a doctor that promised that i will be fixed. drop some weight would be good. drop some meds would be even better. i am blaming one of them for the growth of an appalling sweet tooth. one way or another, it would be great to shed the 10 pounds i gained just this year.

the real bonus for this will be that i think DH will finally breakdown and get the one that was prescribed for him 4 years ago. not to mention that i have been nagging him since i first heard the word apnea- 20 plus years. that is a big maybe, but he did call the doc today. his apnea has been abated quite a bit, but it is still there. he could use both the weight loss and the drug reduction. he is battling the blood pressure.

trying not to get my hopes up also since i am on the low side. but i am not one bit surprised that it has been affecting my rem sleep. i have absolutely been waking up in the middle of dreams. i also have a recurring dream that i swear is about the struggling in my body. weird. will be interesting to find out. sept 3 is the big night.

[elleng]

3. Sleep well, mop!

I love your blind/elephant analogy, and am more and more concerned about my daughter and her doc(s).

[mopinko]

4. let me tell you a little story-

first of all let me say that i think it ought to be mandatory for any patient to have a sleep study before they are prescribed jack shit. the preventable misery out there over sleep just boggles my mind.
but the story- my daughter's boyfriend's dad is a doctor, his mother is a nurse. dad snores like a herd of elephants. mom has slept in her own room for the last 10 years. in that time, dad had had 3 sleep studies with no recommendations, and has had the palette trimming surgery, (which is sheer butchery that never helps anyone) before someone finally says-"well, you could try a cpap. they do help snoring" whallah. snoring cured. only cost several years of sleepless nights, several years of lost intimacy, and a fucking painful surgery which requires relearning to swallow.
if a doctor could end up going through that much bullshit, i am armed. this is my mantra now. even if you are a doctor, you have to fight with these guys about what you thin you need.

that rheumie would have never sent me there. even tho sleep came up over and over. and i knew how connected it was to sleep.
the thing i feel like i have to pound on is that sleep problems can be fixed. they should be trying tat on everybody. it is so widespread. and it's so simply and it's so painless. all miserable people should do it.
i an grateful that the capacity for doing this kind of testing has increased exponentially over the last few years.

[Warpy]

5. If you get a CPAP machine, you're going to experience a miracle

You know you feel exhausted and generally rotten now. You won't believe what a difference breathing steadily through the night will make in that.

The change shows up even before you start getting good, solid sleep with the machine, when it still wakes you up every time you shift position.

[mopinko]

6. i am counting the days.

and trying to keep my expectations low, just because of how i feel about doctors and all. not really working tho. i really can't wait.
and the best part is that DH is supposed to have one (as of 4 years ago), and has decided that he is cool with his and hers. we may have to take a second honeymoon.

[2Design]

7. so how do you get this cpap machine for free if you have not insurance

is there anyway to get into the system and get this - boy if we had universal health care like France or Canada, we would all be so much healthier

[mopinko]

8. i don't know, but

i can tell you that most of the sleep centers, at this point, are in university hospitals. they usually have an generous charity care philosophy. :shrug: see what is around you.

[The empressof all]

9. They aren't cheap that's for sure

I got the one I have now about 7 years ago. It cost $800. My insurance covered half. I can say my machine is extremely well built. You need to replace the hoses and the masks. I replace my mask 3 or 4 times a year. It's important to keep them clean. Masks and hoses (hoses last longer than masks) run about $100.