Good news and bad news

[lydy]

Good news: I had a great pool party (despite never getting to play Zar). Felicia gave me a stuffed tiger that _purrs_. So great. Matt (Dean) did point out the purring was inaccurate. Tigers (and lions) can only purr on the exhale, whereas domestic cats and cougars can purr on the inhale and the exhale, so the little stuffed tiger was purring like a domestic cat. Evidently, there's some sort of thing associated with roaring. You can either roar, or purr on the inhale, but not both. Don't ask me, I didn't do it. Any gate, inaccurate or not, it purrs! I love it love it love it.

Bad news: I just called my insurance company to find out about getting sleep study. I know I have sleep apnea, I had it years ago, and I've put back all the weight I lost, and I can feel myself obstructing as I start to fall asleep, so yeah, I need a new machine and mask and all that jazz. So, my insurance, which is the insurance provided to me By My Company, covers sleep studies as part of major hospitalization, which is to say, I have a $3500 deductible. Sleep studies run in the general range of $2000, a CPAP machine runs in the neighborhood of $800, and mask, tubing, etc. another $200 or so. So basically, it'd be out of pocket. I am...breathless. And annoyed.

Comments

[laurel]

You may already know all this, but just in case you don't (or it can help others)-- the technology of CPAPs and APAPs has advanced rapidly in recent years.

When I first got my diagnosis & gear in 2005, it was possible to use software to get all sorts of useful data from certain CPAPs and APAPs, but it was largely undocumented and unsupported as they didn't want patients doing this on your own. But from what little I've checked up on since then, many machines now can give you a ton of useful info (and it's no longer a secret thing only available to technicians and doctors and so on). I know there's also been big progress made on test at home sorts of things, but I haven't checked into that lately.

Prices have also come down on the machines and masks and in some cases it's cheaper to buy them outright than to use insurance. I used to buy my gear from CPAP.com and that's usually where I found lots of useful info on the latest machines and masks. I also found CPAPTalk forums to be incredibly helpful a few years back, though I haven't been on there lately. I suspect there are still people there in the know and some useful links, etc. I know at one point they were setting up a forum for the selling of used CPAP gear (or extra gear like how sometimes when you buy a mask it comes with two sizes of pillows or whatever and so people would trade or sell the ones they don't use).

We are uninsured but now that unemployment has run out we should be able to qualify for uber-cheap MinnesotaCare unless things have changed drastically. I hope I can finally get a new mask and maybe a new machine. (If I upgrade, I'd be happy to at least loan out my APAP if not sell it.) I don't know what folks have been doing with their old machines when they upgrade, but most people with decent insurance should be eligible for new machines every 3-5 years.

I know a couple of years ago I was able to buy one of my favorite sleep masks new sans subscription via a third party seller on Amazon of all places. The rules and how different retailers and insurance companies observe them seem to vary.

I know a lot of people with good insurance are eligible for full or mostly full compensation for new tubing & masks a lot more often than they remember/bother to get such stuff; I sometimes am tempted to say "hey, if you aren't gonna get a new mask this month or quarter, wanna get me one?" Because my mask is long in the tooth, to say the least.

FWIW I think if you got a good quality APAP (from which you could get data), you'd likely be able to figure out a good pressure to work with or let it do it's auto-titrating thing and it'd still be better than going without.

Hmm, I should look into some of this stuff myself. I'm probably due for a new sleep study and definitely a new machine and well-overdue for a new mask.

[laurel]

that's "sans prescription" not "subscription" though hey-- I think it is actually possible to essentially "subscribe" on some sites to certain CPAP supplies.