Sleep apnea and CPAPs

[Guest guest]

Wanda,

If the sleep study indicated that you need a CPAP then you shouldn't

delay in getting one. Sleep apnea isn't " just snoring " , it's a

serious, life-threatening co-morbidity. People with sleep apnea have

a MUCH higher risk of heart attack, and I know several people with

relatives who have died while waiting for their machines.

If you can't afford a CPAP and Kaiser won't cover it for you, then

contact the American Lung Association. There are branches all over,

and one of the things they do is take donated CPAPs and other

breathing assistive devices and arrange for them to be provided to

folks who can't afford them on their own. And while I'm at it, I'm

also going to put in a plug for anyone on this list who is post-op

and doesn't need their CPAP any more to donate it to the Lung

Association. You can't just give it away, it's a prescribed medical

device and needs to be properly calibrated to work right for someone

else - but you can take a tax deduction if you give it away to a

charity.

And if you're renting a CPAP through Apria or some other contract

service provided by agreement with Kaiser, you should also check

into how long it takes before you actually OWN your CPAP. We

discovered that after 15 months of payment, our devices were

actually our own and we didn't have to keep renting them. If we

stopped paying, we wouldn't get the replacement hoses, etc., any

more, but there are other places to get those as needed. It may not

work for everyone, but sometimes it can be a more cost-effective way

of getting treatment.

But whatever you do, DON'T ignore sleep apnea. You wouldn't let

diabetes go untreated, and you shouldn't let this go untreated

either.

Cathy C.

>

> I have already done the sleep apnea thing I need the machine but

Kaiser denied me that because of my zip code and I still don't sleep

at night i don't have & 500.00 to buy the machine .so I guess after i

see the nutritionist the other stuff will fall in place I just want

to get it done so I can feel better and get more done .what was the

appointment with the shrink like ?