Family member thinks my SA is a scam??

[robbob2112]

My mistake SD, I am not sure what the different tests are... 

I had a dr ordered in home test and then a titration study where they tried pap, apap, bipap, and asv all in the night.  Then on the ASV they came up with suggested setting which is what the dr ordered in my prescription.

My wife's first overnight study was a split-night and they didn't have any O2, ran out was the excuse, so they never got her oxygen up over 88%.  They never tested her on anything but a straight pap and the while test was done in 2 hours of sleep.  So now the new Dr is sending her in for a titration study overnight.

[spudhorse]

I'm new to all of this so FWIW.

If you think that your therapy is improving your quality of life, then there you have it. Full stop.

I will say that it concerns me as a new patient that CPAP is such a huge growth market with boatloads of money to be made. After all, sleep apnea wasn't even diagnosed until the 1960s and machines really didn't take off until 2000 or so. With 25% of men and 10% of women believed to have "sleep apnea," the market growth is only limited by the number of people they can get into sleep labs.

In my instance, I also have AFib and 75% of people with this also have sleep apnea. 

Resmed Revenue.PNG gives some idea of the meteoric rise of CPAP machines.
sleep-apnea-devices-market.png shows the short term growth potential.

[sleepadventurer]

Hi all 

Thank you all for your comments. It is clear to me now that my hunch was correct and that O2 levels are not the only indicator of sleep apnea. 

Overall, this is a difficult situation but with your help I have realized that "I'm not crazy" and that my treatment and therapy belongs to me only. I have since made it clear to this family member that I am on my own journey with sleep apnea and I hope they get/learn what they are looking for. 

Drawing boundaries, especially around your health and well being, is something I am still working on and I suspect will for a while. But it is so crucial. A lot of it is human nature, to want to help, to share progress, etc. 

I'm glad to have you all to check in, get progress advice, and honestly just sanity checks. I hope I can return the favor in the future!

Has anyone else faced a similar situation?

Thanks!


- Sleep Adventurer

[SarcasticDave94]

Not the unbelief and push back from family life you're dealing with, but my obstacle is doctors. I had ASV to treat predominant Central Apnea and doing pretty good 2 years. But as most of my health issues are, it's more complex.

I've had a pulmonary doctor who never met me for a consult on the phone, tells me it's a mental issue with apnea and breathing. He suggests not looking at a pulse oxygen monitor because "artifacts" will make me think I'm sick. QUACK!

I not only have predominant CA but also GOLD 1 emphysema based COPD. GOLD is the COPD progression grade from 1 being least, 4 being the worst GOLD an acronym meaning Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD).

My symptoms flare up occasionally, mostly breathing difficulty, sometimes O2 levels dropping. Symptoms exist but testing reveals numbers not worth treating with supplemental oxygen or ventilator.

Extra sleep studies billed at about $32K to prove I don't need anything not even the ASV I did have, which failed me due to ResMed not including timing controls on the VAuto. VAuto won't work with my CA aspect of course.

Anyway there's my treatment plan, created by several Dr. DoNothings.

[robbob2112]

SD: Did you really mean to say your sleep study costs $32,000.... that is insane with or without insurance.

[SarcasticDave94]

Yes, there were several studies done. I didn't like doing that many, but I was trying to get a doc to support ST-A or actual ventilator. The best they wanted to do was go back to CPAP, BPAP, or ASV. Already failed them each so I refused those.

Every doctor supposedly supporting sleep apnea therapy I've been to do far, loves to send me for tests and then not do anything. I've fired every pulmonary doctor I've had. Looking on maps, they're within 60 mile radius. Next up is separate sleep medicine and pulmonary disease teams in Johns Hopkins Baltimore.

I think my next step is getting a loan to buy what I need to prove it's what I need. Because doctors and insurance are 2/3 of the Ringling Bros. circus. Part 3 is DME. These 3 operate on the failure system, when your health fails you might get help. No preventative stuff though for me. QUACK.

Only reason I've tried to get insurance to pay is my disability SSDI doesn't go very far as only income.

[UnicornRider]

Funny thing about sleep, the lack of sleep kind of sneaks up on us.

I subscribe to "Sleep Review" here is an interesting tidbit.

"In fact, prolonged sleep deprivation is an especially insidious form of torture because it attacks the deep biological functions at the core of a person's mental and physical health. It is less overtly violent than cutting off someone's finger, but it can be far more damaging and painful if pushed to extremes."

That was referenced to an article in "Psychology Today"

 I found the following statement to be most relevant to what most people dealing with Apnea would likely encounter.

  "The first signs of sleep deprivation are unpleasant feelings of fatigue, irritability, and difficulties concentrating. Then come problems with reading and speaking clearly, poor judgment, lower body temperature, and a considerable increase in appetite. If the deprivation continues, the worsening effects include disorientation, visual misperceptions, apathy, severe lethargy, and social withdrawal."
    
The whole article makes a good read.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blo...is-torture


My last parting thought, does your family member snor, or show any of the above mentioned first signs of sleep deprivation?


.

[SarcasticDave94]

Hey after the negative dark cloud Dave post, if you snore you're not alone. So does my dog. A lot. She'd probably qualify for CPAP faster than me.

[UnicornRider]

Damn Dave, I think you have solved all of your problems getting that machine you need.

Have your dog get the machine, I am sure for a few biscuits, the pup would let you buddy breath on the machine. 

[SarcasticDave94]

Probably not. She's selfish, everything that used to be mine before she adopted me is now hers; food, van, couch especially.

Sorry for To all a great rest of the weekend!