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sleep apnea

heartache301
0 Recommendations

I have been recently diagnosed with sleep apnea after having a sleep study and I have been prescribed a CPAP machine. Problem is that my insurance has a $500 DME deductable of which none of my thousands of dollars already in out of pocket medical costs are applied to. I know there is a relationship between sleep apnea and heart disease but I also know quite a few people that have the machine and say they dont use it regularly because it is a pain. I have been trying to get back in with my pulmonologist to see if he thinks my sleep apnea is bad enough for me to spend the $500 then 30 dollar per month co-pay., but he is booked for two weeks. Does anyone else in here use a CPAP. sometimes i wonder if they are gimmcks becuase litterly everyone I know that has had a sleep study has been told they have sleep apena and gets prescribed a cpap... any thoughts?

Explore topics in this discussion:

Arrhythmia Heart disease Heart failure Sleep apnea CPAP Pneumonia Pain Pacemaker Muscular dystrophy Insomnia

15 replies

lkay

hi heartache,
I'm having a sleep study done next Monday and truly believe in the serious nature of the disorder. The number of people who have this problem is staggering and there are physiological reasons why - a great source for information is a doctor who has been active online and willing to answer any and all of your questions.
You can reach Dr Park at

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Sleep-Breathing-Disorders/show/305

He will answer any and all of your questions. His website is at
http://doctorstevenpark.com/

He has all sorts of webchats about sleep disorders - his most recent was with a dentist who works with patients to fit them for oral appliances (mouthpieces) instead of the much more costly CPAP's (and a lot of people don't use their CPAP's as prescribed).

Dr Park also draws some conclusive links with heart disease and sleep disorders and women. Its all of his website I believe.

Drop him a note and ask his thoughts....

sleep well,
Laura

heartache301

thanks I went and looked at his posting. I do not have the actual number results yet. just after my second night with the cpap trial I got a call from the DME supplier that the sleep center called them and told them I needed a cpap for sleep apnea.

I really want to see my actual numbers and how severe it is before investing in something I might not use. if I knew for sure it was severe enough to worsen my heart disease then by all means I'd get it an buy it but id feel more comfortable actually going over the results with a doctor. just the way I got called from the DME company and not the doctor I feel like its a money making thing... maybe i've just become too cynical of our healthcare system.

the board you referenced seems great as Dr Dr Parks and his many many responses there.

martzj

hi there,

Ever since I saw a Discovery Health Channel episode of a man who suffered repeated visits to ER because of onset of extreme chest pain....only to be told each time that ER tests showed nothing.....I have been a huge believer in CPAP for heart patients w apnea of ANY degree. A sharp doctor sent him for sleep testing and it turned out his heart was stopping for long enough periods of time during the night that is was accruing 02 deficiency damage THAT ONLY caused chest pains when he was awake and at work during the day.

Once on CPAP, his chest pains vanished completely!! No idea if this is also happening to women....but it was a fascinating story in how, even momentary but systematic 02 deprivation to the heart can create a delayed but still near-deadly cardiac repercussion.

If you're taking votes (smile), I vote you get that CPAP asap. You are possibly going to get some relief, protection and feel more alert and energized during your waking hours. Get that sucker and USE it!!!

cheers, Jaynie

joy2day

Based solely on my heart failure (right-side heart failure is less common and sleep apnea can cause/aggravate it), I was sent for a sleep study.

Turns out that I do not have sleep apnea so no CPAP, but I do suffer from nocturnal O2 deprivation. I now sleep with an oxygen concentrator. I get a better night's sleep and feel more rested. I can tell a real difference on the rare occasions I decide not to haul my concentrator along for an overnight trip.

laurahc

"sometimes i wonder if they are gimmcks becuase litterly everyone I know that has had a sleep study has been told they have sleep apena and gets prescribed a cpap"

I've had a sleep study done and was told that I do NOT have sleep apnea. I do have some upper airway resistance, though, and it was recommended that basically I never ever sleep on my back and that I lose weight.

-Laura

lkay

The high incidence of Upper Airway Resistance Syndrom (UARC) and Obstructive Airway problems are related to a number of things -

first of all, it is because as humans we have evolved and our jaw/tongue alignment changed to permit us to speak. That change also makes it possible for our airways to be obstructed during sleep.

We have horrible habits in diet and sleep - those of us who are overweight are also increasing the size of our air passages, and suffer the consequences.

When we go to the hospital for our heart events we are pretty much forced to sleep on our backs, thanks to monitors, wiring, surgical incisions, etc. Sleeping on our back is absolutely the worst position for our airways - it is the easiest position for an obstruction to occur. When we come home, many of us continue to sleep on our backs, thinking that is the best position for us.

Dr. Park believes every heart patient should have a sleep study to be sure that it is not involved in some of our problems. His theories make a lot of sense on paper.

Later,
Laura

Winglover

Heartache,
Having witnessed long nights recently with my father in the hospital watching his breathing, sleep apnea has a profound effect on your heart function. It would be to your benefit to have the test done and find out. Oxygen saturation levels can drop dangerously low during sleep. If this happens repeatly during the night think how this can effect your heart? Explains daytime exhaustion, arrhythmia, etc. We had many patients in our ICU that were discovered to have sleep apnea. No way to tell unless you are constantly monitored.......and asleep! My husband has had the machine for 4 years now. He gets a full nights sleep, but the machine drives me nuts!
Lisa

dakota65

I have heart disease, sleep apnea and work for a dme so let me see if I can help.
First of all when I had my sleep study done several years ago my AHI index was only 5 so they decided I did not have sleep apnea bad enough for cpap. After 1 year of sleepiness symptoms worsening they decided to go ahead and titrate me and I have used my CPAP every night since. I love it, it is like a sleeping pill for me I put my mask on and it is time to go to sleep. I have had a few issues in the past 2 years but have been very religous about using it.
19 months after starting cpap therapy I developed my heart blockage. Don't know if it would have happened sooner if I was not using CPAP or not.

Now for the cost as I said I work in a DME and there are a few helpful hints I can give you depending on your insurance. If you have private insurance you could be better off buying online rather than going to a dme store. Or again depending on your insurance have your CPAP billed as a purchase instead of rental. (Can not do this if you have Medicare, or Medicaid) best site I have found is for this is cpap.com.

I highly recommend using cpap as ordered especially if you have heart disease and if you decided to go ahead with using it and do go through a dme store please let me know and I will help you get the best machine you can get for the price you will pay, don't just let them give you any machine or you will pay premium price for low end equipment.

helpshawna

I began using a CPAP about 18 months ago. It has made a huge difference in my quality of sleep! My sleep study showed I was stopping nearly 30 times a minute to breathe. I believe that if you need one, it is important.

Gammacygnus

I have mild sleep apnea 7 times a minute and have insomnia. Tried CPap machine then a BiPap. Noise drove me out of my own bedroom, couldn't handle the full mask. Not overweight. Do have several heart isssues. Gave up the breathing machines. Any sleep I can get undistrubed is a blessing. Side sleeper. I do use nasal sprays daily for day time and night time

laurali

Hi! I have had my CPAP for nearly three years. I was told I have moderate apnea -- this in a sleep test shortly after my complete heart block and ICD implant. I have a RemStar Cflex unit from Respironics. It is very quiet. I adjusted to sleeping with the mask on within a couple of nights. Now, I put it on and go right to sleep and, best of all, sleep 6-7 hours straight through. Prior I had been waking up at least a couple of times every hour all night. I didn't realize how great it feels to have a good nights sleep until I started using it. It was like I was back in high school in the morning! Only time I haven't used it was the past January when I had a virus and pneumonia. My head was so stopped up I just couldn't breathe thru my nose for awhile. Who knows how much this contributed to my heart problems -- wish I had the sleep test many years ago. Take care! laurali

lkay

hi Gamma,
since you can't tolerate the CPAP, you may want to look into oral appliances to help - there are a variety of mouth pieces that can hold your jaw and tongue in the right place and prevent the obstructions.

Laura

Gammacygnus

Hi lkay My other medical problem is, I'm a carrier of Muscular Dystrophy I have some symptoms that may cause my throat to close off during sleep so positioning the tongue and jaw with an oral appliance would not solve problem. My Dr is aware that I discontinued the Bipap. I could not get the breathing pattern down with the BiPap or Cpap breathing machine. Will probably need oyxgen down the road. The nasal sprays dry me, out so there is less saliva Thank you .

nurse_jo

I definitely would suggest getting and using nightly a C-Pap machine. I have used my every night since I got mine 4 years ago. At 6 AM (After having the C-pap put on at 3 AM during the night of my study) the lights were bright and I no longer felt like I was in a fog....I am actually dreaming every night now because I am finally able to get into a REM sleep. I couldn't remember the last time I had dreamed prior to that. I was amazed. At age 45 I had atrial Fib and an AV Node Ablation/Permanent pacemaker, prior to the sleep study. I wonder if I had been wearing a C-pap in my early 40's if I could have avoided my heart disease (Atrial Fib and Permanent pacemaker) at such a young age. It is definitely worth the hassle and my husband gets a good night sleep now as well since I am not snoring anymore. Ha! Get what works for you...I like the mask better than the pillows....but everyone has their own preference. It is worth the cost!!

Gammacygnus

I should have written 7 times in hour sorry I re-read my earlier entry " 7 times a minute" incorrect.

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