I just started recently, in the last month it has happened about 3 times. I dont have insurrance that would cover this for going to the doctor so i want that to be a last resort. I am a heavier set male, and my first thought was diabites but i have not had any other symptoms. Also, i was diagonosed with sleep apnea, but i never was able to get the machine for it. I also have been dealing with alot of congestion and difficulty breathing during the day….like i said any suggestions with out having to see a doc. would be good. Thanks,
Tom
I do have insurance it just doesn’t cover things like this…

Does insurance usually pay for it, if you cannot get used to a nosepiece and want to try a mask?

My current BMI is around 36-37 I also believe I have obstructive sleep apnea (haven’t been diagnosed but looking at the symptoms online i’m right on the money.) I have tried many diets, regulated my calorie intake exercised 6 days a week, taken many appetite supressants and I can not seem to lose weight. I am interested in gastric bypass surgery however I do not have health insurance and most of the insurance plans i’ve looked into say they do not cover pre existing medical conditions. what steps can I take to make this surgery possible? Are there any health plans that might cover this? Please help!

Fist of all I would not have even know I had sleep apnea if I had not gone to the sleep study I never st oped breathing even on the sleep study test they just said durnig dream stage my breathing gets shallow. There are probably millions of people who have sleep apnea and don’t even have it know it and they have homeowners insurance, but because they did not go to a sleep study and get diagnosed with it they are allowed to have homeowners insurance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last night I took a sleep study, and the doctor called me back and said I have mild sleep apnea, and he was more concerned with my low oxygen levels, so he is going to do a test from my home when I sleep to check my oxygen with a cpap machine while I sleep. He asked if I have lung or heart problems, and I don’t know if I do. Do you think my family practitioner will check into these areas? and what is wrong with low oxygen levels? I do have high blood pressure, usually 138/90. I am overweight also. He told me if I lose 20 to 25 lbs my sleep apnea would go away, but does that mean my low oxy levels will go away? I’m a little scared because I do find it hard to breathe at times. I can’t lay down straight because my breasts seem to weigh down on my heart. Also, does insurance let you keep the cpap machine or do you have to give it back after more tests? Just curious. When they let me try it on last night on my sleep study, i felt such relief because I could breathe so much better with it on. I am also being checked for diabetes, thyroid problems. When I had the things on my neck and head last night for sleep study it like made my neck hurt bad, is this normal? Someone give me some insight.
Also would low oxygen levels have anything to do with my thyroid?

I have a few health problems and I am looking for life insurance. I have sleep apnea (I use the machine), COPD (Chronic Bronchitis), and possibly Emphysema (tests being run). My doctor said that nothing is life threatening at this point.

Anyone know of any good life insurance companies that work with someone who has health issues? I have two small children and I really would like to rest assured they will be taken care of.

My dad’s just been diagnosed with sleep apnea and after having tiredness problems for years and being fobbed off by drs’ for years, I want to get tested for sleep apnea too. But I’m anxious the dr will say no, just diet and exercise and you should be fine…Like the one older dr said last time, when my usual dr wasn’t available. But I’m tired most of the time I can’t be bothered. I get in from work, wash my work clothes, eat a microwave meal, then go to bed. Just recently my sleep’s gotten worse. I’ll get in and with no work the next day, I’ll have dinner then sleep from 7.30 to 6am! No break in between. Most tests I’ve had I had to ask for, iron test, diabetes test, all fine. So any tips for asking my doctor?
In Australia we don’t have insurance, but I am on concession so I just pay a small fee.

When I sent in my application for my health insurance, I forgot to note that I have obstructive sleep apnea. Stupid mistake, but I hadn’t had insurance since I was 20 years old and paid of my OSA treatments out of pocket nearly two years ago. I had an expensive hospital bill in September for a completely unrelated illness. When my insurer pulled my medical history, they saw the OSA and sent a letter with reimbursement for premiums and said that my coverage was null and void. I feel that they should cover the bill since the illness was unrelated.
Also, I’ve began working for a company that offers group insurance through the same insurer that rescinded my policy! I didn’t even have a lapse of coverage. I didn’t purposefully omit the OSA.

Ear nose and throat? Is there another name for ear nose and throat doctor? They don’t have any listed under my insurance plan.
The GP refuses to give us an appointment. She said it sounds like nothing by my description. I’d like to punch her in the face. I’m gonna go to straight to the specialist. Otolaryngologists is on the list, thanks.
No I don’t know if it’s apnea or not. I’m guessing based on what I have read. It also could be asthma. Because the GP is not helping me figure it out, I’m going straight to the specialist.
I brought him to my chiropractor 2 days ago, and he said it’s just really bad sinuses and allergies. He gave him an adjustment and he’s already breathing better. So far he has done last night, through the night without trouble (I stayed awake watching him) and today’s nap and so far tonight, he’s been breathing.
Thanks to everyone for the help and advice. If it happens again, I’ll talk to an ENT, but so far, it’s looking good. I did make an appointment with the allergist to check on it.

the ones to keep you awake… as in antipsychotics, narcotics etc… trying to locate what would be covered under our insurance because my husband’s prescription is not and I can’t figure out what category to look under.

Here is the latest treatment for snoring hope it helps out tell me what you think of it?

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/22/health…

. It is a little bit price-y but hey if you know of someone who can’t sleep and you they have that sleep apnea and are at risk for even death then the price should be covered by insurance I think. Any one know if it is covered by insurance? What do you think of the new device to stop snoring? Sounds like a good idea to me, if anyone has gets more information please tell me. Thanks

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/22/health/22snor.html?ex=1290315600&en=965133238a7da47c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

IF the other link does not work try this one..
oh sorry that was not my intend to spam……i was just thinking if it could help someone it would be nice.. That is all.
Oh gosh thanks so much for making me laugh today. It is funny don’t you think? I like the one that said she was afraid she might actually kill him… and where it says they both snore and even the ones where they say sleeping in another room is cheaper. Oh I just pictured all of us talking about it and laughing our socks off. To hilarious

I want to know if anyone has ever gotten passed the insurance exclusion by having the surgery to cure a co-morbidity.

I used to have really painful and frequent heartburn when I was younger. I went to my doctor and they put a camera down my throat and into my stomach where they found a large amount of redness and bleeding. My doctor diagnosed me with gastritis and put me on medication to treat it. It worked for a while but shortly after I was unable to afford the medication and I didn’t think I needed it anyways as I was experiencing no more symptoms. Recently (last 3 years or so) I have been getting the heartburn more and more and I have noticed other symptoms. When I was in high school I was a great student, 4.0 GPA, sports, extracurricular activities, etc. During my senior year I lost my motivation to do…anything basically. Im 20 now and I’ve since flunked out of 2 colleges due to an inability to concentrate. When I was reading my textbooks I couldn’t remember even the last sentence I had just read. I was also diagnosed with sleep apnea to which i contributed the loss of concentration but I remember having all the symptoms of sleep apnea well before my lack of concentration. I was reading up on anemia and possibly saw a connection with the slow bleeding in my stomach from the gastritis and the recent lack of focus. Does anyone have any other ideas or advice for me?
Unfortunately I’m not on the medication, I haven’t been able to go to the doctor due to the fact that I no longer have insurance because of flunking out of college. So I haven’t been able to afford a visit yet.
yes i do feel weak and tired but i just piled this into the sleep apnea category. So basically what you guys are saying is I need to go to the doctor asap?

I applied for an individual health policy and in good faith signed that the information was complete to the best of my knowledge. I also consented to them acquiring any records necessary from my providers. I then had an emergency heart event that resulted in k+ claims. I then cancelled the policy after 5 months since I qualified for insurance through my employer. I just got a letter notifying me that I did not fully disclose all of my health history for the last 10 years on my application, therefore they are rescinding my policy as if it were never in effect. I am now facing k+ in bills and I am going to start the appeal process. How should I respond to the specific items they claim I did not disclose? One of them, for instance, is sleep apnea, which I was never diagnosed with and never received treatment for, but participated in a sleep study to see if I had it.

Hello,
I was just diagnosed with sleep apnea after 2 sleep studies. The 2nd night I used a nasal cpap thing. So I go tomorrow to buy a machine and mask and start with the treatment.

My insurance usually pays 70% for most things, and I’m not sure if they are with this (they’re paying something, just not sure how much). When I talked to the place I’ll be buying from, they said my portion after insurance will be 3. So if they are paying 70% (again I don’t know, maybe it’s different with this) that would mean I’m getting almost ,500 worth of equipment.

But from looking online at cpap machines, they tend to run even on the high end for about -900 at the most that I saw. And the masks were only at most 0 (that I saw). So is there something I’m missing? This seems ridiculously expensive.

Either way, does anyone have a good recommendation for the best machine and nasal "pillow" type mask? If money wasn’t an obstacle, what would be the "best"? I’m new to this, so thank you!

When I was a kid I think I was 5 I had my tonsils removed and the doctor said I would stop snoring. Well, I was looking on the internet about Sleep Apnea and heard that it can kill you. So pretty much I have all the symptoms. To diagnose OSA costs over ,000 and apparently no insurance covers it. I have no idea what I can do. I think it is ridiculous and unbelievable how it costs so much. HELP!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/22/health/22snor.html

. It is a little bit price-y but hey if you know of someone who can’t sleep and you they have that sleep apnea and are at risk for even death then the price should be covered by insurance I think. Tell me if you find it helpful

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea a couple years ago. I was doing well on the CPAP machine in the beginning, but lately it seems like its not putting out air as powerfully as it did in the beginning. Although I told my doctor that I believe the problem is the machine, he says that I still need to be "retested" since its been a while since I was diagnosed. I have a new insurance, well, a Health Savings Account with a ,500 deductible awaiting. Retesting will cost a minimum of a few thousand dollars. I wanted to try to purchase the machine myself online, but you need a prescription to purchase one. Is there a way around this? Also, I once heard someone mention they were using a CPAP machine but were unable to get use to wearing it at night. Instead, they were fitting with some type of "dental device" that they insert during the night to keep their airway open. They said they haven’t used their CPAP machine since. Has anyone ever heard of such a device? Do you know what the name of it is?

I was just diagnosed this week with sleep apnea and have to go in to the sleep lab in a couple of weeks to get a setting for a CPAP machine. My question is about aquiring the machine itself. Do I aquire one myself or does the sleep lab send a catalogue or "provide" (at my insurance company’s expense) a CPAP machine?

After 20 yrs in the same hospital, I’m leaving my pharmacist job to work as an independent contractor. In preparation for my move, I applied for disability insurance thru a large insurance company but was denied coverage because I was diagnosed with sleep apnea.

Any suggestions out there? Will this continue to haunt me? I had the test done because my wife said I snored too much. Had I never been tested, I’d be on my merry way with a disability policy in hand.

A female friend of mine has Sleep Apnea, about two years now. Shes short, 5′ 2" and is 35 lbs overweight. She lost her health insurance due to a work related accident and can no longer work. Right now she has no income. She did the sleep study test when she had insurance and now has the breathing machine, but the mask has been broken for about 16 months and cannot afford a new one. 0. People die from this right? She’s preparing for the worse. She’s only 56.

Can you still get term life insurance if you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea? If so, will this increase the cost of the insurance?

I’ve had my period for 18 years and it has never been regular. When I was younger I would go for months at a time with nothing, and during the past couple of years it never seems to stop.

I went to the gynecologist yesterday (yay for medical insurance) and was told I have PCOS. He then told me I could look up information about it online. Which of course freaks me out because I see one of the symptoms as being infertility.

Basically, what I’m wondering is how likely is it that I’ll be able to become pregnant? Has anyone else had the cycle issues for this long and been able to have children?

Also, has anyone heard of or experienced sleep apnea with PCOS? I read somewhere that sleep apnea can be a symptom and am just curious.

My husband I believe has sleep apnea. He wakes throughout the night coughing and struggleing for air. This scares the crap out of us both. To be honest with you we don’t have insurance so he refuses to go to a doctor. I have been pushing him to go see a doctor only to end up in an arguement. I’ve made up my mind that I’m just gonna schedule an appointment and make him go. But I wonder if anything sets sleep apnea off. Because he don’t do this every night. And when he is struggleing for air is there anything I can do to help other than panic? Anyone with any information would greatly appreciated!

I’ve noticed I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately. Mainly what is bothering me is that I was trying to fall asleep the other night and it was like I would stop breathing and wake myself up. As I’m sitting here typing this my chest feels tight and I feel like I’m taking very long pauses between inhalation and exhalation. It doesn’t feel normal.

I’m not sure if I have sleep apnea. I will need to get to a doctor to find out, which really sucks when you have no insurance and little income.

My mother has asthma so I guess it could be possible for me to have that.

I’m just wondering from people who have Sleep Apnea, Asthma, or any other respiratory conditions, what do they feel like? What kinds of things is your body going through? How has treatment improved your life?