Blue water sailing with sleep apnea?

[JPA Cate]

Pelagic,

You know, it's not that far from the PI to Oz, by air, and there are sleep clinics here. There's one near Brisbane, they cancelled my appointment, a long time ago. I'm sure there are others. Also, if you would need a referral to a GP first, we know some in the Brisbane area, Sydney, and Hobart. If interested, send me a PM. If I remember right, it will help to have a referral from the GP.

Ann

[Pelagic]

Thanks Ann , I have the same idea with Hong Kong.
Seeing a Dr here on Thursday

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Pelagic,

You know, it's not that far from the PI to Oz, by air, and there are sleep clinics here. There's one near Brisbane, they cancelled my appointment, a long time ago. I'm sure there are others. Also, if you would need a referral to a GP first, we know some in the Brisbane area, Sydney, and Hobart. If interested, send me a PM. If I remember right, it will help to have a referral from the GP.

Ann

In the US anyway it’s Insurence dependent, if it’s out of pocket, I don’t believe a referral is required, but I bet they want to be pre-paid.
I have found that VERY often in the US there are two prices, Insurence price, even with the Copay is sometimes higher than the cash price.
Amazing how they can make money charging 1/4 as much if you pay cash. Can’t hurt to ask for a cash price.

[senormechanico]

I did the same thing with a dentist way back in the '90's.
This was a dentist office with a 120 degree view of the North end of Lake Washington in the Seattle area.

The desk clerk almost rubbed her hands together and definitely looked pleased at the prospect of billing an insurance company for a crown. It was going to cost a thousand dollars to the insurance company (i peeked at what she wrote up).
Without presenting it to me, I said I was paying cash.
With a very sad and irritated look (they thought I hadn't seen the estimate) I was billed for about $300.


A year later, I got another crown while in Mexico.
The dentist office was in the lower level of his house.
Crown installed,(but I had to beg several times for more Novocaine) $75.

[JPA Cate]

Having, at long last, actually had the sleep function test, and begun on CPAP treatment, I thought I'd better fess up.

This is how it happened here in Tasmania. The GP made the contact for the appointment. The test kit was set up in the office, all the little electrodes, skin cleaned and attached with dialectric gel, and the the kit belted on. All I had to do at home was to go to sleep naturally, not changing from my usual routine.

It took 2 weeks to get the results sent back. I felt astonished to be told that at 72 events per hour, that is called "severe apnoea" (they spell it the British way here).

Getting the CPAP right is a process involving time and trial and error. It would have helped me to have been told this at the beginning. I have already extended the trial by another half month, and am hoping that will be enough. There are many mask styles and nose pieces to try to find what works best for an individual.

At the end, though, one has to make a selection of a particular device and buy it. For us this will be out of pocket as our insurance here does not cover it. It is being quite complicated (in my perception). Tonight I will trial with the humidifier off and the exhale relief off.

Also, am intending to investigate why they didn't suggest a dental appliance to treat me? Possibly it is contraindicated for severe apnea....

A

[kurtis king]

have you tried a dental device? i met some retired pro NFL players that used them with success.

[senormechanico]

This SleepU O2/heart monitor helped my wife after we connected it via Bluetooth so the iPad alarm would wake us both.


www.getwellue.com


Steve

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by kurtis king

have you tried a dental device? i met some retired pro NFL players that used them with success.

Thanks for the suggestion.

No, I didn't try it. I only learned about it after I had the sleep test, and it had become obvious that the apnea should be treated.

If my snoring had bothered Jim more, we might have gone a different path, but with severe apnea like mine, it is better to be able to get a full night's worth of oxygen throughout my body. One time, I was on oxygen in the hospital, and my, it was wonderful! The oxygen made me feel much better.

I really needed to be convinced that my apnea was a bigger deal than I had thought, and should be treated. The daughter of two snorers, I believed snoring was normal. And neither my first husband, nor Jim never objected about it to me. So I just lived as a snorer. Now, based on discussions with my GP, and what I've read, I've come to think I really should have the machine. Dang!

Ann