Hi all...first off, great board.
I am a former, soon to be current, CPAP user that lost 25 lbs and found myself no longer needing the machine a couple years back. I have recently gained the weight and then some back, and no longer have the insurance to cover the new machine & other equipment. I am definatly not getting any sleep right now, and find myself avoiding going to bed at night.
I just went to the doc for another issue and shelled out over $300 just for an office vist and some bloodwork, I don't even want to consider what a new sleep study and CPAP machine are going to run right now.
Is there any danger in plugging in the old machine with a new mask from cpap.com?
Any thoughts would be appreciated. Any free masks would be appreciated more.
Thanks!
Gonzo the Great
(great snorer that is)
Former CPAP user going back to the machine
4 posts
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rested gal
- Posts: 12883
- Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:14 pm
- Location: Tennessee
Gonzo, since you asked about free masks, I'm assuming money is tight. Nonetheless, if you can find a doctor that will simply write you a prescription without making you spend more money, you might want to do what I did. I have no insurance either. Click the subject below to read about it.
You might very well do ok going back on your old machine with no further ado. But why guess about pressure now and in the future, if there's any way you can scrape up the money to get yourself an autopap and software. It will be worth it in the long run. And the long run is really what this kind of treatment is about, isn't it?
Jan 25, 2005 Subject: not diagnosed yet, many ? brand new here
Good luck.
You might very well do ok going back on your old machine with no further ado. But why guess about pressure now and in the future, if there's any way you can scrape up the money to get yourself an autopap and software. It will be worth it in the long run. And the long run is really what this kind of treatment is about, isn't it?
Jan 25, 2005 Subject: not diagnosed yet, many ? brand new here
Good luck.
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wading thru the muck!
- Posts: 2799
- Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 11:42 am
Gonzo,
Listen to rested gal, Your best bet is to get your Doc to write you a new prescription based on your old diagnosis and the fact that you regained the weight that you lost prior to dicontinuing the cpap. Tell him that if you get an auto-pap, it will adjust the pressure as required to keep your airway open. Also tell him you've learned about this from a support group of many people that are doing this very thing successfully. Then when you get your prescription go to cpap.com and buy one of the auto-paps they are selling at the best prices you will find anywhere.
Good Luck!
Listen to rested gal, Your best bet is to get your Doc to write you a new prescription based on your old diagnosis and the fact that you regained the weight that you lost prior to dicontinuing the cpap. Tell him that if you get an auto-pap, it will adjust the pressure as required to keep your airway open. Also tell him you've learned about this from a support group of many people that are doing this very thing successfully. Then when you get your prescription go to cpap.com and buy one of the auto-paps they are selling at the best prices you will find anywhere.
Good Luck!
Sincerely,
wading thru the muck of the sleep study/DME/Insurance money pit!
wading thru the muck of the sleep study/DME/Insurance money pit!
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Janelle
I've known several people who claim they no longer need CPAP after losing weight. Some of these people are as heavy now, when they claim they don't need it, as they were when they did. Yet, they still say they don't need it. Yes, they may have a lost 25 pounds or so before but have put it back on.
To me, this alone means you need the CPAP. Since Sleep Apnea causes your cortisol levels to climb and causes you to gain weight. So, since the SA came before the weight gain, then it would make sense that if you were heavy, you were heavy for a reason, and that the Sleep Apnea was possibly the cause and not the weight the cause of the Sleep Apnea.
It would seem to me, and I think this can be borne out, that just because you do not get drowsy driving, have headaches in the morning, feel fatigued all the time, or snore, you can still have sleep deprivation. Some of the cheeriest people I know have Sleep Apnea.
How do you know you don't need the CPAP anymore when you lose weight? Does the doctor retest you and find out your pressure needs are zero? Do you diagnose yourself somehow and decide you no longer need?
If you lose weight on CPAP, more than likely because the cortisol levels are normal, then why would you quit? Wouldn't you be better off maintaining that weight by continuing on therapy?
To me, this alone means you need the CPAP. Since Sleep Apnea causes your cortisol levels to climb and causes you to gain weight. So, since the SA came before the weight gain, then it would make sense that if you were heavy, you were heavy for a reason, and that the Sleep Apnea was possibly the cause and not the weight the cause of the Sleep Apnea.
It would seem to me, and I think this can be borne out, that just because you do not get drowsy driving, have headaches in the morning, feel fatigued all the time, or snore, you can still have sleep deprivation. Some of the cheeriest people I know have Sleep Apnea.
How do you know you don't need the CPAP anymore when you lose weight? Does the doctor retest you and find out your pressure needs are zero? Do you diagnose yourself somehow and decide you no longer need?
If you lose weight on CPAP, more than likely because the cortisol levels are normal, then why would you quit? Wouldn't you be better off maintaining that weight by continuing on therapy?
4 posts
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