My Dad

[paige1212]

Okay, so my dad has not been sleeping well for many years. Over the last 10 years or so his snoring has gotten markedly worse and he wakes up with bloodshot eyes, looking more and more haggard every day. He is sure he has sleep apnea but when he took a sleep study for the insurance company he says they tested him for about 30 minutes and he wasn't even close to falling asleep or even relaxing. They denied covering any treatment. It is about a year later now and he is getting desperate. He would like to buy a cpap online to see how it goes. So here are my questions,
1. Do you need a prescription to get a device?
2. Is buying online a good idea?
3. Is it safe to try one of these machines without a prescription?
4. What setting would you use, or how would you determine that?
5. And, finally, what are the best machines?

-Thanks!

[Sleepy Taz]

paige1212,

Cpap's can and should only be purchased with a prescription. There are many sleep disorders and not all use cpap for therapy. If your father was only tested for an half hour, then there is no way that they could have enough information to make a diagnosis. They are required to give you a copy of the sleep study and you should post the results here so that someone can suggest a course of action. You might want to remind the insurance company that your fathers life may be at risk and that they should give you options instead of refusals. For those who do not need Cpap and they use it anyway, they will do more harm than good so go through the doctor to get the best benefits for what ails him.

[jdm2857]

1. You need a prescription to buy a machine unless you get it in a private sale or via Craig's List. None of the online stores will sell without a prescription due to federal law. Ebay prohibits the sale of xPAP equipment entirely.

2. The online stores like cpap.com are good suppliers. On Craig's List you take your chances. But many people here have acquired machines via Craig's List and are satisfied.

3. Generally yes. However if your father has severe pulmonary or cardiac disease, he really should consult a physician. Also, the pressure from xPAP machines can cause something called central apneas (caused by the brain, not airway obstruction) to get worse.

4. If you get an automatic machine, it can do the titration for you. It automatically adjusts pressure in response to breathing events. However, as I am finding out on myself it's not as easy as it sounds for some people.

5. All of the major brands are good machines. There are differences among them, as with everything. Do some reading here. You definitely will want a machine that records efficacy data (data that tells you how well you are doing) and not just compliance data (usage hour only). And you will want the software and associated hardware (usually a data card and card reader) to allow you to view detailed data and graphs on your PC. The folks here can help you interpret that data.

One more thing. 30 minutes does not a sleep study make. Your father should talk to his physician about getting a full night sleep study to determine whether or not he has sleep apnea and how severe it is. Insurance should pay for at least most of it.

[Muse-Inc]

...took a sleep study for the insurance company he says they tested him for about 30 minutes...

I'm sorry you and your dad are having challenges getting him tested (insurance companies are so cheap ). If I were in your shoes, I'd see if dad's primary doc will fight for a Sleep Study at an accredited Sleep Lab. Not being an expert on apnea (just one with it), I have never heard of a 30-minute long sleep study. An accredited Sleep Study is a one or 2 night 'sleep in the lab' wired (head, parts of face, legs), straps around the chest and abdomen, and an oximeter sensor attached/taped to a finger.

My study was what is called a split study and it occurs during a single night. In the first part, they wired me up and hooked the wires into a monitor and then I got to sleep on my back and then on my side. If they determine apnea events are occurrring (yes in my case), they put a mask on your face (we'd practiced before hand so I wouldn't freak out in the middle of the night and fully wake up) and hooked me up to a machine that blew air into the mask; as I slept, they increased the pressure delivered through the hose to detemine which pressure would stop my apnea events -- this second part is called titration and in a 2-night study is the entire second night.

You cannont buy a CPAP machine without a doctor's prescription...sorry. Plus, you need to know what pressure will prevent apnea events and that can only be determined during the titration part of the Sleep Study.

Maybe some of the folks here with more experience might have some suggestions.

[DyannaK]

I agree that 30 minutes is not enough time to evaluate for Sleep Apnea... My suggestion is that you contact your father's primary care physician and ask him/her to order an actual full nights sleep study at an accredited sleep center near your father. In my case I went back twice. The first time for the study and the 2nd time for the titration part of the study.. All of that was ordered thru my primary dr and she is the one who also wrote the prescription for my machine. I have yet to actually see a sleep dr and at this point I doubt that will happen...

good luck and let us know how things go for your dad.

[PST]

Okay, so my dad has not been sleeping well for many years. Over the last 10 years or so his snoring has gotten markedly worse and he wakes up with bloodshot eyes, looking more and more haggard every day. He is sure he has sleep apnea but when he took a sleep study for the insurance company he says they tested him for about 30 minutes and he wasn't even close to falling asleep or even relaxing. They denied covering any treatment. It is about a year later now and he is getting desperate. He would like to buy a cpap online to see how it goes.

Paige1212,

I agree with DyannaK. If someone is tested for 30 minutes and didn't go to sleep, he hasn't had a sleep study. I would be very wary of starting CPAP therapy without a prescription. Is it possible that your Dad got fed up with the procedure and left before completing it? I was tempted and I'll bet lots of people do that. If that happened, then he would not have a sleep study or a prescription. No insurance company would pay for CPAP in that case. My best suggestion would be to help him learn about what to expect and then work through his doctor to have him try it again with a reputable sleep lab. I'm no doctor, but I cannot help but believe that there must be conditions that would be aggravated by CPAP. I believe that central sleep apnea (as opposed to obstructive sleep apnea) falls into that class. The signs point to obstructive sleep apnea, but he shouldn't take a chance.