in home study needed to get a teplacment cpap..help please

[justinD]

So i have been a CPAP user for 15 years. I am still usimg my original machine. My orignal doctor had retired and i cannot locate my sleep study. My new doctor is happy to prescribe a new machine but the insurance company and equipment place require a study. My problem is that i cant sleep without my cpap now. They sent a home test but told me i can't use my cpap cause they need a current study. I know i will be unable to sleep and will lay there all night which i assume wont work for the test. I am at a loss. Has anyome dealt with this before? I really do not even want to try and sleep without it as i am totally dependent on it. Does the home test machine know when you are sleeping? If i never fall asleep will it think i dont have apnea? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciatted.

[Pugsy]

If i never fall asleep will it think i dont have apnea?

If you don't fall asleep then you won't have any airway collapses for the home study to document...it may or may not have a means to detect actual sleep (depends on the home study) but if you don't sleep it won't matter because the airway only collapses during sleep...that's why it is called sleep apnea. If you stop breathing while awake that's whole different issue.

So if you don't fall asleep there will be nothing to show up that would indicate a collapse of the airway because it won't/can't happen unless you fall asleep. I don't know of anyway to cheat on this home study.

If money permits and you want to bypass insurance requirements there are ways of obtaining a new machine of your choice privately but you won't be able to get insurance to pay their share.
If you want insurance to pay they want proof that you need the machine.
Now I don't know if maybe 2 to 4 hours without your cpap machine would be enough to get the diagnosis...it depends on just how bad your sleep apnea is and how long you can actually sleep without the machine.

[Wulfman...]

If you don't have (or can't get) a copy of your original prescription, just about any doctor, dentist or other medical person (who can write prescriptions) can write a valid one for you. Go to https://www.cpap.com and there's a section where they have a form that can be downloaded, printed and a doctor can fill out and sign.

Machines are available almost everywhere anymore........and quite "cost effective". New ones, slightly used ones, etc. No need to jump through the insurance hoops.


Den

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[bwexler]

If finanances allow get the prescription from your doctor, pick the machine you want, chose a supplier (on line providers tend to have better prices), and pay for your own machine.
If not, comply with your insurance requirements and pay your copayment.

[Julie]

Why not ask about taking an Ambien to help you sleep - it's done all the time in lab studies.

[49er]

Why not ask about taking an Ambien to help you sleep - it's done all the time in lab studies.

Totally agree. Without ambien,I would have gotten very little sleep at any of my sleep studies.

49er

[chunkyfrog]

A FIFTEEN year cpapper being forced to undergo this is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!
My advice, like others, would be to get a machine on your own, and then take these weasels TO COURT!

[justinD]

I jad planned to just buy my own but it would be nice to get my insurance to pay for my mask replacements etc... it adds up over time. I have paid into imsurance all my life and never even used it enough to meet my deductible in any given year. I understand the ambien would help but it almost scares me to try and knock myself out without my cpap. I know its only one night but i almost feel like my body is totally dependent on that pressure. I guess ill give e it a try. Thanks for all the advice.

[OKCSleepDoc]

A FIFTEEN year cpapper being forced to undergo this is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!
My advice, like others, would be to get a machine on your own, and then take these weasels TO COURT!

My advice would be that if you do get a machine on your own (which I would not recommend), at the advice of people such as the above, and things dont go well, make sure you take the above to court as well since essentially they are taking the role of being your doctor without a license.

[russmac]

I remember when I did my sleep study. It was a miserable process, and I felt like I didn't sleep a wink. I couldn't imagine how they would get any useful data, but apparently they did.

[grayghost4]

TO: OKCSleepDoc .... I don't suppose you are licensed to practice in more than one or two states ... so you are doing the same thing ?

To the OP ... it depends on who is paying for the sleep test and new machine ... if you have a high deductible , it might be cheaper to purchase the machine yourself without insurance. Howerer if they are paying for the test and you have low deductible.....

Then I would schedule the test ... and arrive with my favorite mask and an Ambient, and talk to the technician ... explaining the situation and asking to be woken as soon as they have enough data. Then they can titrate you the rest of the night .. which is a common procedure (split night test).
Make sure you start out sleeping on your back

[DWaldman]

A FIFTEEN year cpapper being forced to undergo this is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!
My advice, like others, would be to get a machine on your own, and then take these weasels TO COURT!

My advice would be that if you do get a machine on your own (which I would not recommend), at the advice of people such as the above, and things dont go well, make sure you take the above to court as well since essentially they are taking the role of being your doctor without a license.

He's been using CPAP for 15 years. I think he knows what he is doing. The sleep study is for the insurance co. The Dr. is not requiring it for the Rx. Lighten up. Nobody needs to be taken to court.

[OKCSleepDoc]

A FIFTEEN year cpapper being forced to undergo this is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!
My advice, like others, would be to get a machine on your own, and then take these weasels TO COURT!

My advice would be that if you do get a machine on your own (which I would not recommend), at the advice of people such as the above, and things dont go well, make sure you take the above to court as well since essentially they are taking the role of being your doctor without a license.

He's been using CPAP for 15 years. I think he knows what he is doing. The sleep study is for the insurance co. The Dr. is not requiring it for the Rx. Lighten up. Nobody needs to be taken to court.

Great, even 30 years of cpap use doesnt automatically give you a medical license. 4 years of med school would though. happy new year

[DWaldman]

A FIFTEEN year cpapper being forced to undergo this is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!
My advice, like others, would be to get a machine on your own, and then take these weasels TO COURT!

My advice would be that if you do get a machine on your own (which I would not recommend), at the advice of people such as the above, and things dont go well, make sure you take the above to court as well since essentially they are taking the role of being your doctor without a license.

He's been using CPAP for 15 years. I think he knows what he is doing. The sleep study is for the insurance co. The Dr. is not requiring it for the Rx. Lighten up. Nobody needs to be taken to court.

Great, even 30 years of cpap use doesnt automatically give you a medical license. 4 years of med school would though. happy new year

Nobody is giving medical advice here. He has a valid Rx for a machine from his new Dr. He can buy any machine he likes at this point, with his Dr's. blessing. He would like the insurance co. to pay for it. They want a new sleep study. I doubt the one reviewing his claim has a med degree. He has worries about the in home study... advice has been given by others who have dealt with the issue. Pay attention.

[chunkyfrog]

An unnecessary study without the machine can be TORTURE.
I would most definitely put the insurance company's cruelty out there for public review!
If it is a policy through work, go to your benefits manager.
We had a lousy insurance company at work, and our union made sure they never got renewed.