Looking for advice

[Sui]

Hi all, so I've been pretty sure that I've had sleep apnea since my teens. I'd stop breathing, it'd freak my mum out but not enough to get it checked out. Exs would tell me it was weird, and I'd snore super loud etc. My uncle has a CPAP and can't praise it enough, and I share pretty much all his symptoms. I'm 32 now, and the issues are only getting worse. They're compounding with my anxiety disorder, another inherited quirk (thanks for that one Dad) and GERD (throat's swelling up and making it even harder to breathe, then panic attack spirals all the symptoms even worse).

I've moved countries, UK to US, and cannot afford insurance which seems to be the way people manage to stay alive in the States lol..
I cannot afford the cost, money or time really, of dealing with a sleep study. Inflation is wiping out our budget, and I don't have anything to sell worth 4 digits. Is there anything I can do for the meantime? I've heard mixed reports about buying 2nd hand CPAPs being illegal/FDA trying to monopolize the field, or potentially harmful if you get the wrong machine/settings, what do I need to look out for? I'm in NC if that makes a difference!

It's nearly 6am now, I gave up on sleep a couple of hours ago after I woke myself up by not breathing for the third time in a row. I don't think I can hold down my job like this, not that it's giving us much financial support right now anyway.. It genuinely feels like it's killing me, or the stress it's amplifying is. Thank you for your time, I imagine you hear this a lot..

[chunkyfrog]

Watch the forum for several long-term members offering used machines.
Though "technically" forbidden, there is no practical enforcement.
Cpap.com supports this forum--patronize them when you can.
Their prices are competitive, because insurance gets no share.
Many members have managed their apnea completely "off the grid" from day one.
Read, read, read to learn from the experience of others.
Budget for your healthcare, and find low cost solutions are available.

[Julie]

Illegal? Where did you hear that! Ridiculous! Maybe they're talking about buying a new one from a dealer without a script (not everyone requires them) or ResMed equipment being shipped out of the U.S. (that one is true - not illegal, but ResMed will only ship within the U.S.... their prerogative I guess.

Secondwindcpap.com is a terrific dealer (DME) lots of us have bought from - they refurb the machines (and masks) and follow through til you're happy.

[Miss Emerita]

It'd be nice to have the results of a sleep test before choosing a machine, in case you have an unusual condition (anything other than obstructive sleep apnea). But your description of your experience sounds like OSA, so I think it'd make sense to try using a machine.

Any chance your uncle has a back-up machine that you could try for a month or two? That would be ideal.

Otherwise, be on the lookout for one of these three:

Airsense 10 Autoset
Airsense 10 Autoset for Her
Airsense 11 Autoset.

It doesn't much matter which one; "Autoset" is a key word.

Be aware that you'll also need a mask and (depending on what comes with your machine) a long hose and an SD card. We'd be happy to help you figure out what to try for these peripherals.

I mention the SD card because there's wonderful software called Oscar that you can use on your laptop or desktop. The graphs and charts it will enable you to view will be of great value in arriving at optimal settings. We'd be happy to help you with using Oscar and tweaking your settings.

[Pugsy]

ResMed equipment being shipped out of the U.S. (that one is true - not illegal, but ResMed will only ship within the U.S.... their prerogative I guess.

ResMed itself will ship world wide.

What ResMed does is force its US retailers to NOT ship outside the US.
ResMed does that with all the countries it ships to....limits where the retailer can ship.
Canadian online retailers of ResMed products can't ship outside Canada.
US online retailers of ResMed products can't ship outside the US
UK online retailers of ResMed products can't ship outside the UK.
That sort of thing.

[clownbell]

There is a forum member named LSAT who periodically has great deals on new and/or slightly used machines. Suggest sending him a PM.