I need advice

My issue is I do not have insurance. I can not afford the studies but I know I have sleep apnea. I am currently stuck in a catch 22; as my breathing stops more frequently, the more weight I put on. I am not lazy but do find myself napping more to catch up on sleep. My husband is terrified as he can no longer sleep in the same room with me. Is there any programs out there that can help me? I will be graduating next year with my degree and hope to get a new job with affordable insurance but that is a year from now.

You can buy a CPAP in the newspaper or someplace like Craigslist without a prescription. You would do best to get an APAP. They all have data and since it has a range of pressures, you can titrate yourself.

Unfortunately, you won't get a lot of choice on what kind of machine you get and can afford. If you get a cheaper machine, you can set it on a low setting like 5 or 6 and use it and see how you feel and get your husband to tell you what he observes. How much you are still gasping and snoring, etc. Then gradually move up the pressure until you feel better and he says you are sleeping well. You should still get a sleep study ASAP to rule out other issues and confirm the diagnosis but you can get treatment in the meantime.

I should add that you might be able to find a machine for free on something like FreeCycle.org. People give away stuff there they no longer want. But that is probably a long shot.

awakeinamerica.org is one charity - look for sleep study and xpap relief sections

check a local sleep doc and ask if they are aware of local groups that help

contact your local hospital and talk to a social worker who helps with people who can't pay for medical treatment

find a local AWAKE chapter (sleepapnea.org) and contact them and inquire

check your church

a machine can be found at thrift stores, garage/estate sales, and craigslists but there are other sleep disorders that should be excluded by undergoing a sleep study

It's important to be diagnosed via a sleep study so that whatever sleep issues you have can be properly addressed, so work on getting that done. In the meantime, BeanMeScot has given you good advice. I actually did see a machine listed on my local FreeCycle last year, and I recently purchased an APAP from a seller on CraigsList.

I found a few ads for machines in my local area, but they weren't what I was looking for, so I started searching other CL cities and found lots of listings that met my criteria. Just use good sense when buying from a stranger, especially if it's a long-distance purchase and you can't physically examine the machine. If the seller isn't local to you, ask for current pictures of the machine and/or detailed information (like the number of usage hours) and what, if anything, else is included (hose, mask, filters, user manual, humidifier, carrying case, etc.), and make sure you afford yourself some kind of buyer protection (like paying with a credit card through a service such as PayPal).

It's unfortunate that so many people don't use their CPAP machine, but the upshot of that is there are great deals to be had for those of us who want what has become another man's trash. Good luck!