General questions from a newbie
I just found this board today, and I'm glad I stumbled across it! (I'm longwinded, sorry).
Brief background: I had a home sleep study done on July 11 (results show AHI=8, avg O2=92, lowest O2=88). Due to constant daytime sleepiness and concern about safe driving, I opted for a CPAP. I do have a family history of OSA, my dad had severe sleep apnea (told at different times that it was obstructive and then central), and both of my brothers have recently started CPAP treatment (one for OSA, the other for very shallow breathing, don't know his actual diagnosis).
I am still waiting for my CPAP to get here the middle of this week, but I had some general questions.
1. Is it ordinary to be treated exclusively by a PA, referred to a sleep center only for the study, but to have the PA determine the pressure settings? And should there be a follow up scheduled at some point, especially for insurance compliance (nothing has been said about a follow up, do I need to get one scheduled?).
2. Relating to the insurance compliance: I'm covered under United Healthcare, and due to a high deductible I decided to save money and order directly from an online supplier and paid $434 for machine and nasal mask with headset, which is a whole lot less than my cost would have been going through the insurance and their in-network DME suppliers. That being said, would it be a waste of time to submit a "claim" for my cash purchase in the hopes that it would be applied towards the deductible, since every bit helps? Same basic question as far as masks and supplies go, I can save a ton of money (very important for this single mom) by buying direct, but it would be nice to have it applied to the deductible. Also, how do I handle the compliance verification since I purchased the machine myself? Could I still get masks and hoses, etc, through the insurance in my situation? This is foreign territory for me, and I have to plan an afternoon to call the insurance company for details on the coverage for this scenario but I'm interested in other's success in my boat.
3. The air here in Colorado is very dry, especially in the winter, so I got the added humidifier. Then I read about rain-out. Any tips or tricks to managing that when the temp drops? I primarily heat with a wood stove, so it gets chilly in the bedroom. My dad was one for coming up with random tricks to solve comfort issues, like gluing lambskin to his full face mask (not something I'll be doing, BTW), but I don't think he ever had a humidifier so rain out wasn't a problem for him.
4. My machine has RAMP, which I figured would make for an easier transition into this, not to mention comfort. Is there anything else I can expect or should know prior to starting this? I sleep solo so I don't have to worry about the noise disturbing someone else, I don't think it will be a problem for me. I primarily side sleep, are those pricey pillows worth the dough or a waste?
I am determined to make this work and not have a four hundred dollar machine sitting on a shelf collecting dust because I failed to adjust to it. I am tired of being tired (although the midday catnaps at my desk are kind of nice!)
Also, a bit morbid, and maybe paranoid, but sleep apnea was a huge contributor to my father's death at the age of 52. His disease had actually progressed to central respiratory drive failure requiring a permanent trach and nighttime ventilator (which he failed to reconnect after using the bathroom the night he died). He had other lung and heart issues, some of which may have been caused or exacerbated by the SA going untreated for a number of years, so I don't want to mess around with this and would like this to be a successful treatment option. Thank you, whomever reads this excessively long post!
Brief background: I had a home sleep study done on July 11 (results show AHI=8, avg O2=92, lowest O2=88). Due to constant daytime sleepiness and concern about safe driving, I opted for a CPAP. I do have a family history of OSA, my dad had severe sleep apnea (told at different times that it was obstructive and then central), and both of my brothers have recently started CPAP treatment (one for OSA, the other for very shallow breathing, don't know his actual diagnosis).
I am still waiting for my CPAP to get here the middle of this week, but I had some general questions.
1. Is it ordinary to be treated exclusively by a PA, referred to a sleep center only for the study, but to have the PA determine the pressure settings? And should there be a follow up scheduled at some point, especially for insurance compliance (nothing has been said about a follow up, do I need to get one scheduled?).
2. Relating to the insurance compliance: I'm covered under United Healthcare, and due to a high deductible I decided to save money and order directly from an online supplier and paid $434 for machine and nasal mask with headset, which is a whole lot less than my cost would have been going through the insurance and their in-network DME suppliers. That being said, would it be a waste of time to submit a "claim" for my cash purchase in the hopes that it would be applied towards the deductible, since every bit helps? Same basic question as far as masks and supplies go, I can save a ton of money (very important for this single mom) by buying direct, but it would be nice to have it applied to the deductible. Also, how do I handle the compliance verification since I purchased the machine myself? Could I still get masks and hoses, etc, through the insurance in my situation? This is foreign territory for me, and I have to plan an afternoon to call the insurance company for details on the coverage for this scenario but I'm interested in other's success in my boat.
3. The air here in Colorado is very dry, especially in the winter, so I got the added humidifier. Then I read about rain-out. Any tips or tricks to managing that when the temp drops? I primarily heat with a wood stove, so it gets chilly in the bedroom. My dad was one for coming up with random tricks to solve comfort issues, like gluing lambskin to his full face mask (not something I'll be doing, BTW), but I don't think he ever had a humidifier so rain out wasn't a problem for him.
4. My machine has RAMP, which I figured would make for an easier transition into this, not to mention comfort. Is there anything else I can expect or should know prior to starting this? I sleep solo so I don't have to worry about the noise disturbing someone else, I don't think it will be a problem for me. I primarily side sleep, are those pricey pillows worth the dough or a waste?
I am determined to make this work and not have a four hundred dollar machine sitting on a shelf collecting dust because I failed to adjust to it. I am tired of being tired (although the midday catnaps at my desk are kind of nice!)
Also, a bit morbid, and maybe paranoid, but sleep apnea was a huge contributor to my father's death at the age of 52. His disease had actually progressed to central respiratory drive failure requiring a permanent trach and nighttime ventilator (which he failed to reconnect after using the bathroom the night he died). He had other lung and heart issues, some of which may have been caused or exacerbated by the SA going untreated for a number of years, so I don't want to mess around with this and would like this to be a successful treatment option. Thank you, whomever reads this excessively long post!
