Originally Posted by
Jaimito Cartero
Well, I had insurance when the first study was done, but they wouldn't pay for the machine. I ended up buying a new one online, although it was pricey for me at the time.
A few years later my mediocre group insurance was gone, so I'm self insured from there. I guess I've got a bit of disdain for the US medical situation, so try to get anything done in Costa Rica or Thailand. I'm actually in Bangkok now recovering from a minor surgery I had done at Bumrungrad.
I am with you 100%. There is great technology here, and we spend so much, but we don;t see the benefit in terms of overall better health care. I have been diabetic, hypertensive, and had started gaining weight. I was suspected of having a heart attack. The cardiologist told me to watch what I put in my mouth.
No one, NOT one doctor in the U.S. suggested that I have a sleep study. The first time I saw a physician in India, he sent me for a sleep study. He was not even my doctor. He was the the M.D. who was consulted by my surgeon. The surgeon told me that the M.D. had recommended not to perform the surgery, unless I have a sleep study done.
All the technology, the premiums I paid, the primary care doctors I had, the dictates of HMOs and MCO's. Not one had the sense to send me for a sleep study.@:-)
Don't get me started on the state of health care in the U.S. It's shameful. for 7 years in a row, I worked away from home. So either, I , or my family had to depend on out of area physicians. One plan, paid very little for out of area medical visits. This when the corporation did offer plans both areas, but I could only choose one.
Originally Posted by
Jaimito Cartero
I think I was originally set at a 8.5 or 9, and had adjusted another used machine I had to about 10.5 as I got heavier.
This is common mis-perception and "common medical knowledge" propagated through internet. There is some corrrelation between weight and the pressure. But it's not 1. It's just like diabetes and weight. There is a correlation between diabetes and weight. Some people, think being fat causes diabetes. If you watch what you put in your mouth, you won;t "get" diabetes.
Warning: I want to warn every one that please, please do not assume that your pressure has gone up as you gained weight or that it has gone down as you lost weight.
I lost 45-50 pounds since last year, about 18-20% of my body weight at my highest. But guess what! My pressure went up by 25%.
Please do not change your pressure without a sleep study. There are risks of too much pressure.
Originally Posted by
Jaimito Cartero
If I don't use my humidifier (non-electric), then I am so dry, that I might as well not use the machine. I tried saline spray early on but it never seemed to do much for me.
People think an electric humidifier is better but non electric humidifier has many advantages.
Consumes less power, which is especially handy when you run it on battery power.
A heated humidifer puts more moisture in the air than the ambient air is capable of carrying. That increases the likelihood of rain out, which creates the need of a sock or a mitten for the hose, or of a heated hose, as Resmed has done for some of its S9 units. I have used my CPAP without a humidifier on two trips. One was to an island off the east coast of Malaysia. I figured that with monsoon around the corner, the air was humid enough. I did not miss my humidifier. On a trip to Moldova in November, I did not take my humidifier. I stayed in an apartment that had hot water radiator heat. The outside air was dry to begin with, the heat was making it even drier. Fortunately, I had plenty of towels. I soaked them all and stacked them on top of the radiator. I had no problem.
Originally Posted by
Jaimito Cartero
I'm sure I also have a deviated septum of some sort, so that if I sleep on my right side, I don't do well. Unless I'm 100% exhausted, it's hard to sleep more than 10 minutes in coach. I have slept as much as an hour or two if I'm in a nice biz or fc seat. As I said, I've never used a cpap on a flight.
I think I too have a deviated septum. As soon as I turn on my right, I feel something shift in my nostrils and my right nostril closes. I don't enjoy the thought of having a surgery. So I will live with it.
Originally Posted by
Jaimito Cartero
As for the yellow and red alarms, these are when the TSA swabs your cpap. Yellow is suspicious, red is for bomblike materials.
Oh. I thought it was some sort of a warning/alarm on your CPAP. What happens when it sets of a red alarm? Test it again? I don't know if any of my stuff has alarmed. Once a screener said he was going to take my CPAP to check it out. I said, "I can tell you it works". LOL