Sleep Apnea Support Group

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. People with sleep apnea partially awaken as they struggle to breathe, but in the morning they may not be aware of sleep disturbances.

984 Members

1,450 Posts

0 Online

mosesport 06/15/2016

So... It's been a long journey with OSA. Diagnosed in 2010. CPAP worked for about 2 years... Then just kinda stopped working. I haven't had insurance in almost 4 years. My work doesn't provide insurance. I don't make enough to afford a personal plan, but I make too much to qualify for government assistance. I applied for Obamacare a few years back, but my only options were over $250 per month. I decided out of desperation to enroll in the cheapest plan they had, which was right around $255 per month. I tried for several months to find doctors to help me, but of course no one wanted to accept my insurance since obamacare is generally frowned upon in the insurance world. I gave up the insurance, and haven't been able to get any since. Most days, I feel like I'm on the brink of passing out at any given moment. I get this intense pressure behind my eyes, and I feel like I could fall asleep at any moment. The dizziness and fatigue cause panic attacks... And those feelings essentially cycle around and around until it's time to go to sleep. I have a very physically challenging job, and I'm really just afraid my body is going to give up on me and I'll end up in the hospital. My heart beats erratically sometimes, and I have a general sense that I'm just not okay. I exercise regularly, and I eat healthy as often as I can. I'm currently 5'10", and around 190lbs.

At this point, I truly feel like my body is about to give up on me. Every day is a massive struggle. I have no medical options. I've been told I need my tonsils out, but affording a $10000 surgery just isn't possible. I really just feel like I'm waiting to die... And it's really sad. I have so much I want to do and accomplish in life, but most days, all I want to do is stay in bed and sleep. I never feel rested. I never feel refreshed. I never feel okay. Most mornings, I wake up so exhausted that I just wish I had died in my sleep so I don't have to deal with this anymore. I'm only 31, yet I feel like an old man. This illness has taken a toll on every aspect of my life. My memory is failing. My heart is failing. I honestly just don't want to do it anymore.

I didn't write all this out to be a sob story. I just needed to vent. Maybe having some people to talk to would be a small comfort. Sleep apnea has ruined my life.

sptrout 06/15/2016

Hi mosesport!

I see in your profile that you are from Houston, and since I live in Spring (near Splash Town), howdy neighbor!

Very sorry to read about your SA problems and your fight with ObamaCare. I understand both more than I wish I did. The Houston area really got screwed over by ObamaCare for 2016 and BCBS is asking for 60% more for 2017. I am paying $1,039 a month for my ObamaCare Humana HMO Gold Plan. Luckily, I go on Medicare this September so my insurance situation is in for a big change for the better. I really feel sorry for all the people in Harris and surrounding Counties that are stuck with ObamaCare.

As for your SA problems, I know the feelings that you are experiencing at least to some degree. It sounds like you are having more problems than I did before I started treatment last April (2015). Do you recall what your AHI number was from your sleep study?

Are you familiar with either the Apnea Board Forum or cpaptalk.com Board? If not, I highly recommend that you check them out. One of the Boards (I think it is cpaptalk) has a person that sells slightly used, or in some cases, new XPAP machines at a fraction of there normal costs. No personal experience with this person, but he is highly recommended by many on the Board. Well worth asking. Also, cpap.com sells new XPAP equipment and accessories and have a real brick and mortar store in Stafford. Check them out to see if there is anything that they can do.

I hope you can find a answer quickly!

http://www.cpaptalk.com/CPAP-Sleep-Apnea-Forum.html

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/index.php

mosesport 06/15/2016

Hey sptrout. I'm actually in Spring as well, so good to know someone close by who can relate. Yeah, the obamacare thing has really screwed me over. I was so hopeful, but found that 0 help, and it all ended up being a huge hassle in the end. I can't recall what my AHI was since my original sleep study was so long ago, but I remember them telling me I was having at least 55 apnea events per hour.

I am not familiar with either of those other forums, but it seems I should probably check them out. May be a bit easier to find people there rather than these boards.

I went to the website you recommended for cpap equipment, but as I expected, they all require prescriptions.. And since I have no insurance, that's not really possible for me. I feel so stuck right now. I honestly just don't know what to do anymore. :/

sptrout 06/15/2016

Please try to get the contact of the XPAP seller on cpaptalk. Oddly, there is no requirement for a prescription for an individual to sell CPAP equipment. The prices that I have seen posted are very good, and totally legal.

keeska 06/18/2016

Your CPAP machine just needs to be programmed to your current needs. Unfortunately, you'll need a script for that, and that means another sleep study.

Good luck.

sharingsunshine 06/25/2016

I completely understand. I have done what I have been told, tonsils out, lose weight, and still it is killing me. Last night was the first time I stopped breathing until I was startled awake. I try to use my CPAP but I take it off in my sleep. I get what you are saying. Message me back any time.

RascalFlattsFan 06/26/2016

Sleep Apnea is a real bitch, and it will kill you if you don't take care of it. I take a huge dose of a "stimulant" med every day to stay awake. I know the apnea is making me tired but I also feel that I have narcolepsy too. I could be wrong since it's never been diagnosed. Without that med, I couldn't function. If you could get your machine adjusted and see a doctor for how tired you are, I think you'd bounce back 100%. Of course finding a doctor and paying for all of it is another thing. I'm disappointed in what you all are saying about Obamacare. This insurance was going to save all Americans. More BS. Don't give up! There is a solution to your problem. Believe you'll find it and get better. God doesn't give us more then we can handle. You're a fighter, never forget it!

Caymangirl 07/16/2016

Yes, sleep apnea will kill you, or make you so miserable that you want to die. I have been recently diagnosed and I'm trying to learn as fast as I can. I am worrying about myfriend who was diagnosed the same time as me, and who has given up already. If she doesn't listen to me, her doctor or therapist she might listen to others in a support group. I am trying to start an AWAKE group but need directions for help, I find the ASA website impossible to navigate.

thepuddster 07/27/2016

Hey, I put in a friend request for you. Please accept it as I think I have a solution to your CPAP problem. I just feel like paying if forward if I can.

WickedTired 11/05/2016

I right there with you. I am 29. I have been dealing with sleep apnea since I was 20. I was only diagnosed when I was 29, so from ages 20-29, I dealt with an invisible illness that was killing me from the inside out, that woudlnt show up any medical test. My primary care phsysician insisted I was a hypochondriac, and sent me to a therapist. I took my first sleep study when I was 24, but they must have messed up somehow, because they said I was fine, but when I took another sleep study 5 years later, with the same exact symptoms, they finally told me I had sleep apnea. It has been an extremely brutal 9 years an counting. I have been on cpap for 10 months, and I still am super, painfully tired every day. I have a headache that just never goes away. I honestly forget what its like to not have a headache. I don't even take pain meds anymore. I am always depressed, and out of it, like my body is out of sync with itself. I always feel bloated. I have exzcema on my face and forhead that will not go away. I have dark bags under both eyes. I look like I am dying. I was in the Army and used to be really athletic and toned. I really dont have any friends. I always feel like absolute shit. I havent had a girlfriend in 6+ years. This isnt living. I simply exist.

Join the Conversation