Sleep apnea
So I went in to OHSU today to the sleep studies department for my appointment. It was the follow-up appointment I was supposed to have months ago, that I didn't go to the first time because they told me Medicare would cover the sleep study, then sent me a bill for $2000.
I found out that during the sleep study, they'd found I have severe sleep apnea. My blood oxygen level was going down to 78%, and they also found out that the sleep apnea was waking me up 30 times an hour!
Naturally, because of what happened before, when the doctor said I needed another sleep study, this time with a CPAP, I told him what happened last time, that Mom had needed to pay the bill for me, and so I was wary of getting trapped into another ridiculous bill. He said he couldn't think why Medicare hadn't covered it, that they were supposed to, and then told me to get in touch with both the billing department and Medicare itself. I'll need to find a phone I can spend an hour on hold with, to do the Medicare call. But anyway, the sleep study isn't until March, so I have plenty of time to make damn sure I won't be hit with another bill. And if I am, this time I'll know to contest it.
But with as severe as my sleep apnea is, I really hope to get a CPAP. He said that Medicare will pay for the equipment and accessories, as long as I use it all night, every night.
Oh, and the weird tongue spasms and mouth spasm I was having a few days ago for a number of nights is apparently caused by sleep apnea as well. He said people usually don't notice it because it usually only happens when one is already asleep. Luckily, I didn't have any tongue/mouth spasms or the feeling that my tongue had gotten burned, or any other weird shit last night. (And no strange disembodied voices!)
Well, more later as it happens.
This was cross-posted from http://fayanora.dreamwidth.org/1128245.html
You can comment either here or there.
I found out that during the sleep study, they'd found I have severe sleep apnea. My blood oxygen level was going down to 78%, and they also found out that the sleep apnea was waking me up 30 times an hour!
Naturally, because of what happened before, when the doctor said I needed another sleep study, this time with a CPAP, I told him what happened last time, that Mom had needed to pay the bill for me, and so I was wary of getting trapped into another ridiculous bill. He said he couldn't think why Medicare hadn't covered it, that they were supposed to, and then told me to get in touch with both the billing department and Medicare itself. I'll need to find a phone I can spend an hour on hold with, to do the Medicare call. But anyway, the sleep study isn't until March, so I have plenty of time to make damn sure I won't be hit with another bill. And if I am, this time I'll know to contest it.
But with as severe as my sleep apnea is, I really hope to get a CPAP. He said that Medicare will pay for the equipment and accessories, as long as I use it all night, every night.
Oh, and the weird tongue spasms and mouth spasm I was having a few days ago for a number of nights is apparently caused by sleep apnea as well. He said people usually don't notice it because it usually only happens when one is already asleep. Luckily, I didn't have any tongue/mouth spasms or the feeling that my tongue had gotten burned, or any other weird shit last night. (And no strange disembodied voices!)
Well, more later as it happens.
This was cross-posted from http://fayanora.dreamwidth.org/1128245.html
You can comment either here or there.