Sleep center in TN. Murfreesboro Worth the $$ ????

[jeff43]

Anyone here been to this place for a sleep study,for snoring or sleep apnea?Im doing a home “sleep study “ tonight after work. I’m going because of snoring and mostly because I don’t feel rested in the mornings.( Go to bed tired and wake up tired.)I’ve talked to a couple of guys at work that said the cpap machine helped them and have talked to others that said it’s a non ending money pit.

I’ve spent $100 for the initial consultation, and another $301 today for the sleep study kit to do tonight. All out of pocket.

Hadn't even got started and it’s pricey!

Worth it or not???

Edited March 28 by jeff43

[Pain103]

That's about right. I did mine elsewhere but most of it is out of pocket. It is worth it in the end to sleep better. Also, the routine supply resupply every three or four months runs me about $80. 

 

Once you pay off the machine you only have the resupply. The machine is pricey though. 

Edited March 28 by Pain103

[jeff43]

12 minutes ago, Pain103 said:

That's about right. I did mine elsewhere but most of it is out of pocket. It is worth it in the end to sleep better. Also, the routine supply resupply every three or four months runs me about $80. 

 

Once you pay off the machine you only have the resupply. The machine is pricey though. 

How pricey?

[Scotty]

Just my opinion, I know it stinks paying for a service without a guaranteed result. 
 

So far you’re out $400 rough math, call it a 1$ a day. What’s the price that you’re willing to walk away and have a potentially subpar sleep. 
 

If someone said that I could sleep better and it would cost me $1800 a year I’d pay $5 a day to spend a third of my day actually rested and wake up ready to seize the day and in my best mental head space. I know sleep apnea is a pain but if you can extend life and quality of sleep I hope it’s worthwhile and helps. 

[pop pop]

I did the sleep study in Murfreesboro. They said, in my worst hour of sleep, I stopped breathing 61 times. Hard to believe.

I am on C-pap and have been for 9 years. It helps my sleep. A lot of drawbacks. Can't snuggle with wifie as the face gear is intrusive. I need the full facemask (covers both mouth and nose) because I breath thru my mouth when I sleep. Have a chin strap to help with that. The machine has stopped my snoring, for the most part.  Medicare pays for my setup. It is expensive. 

It helps me. YMMV

[BigK]

The Sleep Center in M'boro is where I first went. I didn't like my sleep doctor, but I liked the staff and the facility in general. They setup a VERY generous payment plan that included the study and the machine. I paid $30/month until I could afford to pay the remaining lump sum (around $1800 total). I took that offer as that was all I could afford at the time and aside from quitting smoking, it was the best health decision I ever made. I was literally about to lose my job for dozing off at work. I had no clue I quit breathing 87 times per hour.

My new sleep doc upgraded me to a modern cpap machine a couple of years ago and the total cost of the machine was about $700. The DME company that supplied it let me pay it off in small monthly payments. 

My best piece of advice is to let them fit you for a mask, but buy it on Amazon. The DME will say you need a prescription to buy a mask but it's a lie. I buy masks, hoses, filters, etc on Amazon exclusively w/out an Rx.

Edited March 28 by BigK

[HKfanTN]

 I snored, had zero energy, fell asleep a lot if I was just sitting and finally got tired of getting elbowed.  My primary doctor sent me to a sleep center where they hooked up about a gazillion leads to my head and a bungee cord thing around my chest and put me in a shabby little bedroom to sleep.  I couldn't fall asleep and walked out 4 hours later in the middle of the night. 

Fast forward a couple of years and I decided to try again.  This time I did the at home sleep study from Lofta which was a device they mail you that you wear on your hand and then you mail it back.  They diagnosed my apnea and prescribed me a CPAP which cost me about a grand. I paid out of pocket and pay for resupply stuff out of pocket.

It  has been five years now it was worth every penny to me because it changed my life. I have a lot more energy and feel rested finally. No more dozing off in front of the TV or getting sleepy driving. Yes, wearing a CPAP sucks especially because I travel a lot but I have a travel model and it fits right in my suitcase. 

[papa61]

I go there, our insurance pays for it all. Lucky in that respect I suppose. I was falling asleep everywhere, watching TV, working, sitting at stoplights, even in slow moving traffic on the interstate. I still have issues but nobody on I24 has to worry now. Yeah it is a pain but you get used to it, I can't fall asleep without it at night. Wife says she doesn't sleep as well when the machine isn't on. With all of my other health issues, yes, it is definitely worth it. I had my study done in their facility, very clean, nice room with a nice bed. They do a lot to make it not look like a medical facility. 

Wife says I still snore but the doc says it's probably my mask leaking because I don't stop breathing and I do have leaks at times.

[Jpoc700]

I have had two sleep studies over decade apart they all suck, but the cpap works been using one for 20 plus years.  Good luck with your journey.

[Pain103]

22 hours ago, jeff43 said:

How pricey?

If I recall the CPAP was like $500. Once it's done you own it. I was told the caveat is that if you don't use so many days in the first 90 days insurance will deny coverage. I didn't have an issue sleeping with it, so it didn't bother me. Like I said before you get past the sleep studies and machine purchase the 90 supplies are the only cost. I think my cost for the three-month supply is $80. Worth it to stop the snoring and potentially avoid other medical problems. Also, I follow the distilled water requirement, some don't, but a gallon of distilled water is $1.50. that last me a few weeks and I run mine at max humidity every night due to my sinuses. 

[jeff43]

I did the sleep study last night at home, took the stuff back too them today. Decided to pull out and not go any further with it. Just wasted $400 I guess.

[BigK]

1 hour ago, jeff43 said:

I did the sleep study last night at home, took the stuff back too them today. Decided to pull out and not go any further with it. Just wasted $400 I guess.

Mind if I ask what happened to make you pull out?

[hipower]

3 hours ago, jeff43 said:

I did the sleep study last night at home, took the stuff back too them today. Decided to pull out and not go any further with it. Just wasted $400 I guess.

I did something similar some years ago. Suffered thru the attachement of the unbelievable number of electrodes on my scalp. Had a hard time getting to sleep with them.

That was the first night. Got all hooked up on night #2 and jerked the device off. I found it to be not only uncomfortable but discovered I was extremely claustrophobic! Mouth and nose covered. Face covered. (Old style equipment)  Found I couldn't breath against the inbound air flow. 

I just went berserk with it. Nurse was actually really pissed, but since she hadn't started the test, I didn't get charged for the second night.

I might try it again. Sometime. Have to get thru some other things first. And yes...I do understand better breathing and better sleep will help me.

[jeff43]

12 hours ago, BigK said:

Mind if I ask what happened to make you pull out?

Didn’t sleep good with all the hoses, I felt constricted. Mainly I had a bad feeling that it was going to be very costly ,and the insurance wasn’t helping much.Just not in the mood for all that right now.

[HKfanTN]

$189 sleep study from Lofta.  The device fits on your wrist and hand.  

 

https://lofta.com/products/sleep-apnea-test?utm_campaign=US-Home_Sleep_Test-SMRT-GSN-SHOP&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzZmwBhD8ARIsAH4v1gVJqR9v3nknT4BkgotIYgbb-EV6UQRtkJOKxHq-Ra4em1zR_fqrFdEaAkX6EALw_wcB

[BigK]

9 hours ago, jeff43 said:

Didn’t sleep good with all the hoses, I felt constricted. Mainly I had a bad feeling that it was going to be very costly ,and the insurance wasn’t helping much.Just not in the mood for all that right now.

I hear ya, my wife didn't bail soon enough. Like you, she hated the sleep study and the mask/hoses, but went through with it anyway. I guess she thought she'd adapt, but it never happened. She ended up returning the machine, but was out a lot of money for her share of all the costs. It's certainly not for everyone.

[NoBanStan]

On 3/29/2024 at 11:01 AM, jeff43 said:

Didn’t sleep good with all the hoses, I felt constricted. Mainly I had a bad feeling that it was going to be very costly ,and the insurance wasn’t helping much.Just not in the mood for all that right now.

So the trick is that nobody sleeps well with the hoses. They also know this.

I got lucky because I was tested during the pandemic, so they just made me use the at home test.

[OldIronFan]

2 hours ago, NoBanStan said:

So the trick is that nobody sleeps well with the hoses. They also know this.

I got lucky because I was tested during the pandemic, so they just made me use the at home test.

My wife sleeps like a log with a CPAP now. She adapted quickly. It actually annoys me more than her these days since I tend to extend an arm out from my pillow and get my hand/arm tangled up in her air tube. 
She lost weight and generally improved her overall health.
She has more energy, wakes up early and rested these days.
It also improved her sinus and asthma issues. Breathing filtered humidified air ~7 hours a night has greatly cut back on her breathing issues. She nearly died 30 years ago from pneumonia and suffered permanent lung damage as a result. The CPAP while not reversing any of that has lessened symptoms and side effects to a low annoyance, low maintenance level. 

Edited April 1 by OldIronFan

[BHunted]

Been using this method for decades before I even heard of the term. Might be a worthy add-on.

What Is a Sleep Divorce? (sleepfoundation.org)

[NoBanStan]

51 minutes ago, OldIronFan said:

My wife sleeps like a log with a CPAP now. She adapted quickly. It actually annoys me more than her these days since I tend to extend an arm out from my pillow and get my hand/arm tangled up in her air tube. 
She lost weight and generally improved her overall health.
She has more energy, wakes up early and rested these days.
It also improved her sinus and asthma issues. Breathing filtered humidified air ~7 hours a night has greatly cut back on her breathing issues. She nearly died 30 years ago from pneumonia and suffered permanent lung damage as a result. The CPAP while not reversing any of that has lessened symptoms and side effects to a low annoyance, low maintenance level. 

I was referring to the test lab where they hook you up with all the medical equipment. Everyone struggles with that. Once you get the CPAP/APAP home, it takes a couple of days/weeks to acclimate, but then the benefits become obvious.

[OldIronFan]

20 minutes ago, NoBanStan said:

I was referring to the test lab where they hook you up with all the medical equipment. Everyone struggles with that. Once you get the CPAP/APAP home, it takes a couple of days/weeks to acclimate, but then the benefits become obvious.

Ahh, gotcha. Yeah the sleep study is a pain. Not just from the new hoses and leads but in my case they woke me up at least twice to change or add something. I started out with only the monitors, once they got readings in that state they put the CPAP on me and went again. Then they switched the CPAP setup in the wee hours of the morning again. 

[BigK]

1 hour ago, OldIronFan said:

Ahh, gotcha. Yeah the sleep study is a pain. Not just from the new hoses and leads but in my case they woke me up at least twice to change or add something. I started out with only the monitors, once they got readings in that state they put the CPAP on me and went again. Then they switched the CPAP setup in the wee hours of the morning again. 

They did something similar to me in the sleep study. As uncomfortable as dozens of electrodes are, I'd be almost asleep and they'd come over the speaker saying if I don't fall asleep, they'd have to give me a sleeping pill and/or reschedule the sleep study.

I finally slept 2 hours and they woke me up because they got enough data that quickly to conclude I needed a machine. Once they put the mask on they said I was asleep in under 2 minutes and had zero episodes once they got the settings dialed in. I slept like a baby the rest of the night.

[Capbyrd]

My sleep apnea journey was rocky. 

Insurance wasn't going to pay anything and I did not have the money to pay out of pocket. 

I got my referral and headed off to the pulmonary group.   I was in the office with the doc for about 4 minutes.  It was long enough for him to say, "because of your size, we should be able to do everything with an at home study.  Head downstairs and they will get you scheduled."   The initial visit cost me 200 dollars.  I headed downstairs and scheduled the at home study for 6 weeks later because they were backed up.   That cost me another 350 that day.   I'm out 550 dollars and all the doctor did was look at me.  That's it.   Mind you, because of what he said, I'm thinking the at home study is all I will have to do. 
 

6 weeks later I complete the at home portion, turn it back in and wait for my results.   And NOTHING.  For 3 weeks.  I finally called them and they wanted to schedule my in lab sleep study.  This is when I lost it.   They wanted $1750 for the in lab study and then I was still going to be on the hook for the machine with no assistance from insurance.  I went back and forth with them and made no progress so I decided to walk away. 

Luckily, I found EasyBreathe.   They used the results from my at home study to get me a prescription for a BiPap machine with auto titration. 

 

I had to save up and it cost me right around $1200 TrumpBucks to get my ResMed AirCurve 10 VAuto.   The machine has been great and made a world of difference for me.  I have only not used it once since I had it and that was because of a power outage.   I cannot sleep without it. 

[NoBanStan]

6 hours ago, Capbyrd said:

My sleep apnea journey was rocky. 

Insurance wasn't going to pay anything and I did not have the money to pay out of pocket. 

I got my referral and headed off to the pulmonary group.   I was in the office with the doc for about 4 minutes.  It was long enough for him to say, "because of your size, we should be able to do everything with an at home study.  Head downstairs and they will get you scheduled."   The initial visit cost me 200 dollars.  I headed downstairs and scheduled the at home study for 6 weeks later because they were backed up.   That cost me another 350 that day.   I'm out 550 dollars and all the doctor did was look at me.  That's it.   Mind you, because of what he said, I'm thinking the at home study is all I will have to do. 
 

6 weeks later I complete the at home portion, turn it back in and wait for my results.   And NOTHING.  For 3 weeks.  I finally called them and they wanted to schedule my in lab sleep study.  This is when I lost it.   They wanted $1750 for the in lab study and then I was still going to be on the hook for the machine with no assistance from insurance.  I went back and forth with them and made no progress so I decided to walk away. 

Luckily, I found EasyBreathe.   They used the results from my at home study to get me a prescription for a BiPap machine with auto titration. 

 

I had to save up and it cost me right around $1200 TrumpBucks to get my ResMed AirCurve 10 VAuto.   The machine has been great and made a world of difference for me.  I have only not used it once since I had it and that was because of a power outage.   I cannot sleep without it. 

That's corporate medicine for you. I bet they acted like you were out of line for being upset. It's only gonna get worse with medicine I'm afraid.

We're kinda hosed either way. If we stick with free market, then big business will own it all and subject us to their policies, monopoly and price hikes. if we socialize it we'll be Canada where you have to go to the emergency room and wait 4 hours because you have a respiratory infection and need a steroid/antibiotic. (Doctors are months out and they don't get to have walk-in clinics and urgent care places like we do).