4 ms·

> If your doctor tells you to do a sleep study, do it. All I got in return is a $500 inconclusive.

zoopdewoop 6y ago
Why did you even comment this? He's saying the upside is worth it. I also got an inconclusive, but my dad has apnea and a sleep study basically changed his life. The possibility of that is clearly worth 500$
- throw1234651234 6y ago
  Because to some people $500 is a lot and doctor visits are often useless. "See a doctor" is default advice, but it can be very expensive advice.
  - yohannparis 6y ago
    This a USA healthcare problem, and you should flag it as such.
    - kortilla 6y ago
      Why? If going to a doctor is free for you, you know that.
      - yohannparis 6y ago
        Doctor are not free to me, I pay taxes. What I was trying to say, your example is an USA problem, most people do not have to decide if seeing a doctor is a financial decision. So your case is not universal, and should be mentioned.
    - irlib 6y ago
      I am in the USA, and my cheap ass insurance covered the sleep study in full. CPAP machine, however, is upon deductible, so I have postponed it upon I'll have spent the deductible on something like CT.
Someone1234 6y ago
They're slowly moving to "at home" sleep studies, so hopefully the cost will come down. Essentially they just loan you a bunch of monitors on a chest belt, teach you how to put it on, and you return it the next day for your consultation. Here's a video showing how to install the monitor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHvydhYu85o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHvydhYu85o It is still a "developing area" but I think it will be the norm eventually. It *should reduce the cost (but YMMV, as US healthcare costs don't conform to normal logic).
- irlib 6y ago
  Yeah, a couple of years ago, I had an at-home sleep study. It was free for me with Kaiser insurance, so I guess the cost was neglectable.
Broken_Hippo 6y ago
Cervical cancer screenings save women's lives: Cervical cancer is an insane beast that often has no symptoms when it is the most treatable. Many, many women get abnormal or inconclusive results once or twice during their lives. It can be a variety of causes, even! This doesn't change the fact that they save lives or seriously increase some people's quality of life. The sleep studies are similar. Someone getting an inconclusive result doesn't negate all the folks that have been helped by it - and honestly, doesn't rule it out. The money bit is just a shameful side effect of the health care system where you live and I'm guessing it is part of the sting of an inconclusive result.
SaintGhurka 6y ago
That really sucks. When did you do the test - and was it in a clinic or at home? I do encourage you to keep trying if you have reason to think you have sleep apnea. Maybe get a home O2 monitor to help you decide if it's worth spending the money on another sleep study.
virgulino 6y ago
Thanks. I didn't know that it could be inconclusive, or how much it costs.
AuryGlenz 6y ago
Mine was a hell of a lot more expensive than that. $3,000. The doctor refused to treat me until I had one, even though my fatigue was the same as it was 10 years ago when I had another sleep study with no issues. So damned frustrating.

Why did you even comment this? He's saying the upside is worth it. I also got an inconclusive, but my dad has apnea and a sleep study basically changed his life. The possibility of that is clearly worth 500$

throw1234651234 6y ago
Because to some people $500 is a lot and doctor visits are often useless. "See a doctor" is default advice, but it can be very expensive advice.
- yohannparis 6y ago
  This a USA healthcare problem, and you should flag it as such.
  - kortilla 6y ago
    Why? If going to a doctor is free for you, you know that.
    - yohannparis 6y ago
      Doctor are not free to me, I pay taxes. What I was trying to say, your example is an USA problem, most people do not have to decide if seeing a doctor is a financial decision. So your case is not universal, and should be mentioned.
  - irlib 6y ago
    I am in the USA, and my cheap ass insurance covered the sleep study in full. CPAP machine, however, is upon deductible, so I have postponed it upon I'll have spent the deductible on something like CT.

Someone1234 6y ago

They're slowly moving to "at home" sleep studies, so hopefully the cost will come down. Essentially they just loan you a bunch of monitors on a chest belt, teach you how to put it on, and you return it the next day for your consultation. Here's a video showing how to install the monitor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHvydhYu85o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHvydhYu85o It is still a "developing area" but I think it will be the norm eventually. It *should reduce the cost (but YMMV, as US healthcare costs don't conform to normal logic).

irlib 6y ago
Yeah, a couple of years ago, I had an at-home sleep study. It was free for me with Kaiser insurance, so I guess the cost was neglectable.

Broken_Hippo 6y ago

Cervical cancer screenings save women's lives: Cervical cancer is an insane beast that often has no symptoms when it is the most treatable. Many, many women get abnormal or inconclusive results once or twice during their lives. It can be a variety of causes, even! This doesn't change the fact that they save lives or seriously increase some people's quality of life. The sleep studies are similar. Someone getting an inconclusive result doesn't negate all the folks that have been helped by it - and honestly, doesn't rule it out. The money bit is just a shameful side effect of the health care system where you live and I'm guessing it is part of the sting of an inconclusive result.

SaintGhurka 6y ago

That really sucks. When did you do the test - and was it in a clinic or at home? I do encourage you to keep trying if you have reason to think you have sleep apnea. Maybe get a home O2 monitor to help you decide if it's worth spending the money on another sleep study.

virgulino 6y ago

Thanks. I didn't know that it could be inconclusive, or how much it costs.

AuryGlenz 6y ago

Mine was a hell of a lot more expensive than that. $3,000. The doctor refused to treat me until I had one, even though my fatigue was the same as it was 10 years ago when I had another sleep study with no issues. So damned frustrating.