Winston wrote:Update:
We just got back from Taipei. Me and my parents went to get the results of the sleep test. The doctor said yes I do have sleep apnea and it's quite extreme. He said at one point, I stopped breathing for 17 seconds. However, Rock was wrong that they would give me the air mask to sleep at night and that it would be covered by my insurance. It turns out that it costs 60,000 NT, or 2,000 USD and the insurance company will not cover that. I don't know why it costs so much though. Looking at the photo of it on a brochure they gave me, it looks like a cheap device with a mouthpiece that you can get at Walgreens for $19.99. LOL. Ridiculous. The doctor said the device is cheaper in the US, where it costs about 1,000 USD. Crazy. I wonder if there's a cheaper way to get it online or in China or Philippines. Rock is looking into that now.
So all the doctor did was give me the spiel about "dieting, exercising and jogging to lose weight". He even got New Agey on me by saying that the power of belief conquers all, and that I gotta believe in myself to lose weight. Etc. He claimed he could see through me and tell that I am a wandering type of guy, which is true. I guess he might have a sixth sense. He claimed to be able to read patients very well, because after seeing hundreds of them, he gets a sense for what kind of person they are and what their problem is, from his instinct and sixth sense. lol
Anyhow, I guess these trips to Taipei were a waste then. My departure from Taiwan has been delayed by them for almost a month now, and all for nothing. Geez. I received no remedies for my sleep apnea, except a pep talk about exercising and losing weight, which I didn't need to go to a hospital to hear. I could have heard it right here on the forum. lol.
I guess Rock, in being eager to help me, backfired. For some reason, the doctor Rock and I visited told us that the air mask machine would probably be covered by the insurance. But it isn't. So I don't get why the doctor told Rock that, since the doctor we saw should be on the same level as the doctor I saw yesterday. So why did he misinform Rock? Rock, maybe you should call Dr. Wang and ask him why he told you that? That's a big mistake and very misleading too.
I think its important you did these tests. It may be that you've had this condition for a long time already. So perhaps your biggest regret should be not having done them much sooner, many years sooner, instead of delaying your departure out of Taiwan by a measly month. Now you know why you're so unpopular in shared hostels sometimes lol.
Seriously, putting Murphy's Law and all the other demons you believe in aside, do you think it's possible that the daytime sleepiness, lack of energy, headaches, high blood pressure, difficult concentrating, insomnia, chronic obesity, and poor general health you may often suffer may be at least partially caused by your obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)? Also, do you believe that OSA can materially damage your heart and even brain over the years (
http://www.sleepdr.com/blog/how-does-sl ... -the-brain)?
If you answered yes or even maybe to those two questions, shouldn't getting this 'handled' be an urgent priority in your life? Don't worry about minor inconveniences when your health is in serious jeopardy.
It sounds like your doctor recommended you get a CPAP machine. I'm in Hong Kong at moment and can check around to see what these devices start at here. In the meantime, perhaps you can ring up some of these vendors in Philippines to see what their prices are like (
http://lcp.gov.ph/images/LCP_Sleep_Website/provider.htm). Make sure to get any relevant specs or information about this from your Taipei doctor if you haven't already done so.
It's too bad if Taiwan's NHS won't cover the cost of the machine. The psychologist we initially spoke with, the one who set up your appointment with sleep doctor and lab tests, was under the impression that it would likely be covered or at least partially subsidized but she gave no promises and confirmed nothing. It seems that NHS system in Taiwan might be scaling back certain services or at least getting stricter in what the sign off on. Perhaps Momopi could shed some light on this if he knows. You see the system is quite taxed when you consider how much it covers, how low the premiums are, and the increasing number of people using it (more and more mainlanders, Taiwan diaspora, and certain foreigners).
Please focus on the salient issue which is your health which directly impacts your life quality. Don't worry so much about spending an extra month in Taiwan or possibly having to shell out US$1,000+ for a treatment protocol which could greatly enhance your well being.
