A Bit Distracted

I have been very distracted this week, sorry if I don't read or comment on fellow bloggers sites this week. We just found out my 70 year old vibrant mother has been diagnosed with severe sleep Apnea.
This is quite common but not common in terms of as severe as hers.  For the past six months a doctor has been trying to determine why her oxygen level is low and red blood count high.  We already know she has fibromyalgia (like me) and suffers from chronic fatigue and separately, high blood pressure.  After poking and prodding her for months they finally stuck her in the hospital for a night and found out she stopped breathing 88 times.  Her Doctor said based on the severity of the situation she should either have been dead, had convulsions or heart attack by this time, and that is likely why her blood pressure is so high.  Crap on a cracker.  Even crappier is that she cannot purchase a regular CPAP machine which costs anywhere from $500 to $1000  (Constant Positive Airway Pressure - a machine that assists with breathing when a mask is worn over the mouth or nose, primarily used at night) but has to buy a BIPAP machine (neither of which is covered by her healthcare) which costs $5200.  My mother is a senior who is on a very tight pension, primarily because she raised two daughters in Canada when my Father (who is now dead and while alive had almost nothing to do with us) never paid more than $200 in child support total and took off back to the States, was divorced, remarried, then her husband got killed in a car accident.  Unfortunately his life insurance paid nothing as he had had a drink before getting in the vehicle.  She then had to sell their business, get a job of which she had to retire at age 55 with lowered pension due to fibromyalgia.  So yes, I know what it is to be poor, and still suffer continuous crappy financial circumstances.  I lived it as a child. Likely it is why I am so bloody frugal, and pay cash as I go.

She has very limited savings and has been trying to sell her senior mobile home so she can move into her new condo which is now vacant.  This likely will dry up her savings further.

So, I have been calling sleep centers all over BC trying to get a lower price so we can get where she wants to go to match it as there is a lot of followup to go with this.  Why doesn't our so called universal excellent healthcare cover it?  No idea, really, she could die if she doesn't get treatment. I have gotten a lower price by about $1500 but we are trying to determine if the quotes are apples to apples.  We could order from the states but would not have any of the high maintenance service these units require plus checkups to make sure it is working properly. Not a great week - not only am I worried about her health, I am worried about her finances now.