Cpap Machines

 
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Post by gaw » Thu. Jan. 12, 2017 1:57 pm

My cousin has used CPAP for several years and still on his original machine. He told me a couple weeks ago it has over 20,000 hours of use logged on it. It makes you wonder what the life expectancy of the machines is. If I was a manufacturer I would want to try and sell a new machine every two years. :evil:


 
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Post by lowfog01 » Sat. Feb. 11, 2017 8:30 am

So I've been using the CPAP for a month now and hadn't noticed any glaring improvement although the Sleep Center did certify me in complaisance with the DOT standard, whatever that is.

I'm still waking with a headache, but that could be the weather - it is headache season after all. I still feel the need for a nap mid-day if I can squeeze one in - my day starts at 4. I still get cramps in my leg but that could be from the bike riding or the fall I had. I have a lot of issues that could be masking the improvements brought about by the CPAP therapy.

However, this morning was different. Last night I fell asleep before I put the CPAP on and woke up this morning feeling really tired. I remember tossing and turning last night. DK also mentioned that I was snoring again. The difference in waking up this morning versus yesterday with the CPAP was remarkable.

The bottom line is the CPAP is obviously doing it's job even if I haven't noticed it. Looking back over the month, I have been sleeping better and waking up more refreshed. I'm assured that most people experience fewer symptoms after 3 months of therapy. We'll see about that but for now I'm happy with the results after a month.

I just thought I'd let those of you kind enough to reply to this post know, take care, Lisa

 
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Post by lsayre » Sat. Feb. 11, 2017 8:32 am

i asked my doctor for a prescription for a CPAP, and then I bought my own unit. Never use it, but I own it.

 
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Post by theo » Sat. Feb. 11, 2017 8:58 am

Why????????? :D

 
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Post by lsayre » Sat. Feb. 11, 2017 10:11 am

theo wrote:Why????????? :D
The original intent was to use it.

 
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Post by rberq » Sat. Feb. 11, 2017 10:48 am

lowfog01 wrote:So I've been using the CPAP for a month now and hadn't noticed any glaring improvement
I didn't notice all that much either, except for the minor benefit that I stopped falling asleep while driving. ;)
I still can't sleep much on my back, or my wife elbows me and says, "Roll over on your side, you're not breathing right". For whatever reason CPAP works better that way.

 
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Post by lowfog01 » Sat. Feb. 11, 2017 11:06 am

lsayre wrote:i asked my doctor for a prescription for a CPAP, and then I bought my own unit. Never use it, but I own it.
I say use it for a month and see if you wake up more awake and alert. Does your prescription have your pressure setting on it? I got that through my sleep study. If you don't have that I guess you could start low and see what happens. My CPAP compiles my sleep history, i.e. how many apnea episodes I have a night. I started with 30 per hour and I'm down to 3 or 4 per hour, less some nights at a pressure 10. 4 episodes per hour is apparently what the DOT wants to see. Monitoring your sleep with your CPAP may be interesting. ResMed also have a video library of helpful tips to make using the CPAP more user friendly. I bet whatever brand you have does, too.

If it's a ResMed unit they have an on line report of how and what you did the night before that you can down load. They know how many times your took your mask off and if you have a good seal. If you are a good little boy or girl you can earn "gold and silver awards" which along with $5 will get you a cappuccino at Star Bucks. ;)

I'm a natural morning person but the difference between waking after the CPAP and waking after missing the night was eye opening. I'm convinced of the benefit even if I disagree with the way the national policy is implemented.

If you thought you had an issue so that you got a machine, give it a month and see if you feel better after using it. What do you have to lose, you already spent the money. Take care, Lisa


 
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Post by creek44 » Sat. Feb. 11, 2017 3:01 pm

This topic has been an interesting read. It is quite possible that I could benefit from CPAP. My monthly health insurance payment is close to $1900 per month with a $6500 individual/ $13000 family deductible. I am told that I have a very good healthcare plan as healthcare plans go these days. It is certainly the best I could find for the money , and it wasn't easy getting it.
What does a sleep study cost? It would be an out of pocket expense for me due to my huge healthcare deductible.
What does a CPAP machine cost? Again, it would be an out of pocket expense for me due to my huge healthcare deductible.
I am amazed at the blank stare I get when I question healthcare providers about the costs of diagnostics, procedures, and equipment. Nobody seems to know. I have to know because I am paying for it. Every bit of it. It's as if they think someone else provides these things that would be prescribed for me at no or little cost. With health insurance like mine, who needs health insurance.

 
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Post by coalnewbie » Sat. Feb. 11, 2017 3:05 pm

With health insurance like mine, who needs health insurance.
You democrats must be soo proud of yourselves ... aint Obummercare great. We gotta save up for the illegals $500,000 TB treatments that are free for them. Stupid is as stupid does.

 
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Post by CoalHeat » Sat. Feb. 11, 2017 3:31 pm

No attempts at Thread Hijacking please Simon!!!!! :D

 
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Post by lowfog01 » Sat. Feb. 11, 2017 3:55 pm

creek44 wrote:

What does a sleep study cost? It would be an out of pocket expense for me due to my huge healthcare deductible.
I was quoted $850 for the sleep study. I paid $500 of that meeting my deductible for last year. Remember, I'm in a high cost area so your cost would probably be less. You may want to ask if they offer a self pay discount. It won't help toward the deductible but it may be less out of pocket. We spent one week between insurance policies in Jan during which I ended up in the ER after a fall. That ER visit was all on us and cost a pretty penny that we are still paying off. They did however give us a $400 dollar self pay or cash discount.
creek44 wrote: What does a CPAP machine cost? Again, it would be an out of pocket expense for me due to my huge healthcare deductible.


Mine cost me $445 which I paid meeting my deductible for this year. I had hoped to have it all done last year but the durable medical equipment company dragged their feet and carried it over to the new year. Bummer, new deductible.

There are internet companies that you can purchase CPAP machines from for less if you have the prescription and I've been told that you can pick them up off ebay and craig's list very reasonably, too. Of course, that doesn't help you toward your deductible.

I wonder could you pay out of pocket if they have a self pay discount, keep your receipt as documentation and then if some major medical event occurs later in the year apply your CPAP cost toward your deductible at that time. That may be a good question to ask.
creek44 wrote: I am amazed at the blank stare I get when I question healthcare providers about the costs of diagnostics, procedures, and equipment. Nobody seems to know. I have to know because I am paying for it. Every bit of it. It's as if they think someone else provides these things that would be prescribed for me at no or little cost. With health insurance like mine, who needs health insurance.
Check this article out -
http://townhall.com/columnists/andrewmangione/2017/02/11/dr-price-is-confirmednow-the-real-work-begins-n2284317 - it provides some information on what the direction is the Republicans are heading to fix the mess Obama left us with. For once it looks like someone with actual experience in the field will get to provide their input. Wait... what a concept!

Anyway, I wish you all the best. Lisa

 
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Post by lsayre » Sun. Feb. 12, 2017 3:59 am

This is the unit I purchased (along with the optional heated humidifier). I brought it in to the doctor at Cleveland Clinic who gave me the prescription, and she set it to what they had determined to be my optimal settings (from a sleep study). I believe that at the time it set me back about $430. My prescription is open ended and this gives me the latitude to purchase nasal pillows, masks, hoses, etc... for all time going forward. I faxed it to the online place where I bought the unit (etc...), and they have it on file.

https://www.devilbisshealthcare.com/products/sleep-therapy/cpap-devices/intellipap-standard-plus

Cleveland Clinic did not want to give me the prescription initially, but rather they wanted to set me up with some affiliated agency which would forever forward soak my medical insurance for $$$, but I told the doctor to either give me the prescription outright, or forget it. I think CPAP the way it's normally done is a money racket. I also think the doctor regrets ever giving in and handing me the prescription. Post the visit to get my CPAP unit properly programmed, I haven't visited her for any followups.

I speculate that the unit and accessories that I purchased would have cost my insurance company a bunch more than I paid. They never thanked me for saving them loads of money. Instead, when I submitted the forms (along with a copy of my prescription and my receipt) to the insurance company for reimbursement, they told me that this isn't the way CPAP is supposed to be done, and they refused my claim for reimbursement unless I went back and got hooked up with the agency that was going to soak them for money. At that juncture, I gave up and ate the expense.

 
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Post by rberq » Sun. Feb. 12, 2017 9:21 am

lsayre wrote:Cleveland Clinic did not want to give me the prescription initially, but rather they wanted to set me up with some affiliated agency which would forever forward soak my medical insurance for $$$ ... I think CPAP the way it's normally done is a money racket ... the visit to get my CPAP unit properly programmed ...
+1 on the money racket. They try to get you to sign up for automatic sending of "supplies" every few months, most of which are not needed that frequently. I tried replacing my mask through Medicare, and it was the same old crap as private insurance where my out-of-pocket with insurance was more than buying it online with no insurance. Not to mention it took several weeks with insurance vs. a couple days with cpap.com, so I told the local pharmacy to cancel my order.

As to programming the unit, the agencies like to steal away the setup instructions that come with the machine, so you are dependent on the agency. But you can find out how courtesy of a Google query -- generally some odd series of key-presses to put it in setup mode, then it's easy. After I'd been a user for years, a new pulmonologist asked me if I didn't feel insecure about not having agency support, and I had to tell her I thought I was better off. ;)

 
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Post by lowfog01 » Sun. Feb. 12, 2017 9:24 am

lsayre wrote:
Cleveland Clinic did not want to give me the prescription initially, but rather they wanted to set me up with some affiliated agency which would forever forward soak my medical insurance for $$$, but I told the doctor to either give me the prescription outright, or forget it. I think CPAP the way it's normally done is a money racket. I also think the doctor regrets ever giving in and handing me the prescription. Post the visit to get my CPAP unit properly programmed, I haven't visited her for any followups.

I speculate that the unit and accessories that I purchased would have cost my insurance company a bunch more than I paid. They never thanked me for saving them loads of money. Instead, when I submitted the forms (along with a copy of my prescription and my receipt) to the insurance company for reimbursement, they told me that this isn't the way CPAP is supposed to be done, and they refused my claim for reimbursement unless I went back and got hooked up with the agency that was going to soak them for money. At that juncture, I gave up and ate the expense.
I looked up your CPAP. It's top of the line and has many more options then the one the insurance company supplied me. It cost less, too. You should use it a month and see if you wake up feeling better. After a couple of nights, you'll forget you have it on.

I agreed it's all a racket - starting with the DOT. The doctor who did my DOT physical sent me to the doctor she liked. That General Internist operates a Sleep Center that did the testing and made all the coordination to get the equipment. I asked for an open ended prescription so I could buy from who I liked, but they acted like I was asking for the impossible.

The insurance company requires that I submit a compliance record every 6 weeks for a year since they paid for the study and the equipment; in fact I paid for both the study and equipment because of the deductible. Interestingly, the durable med equipment company says I'm only renting the CPAP; it will become mine in a year of following the plan. That's how they lock individuals in to the racket. It's their equipment so they get to say how I get expendable supplies. On top of the insurance requirements I still have to comply with DOT requirements, which I still haven't been able to find in writing.

I let the open prescription drop because getting supplies sent automatically was just one less thing I have to deal with. I still have to go back at least yearly as long as I hold my CDL for a record of at least 6 weeks therapy compliance and a statement from the doctor that I'm in compliance and recognize the benefits of the therapy. That's all part of the racket. All newer CPAP machines have blue tooth capability and sleep reports can be down loaded by anyone with the password. It shouldn't take an additional visit to the Internist's office to get it.

The other option is lose weight so I'm not flagged for additional evaluation for Sleep Apnea and pay an additional $850 for another sleep test to prove it before they remove the need for DOT compliance. Like you said, it's all a racket.

It's prime example of why insurance premiums are so high.

 
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Post by lsayre » Sun. Feb. 12, 2017 12:45 pm

It (the racket nature of the entire thing) makes one (well, me at least) wonder if the science behind CPAP is akin to the science behind global warming. I personally concluded that it is quack science, and I stopped using mine. Then not long after my donning the mask (actually nasal pillows) and then taking it off, my sister informed me that her live-in's eldest sons recent death (that I had been unaware of, since my half sister and myself are not all that close) was attributed to lungs destroyed by a CPAP that was potentially set to high, whereby pondering this has kept me from considering donning it again. Injecting heated, moisturized, and pressurized air (akin to air at a velocity as if one sticks their head out of a 70 MPH car window, as dogs are known to do) into ones lungs is clearly and simply not natural. The micro-fine capillaries within ones lungs are delicate things indeed. And the science is all so relatively new and questionable that the longer term ramifications of it are a huge unknown....
Last edited by lsayre on Sun. Feb. 12, 2017 12:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.


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