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Emergency replacement -
#1
Emergency replacement -
I'm kinda new here, although I was a member a lot of years ago. Anyway, I've been on CPAP for almost 20 years.

I've had my S-9 machine for 8 years. It was working fine, newer machines didn't offer anything I needed, so I kept using the machine. I was entitled to a new one every 3 years, but why waste?
Four weeks ago I realized that the water tank was leaking, and, as it was about time for a new mask, I placed an order with my provider (who's been my provider for all the years I've been on CPAP).  I was told that, it being Wednesday, I'd have my order on Friday. Friday came and went, no order, Monday came and went, no order, Tuesday morning I called to find out what was going on and I was told that new insurance policy was that I had to send the sd card so the insurance company could ensure compliance before they'd authorize new equipment. Told I'd receive a replacement card along with a special mailer to send the card back, I didn't receive it for 6 more days. Finally got it, turned it around the same day, and waited. And waited. And waited. Placed another call to the provider only to learn that they were surprised that I was expecting anything. OK, fine, send me the damn stuff immediately. Recall, I desperately needed a water tank. I had used plumbers epoxy to temporarily repair the tank I had, but it was still leaking into the machine. Well by now the heater stopped working on the humidifier. When I don't have heated humidification my nostrils become inflamed and cause me to sneeze 40-50 times an hour, usually for about 10 hours. My nose also runs non-stop, like Niagara Falls. I've not yet found a medication that works effectively enough fast enough to provide any relief, so I had to stop using the CPAP machine altogether.

The order for a new CPAP machine overlapped the order for the tank and mask - I still hadn't received the first order when I had to call for a new machine. I was then told I couldn't get a new machine because it had been too long since my last sleep study and they could fit me in in 2 weeks. So now I had no machine, a 2-week wait for the sleep study plus additional time for the insurance company to give their blessing, the company to get the machine, and then for me to get the machine. After spending nearly 6 hours on the phone with various levels of supervisor at the insurance company, I finally got them to understand that they couldn't expect me to wait all that time without a machine, likening it to losing the only pair of glasses and being unable to replace them for several weeks because the Rx "might" have changed. I finally cleared that hurdle, only to face the same hurdle with my doctor, who wouldn't re-write the Rx because the old study was years old, and insisting that the insurance company wasn't going to cover it so they weren't going to write it. Many phone calls, some very heated, later, they relented when I told them I was just going to pay for the machine out of my pocket.  We're now halfway through week 4 with no CPAP.

This morning I received a call that the provider has the machine, the insurance company has authorized the payment and the doctor has provided the Rx, but they can't give me the machine because under NJ law a licensed respiratory therapist has to "teach" me how to use the machine. So here it is, Friday afternoon at 2pm, and I now have to wait until Tuesday of next week because that's the first availability I could get (although they pointed out that this is a biiiiiiiiiig favor to me because normally it's a 2 week wait). I've contacted the state licensing board to find out who I can speak with about the idiocy of needing someone to show me which of the two buttons might turn the freakin' machine on, they don't know but suggested the State health department, who, 5 hours after making the call, hasn't yet returned my phone call.

I can't fight anymore. I'm too tired, I'm so backed up with work that clients are complaining, and I'm disgusted beyond words. Well, at least words I can use on this board. I'm not even 60 but I feel like 100. The awakenings in which my heart is pounding and I feel like I'm choking to death are awful. The chest pains that are similar to those of a heart attack (but aren't-I checked) are frightening, the constant headache has diminished my appetite to near-zero because I'm nauseous, and needing a nap after 2 hours of being awake has zapped my quality-of-life to zero. 

This system is so beyond broken. I'm otherwise healthy enough, stubborn enough, and determined enough to have gotten as far as I have with this. What happens to those that don't have the same stamina and determination?  I'd fight for them (after I've had some decent sleep!) but I don't even know where to begin to address this cluster****.

Thanks for listening/reading.
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#2
RE: Emergency replacement -
Welcome back!
I've used cpap for over 25 years. My thought is that a good equipment supplier is more important than a good sleep doctor.
Others here will help you.

Is there access to used equipment where you live? Someone here provided a website for me, but I'm having a senior moment and can't remember.

It wasn't kijiji. It wasn't craiglist....

I'm sure someone has a bargain cpap out there that you could get quickly.

Good luck. (thinking outside the box; hope thishelps)
DaveL
compliant for 35 years /// Still trying!

I'm just a cpap user like you. I don't give medical advice. Seek the advice of a physician before seeking treatment for medical conditions including sleep apnea. Sleep-well

http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php..._The_Guide

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#3
RE: Emergency replacement -
I've had luck buying and selling machines on:
Kijiji,
Letgo, and
FaceBook MarketPlace.

Kijiji and FB Marketplace are starting to enforce their policy of no listing prescription devices, but many sneak through. Others are getting around their restrictions by avoiding certain trigger terms.

I occasionally do searches for:
  • CPAP
  • Apnea
  • Resmed
occasionally some real deals come through.
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#4
RE: Emergency replacement -
I've seen some very good deals on CPAP's on Craig's List. 

Saw one for a ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet about a week or so ago. It had less than 10 hrs. of use on it. Price was $400.00
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#5
RE: Emergency replacement -
Had you posted when this first happened, we might have replied that a S9 (H5i) standard water chamber only costs $16.14 on Amazon, shipped Prime in 2-days. Pretty amazing, huh? A brand new Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset costs about $600 shipped from Supplier #33 on our supplier list.

Let's get proactive here. You are going to get your new machine on Tuesday. Do you know exactly what machine is being dispensed? Make sure you get the Autoset, not the CPAP model! It doesn't sound like you have a very accommodating DME, and I would make a reasonable bet they will rip you off once again with a machine that has fixed pressure and no data...we'll see. Do not take delivery for anything less than the Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

____________________________________________
Download OSCAR Software
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing Therapy
Organize your OSCAR Charts
Attaching Files
Mask Primer
How To Deal With Equipment Supplier


INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#6
RE: Emergency replacement -
(03-08-2019, 05:02 PM)Sleeprider Wrote: Had you posted when this first happened, we might have replied that a S9 (H5i) standard water chamber only costs $16.14 on Amazon, shipped Prime in 2-days.  Pretty amazing, huh?  A brand new Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset costs about $600 shipped from Supplier #33 on our supplier list.  

Let's get proactive here. You are going to get your new machine on Tuesday. Do you know exactly what machine is being dispensed?  Make sure you get the Autoset, not the CPAP model!  It doesn't sound like you have a very accommodating DME, and I would make a reasonable bet they will rip you off once again with a machine that has fixed pressure and no data...we'll see.  Do not take delivery for anything less than the Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset.

second that  Lolabove
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#7
RE: Emergency replacement -
Quote:Let's get proactive here.

A reminder to others, to get more proactive.

Don't wait for your current machine to fail before getting a spare.

Start perusing the buy/sell boards now. No hurry, just take a peak now and again. Try to get the same type of machine, this way you have a whole new machine, and/or spare power supply, tank, hose. 

Have at least one spare of everything.
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#8
RE: Emergency replacement -
Let me add just a bit more to my recommendation that you get the Autoset. It has probably been a while since you had your last sleep titration study. The Autoset will not only self-adjust to meet your pressure needs without another study, but with the data, we can help you to optimize the settings. If you take the Airsense 10 CPAP that I think they have waiting for you, the result will be fixed pressure with no clue as to whether it is effective or not. Ask your doctor to specify the Autoset...do it Monday! Don't take the CPAP. Once you take delivery, it is yours for the next 5 years minimum. The Autoset will cost you exactly the same under your insurance policy. Both are billed as a HCPCS device E0601. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...NN9eYT6U08 If you take less of a machine than the Autoset, you only improve the profits of this stinkin' DME and sacrifice comfort and effectiveness. Stop reacting, and start taking charge of this, and you will really appreciate the results.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

____________________________________________
Download OSCAR Software
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing Therapy
Organize your OSCAR Charts
Attaching Files
Mask Primer
How To Deal With Equipment Supplier


INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#9
RE: Emergency replacement -
(03-08-2019, 05:54 PM)Sleeprider Wrote: Let me add just a bit more to my recommendation that you get the Autoset. It has probably been a while since you had your last sleep titration study. The Autoset will not only self-adjust to meet your pressure needs without another study, but with the data, we can help you to optimize the settings.  If you take the Airsense 10 CPAP that I think they have waiting for you, the result will be fixed pressure with no clue as to whether it is effective or not.  Ask your doctor to specify the Autoset...do it Monday!  Don't take the CPAP.  Once you take delivery, it is yours for the next 5 years minimum.  The Autoset will cost you exactly the same under your insurance policy. Both are billed as a HCPCS device E0601. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...NN9eYT6U08  If you take less of a machine than the Autoset, you only improve the profits of this stinkin' DME and sacrifice comfort and effectiveness.  Stop reacting, and start taking charge of this, and you will really appreciate the results.

This is a really big deal.
Post Reply Post Reply
#10
RE: Emergency replacement -
I concur with all of the above.

It's experiences like the OP's that make me glad to have purchased a back-up machine out-of-pocket, and that I am stockpiling supplies.

I've had gaps in the ability to get new supplies due to insurance, DMEs, and moving. I've had to fill in the gaps with ordering things online out-of-pocket. I've had to jump through these hoops (find a new dr, beg the dr to write an Rx, find a DME who accepts that Rx and my insurance, and get my insurance to remember they have been paying for this all along). So it's nice to have a stockpile of supplies during these times.

OP - I hope you get a machine ASAP.
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