That makes sense to me, palerider. I have definitely noticed that the surface feel of my mask's nasal cushion is changing with daily washing.
I don't know what the inner surfaces of the other types of masks look like, but the design of the part of the nasal cushion that sits against the skin has an accordion-like shape, and I don't see how wiping it down could really work.
Add to that the fact that I take a medication for autoimmune arthritis that makes me more susceptible to catching some kinds of infections, and I am washing my mask and hose vigorously out of caution.
I found a site online where I can buy a replacement nasal cushion for $29 if I need one before May, so I am probably going to have to allot some money to buy extra CPAP supplies.
In face, I have started putting aside money to purchase my own machine later this year. My last phone call with the rep at my DME about how she couldn't find the data to show my compliance, even though someone else there had told me two weeks before that all was fine, sort of sent me over the edge.
It's a huge annoyance, and I want to see if I can figure out how to get out of being dependent on Medicaid to pay for supplies. It really doesn't seem worth the aggravation for the moderate amount of money that they're forking over.
(03-11-2016, 12:18 AM)palerider Wrote: (03-08-2016, 09:27 PM)green wings Wrote: When I asked what the recommended replacement interval for the nasal mask cushion was, the rep hemmed and hawed and finally said "well, it depends on what your insurance will cover". She refused to tell me if there was actually an expected life for the part. I just wanted to know if I was doing something to it to make it start to wear out after two months.
while I have no hard data to back it up, the feeling I get is that people who stick to a vigorous washing schedule for their mask parts end up replacing them a lot more often that people that only wipe their masks down every night and wash them every week or two.