(Help pick new DME)Newbie with information overload!

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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Sheriff Buford
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Re: Newbie with information overload!

Post by Sheriff Buford » Thu Mar 12, 2015 4:32 pm

Apria is termed "crapria" on this site. First off, don't give crapria your credit card info. If you must, get a prepaid card. Second, when you get the machine, thoroughly inspect it and make sure it doesn't say "Escape" anywhere on it. An "escape" version of the A10 will not give you data every morning that will allow you to monitor your treatment. The have been known to try and pass off an Escape version of the A10 (and older) models to unsuspecting folks. They pay less for the machine, but charge you/insurance the same amount as a data capable machine. Do a search for apria here and read all the horror stories. I had ordered a Resmed Vpap (has more bells and whistles for patients with respiratory issues). They didn't have it in stock, and after several days of not getting the machine when they said they'd have it, they called and said it was finally in. I asked if it was really there, the lady said it was sitting on her desk and she was looking at it. When I got there, she brought out a Resmed S9. I informed her that I ordered a Resmed VPAP. She admitted the VPAP still hasn't come in. My wife was really upset. I sorta thought it was funny and thought the forum members will get a real laugh outta this.

This stuff does take time, but I would call (and be nice!) make sure the insurance (and apria) is still working the issue. While you are waiting. Educate yourself on this site as much as possible. Know that finding a mask that is comfortable and doesn't leak is the key to successful therapy. Make sure crapria will allow you to return the mask within 30 days. I went thru 7 or 8 masks before I found a couple I like. Get a A10 clinical manual. It's the same as the manual you'll get with the machine, but it shows you how to change the settings.

Keep us updated!

Sheriff

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tazman
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Re: Newbie with information overload!

Post by tazman » Thu Mar 12, 2015 5:14 pm

I got a call from Apria today that they received the approval from the insurance company so I made an appointment for tomorrow. The person I talked to was not from the local office and I verified with them that the machine was APAP capable and she said yes. She said that they started using them for regular CPCP prescriptions about 6 months ago because of having to exchange units when the CPAC was not working for the patients. I do not know if this is for all of Apria but I am in the Tucson, AZ area. I am kind of excited and very hopeful and that is a lot coming from me.

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tazman
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Re: Newbie with information overload!

Post by tazman » Thu Mar 12, 2015 5:45 pm

Thanks for the info Sheriff! You did knock the wind out of my sails but this is the information I need to hear. Where would the "escape" be on the unit? Does anybody have a close up picture of the back of an auto a10 where it lists what it is so I can be sure I get the right thing?

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Pugsy
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Re: Newbie with information overload!

Post by Pugsy » Thu Mar 12, 2015 5:59 pm

tazman wrote:Does anybody have a close up picture of the back of an auto a10 where it lists what it is so I can be sure I get the right thing?
If you have one of the new AirSense 10 machines...there are no "Escape" models. The Escape model name seems to have died with the S9 models.

If you have the words "AutoSet" on the blower unit then you have a full data machine.
ResMed machines typically have the model names clearly stated on the blower unit and easy to see.
If you are looking for model numbers I think it's on a sticker on the side (might be bottom) and will have REF in front of it.

If Apria told you it was APAP capable then your will be getting the AutoSet.

In the AirSense 10 like of cpap/apap models these are what are available

AirSense 10 CPAP (and it isn't full data and is sort of the "escape" like version"

AirSense 10 Elite...this is full data but only offers cpap mode

AirSense 10 AutoSet...this is full data and has 2 modes of operation...cpap and apap

AirSense 10 AutoSet for Her...this is also full data but it has 3 modes of operation...cpap, apap and a special apap for her mode that is different from the regular apap mode.

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Last edited by Pugsy on Thu Mar 12, 2015 6:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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OkyDoky
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Re: Newbie with information overload!

Post by OkyDoky » Thu Mar 12, 2015 6:02 pm

It was with the S9 series that you had to avoid Escape. With the Airsense models it is the CPAP ones. But if it is Apap it should be Autoset which would be good. Here is a link about the different Resmed machines. https://sleep.tnet.com/equipment/cpapmachines/resmed
ResMed Aircurve 10 VAUTO EPAP 11 IPAP 15 / P10 pillows mask / Sleepyhead Software / Back up & travel machine Respironics 760

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archangle
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Re: Newbie with information overload!

Post by archangle » Thu Mar 12, 2015 8:55 pm

As bad as Apria is, if you get the A10 AutoSet, it's probably worth grabbing it due to insurance.

Some people have a hard time finding the name. It's on the sloping top/front panel, at the lower right. It says "AirSense 10" and below that, it says "AutoSet." The word AutoSet is sort of a "stylish" color choice, so it's not that easy to read.

Image

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tazman
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Re: Newbie with information overload!

Post by tazman » Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:25 pm

Thanks guys now I know exactly what to look for. So far besides getting Apria to tell me the exact machine they were going to give me I feel good about the people I have talked to. I don't know if the confusion about the machine was my fault but I think I told them I wanted to be sure I got an auto machine and they said my prescription needed to say that so they might have thought I wanted it setup as an auto I don't know I only slept for 1 hour the night before so maybe I said something wrong. I will update tomorrow night on how the appointment went.

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tazman
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Re: Newbie with information overload!

Post by tazman » Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:53 pm

I got my machine today and it is an auto so now hopefully things will start improving. I wanted to try nasal pillows but they said my prescription was for the airfit N10 and that was what they had to give me. I told her I would just be bringing the N10 back within the 30 days and she quickly changed her mind about not changing the mask but then they only had one nasal pillow mask and I did not like how it looked so I stayed with the N10 and before we opened the mask she said are you sure.

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tazman
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Re: Newbie with information overload!

Post by tazman » Thu Oct 08, 2015 12:12 am

I am sure everyone here have seen people come and go but I just figured I would check in since things took an odd turn for me. I did post some data in another thread viewtopic/t108084/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1 ... 26#p985926 . So I used the machine for about 7 months with seemingly good results to the point where the data looked good but I never felt any improvement. I still would come home from work and fall a sleep watching TV and I have even fall asleep in the morning after sleeping about 7 hours if I would just sit around in the morning. So after having so much problem with Apria billing my insurance improperly and today having my insurance tell me I was told wrong by them that the machine is not mine after six months I just took it back to Apria. For now I do not plan to purchase another one unless I start to feel any negative affects from not using it since I know there could have been slight changes over time that I did not notice. I know I should see my primary doctor again and ask him to send me to the sleep doctor to talk about the fragmented sleep that was reported in my sleep study but I just have even more doubt about it all after not seeing the results I was hoping for from the APAP. I'm not really asking anything here just putting information out there and I will update if I do anything else. I am just glad this site was here because it was a great resource of information and I want to put my experience here so others can read through it if they like.

Sonnyboy
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Re: Newbie with information overload!

Post by Sonnyboy » Thu Oct 08, 2015 1:53 pm

I hope you will reconsider your decision.

For some people, feeling better takes longer that 7 months.
Sometimes this is because there is more than one diagnosis and both need to be treated.
Asking your primary doctor to refer you to a sleep doctor to talk about the fragmented sleep that was reported in your sleep study may help but you can also consider asking for help with fragmented sleep on this forum.
Also, have you considered changing your DME?

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tazman
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Re: Newbie with information overload!

Post by tazman » Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:26 pm

I am open to suggestions on the fragmented sleep but I have tried some OTC sleep aids and they never really did anything for me. I don't know what else to try?? I do plan to keep an eye on craigslist for a machine but I did that before and was not impressed with what I saw on there. As for another DME I would probably shop on line and just pay out of pocket before I go that route.

Sonnyboy
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Re: Newbie with information overload!

Post by Sonnyboy » Fri Oct 09, 2015 7:06 am

tazman wrote:I am open to suggestions on the fragmented sleep but I have tried some OTC sleep aids and they never really did anything for me. I don't know what else to try?? I do plan to keep an eye on craigslist for a machine but I did that before and was not impressed with what I saw on there. As for another DME I would probably shop on line and just pay out of pocket before I go that route.
There are many more experienced forum members here that can help you. Try changing your subject title to something more specific: "Quit Apria, need help now!" or "Really need help with fragmented sleep."

Also there already is a lot of information on this site:

Consider:

Re: Fragmented sleep:
Do a "fragmented sleep" search on this forum and you will find some good information.

Re: OTC sleep aids:
Do a "sleep hygiene" search on this forum.

Re: Equipment
1. Contact grayghost4
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=72737
2. SecondwindCPAP
3. Cpap.com
4. 1. http://verushealthcare.com/insurance
Versus accepts a large number of insurance plans and covers a wide geographic range. See if your plan is on their list.

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Sir NoddinOff
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Re: Newbie with information overload!

Post by Sir NoddinOff » Fri Oct 09, 2015 9:50 am

Sonnyboy wrote:
tazman wrote:I am open to suggestions on the fragmented sleep but I have tried some OTC sleep aids and they never really did anything for me. I don't know what else to try?? I do plan to keep an eye on craigslist for a machine but I did that before and was not impressed with what I saw on there. As for another DME I would probably shop on line and just pay out of pocket before I go that route.
There are many more experienced forum members here that can help you. Try changing your subject title to something more specific: "Quit Apria, need help now!" or "Really need help with fragmented sleep."

Also there already is a lot of information on this site:

Consider:

Re: Fragmented sleep:
Do a "fragmented sleep" search on this forum and you will find some good information.

Re: OTC sleep aids:
Do a "sleep hygiene" search on this forum.

Re: Equipment
1. Contact grayghost4
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=72737
2. SecondwindCPAP
3. Cpap.com
4. 1. http://verushealthcare.com/insurance
Versus accepts a large number of insurance plans and covers a wide geographic range. See if your plan is on their list.
A small addendum: Three longtime members occasionally sell machines, plus a few others offer machines from time to time. STLmark, Grandpap and the above mentioned Grayghost sometimes have lightly used machines... you can PM them. Also there is newcomer Biz64 who I've successfully purchased from; he seems to have access to several used machines at any given time. Craigslist can offer good deals but is always a crap-shoot, for obvious reasons, unless you drive by and inspect the machine in person. You'll need to sort out the difference in 'machine' hours, 'blower' hours, usage 'hours' for any given brand of used machine. I'll look for a post on CPAPtalk that sums it all up (or somebody else in the know can provide a link). You can always just start a post asking a question about a specific machine you find online. Some hours can be reset and others are like an odometer on a car, ie. the hours can't be reset to zero... that's what you need to see. Also: as others have mentioned avoid 'Escape' and any other non-data machines. Archangle: Your image above finally loaded... man, that is hard to read, and would be especially so if someone put pictures in a Craigslist ad etc. Double caution there.

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tazman
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Re: Newbie with information overload!

Post by tazman » Wed Nov 25, 2015 6:43 pm

I have been trying to work with my insurance to PURCHASE a new machine and I think I have it worked out with them but I need a place to get the equipment from. They gave me a list of DME's to try but I do not even know where to get it from because this has to happen before the end of the year or else it would be cheaper to buy it on my own. I uploaded the list to drop box if someone could help me pick a reliable place https://www.dropbox.com/s/2iansshkzsen5 ... g.pdf?dl=0

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Julie
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Re: (Help pick new DME)Newbie with information overload!

Post by Julie » Wed Nov 25, 2015 6:49 pm

Throw all those out and go to Cpap.com - they sponsor this forum, have the most variety and best prices of anyone and are in TX. Lots of info for all equipment... check them out.