My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
User avatar
ChicagoGranny
Posts: 14409
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:43 pm
Location: USA

Re: My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

Post by ChicagoGranny » Tue Mar 24, 2015 3:00 pm

JV1967 wrote:I have another question, so I might as well ask it on this thread. I'm a domestic violence survivor, and when my ex hit me in the head, I went deaf for almost an hour. I've heard that head injury can contribute to central/mixed apnea. Is this true?
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) that causes damage to the area of the brain that has autonomous control over breathing could cause cessations in breathing while sleeping. Control of breathing is done in the brain stem.

Here is a brief article from the Mayo Clinic on central sleep apnea - http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-cond ... n-20030485

You will notice that they don't mention TBI as a cause.

JV1967
Posts: 178
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:36 am
Location: Northeastern USA

Re: My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

Post by JV1967 » Tue Mar 24, 2015 3:14 pm

Pugsy wrote:
JV1967 wrote:This is what my doc has prescribed for me, and she just called me back to let me know. http://www.resmed.com/us/en/consumer/pr ... 0-asv.html
A very nice machine and what I would have expected given your history of sleep onset centrals being a problem.
It can and will deal with the centrals quite nicely and also deal with any obstructive issues you might have.
Full data machine and you can use SleepyHead or ResScan software with it.
I am using a similar model but in the older S9 model series.

I don't know what to say about the head injury thing and any correlation to your sleep onset centrals....in theory yeah, maybe it could have been a factor but it also might just be something that happens with no known causative factor. Sometimes stuff just happens and we don't always know why. Sometimes people who have brain damage (like with a stroke) can have centrals pop up but again there's a lot of people out there who have had strokes that don't have centrals pop up.
Same thing about the congestive heart thing...yes it can be a factor but it isn't always the factor. Best we can do is rule out stuff like make sure the heart is healthy and move on with treatment.
I'm scheduled for a treadmill stress test on Thursday, to rule out heart issues. First appointment went well, doctor told me he does not think I have CHF, and I hope he's right. I may also try to get in an open MRI, because I want to go on low dose HRT, and my lady parts doctor agrees that it's not a bad idea. I have recently lost over 20 lbs in a little under 3 months from the stress of all of this, but the doc says that sans the stress, the weight loss is a plus.

Pugsy, thank you again for your response. I'm glad it's a good machine, and I look forward to trying it out, and getting used to it. I'm eager to begin treatment.
AirCurve10 ASV Bilevel, with Humidifier. F&P Simplus FFM. Using Sleepyhead software.

JV1967
Posts: 178
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:36 am
Location: Northeastern USA

Re: My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

Post by JV1967 » Tue Mar 24, 2015 3:15 pm

ChicagoGranny wrote:
JV1967 wrote:I have another question, so I might as well ask it on this thread. I'm a domestic violence survivor, and when my ex hit me in the head, I went deaf for almost an hour. I've heard that head injury can contribute to central/mixed apnea. Is this true?
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) that causes damage to the area of the brain that has autonomous control over breathing could cause cessations in breathing while sleeping. Control of breathing is done in the brain stem.

Here is a brief article from the Mayo Clinic on central sleep apnea - http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-cond ... n-20030485

You will notice that they don't mention TBI as a cause.
This is why I want to get an open MRI, to see if my ex did major damage to me. Thank you for responding.
AirCurve10 ASV Bilevel, with Humidifier. F&P Simplus FFM. Using Sleepyhead software.

JV1967
Posts: 178
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:36 am
Location: Northeastern USA

Re: My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

Post by JV1967 » Tue Mar 24, 2015 3:34 pm

Oh, I should mention this now that I've found out. My sleep doctor says that my high pressure rate will be 15; fairly sure, but as more info comes in, more info goes here. She said that the tech at the lab had it too high on titration, and that is why I got farty in the morning. He also didn't run the humidifier enough, so it was cottonmouth city, as I am sometimes a mouth breather; when the nose is stuffy. If this is TMI, I apologize.

Is 15 some crazy high pressure?
AirCurve10 ASV Bilevel, with Humidifier. F&P Simplus FFM. Using Sleepyhead software.

User avatar
ChicagoGranny
Posts: 14409
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:43 pm
Location: USA

Re: My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

Post by ChicagoGranny » Tue Mar 24, 2015 4:45 pm

JV1967 wrote:Is 15 some crazy high pressure?
My personal rule of thumb:

4 - 6 Crazy low
7 - 9 Low
10 - 13 Medium
14 - 19 High
20+ - Crazy High

User avatar
chunkyfrog
Posts: 34377
Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2010 5:10 pm
Location: Nebraska--I am sworn to keep the secret of this paradise.

Re: My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

Post by chunkyfrog » Tue Mar 24, 2015 10:54 pm

And anything 14 or over that gives you a lot of belly gas, bipap might help.
Insurance companies might prefer you suffer, but aerophagia without relief could be
defined as medical necessity for a costlier machine.

_________________
Mask: AirFit™ P10 For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Airsense 10 Autoset for Her

mgaggie
Posts: 870
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 4:30 am
Location: Victoria, Australia

Re: My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

Post by mgaggie » Wed Mar 25, 2015 1:35 am

JV1967 wrote:Oh, I should mention this now that I've found out. My sleep doctor says that my high pressure rate will be 15; fairly sure, but as more info comes in, more info goes here. She said that the tech at the lab had it too high on titration, and that is why I got farty in the morning. He also didn't run the humidifier enough, so it was cottonmouth city, as I am sometimes a mouth breather; when the nose is stuffy. If this is TMI, I apologize.

Is 15 some crazy high pressure?
Farting and cottonmouth aren't TMI here, run of the mill actually.

User avatar
ChicagoGranny
Posts: 14409
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:43 pm
Location: USA

Re: My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

Post by ChicagoGranny » Wed Mar 25, 2015 5:16 am

mgaggie wrote:Farting and cottonmouth aren't TMI here, run of the mill actually.
lol, but correct.

Farting
CPAP air being forced into the digestive system is called "gastric insufflation".

When this air is coming out the lower end,
Farting
does not quite seem to describe what is going on. We need a more appropriate word. Anyone have suggestions?

User avatar
M'ohms
Posts: 516
Joined: Fri Aug 09, 2013 2:44 pm
Location: Georgetown, Indiana

Re: My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

Post by M'ohms » Wed Mar 25, 2015 5:38 am

Long and very entertaining farting?

_________________
Mask: Quattro™ FX Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Supplemental oxygen at 2.5 lpm
AutoSV 960 with heated hose. Settings: EPAP Min-12, EPAP Max-17, PS Min-5.5, PS Max-13, Max Pressure-25, Rate-Auto, Rise Time 1. Use Sleepyhead and Encore Pro.

User avatar
jon k
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2015 7:02 pm
Location: Washington DC

Re: My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

Post by jon k » Wed Mar 25, 2015 6:18 am

When I first got my prescription for my CPAP a few weeks ago, the doctor told me I'll get a call from a DME...I got not just one call, but two, neither of which the doctor's tech told me he would call (the one he told me he called never called). And of course no one could explain why, when the doctor's office sent the prescription to Acme DME, I got calls from Bob's DME and Carol's DME. Go figure. Best I can figure, the prescription got faxed around until a company responded. One of the companies that actually called to set up an appointment didn't take my insurance and just assumed I was doing this out of pocket!!! I'm a health care professional myself, JV, and it's totally crazy making for me!

JV1967
Posts: 178
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:36 am
Location: Northeastern USA

Re: My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

Post by JV1967 » Wed Mar 25, 2015 6:51 am

chunkyfrog wrote:And anything 14 or over that gives you a lot of belly gas, bipap might help.
Insurance companies might prefer you suffer, but aerophagia without relief could be
defined as medical necessity for a costlier machine.
My prescription is for ASV bilevel, so I hope it works. Thankfully, the woman at the DME that I speak with is very kind, and I have a feeling that if I had a problem, she would work with my doctor to help me.
AirCurve10 ASV Bilevel, with Humidifier. F&P Simplus FFM. Using Sleepyhead software.

JV1967
Posts: 178
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:36 am
Location: Northeastern USA

Re: My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

Post by JV1967 » Wed Mar 25, 2015 6:52 am

jon k wrote:When I first got my prescription for my CPAP a few weeks ago, the doctor told me I'll get a call from a DME...I got not just one call, but two, neither of which the doctor's tech told me he would call (the one he told me he called never called). And of course no one could explain why, when the doctor's office sent the prescription to Acme DME, I got calls from Bob's DME and Carol's DME. Go figure. Best I can figure, the prescription got faxed around until a company responded. One of the companies that actually called to set up an appointment didn't take my insurance and just assumed I was doing this out of pocket!!! I'm a health care professional myself, JV, and it's totally crazy making for me!
That is crazymaking, and I'm sorry you had to go through it. I hope things are better now.
AirCurve10 ASV Bilevel, with Humidifier. F&P Simplus FFM. Using Sleepyhead software.

JV1967
Posts: 178
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:36 am
Location: Northeastern USA

Re: My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

Post by JV1967 » Wed Mar 25, 2015 6:52 am

M'ohms wrote:Long and very entertaining farting?
Yes, and without the usual stink.
AirCurve10 ASV Bilevel, with Humidifier. F&P Simplus FFM. Using Sleepyhead software.

JV1967
Posts: 178
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:36 am
Location: Northeastern USA

Re: My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

Post by JV1967 » Wed Mar 25, 2015 6:53 am

ChicagoGranny wrote:
JV1967 wrote:Is 15 some crazy high pressure?
My personal rule of thumb:

4 - 6 Crazy low
7 - 9 Low
10 - 13 Medium
14 - 19 High
20+ - Crazy High
Thank you.
AirCurve10 ASV Bilevel, with Humidifier. F&P Simplus FFM. Using Sleepyhead software.

JV1967
Posts: 178
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:36 am
Location: Northeastern USA

Re: My prescription clusterf**ck; DME doesn't take my insurance.

Post by JV1967 » Wed Mar 25, 2015 6:54 am

chunkyfrog wrote:And anything 14 or over that gives you a lot of belly gas, bipap might help.
Insurance companies might prefer you suffer, but aerophagia without relief could be
defined as medical necessity for a costlier machine.
I've been prescribed a ResMed ASV Aircurve, with bilevel.
AirCurve10 ASV Bilevel, with Humidifier. F&P Simplus FFM. Using Sleepyhead software.