Ticked Off

ErnieH · Post by **ErnieH** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 1:20 pm

I have two problems... I move around when I sleep and have found, when I'm on my back I feel like I'm getting less air. My wife and I like to sleep in a cold room. In the winter sometimes it feels like my nose is going to freeze off. I went to the Doctor and told him I would like a Resmed s9 Auto for two reasons. One, I have friends and family who have had the same trouble with moving around, and once they would get on their back they would feel like they were not getting the proper amount of air, but when they went to the Auto CPAP everything was fine. I also told him the S9 has a heated hose. His responce was ....I don't believe in Auto CPAP's, so we'll just turn up the pressure until you quit having problems. He also told me he sold heated hoses for all brands. He also wanted me to take another sleep study, which I declined. I had mine 3 1/2 years ago. When I brought my machine in to get the pressure increased, I also told the lady the Doctor said they had heated hoses for all machines. She told me the only thing they had were the material things that you slide on your hose. I've tried one of those a few years ago and it didn't work. My setting has gone from 13 to 14 and it still feels exactly the same. I'm really ticked off, but not sure what I can do. Any Ideas?????

Thanks,
Ernie

Perrybucsdad · Post by **Perrybucsdad** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 1:30 pm

Ernie... is there any reason you have to stay with this doctor? If not, you have feet, use them.

My other question though is how is the heated hose going to help? My understanding is this will help prevent hose condensation and rain out, but you are complaining about your nose being cold, and I'm assuming that is from the air?? Do you have a heated humidifier to your unit? You should be getting heated air now.

How cold do you keep your bedroom?

NightMonkey · Post by **NightMonkey** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 1:33 pm

Sorry, I can't help except to commiserate and say doctors like that are assholes IMO.

CPAP equipment should be deregulated so you can go out and buy what you want at your local discount or electronics store at a decent price. (No prescription requirement.)

robysue · Post by **robysue** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 1:40 pm

What to do may depend on how much money you are willing to spend out of pocket.

$$$ solution: Ask for a copy of your prescription and fax it to cpap.com and buy the APAP you want. Unless the prescription says something like "Dispense as written" and lists a straight CPAP, the CPAP prescription is enough to buy an APAP since they come under the same code.

$$ solution: Tell the DME that the doc thinks that heated hoses are available for any machine. (My doc thought this too. *sigh*) and that you need the DME to call the doc's office on your behalf to tell the doc that your specific machine has no available heated hose. And that if a heated hose is necessary for you, the doc will need to prescribe an S9 AutoSet. You may still have a battle with your insurance to cover the new machine since your current one is only 3 1/2 years old.

$ solution: Consider buying an Aussie Heated Hose (see http://www.sleepzone.com.au/ for more details.) Doesn't get you the APAP, but at least it might help keep your nose a bit warmer.

Best of luck

LSAT · Post by **LSAT** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 2:53 pm

Personally, I would not go to a doctor that sells equipment.

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 3:12 pm

Hi - it almost sounds as if you think you should be sleeping on your back - and that's the worst position for inducing more apneas... they might have asked you to do it at the sleep study, but that would have been to get a worst case scenario on file... otherwise you should do whatever you can to sleep any other way.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 3:20 pm

I will have to agree with the others. That doctor and myself would have parted ways and I probably wouldn't have been very lady like in the process.

I hear the Aussie hose does a great job. I also hear that people have had good luck making their own heated hose using the Repti cable heater. It has been discussed fairly often here. I plan on trying the repti cable thing this winter if my new PR S1 machine's new humidifier mode and my usual coats for my hose and nasal pillow don't help the rain out.
My machine doesn't heat the air but that doesn't really bother me. Water up my nose does. Not good when I like cold bedroom and lots of humidity.

Does money permit you just going out and buying the machine that you want? Any physician can write the RX.
If you shop smart sometimes you can find one on Craigslist (of course Murphy's Law means it won't show up now).
Secondwindcpap.com has some gently used or like new machines. Of course cpap.com has them.

ErnieH · Post by **ErnieH** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 3:42 pm

I don't use the humidifier, that's why I need the heated hose. My problem is if I keep ramping it up and I'm on my side, that's a lot of air. At what point does it become too much air?

Thanks,
Ernie

msradar65 · Post by **msradar65** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 3:55 pm

Then the heated hose won't do you any good. The heated hose is designed to prevent "rainout" or condensation from humidified air. Since you don't use a humidifier then you have no need for the heated hose.

BlackSpinner · Post by **BlackSpinner** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 3:59 pm

ErnieH wrote:I don't use the humidifier, that's why I need the heated hose. My problem is if I keep ramping it up and I'm on my side, that's a lot of air. At what point does it become too much air?

Thanks,
Ernie

The heated hose is to keep the air warmed by your humidifier from condensing on the hose. It doesn't act as a warmer for the air. It works more like your rear window defroster in your car.

Some people put a tennis ball in the back of their PJ's to keep them from rolling on to their back.

Your average cpap machine only goes to 20 cm H2O - some few people get what is called "central apneas" when the pressure "goes high" (high is different for each person, anything from 10 to 20).

Perrybucsdad · Post by **Perrybucsdad** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 5:02 pm

ErnieH wrote:I don't use the humidifier...

Why not?

I find that the humidifier really helps with my sinuses and what not. Give it a try, and it may help warm enough. Granted, it still doesn't get you the APAP, but it would help with the cool air.

ErnieH · Post by **ErnieH** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 7:00 pm

When I received my Resmed S8 with the humidifier, I was told to start the humidifier at #3. Right away I started getting stuffy. For about two years I fought the stuffy head and sinuses. I finally disconnected the humidifier and all my problems went away. I thought the heated hose on the S9 would be connected to the humidifier but you could use it sepretley. I think I'm going to try the reptile cable, and if that doesn't work I'll buy the heated hose from Australia.

My thanks to everyone,
Ernie

BlackSpinner · Post by **BlackSpinner** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 7:23 pm

ErnieH wrote:When I received my Resmed S8 with the humidifier, I was told to start the humidifier at #3. Right away I started getting stuffy. For about two years I fought the stuffy head and sinuses. I finally disconnected the humidifier and all my problems went away. I thought the heated hose on the S9 would be connected to the humidifier but you could use it sepretley. I think I'm going to try the reptile cable, and if that doesn't work I'll buy the heated hose from Australia.

My thanks to everyone,
Ernie

You are wasting your money. A lukewarm hose won't make the air warm.

Hose_Head · Post by **Hose_Head** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:43 pm

BlackSpinner wrote:
ErnieH wrote:When I received my Resmed S8 with the humidifier, I was told to start the humidifier at #3. Right away I started getting stuffy. For about two years I fought the stuffy head and sinuses. I finally disconnected the humidifier and all my problems went away. I thought the heated hose on the S9 would be connected to the humidifier but you could use it sepretley. I think I'm going to try the reptile cable, and if that doesn't work I'll buy the heated hose from Australia.

My thanks to everyone,
Ernie
You are wasting your money. A lukewarm hose won't make the air warm.

I'm going to offer a different opinion on this. I use a PR M Series apap as my backup/travel machine. To control rainout with it, I use an Aussie hose. I need to power it with a 9 volt transformer because at its regular 12 volts, the air is too warm for me. The Aussie hose definitely heats the air!

Whether the Aussie hose will heat the air enough for the OP is an unanswered question.

ErnieH · Post by **ErnieH** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:09 pm

I'm surprised they don't have one with a control on it.

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