The best way to drive a weed up insurance's ass with CPAP

I used an oxygen concentrator at night while sleeping for almost a full year. When I had knee surgery two years ago, it was noted that my blood oxygen was dropping drastically at night while sleeping, so I was given a concentrator to use at night until I could be tested and start bipap treatment. The concentrator is cheaper than using an oxygen tank.

Since tanks can freeze up, a concentrator is a reliable back-up.
For someone whose oxygen rate is high, this can be essential.

flightco wrote:What is the purpose of an O2 concentrator? What are the indications you would need one? I am just curious, don't think I need one, yet.

it provides a source of supplemental oxygen if you need it.

if your oxygen percentage in your blood is too low, you need extra oxygen.

chunkyfrog wrote:Since tanks can freeze up, a concentrator is a reliable back-up.
For someone whose oxygen rate is high, this can be essential.

from what little I know about typical usage, the concentrator is a primary source of supplemental oxygen, and tanks are a backup. the concentrator can provide o2 24x7 if needed, and doesn't come with any of the downsides of oxygen tanks.

Concentrators sometimes cannot deliver oxygen fast enough for my sister in law if she is active.
She has to use a tank if she is up and about.

chunkyfrog wrote:Concentrators sometimes cannot deliver oxygen fast enough for my sister in law if she is active.
She has to use a tank if she is up and about.

wow, how much does she need??

I've seen commonly available 10 LPM concentrators, though the one we've got her maxes at 5lpm.

Emphysema. She needed 10 just to shower.
It's been over a year; no idea what she needs now.

palerider wrote:

chunkyfrog wrote:Since tanks can freeze up, a concentrator is a reliable back-up.
For someone whose oxygen rate is high, this can be essential.

from what little I know about typical usage, the concentrator is a primary source of supplemental oxygen, and tanks are a backup. the concentrator can provide o2 24x7 if needed, and doesn't come with any of the downsides of oxygen tanks.

A Concentrator, has 3 downsides, noise, room heating, added electric usage. Jim

Concentrator, has 3 downsides, noise, room heating, added electric usage. Jim

In the winter the extra heat is a plus. I keep mine in the bathroom with the door closed and my new Q is now quiet enough that I don't hear it. The electric bill is a nuisance, but I am waiting for you to come over and install solar panels so I won't have to pay for electricity any more.

bwexler wrote:Concentrator, has 3 downsides, noise, room heating, added electric usage. Jim

In the winter the extra heat is a plus. I keep mine in the bathroom with the door closed and my new Q is now quiet enough that I don't hear it. The electric bill is a nuisance, but I am waiting for you to come over and install solar panels so I won't have to pay for electricity any more.

Better than that just get the XPAP electric discount, and let your neighbors share your electric bill, it's the Socialest way. jim

than that just get the XPAP electric discount, and let your neighbors share your electric bill, it's the Socialest way. jim


Yeah. I hate being a socialist, but I applied for it anyway.

The fact that San Diego Graft and Extortion has a reputation for being one of the highest priced utilities in the country removes some of the guilt.

I asked; and there is no discount here.
Of course, Lincoln's electric rates are some of the lowest in the country.
Cheaper to heat with electricity than with gas.

No help here either. I tried just to get them to take care of outages faster. They just told me to go somewhere else until it comes back on.

My pulmonologist offered me the choice of CPAP or oxygen at night. I thought wearing a nasal cannula when I slept sounded WAY less invasive than a horrible, terrible, CPAP mask!!! I got the oxygen concentrator brought to my house, and I couldn't believe how big it was. It was slightly bigger and much heavier than a roller suitcase. Then the guy setting me up dragged in two back up tanks. Great. Then I turned the concentrator on. I have hardwood floors throughout my house and it shook my whole house. It was so loud I couldn't believe it. I wondered how I would ever sleep with a vacuum running in my room type sound- which is incidentally what I thought CPAP machines sounded like. He recommended I place the concentrator on a foam area rug to muffle the sound. That helped a touch. Then the concentrator got moved out of my bedroom and I would have oxygen tubing running through my house at night. Then I finally could sleep. My copay was $40/month for an infinite rental. My CPAP copay was $17/month for 13 months- plus supplies. I finally got up on O2 when I realized I was waking up with the oxygen on the floor everyday anyway. I went with nothing for awhile, then finally decided to try CPAP. I can't remember what finally convinced me. Finding out depression could be related to sleep apnea. Seeing a close friend of mine wishing for a sleep apnea diagnosis so she could find something to help her energy levels. Seeing more patients at work bringing CPAP machines in. When I got my CPAP I couldn't believe how much smaller, quieter, and cheaper it was than the oxygen concentrator. I replaced something that sounded like a vacuum cleaner with something that sounded like a white noise machine. So in short- I can definitely vouch for those three big downsides to O2 concentrators.