Still waiting for a machine!

I've been lurking here for a few weeks now, and have actually interacted with a few forum members in live chat. I keep thinking that I'll be an 'official hosehead' any time now, but one thing after another seems to stand in the way of me starting therapy. I've thought I was on the brink of getting equipment since early November. The most recent setback (believe me, you don't want to hear about the others!) was when my DME called this morning to cancel today's 3 pm appt because it will take at least 24 hours to get insurance pre-auth. Maybe tomorrow, maybe after Christmas, maybe next week, maybe next year. Who knows.

Of course, if I have trouble obtaining the equipment I prefer, this could easily drag into next week before I can even make an appointment to talk to my doctor about Rx specifications. Yesterday when his nurse called to ask where I wanted the Rx faxed, I was NOT satisfied with her responses to my requests. (Nurse: Rx is for CPAP at 10 cm water. Me: I'd like to include a specific statement that the machine must provide daily data on mask leak rate, AHI, etc. Nurse: Oh, we can't do that. Maybe you can ask for it there and just pay the difference yourself. Me: Thank you. *sigh*) From that response, I wasn't even going to waste my breath on her. I'll wait and work my way further up the food chain before I start trotting out my insurance codes, rationales and arguments, thank you very much.

I've already pre-screened the two available brick-and-mortar DMEs, and one of them claims to have only the most advanced equipment, and made it sound as if it would just be a matter of me picking what I want. (They even brought up the concept of auto titrating machines). Maybe I'll be lucky and it will turn out that way. (Of course, I'm sure it will require SOME negotiation: the RT I talked to from this DME boasted that they carry the ResMed S8, and don't even carry the Escape. In that phone conversation, I didn't bother to even bring up any distinctions between a ResMed S8 Escape II and a ResMed S8 Autoset II, but in person I will.)

If not, I'll get with my doctor (PHP -- the sleep doc is in another state and will never have any contact other than the reports he has written). I was able to easily talk my doc into an overnight oximetry unit he had never heard of for my initial screening. He started to order what he had always ordered, and I said I'd done that screening previously and didn't qualify for a full sleep study based on its results. I had heard that there was another test that included breathing sensors (chest belt, nose 'thing') in addition to the pulse oximeter.

Okay. Enough mindless rambling from this sleep starved idiot! I'm looking forward to participating more and continuing to glean priceless information from this great group. Thanks for all you've shared with me already.

It can certainly be a battle but make sure you get the right machine. Be willing to walk out if they don't have it in stock when you go to pick it up.

In the meantime, if you sleep any on your back, you might get a little relief from sidesleeping or tummy sleeping. According to one source, 40% of patients have Positional Sleep Apnea meaning the apnea is more severe when backsleeping.

Push for the autoadjusting machine. Get that on the prescription preferntial to the full data capability. The data capability already exists in all autoadjusting machines I am aware of, including the Autoset II you are considering. You are doing a good job getting this going (and educating yourself), but it sounds like the medical people you are dealing with have little interest in your well-being.

Of course, if you can afford it, consider purchasing the machine online, and avoid all the DME hassles.

and make sure that the auto machine doesn't have the word Escape in the title... read on here a few days ago that Resmed's now put out an Escape Auto

Auto adjusting is important to me, but I need some help knowing exactly how to justify it. In my head, I think it's better because I can't imagine that my needs stay constant all night long. But I'm not sure I have any real data to back that up. I don't want to sound like I just want it because it's better... because that sounds like a weak argument against a DME that might want me to have something less just because it's cheaper. Is there a reason that I should share with my doc and/or DME that will sound credible?