Disappointed with Respironics M Series

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 4:01 pm

NyNurse33 wrote:These are just jobs, to most people and we hope that they are trained in the area they are working in, but they are not really experts, just people with opinions or robots saying what they were trained to say, not years of education in that field.

Maybe we as a society expect and rely too much on people where in some instances we know just as much as they do.

Well said! Bravo!

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 4:06 pm

Just like me, I'll go to the mall, and someone will come up to me, and say your looking pretty good, Lubeman. Most of us grow out of our starting jobs.

If you don't watch someone from day to day, it's hard to tell where they have been and what they've been up to. It could be worse, they might call me a Car-Hop. Jim

NyNurse33 · Post by **NyNurse33** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 4:09 pm

Anonymous wrote: Well said! Bravo!

<~~~~curtsies

BTW, I do not work for respironics or any DME, I do not receive any monetary gifts for my opinions. I just worked too hard to get this machine and would like to let myself and others be able to give it a chance. For some sick relationship with it, I feel compelled to defend it!! I don't want other people to be weary of it b/c a DME specialist said so, even though he did say it is his opinion. But like stated before some newbies on here might value his opinion a little more b/c of his title. When I was "shopping for an auto", I listened to all pros and cons on all machines, but in the end, I chose it b/c I wanted it.

NyNurse33 · Post by **NyNurse33** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 4:12 pm

Goofproof wrote: It could be worse, they might call me a Car-Hop. Jim

That depends Jim, are you going to show me my dirty air filter and tell me to buy one? LOL

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 4:53 pm

Snoredog wrote:Of course I wouldn't expect a DME employee who was flippin burgers last week to understand that.

I'm sorry, but that is just plain rude. Someone comes in here and gives an opinion about a piece of equipment that is being discussed and that's the sort of response? Come on, I thought we were all a little bit more grown up than that.

JeffroDoe · Post by **JeffroDoe** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 5:08 pm

I'm not sure of whether this is true or not regarding his past/current occupation

Tho you may or may not believe me, I only cook steak at home. lol I'm trying to remember.....I think I flipped some burgers back in highschool, but that only lasted about 2 weeks. That was around 22 years ago.

I realize that *boom*...all the sudden here I am in your midst and none of you know me, so I can totally understand your trepidation in trusting a dern thang I say. Truth is, I've been answering questions at another forum for months, but a pt of mine last week told me about this one and asked me to stop by sometime. I did...and...well...u know the rest.

I am a DME Specialist in one of the largest sleep centers in country. We are full service...in that we have doctors, lab, and dme all under the same roof. I have been working in the medical field for years, but shortly after being diagnosed with apnea and getting my first cpap a couple years ago, I decided to switch over to the sleep medicine industry due to the future I see in it. Since then I've been learning everything I can about this stuff, mostly hands on.

At most dme providers, anyone can apply and become trained to be a *dme tech* for around $10 an hour....but where I work we care about pts and their treatment and their follow up, so not just anyone can be a DME Specialist there. It's a similar difference as say K mart and Macy's. Get it?

I write books for my living on a totally unrelated topic. So my income from DME stuff goes to toys, my photography hobby, charity, my kids' education fund and Red Lobster. I do what I do because it interests me, and it helps people, and I'm good at it.

Therefore, I ask that you judge me based upon the quality and depth of the assistance I offer, rather than on how I might be *just like* the others who pretend to know what the heck they are talking about but sadly don't. The whole reason I posted that big long post about the M series is because I spent an hour writing it a couple days ago in response to someone's question at the other forum about why I strongly recommend against using it. I saw a similar question here so I borrowed it. I wasn't trying to stir up crapola, and I wasn't trying to appear as if I was a know it all. I just wanted to help, and there is some valuable info in it.

I might answer some questions here...and I might ask some too. Heck, I might never post again. Who knows. I don't care if you like or agree with what I offer, but keep in the back of your mind the fact that this field is what I do every day. I deal with several patients every day, I handle several machines every day, I assist several cpap patients on the phone every day, and try to help as many people as I can in the cpap forums every day.

Suffice it to say....unlike alot of you....this is not just something I read about online and deal with at bedtime. It's important to me, and I genuinely work at it and learn all I can to help others who aren't lucky enough to have a caring DME provider at their disposal.

Oh...and for Guest.....I don't want to monitor my indexes because I feel great and simply don't care what they are. IMO, life is too short to stress about such details.

NyNurse33 · Post by **NyNurse33** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 7:29 pm

You know what Jeff...you are absolutely right about most of what you said. I apologize for perhaps offending you, but most of what I said was in general about positive and negative statements in here that can sway a person who is new to this one way or the other. And I didn't know about your long experience in this field, b/c I thought you were acknowledging the statement about working in the restaurant business. You like all of us are certainly entitled to your opinions, b/c that is what this forum is for. Like, I said I just felt compelled to protect this product, but I don't know why. I truly do apologize to you and everyone else, for being very rude, don't know what got into me. I plan to erase my post. The only thing I still feel strong about, is the fact that some people who learn that you are a DME specialist, may take your statements to be gospel and that may not be good. I have since found out that many of the things that my lab and DME and even MD have told me were not 100% accurate and had I not found this site, I would of never questioned them or ventured to try a better product that may have not benefited them, but did benefit me. Please accept my apology for I do not want to be known as harsh or insensitive.

Mile High Sleeper · Post by **Mile High Sleeper** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 8:07 pm

Thanks for the thoughtful, informed comments, JeffroDoe. We are fee to agree or disagree. Sorry you were attacked.
I wish you worked at my local DME - or I could go to your full service DME.
How about writing a product review for cpaptalk.com sometime?

JeffroDoe · Post by **JeffroDoe** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 8:08 pm

Thank u for your re-considered thoughts, NyNurse33. Water under the bridge.

I'd love to Mile High. In fact, I was considering writing a book, or at least a pamphlet for beginner cpap users, or one of those...all u ever wanted to know, but were afraid to ask kinda things about xpap usage. Is a product review something u simply post here? Or do u have to go through a mod...or what?

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 8:32 pm

NyNurse33 wrote:
Goofproof wrote: It could be worse, they might call me a Car-Hop. Jim
That depends Jim, are you going to show me my dirty air filter and tell me to buy one? LOL

With the cost of gas now, I might be doing you a favor, BTW: the last Air Filters I changed Cost over $700.00 and weighed a hundred pounds. Jim

Actually, it's two, two element filters, good for 250 hours of use.

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 8:54 pm

[quote="JeffroDoe"]In my opinion, the M series is Junk. Here is why:

1) I've programmed, issued, done pressure checks and trained pts on thousands of machines. Out of those thousands.....about 1/5 of them were M series. The remainders break down into approx 2/5 Remstar plus with cflex, 1/5 Remstar Plus cpaps, and 1/5 other brands/bipaps etc. Out of all those machines, the ONLY machine I've ever had a pt return to say it's too loud...is the M series. Every day I have pts bring their M series in, complaining that they can't sleep due to the sound it makes as you exhale. You can actually hear the machine wheezing with each breath. I have pts that have traded in 5-7 yr old tranquilities and classics for a new M series, but brought them back, wanting their 5 yr old machine back because it was quieter. We end up having to issue them a Remstar Plus w/cflex, which they love. Lucky for us, we kept a few around...just in case.

2) M series is the ONLY machine that has an internal water chamber/humidifer setup that was poorly designed. People constantly forget to empty the water before traveling with it to the doctor or on vacation etc. There is nothing to block or even hamper water from sloshing the 3 inches into the flow generator if the machine is not kept perfectly still and/or level. This results...DAILY....in us having to send off machines for repair due to water damage. This is from travel, and the machine simply being bumped on the bedside table by the user, a kid moving it, tubing being yanked, or a pet. Out of all the machines we process for repairs, the one that makes up only 15% of our issued machines, makes up 90% of the machines we send off for repair. Out of those 90%, 90% of those are for water damage.

3) The initial software did not keep track of therapy hours. It was not until the machine had been out for 4 months that respironics realized the brainfart and updated the software on new machines. However, they did NOT come up with ANY fix for updating machines already issued. Beyond the most recent 30 days, we have no way of calculating usage beyond guesstimation based on blower hours.

4) It is touted as a smaller, more travel-friendly machine than the Remstar Plus w/cflex it was sposed to replace. However, with its 2-fist sized power converter it weighs nearly as much, and is a pain in the arse for anyone who is not really electronics-savvy to assemble, wind up, and travel with safely.

5) The travel bag it comes in barely has enough space for the machine and cords, let alone tubing and mask. Yes, you can fit those things in the outside pocket, but I've had to replace about 39 masks that have been damaged due to the tiny space the mask has to be squashed into to carry it with the rest of the equipment.

6) The ONLY machine I've had to do warranty exchanges on for screen glitches, is the M series.

7) The only machine I've ever seen that has a tendency to vibrate itself so much that it unplugs itself, is the M series. If you have one of the versions that allow you to remove the flow generator by sliding it off the humidifer base, you probably know what I'm talking about. Respironics, based on the realization of another brainfart, changed THAT design as well on the NEW machines and made it so it snaps on vertically now, but once again did nothing to fix the tens of thousands of machines already out there.

8 ) One of out of 6 Remstar Plus with cflex machines needs to be calibrated after 6 months or so. One out of two M series needs to be calibrated after 1 month. One out of ten Resmed or Goodknight machines need to be calibrated after a year.

IMO....the M series was poorly designed and thought out from the git go. I feel that Respironics rushed this into production and cut alot of corners in quality to try and quickly make up for market share that was going to the smaller, more compact travel friendly machines being marketed by Puritan Bennet and Resmed.

That's the data behind the opinion. Compared to ResMed, Fisher Paykel, Goodknights, and even its own kin Remstar Plus with Cflex, the M series is Junk.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 9:05 pm

Jeffro, snoredog's an idiot. I'll take your experienced advice anyday.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 9:15 pm

JeffroDoe wrote:I'd love to Mile High. In fact, I was considering writing a book, or at least a pamphlet for beginner cpap users, or one of those...all u ever wanted to know, but were afraid to ask kinda things about xpap usage.

Mile High Sleeper is being modest. She's done a beautiful job (imho) on an "all you ever wanted to know..." information site for cpap users:

http://www.smart-sleep-apnea.blogspot.com

That's not to say others shouldn't do their own, too. The more information available from many areas of experience, the better.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 9:17 pm

I think snoredog has some great points. This guy is an expert and not interested in his indexes? I wouldn't trust this guy with my I-pac, let alone my cpap.

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 9:23 pm

Anonymous wrote:Jeffro, snoredog's an idiot. I'll take your experienced advice anyday.

GROW some balls guest log in.

Disappointed with Respironics M Series

thanks for the opinion