And the wait begins...

[weebl]

I got the last document I need for my insurer this morning, the precription from my doctor, and I put all of it into the drop box at their local office (though I'm sure it gets whisked off elsewhere for central processing). They said I couldn't fax or e-mail it, I had to send in hard copies.

Now I wait...

Up to 5 business days for their approval. And once I get that, up to another week for it to ship after I order it.

I miss the trial unit, and got really spoiled by the one week on it.

[millich]

You had a trial unit that you couldn't keep until yours came in?!? Rotten luck.

I hope the time passes quickly for you!

[carbonman]

I miss the trial unit, and got really spoiled by the one week on it.

Most of us go through the wait period not knowing what's coming.
What a strange situation.

I wonder if you died from an apnea while you were waiting...
you could sue them?

.......oh, yea ...you'd be dead. Bummer.



......patient care.....right.

Take care while you wait.

[howkim]

I put all of it into the drop box at their local office (though I'm sure it gets whisked off elsewhere for central processing). They said I couldn't fax or e-mail it, I had to send in hard copies.

I hope you kept copies.

[weebl]

Waiting in Canadian health care is unfortunately the norm. (It was about 9 months after my dad had a heart attack that they finally got him in for his bypass surgery. Hospital emergency rooms can easily have 6 to 8 hour waits for the less serious injuries.)

I am actually buying from a place other than the clinic that did my sleep study, so I never asked or expected them to let me hang on to the trial unit. If I bought from them, I could have walked home the same day with my new one, and they would do up the paperwork with postdating to suit the insurer if I was certain approval wouldn't be a problem. Plus the other supplier is about 1,200 km away, so it will be sent by mail, which could take up to a week (but if express shipping is available for a reasonable cost, I think I'll be going for that). The insurer on the other hand is apparently notorious for making people jump through hoops.

[snoregirl]

I second what howkim said. Copies are good in case you decide to buy without insurance at a later date.

[weebl]

Yes, I definitely kept copies.

I'm having a tough time with waking up in the morning without the machine. Woke up very grumpy and tired both days over the weekend, and this morning, slept in, kept hitting snooze for almost an hour and a half. Never had those problems while I was on the CPAP trial.

[Muse-Inc]

Can't remember if you said you were a side-sleeper; if not, sleep on your side, apnea tends to be much worse when sleeping on your back. This might help during the wait.

[weebl]

I'm not really either. I've fallen asleep both on my sides and on my back, but I don't think I necessarily stay in the same position. The initial sleep study sensors indicated I turned throughout the night, which is what I suspected. Last night wasn't as bad - got to bed a little earlier, so hit snooze for only 45 minutes this morning, which still gave me plenty of time to leave the house on schedule.

[weebl]

Just got my insurer approval today, so I've gone ahead to order my AutoSet II. It should be here within 5 business days.

[cinco777]

weebl wrote

I'm not really either. I've fallen asleep both on my sides and on my back, but I don't think I necessarily stay in the same position. The initial sleep study sensors indicated I turned throughout the night, which is what I suspected.

Changing sleep positions throughout the night seems to be "the norm". It WAS for me for all of my life up until this past Spring. I have a math/science background and decided early on that to be successful the second time around with my Sleep Apnea therapy (I had failed 3 years earlier), I would need to monitor and understand (+, -, or neutral) all the variables that could/would affect my sleep. One of the BIG difference makers that I discovered was my sleeping position. Using pillows, tennis balls, etc., I learned how to sleep in one position (right side, back, left side) and remain in that position for one sleep period (fall asleep to wake up). With a data capable APAP and the reporting software, I was able to quickly determine that sleeping on my back was a BIG NO NO, and subsequently learned that sleeping on my left side gave me a more restful sleep and lower number of Apneas and Hypopneas than sleeping on my right side. Until you perform this sleeping position experiment (and confirm that you are, in fact, staying in the same sleeping position for an entire sleep session, you will not know for sure what sleeping position works Best for you, and whether you have Positional Sleep Apnea. Have someone (spouse, older child (pay them for staying awake and taking notes), boy/girl friend) watch you while you are sleeping, or rig up a video camera (use a night light to ensure that the video shows you in profile at least so movement is detectable) to confirm that you do Stay in the same sleeping position. Run the experiment for at least two weeks without changing any other variables and see if sleep position makes a difference in your sleep. Sleep position made a Big difference in my getting a restful night's sleep. Good luck and success in your journey to a restful night's sleep.

[weebl]

Just checked the tracking on my unit, and it says that it is out for delivery today.

I should be able to sleep with it tonight.

[katherinefulmer]

Here's hoping it's true! We look forward to meeting the newly rested you soon.

[weebl]

Thanks! It arrived today, and I got everything out of the box, and it's exactly as I ordered it. Should be good night's sleep tonight!

Should I try the EPR (Expiration Pressure Relief) feature? The AutoSet Vantage that I had for my trial didn't have it and I seemed to do just fine, but wondering if EPR would make it even better in some way.

[rested gal]

weebl, I may have missed seeing it if you mentioned it, but... what single pressure was on your prescription?

And what settings did your Autoset II machine come with for mode of operation (auto or cpap?) and pressure (or pressure range)?

Knowing all those things could have a bearing on what EPR level you might want to use, if any.