Noob Realizes He Needs To Pay More Attention

[jasoncostello]

Ok, so I've been on CPAP for about 3 years now. My pressure is 10cm. I've never had an issue with my equipment. I got some spare tubing, masks, etc once after about a year and haven't heard from my supplier since. Things seem to work fine. Then my wife and I went on a cruise last week. Our first vacation in 6 years. I did no research and put my cpap in it's carrying case and put that in my checked luggage. I'm sure that offered some extra protection, but I didn't even think about what would happen if the bags were lost. We get to the hotel (we arrived a day early) enjoy a lovely dinner. With a little too much wine swirling in my head I go to unpack my cpap and plug it in. I get my mask and hose out and...WHERE'S THE PILLOW???

My wife had a look of horror on her face at the prospect of having to endure the next week getting no sleep while listening to me snore. I felt embarrassed at packing so inattentively. But I was sure I had packed it. I washed everything and let it dry and put everything, including the pillow, inside the bag.

So, the next 5-6 hours or so were spent with me trying to shove the hard plastic piece of the mask up against my nose and shove tissues all around it trying to make a seal, trying to sleep sitting up, and trolling sites like this on my phone, with no solution to be found (outside of being prepared... ). It was a Sunday, so NO local stores seemed like they would be open. After some tears, some laughs, and some planning to get someone to fedex the pillow to our first port of call, it's now 545 in the morning and I go to wash my face. Feeling better I say let me just take another look. Flicking on the light there's the pillow right on the floor below where i unpacked the cpap. I had the pillow separate from the mask and when I pulled out the mask and hose it must have flung out without my seeing. A quick wash and the trip was saved.

Needless to say, i carried on the cpap on my return (no TSA issues) and will shortly be calling my supplier to reintroduce myself and get some spares. But thinking about this now, I've never received the calls from the insurance company asking for the numbers on the device to show I've been using it, I've never been told to go back for another study. I wasn't impressed with the first doctor, so I'd probably go to a new one next time.

So a few questions:
A lot of folks here mention having spare cpap units. Do you buy these yourself or does insurance cover them?
Is there a "standard" time that one should be going back for follow-up studies?
How often does everyone replace the masks, tubes, etc (whether or not insurance covers)?

Thanks in advance for the help and I hope to be able to contribute something to this forum someday besides stories of irresponsibility.

[RocketGirl]

Glad it all turned out all right in the end! And glad that they didn't lose your luggage. I think just about everyone carries their machine on board with them for exactly that reason.

My doctor advised me to get all the consumables (hose, mask, water chamber) that insurance will cover for the first year or two at least, so that I have plenty of spares for emergencies. What I don't know is whether these components have a finite shelf life while they're sitting in their packages. Does silicone degrade over time? Maybe someone else will weigh in on that. Different insurers cover things on different schedules. Mine will do the hose, mask, chamber every six months, and new pillows every three months. My first set of pillows didn't last that long so I just bought a couple extra sets on my own (from our gracious hosts here), to ensure that I'd have them when I needed them.

I've seen the question here about insurance covering a second machine and the consensus seems to be that insurers don't cover that. The folks that have one mostly seem to have bought their backup or travel machines outright.

[HoseCrusher]

Thank goodness you had the presence of mind to look again.

I picked up a back up machine that ended up being more data capable than my original machine. I paid for it out of pocket. I now use the machine I picked up as my primary machine and my original machine as my back up. I drag the back up machine out every 6 months and do a night with it just to make sure it still functions and that I remember how to use it.

I have extra of everything. Most was supplied as replacements that were not immediately needed, some I purchased on my own.

My biggest wear item is the short hose on the Swift FX mask. I "crush" those frequently and then patch them to make them last a little longer. I change positions frequently when I sleep and prefer to cuddle with my hose rather than have it hanging off the wall. The small hose is just not built for this amount of nightly exercise. I have "lab ratted" several things to extend the life of those hoses, but I still go through them rather frequently.

I have no problem with the big hose, so have come to the conclusion that the big hose is made much better.

I replace things as they wear out.

I think I am still on my original head gear.
Nasal pillows last 2 weeks to 6 months, depending upon their initial quality. When I don't get a good seal, I replace the pillows.
Little hose gets replaced after 3 repair attempts.
Big hose seems to go for a long time.
Humidifier tank was replaced with one that I could take apart for cleaning, but the old one is still very functional.

I must add that I clean my equipment daily with a through cleaning done weekly. less attention to cleaning may induce more frequent replacements.

[hades161]

Most people with Extra machines have bought them out of pocket. My first unit I bought "used" from a co-worker of my then Girlfriend so I knew what I was getting and from who. The next unit I paid out of pocket for as well for 600$ from https://www.cpap.com our fine hosts after getting a loan for it from a friend. I used this machine for about 5 years with 1 trip back to Cpap.com for service just before the 2 year mark was up. I got a new S9 about 4 months ago due to the blower starting to whine on my Remstar Apap it's slowly failing. The old units still work and puts out the right pressures so they are my spares. I really wish I could just order the parts as really there isn't much to these units on the inside. If you can build a home computer you could easily replace the parts in one these pap machines.

This S9 AutoSet is the first one I have gotten covered under Medicare/Medicaid as I didn't want to take out a loan for it like I did my second unit. But I am sorta regretting not just taking out the loan and toughing through the shorting of monthly funds. The dealings with my local DME's and Medicare with this rental thing has been really crappy, after the rental period is over I'll be going on to my third and last DME in my area.

Think most people with extra units if on pap long enough realize they need a back up. The best way to get one is to troll ( like fishing ) for "used" but nice machines on the web and Craigslist. I the units that end up for sale are the ones from someone passing on or a poeple who never adjusted to the treatment. Save up a little cash and when you find one that's right hook it =P

I have family members who are on the hose as well so if one of them needs a spare mask our something I help out but I never sell any of my gear. I clean it regularly and store it all.

I wish they did ( OMG ! eew ) haha.

[Tip10]

So a few questions:
A lot of folks here mention having spare cpap units. Do you buy these yourself or does insurance cover them?
Is there a "standard" time that one should be going back for follow-up studies?
How often does everyone replace the masks, tubes, etc (whether or not insurance covers)?

I bought my travel machine out of my own funds.Its not near the machine my front line one is but hey, its a travel machine.
ALWAYS CARRY IT -- NEVER PACK IT!
Follow-up studies depend upon your sleep doc -- you still seeing them annually (or more often)??
I replace my masks at 3 months and my hoses at 6 months -- a little excessive -- probably -- but it allows me to build up and keep a nice little stockpile so that my travel kit is always packed and stocked with everything I need -- all ready to just grab and go. My travel kit includes things like extension cord, plug tap, wipes, etc. Basically, I keep it packed (and the stock rotated) so that it is always ready to go. Only thing missing is the distilled water and I can use bottled or tap (in a pinch) since I clean that one daily. Saves the panics like you just went through.
How often your insurance will replace things is based upon their policies but you can use the medicare guidelines (look around they are on here) as a pretty good rule of thumb. My insurance basically will cover anything I ask for at any time as far as masks and supplies go -- my problem was convincing the DME of this -- I ended up telling them to submit it no matter what and if insurance didn't cover it I would -- after a couple of rounds of this they got the idea. Ummm, most insurance doesn't operate this way, I'm lucky.
As for insurance never asking for compliance numbers -- some don't -- some do -- depends solely upon the insurance company. Mine never did, ever.

[jasoncostello]

So a few questions:
A lot of folks here mention having spare cpap units. Do you buy these yourself or does insurance cover them?
Is there a "standard" time that one should be going back for follow-up studies?
How often does everyone replace the masks, tubes, etc (whether or not insurance covers)?

Follow-up studies depend upon your sleep doc -- you still seeing them annually (or more often)??

I haven't been back to my sleep doc (pulmonologist) in the 2.5 years since my study. I didn't really care for him, he never said to come back. I suppose I should find a new one.