Can Cpap machine be repaired?

[Gary_C]

I don't think my machine is working correctly...I recently had a new sleep study and they determined that my machine needed to be changed from 12 to 7. Tech thought that was odd...she had never decreased pressure before.

Made sense to me because my mask leaked so much I could never get it to seal properly. When it was adjusted to 7 it felt much more comfortable.

Now I realize that sometimes the pressure is real low....and sometimes it is blowing like a hurricane....all at the setting of 7. I think the machine needs repair...it has 25000 hours on the clock...at seven hours/night that is almost ten years of use. How long do these machines last?

BTW...glad to have found this forum...I never get good information from my doctor...and the tech at the DME office says I need to talk with him...

[Pugsy]

Without knowing what is wrong with it (if there is something wrong) hard to say if it can be repaired or not but I would imagine that it would cost more to fix it than it is worth. A 10 year old machine isn't worth much.
Maybe time to get a new machine??

[chunkyfrog]

Aging, weight change, or general health can change your required pressure--either way!
It is also possible that a one-night titration could be WRONG!
Weird conditions, inexperienced techs, malfunctioning equipment. It does happen.
Mine was off by 2-4 cm.
The only way you can know you are using the right pressure is with efficacy data.
before shopping for a new machine read this:
http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/
The author is a respected forum member, who has gone above and beyond for the common good.

[LSAT]

I agree with Pugsy...time for a new unit. By the way...Tech is wrong. It is not that unusual for a pressure to be reduced.

[Sir NoddinOff]

Sounds like a new machine is in order. However, if you decide on repair because of money reasons or whatever, PM longtime member GrandPAP. He's got a line on a repair service in the USA of which several members have commented on favorably, that is, in terms of efficiency, speed and economy.

[poppi2]

This discussion thread references a repair facility: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=59433&start=105#p755443.

[archangle]

What machine do you have?

A new machine will likely to have a lot of better features.

Sometimes, the same pressure feels like a hurricane, sometimes like nothing. You may need to figure out some more objective way to judge the pressure like feeling the air blowing out your mask vent holes.

[chunkyfrog]

Question: did the DME use a device to test the pressure coming out the exhaust port?
Have them do it with you watching.
Do not let them use a hose--too easy to pinch!

[ChrisD]

Gary_C,

I think most insurance companies allow the replacement of the machine at 5 years. If your machine is 10 years old, I personally would go in for a new machine. Technology has changed so much in 10 years, the machine you get today should be far superior to what you have now. Not to mention the software available to track your usage data.

As to repair, reach out to forum member accurate - AKA Ian McCullough of Accurate Biomed Services Inc. http://www.acbio.com . They service xPAP machines and other medical devices.

Does the pressure 'actually' change or is it just your perception? Example: when you first turn it on at night the pressure feels strong but in the morning after you have gotten used to it, the pressure feels weak.

Chris

[Gary_C]

I think my machine is a RemStar C-pap with C-flex. Its got the humidifier extension. It has 25,000 hours on the clock so its been used alot.

I would love to get a machine...if I can get the doctor to write a prescription. It took me about a year of asking to get him to write me a script for a new mask because nobody would sell one without a prescription. I moved about five years ago and don't have access to my original doctor anymore. Now I have a new internist but he doesn't seem to know (or care much) about apnea.

But its getting harder and harder to sleeep anymore...and my wife is getting annoyed. She slept on the couch last night and said she has not heard me snore that loud in many many years...something is wrong...

excuse me...I think I need a nap....

[chunkyfrog]

If your doctor is not helping, you can get a prescription from someone else.
A dentist, for example, or a new doctor, who would have your medical files if you fired the old doc.
If insurance is no help, there are alternative places to buy a new machine;
and the prices can be MUCH lower!

[LSAT]

The frog is right...You can get any doctor, dentist, nurse practitioner or physicians assistant to write a prescription.

[archangle]

I think my machine is a RemStar C-pap with C-flex. Its got the humidifier extension. It has 25,000 hours on the clock so its been used alot.

I would love to get a machine...if I can get the doctor to write a prescription. It took me about a year of asking to get him to write me a script for a new mask because nobody would sell one without a prescription. I moved about five years ago and don't have access to my original doctor anymore. Now I have a new internist but he doesn't seem to know (or care much) about apnea.

But its getting harder and harder to sleeep anymore...and my wife is getting annoyed. She slept on the couch last night and said she has not heard me snore that loud in many many years...something is wrong...

excuse me...I think I need a nap....

Does the machine say "Plus, Pro, or Auto" on the top anywhere? Looks sort of like this:



BTW, you may be able to save money by buying one from Craigslist, but be sure to figure out what units are good. Also check the online price at our host cpap.com. Lots of Craigslist users got royally screwed by their local DME (CPAP dealer) and want twice what a new CPAP costs online because they got billed for 4 times what the unit costs online. Don't pay more than half the cpap.com price for a craigslist machine.

[Gary_C]

Does the machine say "Plus, Pro, or Auto" on the top anywhere? Looks sort of like this:

yup that's it. Remstar Pro...with 25000 hours on it.

[Gary_C]

Update...about 8 phone calls today and the doctor apporved getting a new machine. DME company (affiliated with my doctors practice group) wanted be to check with the insurance company (BCBS) to see if they would cover. First the guy with BCBS said it would be covered...and the DME rep didn't believe it and wanted to check further.

They will cover it if my annual deductable/family deductable/and maximum out of pocket costs have been met...(if I understand them correctly). So the new machine will be about $1100 and the DME guy will hook me up with a 6 month same as cash deal...

When I got the Remstar I paid nothing out of pocket...of course that was ten years ago and a whole different world in terms of health insurance...

Since it looks like I will be buying out of pocket...is it possible to buy a better deal than the DME is offering? At least I get follow up support if I buy from the DME...

I have a couple days to figure this out...the DME won't have a machine in stock until Tuesday...