How many people have a back up machine?

[biggziff]

There is a Resperonics Plus with C-Flexz for sale on CPAPauctions / never used for $99.00 right now. Someone should snag that thing as i'm sure the seller doesn't know the true value that machine has.

Neal:

That auction has a reserve so that $99 price is only the minimum bid. The reserve could be $500 for all we know!!!

[Nealbopper]

viewtopic/t37099/Dismayed-by-cpapauction.html

Unfortunately, i have learned that in the last few days. those reserve numbers are a game better left for a playstation3.
Why make things more complicated for someone just trying to get some sleep. I didn't notice that on the auction but what if you place that minimum bid and you win it, I read in the last thread that the seller can still back out. Is that true?

[biggziff]

viewtopic/t37099/Dismayed-by-cpapauction.html

Unfortunately, i have learned that in the last few days. those reserve numbers are a game better left for a playstation3.
Why make things more complicated for someone just trying to get some sleep. I didn't notice that on the auction but what if you place that minimum bid and you win it, I read in the last thread that the seller can still back out. Is that true?

If the reserve is not met, the seller has no obligation to sell the item.

[Fredman]

I will get a second machine when my plan lets me buy another unit. They will pay for a new unit every 5 years. October 2010 is the date! Hopefully some nifty new improvements, features etc. Looking forward to that model year. Maybe Honda and the Big Three could diversify into CPAP machines!

Hi FredMan,

While reading your post, it came to my mind that maybe by the year 2010, the machines may be greater with all the newest technologies... BUT, the manufacturers might make it virtually impossible for the patient (us) to change our own pressures????

With all the cpap police watching over us and complaining that we are chaning our own pressures to best suit our needs, will they will alert respironics and all the others to put a lock on that box???

Just a thought and it could be a big possibility that that could happen by then!

Something to consider, I might just buy that second machine now...

Take Care,

SleepyNoMore

Nah......they wouldn't do that. In the first place, the DME employees wouldn't be able to figure out how to get into them then.......

Another reason is that there are many, many machines that are being sold by the online sellers and a goodly number that are eventually sold by the individuals who gave up on their therapy.......and/or died......

But, the final reason is that this therapy is not all that unlike folks with diabetes who have to monitor and adjust their medications......particularly if they're injecting insulin. The medical profession CANNOT mandate that we can't take control of our own therapy. They've been used to running this bluff for far too many years......and doing a very poor job of helping those who are not as "into" their therapy, as some of us are.

PS.....a question for you SNM......do you still have the Auto ("tank" version) that you had, prior to getting your M Series machine?

Den

I am not worried if the CPAP manufacturers lock up the units so we can't adjust - cuz we is a smart bunch and someone will figure out how to crack the programming - and I think you are right Den in regards to Diabetes comment, I think healthcare and sleep docs will start to realize that patients can monitor and safely adjust their therapy. My Family Doc even said the other day that SA is very big business now - the manufacturer that can give the patient the best value machine with the greatest flexibility will win the market share.

[Kiralynx]

As I've had my machine for less than two months, thinking about a backup wasn't... uhm... something I considered. Not because I didn't want one, 'cause I'm pretty paranoid on the subject of backups. However, first, with the complex apnea, I have a Bipap Auto SV, and those beasties are not cheap, even at CPAP.COM's great prices. Second, they haven't been out long enough to have a bunch of them hitting the reseller's market. And third, if I didn't get one identical to my primary machine, I wouldn't have any idea what to get!

But having both a backup machine and backup power are high on my list of acquisitions before the 2009 hurricane season! I emailed the Battery Geek folks, who make the BG-222, and they said that within a couple of months, they will have a solar recharger for their batteries on the market. http://www.batterygeek.net/

[JayC]

The solar charger is good news, indeed. I was looking at Battery Geek because I need very portable back-up power for much of my back up needs..... and solar for camping somewhere down the road would be just too sweet!

As for back-up machine, I don't have faith in my DME. I WILL inquire with the RT about "what if", and how that emergency gets handled. When I spend a few weeks out of town every year, I will also have a problem as I will not be in the same geographic region as my DME. I guess I have a few calls to make....

Great topic/great ideas!

J

[deerhound]

My DME told me that CPAP wasn't considered life sustaining by insurance or medicare. So if my machine broke after hours on a Friday evening I would be out of luck until Monday morning unless it was a Holiday then it would be even longer before I could get a machine to use. With that knowledge and with reading threads on this site I knew I was going to get my own back-up as soon as I could.

[JayC]

I guess if I have evidence of desats, I could try to make the argument. If an emergency room would put me on oxygen, the desats would be much more a respitatory "emergency", seems to me... I could do an all-nighter, but not avoid sleep all weekend.....

Of course, I don't have enough spare energy yet to waste fighting that issue....especially if I have to go without my APAP. (30+ year sleep deficit/undiagnosed)

I'm going to put this high on the agenda for my January sleep doc appointment.

And saving my pennies up in the meantime...!

J

[wabmorgan]

I had an Auto C-flex and moved it to "back-up" when I got my Auto-A-flex.

[Birddog]

I bought a backup Respironics basic d100h machine on Cpapauction for under 100 dollars.I have a autoset vantage through the DME but am changing insurance co's in january and have only had it 4 months and you have to have it a year for the insurance co to consider it paid for to keep.I can;t imagine not having a machine and would buy another backup any day.I know this isn' everything the vantage is,but i know what my pressures run and when i got it,slept using it for 3 nights like a baby and then put it away.I was sold on resmed as this was my first machine,but can also see why alot of you love the respironics machines .

[stacia123]

But having both a backup machine and backup power are high on my list of acquisitions before the 2009 hurricane season! I emailed the Battery Geek folks, who make the BG-222, and they said that within a couple of months, they will have a solar recharger for their batteries on the market.

Awesome news! I also want a battery before our tornado season hits (and since my town was hit head-on by a big tornado last season, I'm assuming the worst from now on) and a solar recharger would be wonderful.

I do want to get a backup machine eventually, but a backup battery is first on the list.

[biggziff]

I emailed the Battery Geek folks, who make the BG-222, and they said that within a couple of months, they will have a solar recharger for their batteries on the market. http://www.batterygeek.net/

Why wait? I've used these for years on vehicles and marine/RV batteries.

http://www.batteryjunction.com/12vsopabachs.html

[plr66]

Why wait? I've used these for years on vehicles and marine/RV batteries.

http://www.batteryjunction.com/12vsopabachs.html

Can you give us some really detailed info/specs on how these work for you?

[Kiralynx]

Awesome news! I also want a battery before our tornado season hits (and since my town was hit head-on by a big tornado last season, I'm assuming the worst from now on) and a solar recharger would be wonderful. I do want to get a backup machine eventually, but a backup battery is first on the list.

Absolutely the same here, with hurricane season always lurking in the back of my mind. Hurricane Katrina's effects are still entirely too visible!

[Kiralynx]

Why wait? I've used these for years on vehicles and marine/RV batteries.
http://www.batteryjunction.com/12vsopabachs.html

Pretty nice, although in hurricane season, I'd have to be sure they don't get wet. (Along with my Bipap!) Could you, perhaps, do a thread on how you set these up with your marine batteries?

My main interest in a solar-rechargeable BG-222 is that it's small and convenient, which decent marine batteries are not. Plus, I'd have trouble with marine batteries on airplanes....