I'm on my own in Ontario; as usual!

[Hawthorne]

Thanks. I didn't know it was Resmed masks as well. Bad news!

Thanks for checking that out!

[dorisw]

Hi Terminator from another Ontarian; my answer may be late and you have received several good answers already. I agree you are being ripped off, the same as almost happened to me 5 years ago. After realizing I was receiving extra lousy service, poor choices, and being cheated out of money on top of it, I went back to the referring DR, told him he had to help me out of this mess and indirectly hinted at conflicy of interest ( he had made no other referrals). He quickly sent a letter off and I was released from this terrible company. Now I educate myself and shop around before entrusting my health and well being to another company.
As already mentioned before, if you have passed the 5 year mark you are eligible for another Government assisted machine.
My 5 year old Remstar Plus with C flex ( I never had to pay extra for c-flex feature although it was not part of my prescription) is still working great, but I need a smaller machine for travel. I had no problem getting a sleep study done within a week of calling for an apointment. The Dr was happy to provide me with a prescription for a new machine, although the old one still works. If they had given me problems, I would have gone somewhere else, and they knew it.
I am just in the process of getting either a Remstar M series with C Flex plus humifyer, or a Resmed S8 Escape from Shoppers Home Health Care in the GTA; ( I was offered the elite for the same price);they all have 3 year warranty and my portion will be $ 260.00. I don't like any of their choice of masks, will get a bunch of spare filters instead.
I stopped buying masks here. Have gotten good quality, good service, and great prices at cpapauction.com

[Muse-Inc]

...I am just in the process of getting either a Remstar M series with C Flex plus humifyer, or a Resmed S8 Escape from Shoppers Home Health Care in the GTA; ( I was offered the elite for the same price)

Don't get the Escape or Escape II as it only shows usage(how many hrs it's been on) data; get the Elite II as it shows AHIs, AIs, HIs, Leaks, Hrs on, plus if you get the card reader and software you can track and monitor your CPAP therapy.

[dorisw]

Thanks for pointing this out to me; I was already leaning towards the elite II without knowing the exact difference except that one retails for more than the other. Is there another difference between the escape II and the elite II, other than what you quoted above ? Will the elite II show these things without me having to buy a card and software, as these will not be subsidized by the government ?
DR. s here in Ontario are way less particular and way more casual than Dr's in the US about Sleep Apnea treatments. Their office calls to schedule the yearly sleep over test, a week later the DR sees you briefly for an appointment, the machine gets adjusted if needed according to the latest sleep study, that's it. I am mostly on my own with this.

[jdm2857]

The Elite II has a few extra features (like SmartStart and Humidifier Warming) but the big difference is the availability of efficacy data. You can see some summary data on the machines LCD display, but the big benefit comes with the card reader and software.

[doriswk]

What is smart start? I was told that both machines would turn on automatically if you start breathing into the mask.

[jdm2857]

That's the feature; just rechecked resmed.com; the Escape II doesn't have it. It automatically shuts the machine off when you remove the mask, too.

[ldylarke]

I too am disgusted and appalled at the way I was treated over my CPAP purchase by Vital Aire - the supplier for my machine and various replacement parts over the years. I've been ripped off and charged through the roof because I didn't know any better. Their customer service is pathetic - I had to get a nasal pillow replaced last week and after being up for 30 some hours - I FINALLY got a phone call back from them to say yes, they did have a pillow in stock. I called 3x in 3 hours only to be told "someone will call you back". Even after making myself very clear that I had been up for 30 hours straight and could not sleep until they found me that replacement pillow. None of the 3 different people I spoke to gave a rat's ass about me or my situation. I laid a formal complaint with Vital Aire's head office AND the BBB - I was that pissed about it.

When I first bought the machine a few years ago, I recall paying much more than the $260 or so mentioned here. Closer to $500-600 actually. And a full mask with headgear replacement for about $300. The most recent purchase was last week, a new nose pillow, hose and headgear (strap only) for $150.

Worse yet, this new nasal pillow has rewarded me with a gawd awful painful sore on the bridge of my nose. I can't seem to figure out how to adjust the mask to alleviate the pressure. It's incredibly swollen and painful.

[jdm2857]

Idylarke --

so you know, the Activa is a nasal mask, not a nasal pillow mask. The pillow masks do not cover the whole nose, they go into the nares and seal there.

The part you replaced for your mask is called the cushion. This may make it easier the next time you have to deal with uncaring folks at Vital Aire.

[ldylarke]

My pardon for not describing things here using the proper references to various parts. I assure you Vital Aire knew exactly what I was talking about. They have my file - which clearly indicates which pieces of equipment I own. Furthermore, to be doubly sure, I found a specific diagram of the headgear I own and referred to the parts based on that well before making the first Monday morning phone call. Afer all, I had so much time on my hands, couldn't sleep.

My issue with Vital Aire is that it took 3 hours for someone "to get back to me" after telling them - making it implicitly clear - that I had not slept for 30 hours and until and unless "someone got back to me" I would not be sleeping or be able to sleep. And it still took them 3 freaking hours to return a phone call. Had I been employed at that location I would have crawled under my desk and hid in shame and embarassment. Customer service my ass.

While cleaning my nasal cushion? *ahem* I ripped it. Granted it probably was overdue in replacing but they are expensive as everyone here knows. This happened on a Sunday afternoon and I knew I would not be sleeping again until it was replaced. Again, as most here can relate, it's near impossible to sleep without the mask once you've been sleeping with it for years.

Apparently the Vital Aire folks had no appreciation of that fact - that one cannot sleep without the mask. I even inquired about a loaner if there was no nasal cushion? in stock. I was told they didn't know about that specific locations stock and that "someone would have to call me back". 3x and 3 diferent people over 3 hours - after being awake for 30 hours.

Anway, needless to say I was Pissed.

[jdm2857]

I wasn't trying to excuse Vital Aire in any way. They are the pros and if what your are asking for doesn't make sense to them, they should question you further until they are clear about your needs.

[frapilu]

I used to deal with Access Therapy -- they were a small company that were absolutely fantastic. They were bought out by Vital Aire last year and it's really, really not the same. I'm so sad because I miss Access Therapy.\

France

[jskinner]

And there was no way to have a Cflex machine unless the evidence pointed to my needing it; not even if I offered to pay the difference... And a mask. Well. One basic model was offered as eligible for government assistance. None other.

I think someone is not telling you the truth here. I got an APAP in Ontario with a basic CPAP prescription. Mind you it took a lot of talking...

Let me guess... your DME is Medigas?

[Terminator]

I think someone is not telling you the truth here. I got an APAP in Ontario with a basic CPAP prescription. Mind you it took a lot of talking...

Let me guess... your DME is Medigas?

Absolutely correct. And I am going to do something about it. These guys are lining their pockets at taxpayer expense with the approval of the Ministry of Health! There's something seriously wrong when I can get a top-notch machine and mask for only a little more than my co-pay to the robber barons at Medigas.

T

[frapilu]

What can you do? I would love to see the whole system changed to be more reasonable.

France