causticcompliance wrote:
So is that mostly what those terms mean? Or is someone going to be following me around and my insurance coverage cancelled cuz I fell asleep before strapping on my "Vader" face?
Yes I understand to those who are going to say, "don't fall asleep before strapping that on..." but here on planet earth we humans make mistakes ...from time to time of course
For most of us, once the insurance company has fully paid off their share of the machine, not even the DME gives a hoot about compliance data. Sleep docs may look at it at yearly (or even less frequently) follow-ups as an ersatz way of measuring quality of therapy. (I wonder: Do these docs just simply believe that we hoseheads can simply tolerate sleeping with the dang hose on our nose most nights, then we
must automatically be getting decent quality therapy?)
But there are some OSA patients who never are fully freed from the CPAP police in terms of compliance data. The largest, most visible group are
professional drivers (i.e. truckers). My understanding is that truckers with OSA have to regularly prove they are in compliance in order to maintain their professional license, and if they can't do that at their required annual physical exam, they cannot drive until they are back in compliance.
And in NYS at least, there are provisions for
medical suspensions of driver licenses for ordinary folks that can be initiated by forms filed by (a) a police officer, (b) a physician treating the driver, or (c) a member of the public who is concerned about the driver. So it's within the realm of possibility that if you either cause an accident (or near accident) because you fall asleep at the wheel, get pulled over because you are driving irratically, but seem too sleepy and there's no evidence of alcohol in your blood, the cop might well file a form suggesting that you are medically unfit for driving. And if during the investigation your untreated or undertreated OSA showed up in the form of not enough compliance data, then you could lose the license. How often does this happen? I haven't the foggiest idea since I'm a mathematician, not a lawyer.
I am going in this morning to get all my results and the prescription for my stuff. Will post back as soon as I can...
oh and I know I say thank you a lot out here but all of you have been so very helpful to a stranger and newbie (even as ornery as Robysue has been, she was so very helpful too <wink> - (That was just a loving ribbing Robysue - Big Hugs to you - your efforts really are greatly appreciated - LOVE your detail when you post) so allow me to continue to say a sincere and very heartfelt thanks to everyone. Talk to you all soon.
First, best of luck with getting the equipment. And DO make sure the machine is EXACTLY what you want. (Sorry for the cynicism, but there are just too many newbies posting way too often about "bait and switches" in my humble opinion. Of course, in my not so humble opinion even ONE newbie post about a "bait and switch" by a DME is too many ....)
And yes, I admit it: I'm ornery at times. It's the insomnia talking. Or my basic ornery personality showing through. Heck if I wasn't so ornery, I'd have abandoned this therapy sometime back in October or November I think. But I'm too damn stubborn to be beaten by a machine ....
And I'm glad you appreciated the detail in my posts.
The Swift FX at least looks to be the most comfy.
If you go with the Swift FX and have trouble getting/maintaining a seal, POST your problems ASAP. There are lots of people with quality tips on how to fit this very comfortable, but somewhat finicky mask here. As an FX user, I've been lucky and have had no problems right from the start with good seals and no real leak problems. But I also lucked into an RT who properly fit the mask: It's supposed to be worn quite loose: I can easily get a finger or two under the upper strap and (for me) the trick with the back strap is to get it tight enough to keep it from slipping DOWN onto my neck. If it slips upward (even to the point of almost, but not quite falling off), this mask is remarkably stable---for me---and I do sleep on my side. But I seem to be an exception on that last part.
Again---best of luck in learning to sleep with the hose quickly! And may you be feeling MUCH better VERY quickly!
