Mask/cushion replacemt

[OldDirtyDoggy]

My accessories provider says I should have a new cushion(the part of the mask that actually touches the face)every month,thoughts?

[Bill44133]

I boil my custions in hot water with baking soda in it monthly. Brings the cushions back to life. I can get 6 months out of them.

I wish you well

[Julie]

Nonsense... just because something's available, doesn't mean you need to take it (and let the old ones pile up in the garbage or even recycling place). If you use wipes (without alcohol) on the cushion every few days it can last a long time - the wipes don't just clean, but renew the floppiness factor so it fits well. You don't throw out everything else you own when it's no longer brand new and gets a bit tired do you (I don't mean you yourself, but anyone who blindly takes the supplies according to insce. co. schedules just because they can), you spruce them up and go on. But this is my private rant re the insce. co's and how they operate... so don't mind me.

[Pugsy]

That's how they make money...selling you replacement cushions.
Most insurance (including Medicare) will pay for/allow 1 replacement cushion a month. It's always a good idea to have a spare though.
Beyond that, cushion life varies among the individual users and how they clean and take of of the cushion and their facial oils and maybe do they use a liner or not.
Most cushions, nasal pillows or whatever...will last a lot longer than 30 days with minimal care.

[Wulfman...]

My accessories provider says I should have a new cushion(the part of the mask that actually touches the face)every month,thoughts?

What mask?
As in my profile, I use the ResMed Ultra Mirage Full Face. All the parts are replaceable. In the nine years I've been using it, I'm on the 2nd seal and second set of headgear. Used the first seal for 6 years and am now on 3+ years with the next one. I get about 4 or more years out of my headgear. I have quite a few spares of everything that I bought out of pocket, so I'm stocked up for a long time.

Of course they want to sell you more "stuff". That's how they make money. Doesn't mean that you need to part with more of yours than necessary.


Den

.

[zoocrewphoto]

I get at least 5 months out of my cushions. I use wipes almost every day with a dawn and rinse wash once a week or so. If it starts leaking more and the wash doesn't cure it, then it is time to move on to a new cushion. I do try to get them before my old one goes bad so that I don't have to wait. I still have my old ones, so if I have a problem, I have something I can use as a backup.

[DianeDennis]

I

My accessories provider says I should have a new cushion(the part of the mask that actually touches the face)every month,thoughts?

It's been almost 5 years since I started using a machine (I use a full face mask) and to this day I have believed this to be the norm, that the cushion/liner has to be replaced every month.

My private insurance paid for that for the first three years and my "ObamaPlan" for almost two years now.

I had been told that the cushion part of the cushion/liner, the part that actually cushions the hard plastic so that it doesn't dig into your face, has to be replaced monthly because they break down (the cushion quits cushioning the hard plastic of the mask from digging into your face), and because of that breakdown it no longer works properly to give you the right air pressure for the right sleep.

I was also told that facial oils and whatnot could make the material break down but I use those RemZzz's anyway after a horrendous reaction to a mask cushion/liner so that doesn't matter to me.

But I accepted the replacement parts and threw away the ones I was using that I received replacements for because I had been told that was what had to be done in order for it all to work correctly.

I was told by my new supplier yesterday that the insurance company I have through Apple Health (Medicaid - Washington state) will no longer pay for monthly replacements of the cushions/liners, they will now allow for replacement of the cushion/liner only once every three months.

I jumped online to find out what the standard recommendation for replacement is and based upon what I'm reading the cushions last much longer than one month with no deterioration to the sleep you're getting. I haven't yet found an actual official recommendation document regarding how often the various items should be replaced, I'm just coming to this conclusion based on posts I've read.

So if everything I'm reading is true then somehow people need to be educated on the legitimate replacement recommendations rather than be left to believe that it has to be replaced simply because the supplier is saying replace it and the insurance company is paying for it.

I was super angry when my supplier told me that the insurance company was cutting back, thinking oh great now I'm going to be using "bad" cushions/liners, but now I realize that there's no reason to be concerned.

Unless of course a pressure of 22 over 17 makes a difference in how quickly the cushiony part of the cushion loses it cushiony-ness.

[Wulfman...]

I

My accessories provider says I should have a new cushion(the part of the mask that actually touches the face)every month,thoughts?

It's been almost 5 years since I started using a machine (I use a full face mask) and to this day I have believed this to be the norm, that the cushion/liner has to be replaced every month.

My private insurance paid for that for the first three years and my "ObamaPlan" for almost two years now.

I had been told that the cushion part of the cushion/liner, the part that actually cushions the hard plastic so that it doesn't dig into your face, has to be replaced monthly because they break down (the cushion quits cushioning the hard plastic of the mask from digging into your face), and because of that breakdown it no longer works properly to give you the right air pressure for the right sleep.

I was also told that facial oils and whatnot could make the material break down but I use those RemZzz's anyway after a horrendous reaction to a mask cushion/liner so that doesn't matter to me.

But I accepted the replacement parts and threw away the ones I was using that I received replacements for because I had been told that was what had to be done in order for it all to work correctly.

I was told by my new supplier yesterday that the insurance company I have through Apple Health (Medicaid - Washington state) will no longer pay for monthly replacements of the cushions/liners, they will now allow for replacement of the cushion/liner only once every three months.

I jumped online to find out what the standard recommendation for replacement is and based upon what I'm reading the cushions last much longer than one month with no deterioration to the sleep you're getting. I haven't yet found an actual official recommendation document regarding how often the various items should be replaced, I'm just coming to this conclusion based on posts I've read.

So if everything I'm reading is true then somehow people need to be educated on the legitimate replacement recommendations rather than be left to believe that it has to be replaced simply because the supplier is saying replace it and the insurance company is paying for it.

I was super angry when my supplier told me that the insurance company was cutting back, thinking oh great now I'm going to be using "bad" cushions/liners, but now I realize that there's no reason to be concerned.

Unless of course a pressure of 22 over 17 makes a difference in how quickly the cushiony part of the cushion loses it cushiony-ness.

You haven't mentioned which mask you're using either. It would help if you would put the information into your profile.

But, I'm still using the same cushion in my UMFF that I swapped out in April of 2011 and the headgear I put on it in early 2012 (as I mentioned in my previous post). The leak rates are still good (I monitor my data daily) and see no reason to swap out stuff that's still working well.

Think how much (of somebody's) money is "wasted" with the frequency the perfectly good parts are thrown away..........


Den

.

[LSAT]

I use the Quattro FF Mask and I change the cushion yearly although I'm sure it would last much longer. I rarely wash my cushion...usually once a month and I boil the cushions at about 3 months. Nightly I use baby wipes to get any oils off the cushion. My masks last indefinitely but I replace it at about 18-24 months.....and I have never replaced my headgear. Use your own judgement and don't listen to the DME...they are just looking for $$$$$.

[DianeDennis]

I

My accessories provider says I should have a new cushion(the part of the mask that actually touches the face)every month,thoughts?

It's been almost 5 years since I started using a machine (I use a full face mask) and to this day I have believed this to be the norm, that the cushion/liner has to be replaced every month.

My private insurance paid for that for the first three years and my "ObamaPlan" for almost two years now.

I had been told that the cushion part of the cushion/liner, the part that actually cushions the hard plastic so that it doesn't dig into your face, has to be replaced monthly because they break down (the cushion quits cushioning the hard plastic of the mask from digging into your face), and because of that breakdown it no longer works properly to give you the right air pressure for the right sleep.

I was also told that facial oils and whatnot could make the material break down but I use those RemZzz's anyway after a horrendous reaction to a mask cushion/liner so that doesn't matter to me.

But I accepted the replacement parts and threw away the ones I was using that I received replacements for because I had been told that was what had to be done in order for it all to work correctly.

I was told by my new supplier yesterday that the insurance company I have through Apple Health (Medicaid - Washington state) will no longer pay for monthly replacements of the cushions/liners, they will now allow for replacement of the cushion/liner only once every three months.

I jumped online to find out what the standard recommendation for replacement is and based upon what I'm reading the cushions last much longer than one month with no deterioration to the sleep you're getting. I haven't yet found an actual official recommendation document regarding how often the various items should be replaced, I'm just coming to this conclusion based on posts I've read.

So if everything I'm reading is true then somehow people need to be educated on the legitimate replacement recommendations rather than be left to believe that it has to be replaced simply because the supplier is saying replace it and the insurance company is paying for it.

I was super angry when my supplier told me that the insurance company was cutting back, thinking oh great now I'm going to be using "bad" cushions/liners, but now I realize that there's no reason to be concerned.

Unless of course a pressure of 22 over 17 makes a difference in how quickly the cushiony part of the cushion loses it cushiony-ness.

You haven't mentioned which mask you're using either. It would help if you would put the information into your profile.

But, I'm still using the same cushion in my UMFF that I swapped out in April of 2011 and the headgear I put on it in early 2012 (as I mentioned in my previous post). The leak rates are still good (I monitor my data daily) and see no reason to swap out stuff that's still working well.

Think how much (of somebody's) money is "wasted" with the frequency the perfectly good parts are thrown away..........


Den

.

I feel like you're being rude. So what if I haven't finished my profile yet. It doesn't matter what mask I'm using because that wasn't the gist of my post. And besides which, they sometimes switch me around in masks so I never remember the name of the one I'm using.

My post was about the fact that patients are misled regarding this. You can't fault the patient for throwing away the used product when the supplier and insurance company say to replace it. We're messing with potential death here. Of course we're going to listen to them.

My other point was that newbies need to be educated about this. For five years I've been doing that because they told me to use a new one every month. If I'd known that I didn't have to do that I sure wouldn't have been paying a co-pay every month for supplies that I didn't actually have to replace every month.

That's all. If we don't know then we can't do anything about it right?

[Krelvin]

My post was about the fact that patients are misled regarding this. You can't fault the patient for throwing away the used product when the supplier and insurance company say to replace it. We're messing with potential death here. Of course we're going to listen to them.

You can blame the patient when they don't care enough about their own healthcare as to not bother doing any research on the products and services they use. Many people spend more time researching into buying a new electronic whatever than their own healthcare. You are talking about potential death right?

My other point was that newbies need to be educated about this. For five years I've been doing that because they told me to use a new one every month. If I'd known that I didn't have to do that I sure wouldn't have been paying a co-pay every month for supplies that I didn't actually have to replace every month.

Nice to see that after 5 years of being a sheelpe you started to look into what you paying for and the services you use and started to question them.

In 9 years I've had perhaps a total of 6 masks, a few at first were not used much because they didn't work.

I did a lot of research before I got my machine so that when I first met the DME, I already knew not to trust them and knew what questions to ask, what to expect and to know when they were giving me a line of bull.

There are multiple sections of this forum stickied at the top which are there to provide news users of CPAP help with CPAP and the issues involved.

[mikeg3]

I have to go to the bathroom. Do I take the mask off?

[Sheriff Buford]

I have to go to the bathroom. Do I take the mask off?

No... I'll take mine off if I need a good itch or to rub my face.... other-wise I leave it on. When I leave it on, my wife says I often "miss"

Sheriff

[Sheriff Buford]

Dianne, I don't think Wulfman was being rude. There has always have been a debate on this forum about timely supply replacement. Some folks say it's a waste to "milk" the insurance companies and some are from the "I pay for it so I'm gonna get it" camp. My issue is with the hoses. I don't need to replace my hose every three months and they are starting to stack up in my drawer. Lately, I have been replacing them anyway. I have gone thru life knowing people who swear they have a $50 light bill in the Houston summer. I was never one of them. To me, I am a little more concerned with my eternal destination. After that, this stuff doesn't really matter.

Sheriff

[hyperlexis]

I

My accessories provider says I should have a new cushion(the part of the mask that actually touches the face)every month,thoughts?

It's been almost 5 years since I started using a machine (I use a full face mask) and to this day I have believed this to be the norm, that the cushion/liner has to be replaced every month.

My private insurance paid for that for the first three years and my "ObamaPlan" for almost two years now.

I had been told that the cushion part of the cushion/liner, the part that actually cushions the hard plastic so that it doesn't dig into your face, has to be replaced monthly because they break down (the cushion quits cushioning the hard plastic of the mask from digging into your face), and because of that breakdown it no longer works properly to give you the right air pressure for the right sleep.

I was also told that facial oils and whatnot could make the material break down but I use those RemZzz's anyway after a horrendous reaction to a mask cushion/liner so that doesn't matter to me.

But I accepted the replacement parts and threw away the ones I was using that I received replacements for because I had been told that was what had to be done in order for it all to work correctly.

I was told by my new supplier yesterday that the insurance company I have through Apple Health (Medicaid - Washington state) will no longer pay for monthly replacements of the cushions/liners, they will now allow for replacement of the cushion/liner only once every three months.

I jumped online to find out what the standard recommendation for replacement is and based upon what I'm reading the cushions last much longer than one month with no deterioration to the sleep you're getting. I haven't yet found an actual official recommendation document regarding how often the various items should be replaced, I'm just coming to this conclusion based on posts I've read.

So if everything I'm reading is true then somehow people need to be educated on the legitimate replacement recommendations rather than be left to believe that it has to be replaced simply because the supplier is saying replace it and the insurance company is paying for it.

I was super angry when my supplier told me that the insurance company was cutting back, thinking oh great now I'm going to be using "bad" cushions/liners, but now I realize that there's no reason to be concerned.

Unless of course a pressure of 22 over 17 makes a difference in how quickly the cushiony part of the cushion loses it cushiony-ness.

You haven't mentioned which mask you're using either. It would help if you would put the information into your profile.

But, I'm still using the same cushion in my UMFF that I swapped out in April of 2011 and the headgear I put on it in early 2012 (as I mentioned in my previous post). The leak rates are still good (I monitor my data daily) and see no reason to swap out stuff that's still working well.

Think how much (of somebody's) money is "wasted" with the frequency the perfectly good parts are thrown away..........


Den

.

I feel like you're being rude. So what if I haven't finished my profile yet. It doesn't matter what mask I'm using because that wasn't the gist of my post. And besides which, they sometimes switch me around in masks so I never remember the name of the one I'm using.

My post was about the fact that patients are misled regarding this. You can't fault the patient for throwing away the used product when the supplier and insurance company say to replace it. We're messing with potential death here. Of course we're going to listen to them.

My other point was that newbies need to be educated about this. For five years I've been doing that because they told me to use a new one every month. If I'd known that I didn't have to do that I sure wouldn't have been paying a co-pay every month for supplies that I didn't actually have to replace every month.

That's all. If we don't know then we can't do anything about it right?

Don't get upset -- some people wouldn't replace their underwear if circumstances would allow.

You didn't do anything wrong by replacing the items. Is it overkill? Perhaps. Or perhaps it will give you a better fit, with less bacteria and whatnot in the mask cushion stuck on your face every night. You can use a toothbrush for a really long time if you try. But would you want to?

Some people like to brag how many decades they have used the same skanky mask, same cushion, same old headgear, same antique blower, same whatever. Like a spitting contest of who can go the longest and save the most pennies. Silly nonsense. If you want to replace the items and insurance will do so, then why not. It beats old, yellowed cushions. But if you do keep cushions somewhat longer term, then wash the mask and cushion nightly with mild soap. You will save a bit of money and likely be fine.

If you care about the environment then avoid these baby wipe products which do not clean the entire inside of the mask, do not biodegrade and create mountains of solid waste mess for municipal sewerage treatment plants and landfills to deal with. They will flush, but they don't degrade and have to be screened out and landfilled. Washing the mask and cushion in the sink in soap and water daily is far greener and adheres to the manufacturer's cleaning directions anyway, despite the few extra seconds it takes.