Losing the headgear!!!

The other evening just before going to bed I reached for my Resmed Aptiva and couldn't find the headgear. How can you lose "headgear"? I looked under the bed, between the mattresses,checked the drawers, went into the kitchen, (I might have taken the straps with me when I washed the mask). I went into the basement and checked the dryer and the washing machine..no straps! I ended up sleeping without anything. I then came to the conclusion that my grand daughter who had been visiting and watching TV in my room must have stolen it...but why would she steal it? Next morning first thing before she went to school, I called her, but she hadn't seen it. AM I LOSING MY MIND? I began to wonder (in my even more confused state of mind not having slept with my cpap) what it would cost to buy a new headgear from the DME here in Ottawa..Thirty dollars, forty dollars..? I called and was told it would cost $106.00 plus GST and PST to replace the missing strap. I groaned inwardly, weakly said thanks and hung up. The strap cannot have disappeared into thin air since I was wearing the mask the night before last. Sure enough, there was another laundry hamper of clothes in my room destined to go to the Salvation Army and the missing strap fell out when I emptied that hamper. I got to thinking if this headgear wears out or heaven forbid goes missing again, don't want to pay $106. plus tax to replace the darn thing. I am going to trace the outline of the Aptiva headgear on a sheet of paper and make a pattern of it so I can easily make another almost identical one using some suitable material from the local fabric store. Anybody here ever lose their headgear? CareS

Word to the wise, NEVER buy stuff like that from your DME.

Buy it on line (our hosts cpap.com are one of the better places).

You'd probably find the same headgear from them available for less than 1/3 the price the DME wanted.

I know you'll find hoses and filters and other miscellany far cheaper.

(An example, someone was mentioning that their DME charged them on the order of $30 every 6 months for a filter replacement, while the filters are available in packages of 6 for about $15 from cpap.com.)

Good luck!

Liam, who never trusts a DME. Never.

I would say you definately "lost your mind" if you paid $106 to replace the headgear.

Go to the top of this webpage and click on the cpap.com link and type in "activa" in the search box. You'll find that you can replace the entire mask for $99 and the headgear for $46.50.

At least you haven't lost your mind or headgear yet!

WHAT IN GOD'S NAME IS THAT THING ON YOUR HEAD?

It is an Aura and an Activa mask. I now have a Swift but haven't done a picture with it yet.

Opppps.

It is an Aura and an Activa mask. I now have a Swift but haven't done a picture with it yet.

Yes, the prices from cpap.com do certainly seem much more reasonable. However, when you consider shipping charges, GST PST, exchange on the Canadian Dollar for items under a certain amount is it still cheaper buy from cpap.com. I really feel like I got "HOSED" from the DME. On the other hand, I think I would get satisfaction from not buying from the DME>. They claim when I raised the subject, that it was cheaper buying from them than on-line. Appreciate your comments. Also do you know if the comfort-curve mask can be used with a RES-MED cpap machine? CareS

Hose Nose,

You look absolutely stunning with those beauties.....

There are no other words to describe that kind of beauty....

Sleeping with the Enemy

I use an adam's circuit headgear. When it wore out, I ordered some thin wetsuit material and made the new pieces with the help of a sewing machine and velcro. Pretty simple, my wife didn't care about helping me out so I did it myself.