IS THERE A RIDDLE TO BE SOLVED?

Appreciate this entire forum,
will absorb all things and use what is useful. Have an unannounced meeting with local sleep lab. Will share y'alls concerns. What questions based on your experience should I ask? Will submit answers by the experts on this site....Thanks for your input in advance...AUTOMATIC

Who is it that actually scores a sleep study ? Who decides the pressures a patient will use in their own cpap ? Why dont the patients get more than the 1 page report that is handed to them by the Dr.


Ionizer

Automatic,

Ask them:

If an OSA patient does not ultimately become compliant was the sleep study really worth a nickel?

Automatic,

I think that it is great that someone from the DME side of the issue (I think that is a correct assumption?) is listening and asking for input -- I wish that you were in California!

I think that much more care needs to be taken to fit masks properly and possibly better mask design. It seems to me that a vast majority of the folks posting to this forum are having minor to major mask problems. Frequent follow-up from the DME's could probably head off a lot of the problems and the rants about DME's here. I haven't heard from mine since I gave up on the mask issues with them and went back to the sleep lab -- they gave me a sample of the medium NAII which they were not going to use anymore -- it is a much better fit for me -- I also tried on several othere masks and decided that the NAII is the best of the lot for me. I know that most folks in service industries think that no news is good news, but a follow-up from the company to see how I was doing after a problem would have left a better taste in my mouth than just assuming that everything is ok. There are a lot of people out there who will not speak up and be a "squeeky wheel" and will just suffer because they don't want to be a bother.

Speaking for myself, I was fitted with a NasalAire II (small) in the sleep lab (12/3/04). I didn't get my machine & mask until 1/10/05 -- I don't really understand why it had to take that long. I am now much more comfortable with a medium NAII, and adapting well to the whole situation. But there were a few days of flaming frustration with leaks, irritated nose, hose marks, straps that were EVERYWHERE, and general discomfort and inablility to sleep. With that said, my experience was not nearly as bad as some fellow hose heads are reporting here on this forum. I am purchasing an autopap from cpap.com on my own, and will work it out (or not) with my insurance when I get back from vacation. The machine provided by my DME is big, heavy and not auto -- I want to be able to track my progress with the software, and participate in my healthcare. I will lug it to Hawaii and ship it home once I am satisfied with the new setup (420e w/ humidifier & software). I have little patience with big, heavy stuff to haul around, when there is a better alternative! I WILL haul it to Hawaii, though, because I feel better when I sleep with it than without!

Do the folks that design these masks WEAR them? Do the RT's, do the DME's? They should -- for at least 8 hours a night for several nights. I realize that this is probably unrealistic in the manufacturing/clinical setting, but with the proper attitude, even engineers can produce ergonomic, comfortable and user friendly devices. I deal with engineers every day, and sometimes they deviate to an absurd lack of reality, but they can (and should) be steered back to the real world -- and design comfortable masks that work. The RT's and DME's would also benefit by walking a mile in a hoser's shoes (or sleeping in our masks)! Gosh -- this has turned into another long rant -- sorry.

Good luck with your meeting and thanks for all the good input -- the rant was NOT directed at YOU! (see previous rant on topic called "why all the complaining")

Aloha!

Jane

Y'all/You guys,gals,
You do not know how beneficial it is for me to hear back from you. Just got back from the sleep lab and it was a great experience. For them and for me customer/patient/client comes first. They were really up on my follow ups. The department head expressed that this was a short coming over all with other companies. I asked for a recommendation. Answer 36 hours, 1 week, 3 week, 2 month, 6 month and a year. Then every 6 months afterward. This is a done deal. I am guessing a phone call with questions which I can fax to physician and sleep lab. I suppose having a trial inventory of masks is a must. Where I can fit them with various brands, styles etc.. and let them select which one works best. Look forward to hearing from you....AUTOMATIC

I was a car salesman for many years.

At one dealership, we had to call the customer everyday the first week, once a week for the next month, and once a month for as long as they owned the car.

Funny, I never had a customer think that I called too often.

My sales were always high because my customer always knew who I was. Do you remember your last car salesman's name and/or how long since you talked to him?

I like others, have not heard from my DME except for a mailback survey. They haven't even responded from that.

Automatic,

Take a look at the Remstar machines with the Encore Pro software. You can set people up with a sleeplink modem that will allow you to monitor day by day progess and compliance. You will be able to run reports to see which machine/mask combination has the best compliance. You will be able to see what pressures are working for each patient, what their unresolved AHI is and if they are having problems with leaks. When you call them, you will have all this info to discuss with them. Also all this data to report back to the docs.

Take a look.

Discuss mask/nasal pillows. It'd be a great plus if the DME'ers were forced to wear nasal pillows, ff masks, nasal masks, straps, chin straps, hoses, etc. for a month, faithfully. Let the DME'er's get into the mindset that today's CPAP'er is an intelligent, educated, thoroughly researched individual that is capable of changing settings on their OWN equipment. Tell the DME'ers to discover why is it that a sleep study in Dec. can cost insurance $3000+ and in January, $4000M +. As if we don't know $. Why can't states force the mandatory seminar attendance of all physicians for licensing renewal that they need to learn and be mindful of sleep apnea and its inherent dangers.
However, saying that, we are indeed lucky that we can even obtain the technology, and sleep ctr. activity....
It is truly a double edged sword, we ''need'' DME's (at first), you ''need'' us a patients/consumers and driving force the bottom of it all is profitability..Bigger question, is AT WHOSE EXPENSE----- is our health?
Our own.........
IMHO............
But you are a rare DME to even ask and be interested.
thank you for listening and sharing............

AUTOMATIC wrote:Appreciate this entire forum,
will absorb all things and use what is useful. Have an unannounced meeting with local sleep lab. Will share y'alls concerns. What questions based on your experience should I ask? Will submit answers by the experts on this site....Thanks for your input in advance...AUTOMATIC

Wader,
Right on! I am familiar with the remstar machine but have yet to have a face to face with respironics sales rep. What about the Resmed software? AUTOMATIC