Cheapest CPAP Option For The (Effectively) Uninsured

I understand the humour because I have been here for 8 years and am not above dishing it out but newcomers wouldn't get that. If you are desperate for information and open this forum there is a lot to read and it can be overwhelming. I just think for new people showing up a kind welcome to the neighbourhood could save someone in desperate shape. I think I must have got lucky the day I signed up because it took me a long time to learn the ropes and .....I didn't have to tell anyone to GFY which I think many might either do or just move on.

palerider wrote: her loss, but if she'd like a more controlled environment and less useful info, send her over to apneaboard, just tell her not to make any jokes about the strict moderators.

Even I have a warning level over there, not banned though. What's yours?
Just don't post a helpful link or yinz might be a spammer.

Elle wrote:Starting to understand why my recently diagnosed sister refuses to register here. Not a very welcoming neighbourhood at times.

Elle, the O.P. got legitimate responses. Like many of us, his insurance sucks, however the price he was quoted from a DME was fair. That's something we don't see very often. The fair DME price means the "CHEAPEST OPTION" means used. The question posed limits responses to this used market which has been posted here dozens of times. Since he did not register an account, Grayghost4 who has a legitimately good deal to pass along, can't even PM the O.P. to make an offer. We're not unfriendly, We'd like to help, but out of options given the parameters set by the O.P. If your sister wants to register an account here, she will get both good and not-so-good answers. Like every forum, this place requires the user filter the responses and reject ones that are not useful. Objectively I'd say the forum is at least 70% useful. Oh! If your sister is anything like you, we'd like to meet her.

Because I am trying to talk my sister into joining I have been seeing responses as she might. This thread could have been started by her and her first reply would have been "does nobody read anything before posting anymore?".

Like today's OP she would have shrunk away humiliated and ashamed for not reading. It reminded me that many newbs are greeted this way or shitty sleeps are taken out on newcomers?

I love this forum and that is why I want her to come here. I would have given up on cpap years ago if not for the helpful people here. My sister is not thick skinned like I am and I am betting we are missing out on helping some people. Grace, courtesy and patience would go a long way and then once we get to know them we can let er rip.

rant over....for now.

Sleeprider wrote:

palerider wrote: her loss, but if she'd like a more controlled environment and less useful info, send her over to apneaboard, just tell her not to make any jokes about the strict moderators.

Even I have a warning level over there, not banned though. What's yours?

well, let's just say they don't appreciate someone pointing out the irony of getting warned by the moderators after commenting about the moderators and their swagger sticks keeping everything neat and tidy.

Then we'll dish out comic relief, shitty sleep abuse, etc...and.YOU can offer the warm fuzzy grace, courtesy and patience. Not everyone is a hand holder, not all respond to fluff. I respond better to some snarkiness, reality and an occasional "use some common sense" reminders. I also deliver more along that line. Maybe your sister needs you to remind her that we're a diverse group, and not all get along or agree. She can find her favorites and put on ignore who she doesn't like.

imagining how you greet people to your living room tattoo. Decency is good.

I have been banned from forums for getting mouthy and appreciate open forums where we are not monitored unnecessarily. Also love to watch fur fly. I am talking about newcomers. Let them in the door FFS before going at them.

Elle wrote:imagining how you greet people to your living room tattoo. Decency is good.

I have been banned from forums for getting mouthy and appreciate open forums where we are not monitored unnecessarily. Also love to watch fur fly. I am talking about newcomers. Let them in the door FFS before going at them.

or, perhaps these delicate flowers could spend a few minutes and read some of the posts, maybe, I dunno, register? see how things are... there's plenty of opportunity to get in the door before asking questions that have been answered a bazillion times already.

You're expecting them to be as smart as you before they have even had the pleasure of meeting your charming all knowing self?

Elle wrote:You're expecting them to be as smart as you before they have even had the pleasure of meeting your charming all knowing self?

sarcasm, I think I detect sarcasm.

no, I don't expect them to be as smart as me, either before or after meeting my far from all knowing self.

I don't *expect* anything.

but, I did spend nearly a month reading here between registering and my first post.

palerider wrote:

Elle wrote:You're expecting them to be as smart as you before they have even had the pleasure of meeting your charming all knowing self?

sarcasm, I think I detect sarcasm.

no, I don't expect them to be as smart as me, either before or after meeting my far from all knowing self.

I don't *expect* anything.

but, I did spend nearly a month reading here between registering and my first post.

Been making up for lost time ever since.

I too fell short of your impressive standard of reading for a month before asking questions.
Luckily you weren't monitoring the door at the time.

I'd say Elle's up by at least 10 pts but who's keeping score

I visit two other forums constantly that have nothing to do with sleep apnea that are both moderated. On one of them, even though the moderator repeatedly gets asks the same questions, not once has he chided anyone for not studying the forum posts first and will gently post the links to the relevant posts. He also always writes very detailed helpful posts. When someone vehemently disagreed with him about an issue, his response was very calm which I found to be greatly impressive.

On another forum, the moderators do remind people to use the search function. I don't find it to be mean spirited or anything like that but for some reason, I have a negative reaction to that. I know I do try to search ahead of time but I am human and forget or I don't do it right. So when I see that, it comes across as nagging even though I am sure that wasn't their intention.

Regarding newbies to this board, at the risk of sounding touchy feely which I have been accused of in the past by folks on this board, , why not provide the gentle touch like the first administrator that I mentioned does? Stop snerking PR which I see you doing.

Here is my reasoning. Many newbies are probably very sleep deprived and probably not at their best cognitively. They are already feeling very discouraged at not being able to function well and a snappy reminded that they didn't do a search isn't exactly a great way to start them on their journey to improving cpap usage.

PR, one great thing I appreciate about you is you are obviously dedicated to helping people succeed because otherwise you wouldn't jump to help newbies the way you do. Why not take the extra step and not remind them of their searching failures? I am not asking you to change who you are but to simply eliminate this step.

Yeah, I realize people should pick and chose what to read regarding responses. And that is a reasonable expectation for someone who is in good health. But many people with sleep apea who are just starting their treatment are not, particularly cognitively wise which makes them already be in a delicate way. That is why I think it is important to keep this in mind when responding to them.

Finally, now that I have contributed to taking this thread off topic, let me get back to the OP. I highly encourage the poster to register here with his/her equipment profile so that folks like grayghost and others can let this person know about good deals via PM on machines. Craig's list is also a good source but before buying anything, post the details in this forum to we can make sure you're not getting ripped off.

Best of luck.

49er

ChicagoGranny wrote:

C.Porter wrote:after undergoing a couple sleep studies

Curious about how you afforded the deductibles and copays with a "mediocre insurance"?

How much can you afford for the machine? Don't forget you will need a mask and maybe more than one if you are not successful with the first one you try.

The OP most likely had the sleep studies done before the new year, after meeting last year's deductible. A lot of people have deductibles of $2000 or more. Some even as high as $6,000. Mine is much lower than that, and I still bought my replacement cushions via ebay before I met last year's deductible. The only way to get it to count toward the deductible is to pay the overcharging DME price. I can meet my deductible with doctor appointments. No sense wasting money on supplies that I can buy far cheaper online.

As to the original question, I got a very nice backup Resmed S9 autoset with climateline hose for $200 via craigslist. That price isn't common, but certainly not the only one I have seen that low. I saw one a couple months ago for $150, but it was gone before I could get it.

If you look on craigslist, be prepared to see a lot of people wanting way too much for old, junky equipment. They see the phony insurance prices the DME's ask and want a percent of that. You will probably eventually find a top of the line current model APAP for around $300, but it may take a while. YMMV depending on what area you live in.

I'd suggest you figure out some way to get a fully data capable machine. At least a ResMed S9 Elite or A10 Elite, or a Respironics PRS1 Pro. Check the "useful links" in my signature line below for more info. There are some confusing names, so be careful you don't get fooled.