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I'll have to agree w/you there, BirdShell, there ARE good DME suppliers AND DME supplier RTs out there! One example of an OUTSTANDING local DME supplier AND local DME supplier's RT:

Jim at Superior Home Health Care on Christy Way in Saginaw, Michigan!!! When I had a problem w/my S8 ResLink, DESPITE I am not one of their clients he offered an appointment for me to bring my whole kit n kaboodle in w/me & he'd show me how to correct the problem. When I asked about finding a bi-level out of pocket and the worth of the CPAP and autoPAP I needed to sell to be able to get the bi-level he gave me the number of a company that buys and refurbishes and sells refurbished xPAPs to call.

I was told about Superior HC by a sleep neurologist who HIGHLY RECOMMENDED them, my own sleep lab who also HIGHLY RECOMMENDED them, and several patients in a local apnea support group. UNFORTUNATELY, my secondary insurance isn't contracted w/them. *sigh* So it took me a while to get up enough nerve to call them when I had to explain I wasn't one of their clients.

birdshell wrote:


Hah! Slinky, the RT is the one who messed up everything at my hopefully-never-to-be-consulted DME provider's brick and mortar location.

Let us not forget all of the good ones out there! They do exist and do suffer from the errors of the incompetents and untrained.

Karen,
Who occasionally orders from cpap.com for a reason!

Maybe, when they put it in the "Deep Fryer" to cook the data, the oil was too hot! Jim

They had a flashback from their old job at McDee's.

It really pays to be educated and attentive. It really irks me to realize how many of us sleep deprived people are jerked around by these folks. I have been debating taking in my machine or just print out my reports. I think I will be safe and just print out the reports. So far my guys have been good to me but I think it will serve me to not let them find a way to prove themselves other than well intentioned helpers.

Crossfit - you're absolutely right. There is NO REASON to ever bring your machine in, other than to have it replaced or serviced.

I bring in my printouts, and no one complains. I don't even bring in my smart card - just printouts.

Cheers,
B.

Yes, not the smart card either! They can inadvertently change your therapy settings via your smart card if they don't know what they are doing. Or if you've changed them to YOUR liking and they opt to change them back to your scripted settings.

UMMMM don't no where my post went.

I wish I new how they fried it to. What I was told was she was getting the data when it happened since it was her 2nd day she didn't no what she was doing and shouldn't have been messing with my cpap. What upsets me today is when I was in the back and she was talking to resmend she said it wouldn't turn on true but she didn't tell the what really happened like what they did to it and she said this in front of me. Resmed probably thinks I did something to it. I like my doc but not his staff and I am not sure any of them with my cpap were RT"S. Scarry thought.

UPDATE!!!!. It has been 6 weeks as of yesterday and no word on my cpap so I called Resmed today to find out the status of my machine, since my DME hasn't called and gets mad if I call to check on it,I find out that it was repaired and sent out on Sept. 23. I called my DME noing it was there and asked if it was back and sure enough it was. So drove down to get it a 30 minute drive one way. Turned out they had blown the fuse when trying to read the data. The SN was the same so now I got mine back. Want to make sure if the smartstart has to be off to be able to view my readings in the morning or if anything would keep me from reading the data. I am so looking forward to seeing my data since I haven't been able to view it with the loaner all these weeks. Thanks

Congratulations on getting your Elite back!!!! Whew! A relief to have a good CPAP again, huh? So are you able to access your nightly data via the LCD screen this morning? Remember to check before noon! If you aren't able to, send me a PM. We can rectify that situation in a hurry w/no problem.

Slinky yes I was able to get my data it wasn't very good though. My readings were: pressure was 12.2, leak .48, AHI 9.5, AI 2.4 and HI 7.1. Not sure where to go from here on how to improve. I am so glad I have my good cpap back.

the above post was from me forgot to sign in

Oh, fudge!!! I can't remember! But there are recommendations about UARS treatment and I "think" I read that it requires a more technical xPAP than the S8 Elite. Your sleep lab MIGHT BE good enough to recognize this and either suggest Elite therapy setting changes or an upgrade to a device better able to treat UARS. You might try searching on posts in this forum by Dr Barry Krakow or doing a google search for his website.

thanks Slinky I did a search and found out that he recomends a bilevel. I coppied the report and will take it to my sleep doc on my next appointment next year. The report is called UARS: A critical link to optimizing pap therapy results by Barry Krakow.

Why wait a year? The squeaky wheel gets the grease. AND you have the data to prove how well you are NOT doing on CPAP. Most insurances will insist on their insured "failing" CPAP before approving purchase of a bi-level. W/o going back thru this thread I confess to not remembering how long you've been on CPAP but I would think that 6 months is long enough. The doctors can't know you aren't happy w/nor responding well to your current therapy if you don't contact them and make them aware of it. Or even if they do look at your data and see its not very good they assume YOU are satisfied and so THEY are satisfied to let "sleeping dogs lie". Its your sleep and your therapy. Frankly, when I wasn't doing as good as I thought I should be doing I was bugging my sleep doc every 30 days! That resulted in 3 pressure changes, an overnight oximetry whilst on CPAP, a switch to an autoPAP and finally a bi-level titration and switch to bi-level auto. I was doing good on bi-level auto and was switch to straight bi-level. I'm doing good on straight bi-level but still need a bit of tweaking as I was doing a little better on auto bi-level. I suspect all my therapy needs now is some tweaking of the rise time at straight bi-level but my sleep doc hasn't a clue to my bi-level's full capabilties and options. Unfortunately, neither does my local DME's RT! So, Im at a stage w/the right device that I'll finish the "tweaking" on my own (w/some suggestions from our great group here!).

"We were in the waiting room when she was telling me this with 3 patients in there hearing"

Is anyone aware that sharing personal information like that in front of other patients is against the law, well here in maine it is. You should of been taken out back and talked to privately. I would look into this.

Shutchis1951 wrote:Slinky yes I was able to get my data it wasn't very good though. My readings were: pressure was 12.2, leak .48, AHI 9.5, AI 2.4 and HI 7.1. Not sure where to go from here on how to improve. I am so glad I have my good cpap back.

I was hoping one of our more experienced members would reply to this, Shutchis. The important number is the AI which is good, "they" say that the Resmeds are more "aggressive" in scoring HIs so that data isn't so bad as one is inclined to think - EXCEPT - that .48 Leak rate. The Resmeds automatically SUBTRACT the allowed leak rate for the selected Mask at your set pressure so that reported leak is all "pure" mask or mouth leaks. Excessive leaks are therapy lost.