My VA Medical Care note: krousseau

While I am sure that I have probably suffered from OSA for most of my adult life, I don't recall ever saying anything to a Navy Doc about sleep problems. My biggest problems with apnea are when I sleep on my back, and anyone who has slept in a Navy Rack (bed) knows that they are not conducive to sleeping on your back, therefore I never heard any complaints about snoring. This coupled with the fact that while on a ship I was working 8 hours on and 8 hours off followed by 12 hours on and 4 hours off and then repeating, leads to feeling sleep deprived as a normal condition.

I do however have a service connected disability (not at all related to my sleep disorder) and therefore receive free or greatly reduced cost treatment at VA medical facilities. The VA did my sleep study and the next morning I went home with my equipment. The only problem was the 6 month wait for an appointment. I dought that I will have much of a choice with the VA as to my equipment. They provided me with the RemStar Pro 2 and the ultra mirage full face mask which seems to work really well fro me. I will have to work on them to get the Heated Humidifier, but it is all free of charge so who's to complain. I also now have private insurance through my employer so I could go to my civilian MD and I am sure he will prescribe as I ask and I may go that route for the HH.

I decided to post a new topic so as not to clutter up the Curiosity line.

Sounds like the VA hooked you up !.
I just got that gear last week from private insurance. The VA has treated me well in respect to 2 surgeries and other things they have done to me( deviated septum, snapped achilles) and other Docs have commended the work that was done on me , however I did not go the VA route this time only because I knew I 'd have to wait who knows how long to be initially seen by someone.
Go fight for your humidifier man. These forums are awsome.
I just joined here and I would of shot myself in the head by now w/ the questions I've had in the last week or how to fix some CPAP problems if this forum wasn't here.
I am waiting on my smartcard reader and software now to see how I am sleeping on a nightly basis instead of just one night that I did at the docotrs office.

[quote="NoSlak"]Sounds like the VA hooked you up !.
I just got that gear last week from private insurance. The VA has treated me well in respect to 2 surgeries and other things they have done to me( deviated septum, snapped achilles) and other Docs have commended the work that was done on me , however I did not go the VA route this time only because I knew I 'd have to wait who knows how long to be initially seen by someone.
Go fight for your humidifier man. These forums are awsome.
I just joined here and I would of shot myself in the head by now w/ the questions I've had in the last week or how to fix some CPAP problems if this forum wasn't here.
I am waiting on my smartcard reader and software now to see how I am sleeping on a nightly basis instead of just one night that I did at the docotrs office.

Yea, I think the VA set me up pretty good. I work in a hospital and have the luxury of being able to talk extensively with the head of our respiratory therapy department. He thinks that I got some really good equipment. In fact we are setting up a new sleep lab in the hospital and he is planning on using the same equipment that I have in the lab. We will no have the lab set up until sometime after July but catch this, he wants to use me a guinea pig for the equipment. If I had wanted to wait I could have done my sleep study right here at home. It will still save me a lot of time as when I had my study they told me they didn't think they had me titrated right so they are going to want me to come back at some time in the future to do an allnight titration. Hopefully I can get that done right here at home as a guinea pig in our sleep lab.

When I first found out that it would be 6 months ro get into the VA sleep lab, i went to my family MD and talked to him. I found out that it would take nearly as long in the civilian sector here. And then I would have to deal with my Ins Co deductables and such. It was much less expensive this way, although it is a 5 hour trip for me to get to the VA sleep lab.

Because they didn't get me titrated completely, and I really just want to know, I bought the reader and software. I should have it on Wednesday. I am really looking forward to seeing how I am doing according to the machine.

Handgunner45 wrote:When I first found out that it would be 6 months ro get into the VA sleep lab, i went to my family MD and talked to him. I found out that it would take nearly as long in the civilian sector here.

And so many people find this acceptable, sigh . . ., . Inexcusable would be my take on it.

Regards,
Bill

I seen on TV (think it was Brian Williams on NBC) that the VA is offering some of that best medical care in the country today.

This was surprising to learn, since our government has been shown to be not very good managing anything without it costing US an arm and a leg.

I can definitely say that I have no issues with the care I have received through the VA. The VA facilities that I visit are accredited by The Joint commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Facilities, which is the same orginazition that provides accreditation for the hospital I work in. By receiving accreditation from them we are not inspected by our State Department of Health. I have been through two inspections from this organization as a member of the hospital staff and I know it to be a thorough and comprehensive inspection. I would feel comfortable with any facility that has earned accreditation from them.

Yes the civilian sector was going to take more than 6 months for me to get the first study to confirm OSA and then the second titration. The sleep clinic was booked solid-so to say it was an unacceptable wait wouldn't have helped. By volunteering to essentially be "on call" for cancellations I was able to get my studies done in two weeks-I know not everyone can be "on call" but it did work for me. It makes less work for them as they have fewer people to call when they have a cancellation.

You said the VA was providing free care so how could you complain. It isn't free-you were in the military not knowing if you would end up in a battle zone-it wasn't a cruise ship-a lot of people feel you paid in advance. You don't have to become a "complainer"-just hunt down someone who recognizes that a humidifier should be standard issue with a CPAP. The folks who work at the VA sleep clinic where you had the study will know the MD's who will prescribe them. Or check with the staff in the Prosthetics dept(if that is still what they call the DME dept)-they are going to be providing mask replacements-filters etc so you will get to know them.

PS My civilian DME is JCAHO certified too-I'd rather deal with the VA any day.