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DME's sure can suck!
I had the ResMed ActivaLT mask, but I was having problems with mouth breathing, so I asked to try a full face mask. The guy brought 1 mask along. ONE! It's going to give me the same problems my first one did. It was a Mirage. Apparently, they only carry ResMed stuff. If I tighten it enough to have minimal leakage, it hurts my nose.
I asked if he had anything else and he said they are all the same. WHAT!?! They are not! Poo on him!
I asked if he had anything else and he said they are all the same. WHAT!?! They are not! Poo on him!
Views: 137
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mike on
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Yes, i have found that DME's that suck are more the rule than the exception to it, unfortunately. I would say run, don't walk, to another DME pronto. I see that you're in a part of Michigan that's only an hour or so away from one of our most knowledgeable members, Judy. Perhaps she can steer you to a much better DME in your area.
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Permalink Reply by Judy on
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You won't get any argument from me on this issue. My first one was a real shesiter.
Go above this guy's head to the manager. Since you are most likely "stuck" w/this local DME supplier, at least until your insurance's "contract" for purchase of your CPAP is up, you might as well politely let the branch manager know that service is NOT satisfactory and why.
It is VERY UNLIKELY that they carry ONLY Resmed masks. The mask is THE KEY to successful CPAP therapy which they should be very much aware of.
Resmed, Respironics and Fisher & Paykel will replace FREE to the local DME suppliers most of their masks that a patient had tried and been unsuccessful with IF the local DME supplier will fill out a form and return the form and mask W/IN 30 DAYS.
Meanwhile, buy some Mack's Silicone Ear Plugs at your local pharmacy. Roll half of one in the palm of your hands to form a rope or tape and lay that on the mask cushion in the bridge and side of the nose area. It will serve both as padding and as a seal to reduce or eliminate any leaks. Tightening the top straps is one cause of a sore bridge of nose, loosen the top straps and if necessary tighten the bottom straps.
Or go to padacheeks.com She makes some wonderfully soft padding for bridge of nose, cheek straps, etc. that work well and are pretty to boot!
You can also try a strip of Dr Scholl's moleskin or even molefoam if necessary.
Often running your fingertip along the seam line between mask cushion and face will eliminate minor leaks.
Clipping your hose to your PJs or hanging your hose above your head can eliminate the hose tugging on your mask and unseating it during the night thereby reducing leak problems.
What's the nearest decent size city to where you live? I'm near Saginaw. How long have you had your equipment from this local DME supplier? Have you called your insurance company to ask what local DME CPAP suppliers you are contracted with? Hopefully you have the option of more than one. IF you've had your equipment less than 30-45 days you can put some REAL pressure on this local DME supplier to shape up or you can and will ship out to a local DME supplier more interested in having your business if your insurance is contracted w/others in the area..
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Permalink Reply by Daniel on
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I like to think of myself as a DME who doesn't suck. I found your story interesting because it clearly illustrates the paradigm I am trying to break. The norm with a DME is to send someone to visit you. They are restricted in mask choices by whatever they brought with them, even though they have never seen you before. ResMed's Full Face Masks are excellent, but they come in four sizes. How did he know which you should use?
The vast majority of SomniHealth's patients make an appointment and come to see us in our office. That way, we have our entire inventory of masks available to them. In addition, we have a bed set up so that you can lay down while trying on a mask. When visiting patients in their homes, you usually wind up sitting at the dining room table. This can make a huge difference in evaluating a good mask fit.
If your Full Face Mask has to be tightened so much that it hurts your nose, try adjusting the forehead piece. If its the Mirage Quattro, dial it out more. If it's an older Mirage Full Face, adjust the angle so that the forehead piece is at a steeper angle. This will take some of the pressure off the bridge of your nose. Hopefully, that will help a little until you get a better-fitting mask
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Color me red-faced. "Our" Daniel Levy IS an exception to our local DME supplier griping. There ARE good local DME suppliers out there. There are even GOOD local Apria offices, believe it or not! We sometimes forget that most of us found our way to these apnea support forums BECAUSE we encountered a lousy local DME supplier. We also tend to forget that we are still in the vast minority of apneans.
And since we are now talking GOOD local DME suppliers I have to say my second local DME supplier has really been good to me. They do send someone to the house w/masks to try but he has a back seat full of packaged masks to try in multiple styles, sizes and brands. When I found one that interested me and I thought I could use he usually left that mask w/me for a week to try. Then he would call and ask how I was doing or did I need to try something else. He was always cheerful and pleasant about coming out and the exchanges and the failures and seemed as genuinely pleased as I was when I found THE mask for me. I would lay on the sofa to fit the mask. My Resmed xPAPs are easily transported from bedroom to living room - or elsewhere.
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Permalink Reply by Elaine Hooton on
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I'm pretty sure it has been over 45 days now. More like 60 or more. I actually went to a sleep clinic in Saginaw. It's across from the mall in that area with all the doctors and such. My supplier right now is from Bay City. It's Senior Home Health Care. And I should say that I he is usually very nice, but this time he didn't want to come out. I could tell. I am interested to know if I can go there. That would be better for me, I think. I just assumed this was my only choice. I live 30 minutes into the thumb (in Sebewaing) from Bay City.
It's SO nice to know that you are near me and have some experience! My hubby started this process with me and it really is rough to get started. I hate to inconvenience anyone, but this process makes it necessary. He had quite a lot of issues, but he never got ahold of the lady that was helping him. That was his fault, though. He doesn't like phones and she made several calls, but he didn't realize his problem till after that. We saw a lady at the sleep doctor's office during our checkup and I think she fixed him up some. She turned on his EPR. I think he could still use some fine tuning, though. The EPR causes less areophagia (sp?), but he seems to have more events with it, too.
Anyway, thanks for the ideas, everyone. I think I will try the earplug idea to begin with.
Judy said:You won't get any argument from me on this issue. My first one was a real shesiter.
Go above this guy's head to the manager. Since you are most likely "stuck" w/this local DME supplier, at least until your insurance's "contract" for purchase of your CPAP is up, you might as well politely let the branch manager know that service is NOT satisfactory and why.
It is VERY UNLIKELY that they carry ONLY Resmed masks. The mask is THE KEY to successful CPAP therapy which they should be very much aware of.
Resmed, Respironics and Fisher & Paykel will replace FREE to the local DME suppliers most of their masks that a patient had tried and been unsuccessful with IF the local DME supplier will fill out a form and return the form and mask W/IN 30 DAYS.
Meanwhile, buy some Mack's Silicone Ear Plugs at your local pharmacy. Roll half of one in the palm of your hands to form a rope or tape and lay that on the mask cushion in the bridge and side of the nose area. It will serve both as padding and as a seal to reduce or eliminate any leaks. Tightening the top straps is one cause of a sore bridge of nose, loosen the top straps and if necessary tighten the bottom straps.
Or go to padacheeks.com She makes some wonderfully soft padding for bridge of nose, cheek straps, etc. that work well and are pretty to boot!
You can also try a strip of Dr Scholl's moleskin or even molefoam if necessary.
Often running your fingertip along the seam line between mask cushion and face will eliminate minor leaks.
Clipping your hose to your PJs or hanging your hose above your head can eliminate the hose tugging on your mask and unseating it during the night thereby reducing leak problems.
What's the nearest decent size city to where you live? I'm near Saginaw. How long have you had your equipment from this local DME supplier? Have you called your insurance company to ask what local DME CPAP suppliers you are contracted with? Hopefully you have the option of more than one. IF you've had your equipment less than 30-45 days you can put some REAL pressure on this local DME supplier to shape up or you can and will ship out to a local DME supplier more interested in having your business if your insurance is contracted w/others in the area..
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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Daniel, I would love to follow you for a week. I think it would be a huge learning experience for any tech.
Daniel said:I like to think of myself as a DME who doesn't suck. I found your story interesting because it clearly illustrates the paradigm I am trying to break. The norm with a DME is to send someone to visit you. They are restricted in mask choices by whatever they brought with them, even though they have never seen you before. ResMed's Full Face Masks are excellent, but they come in four sizes. How did he know which you should use?
The vast majority of SomniHealth's patients make an appointment and come to see us in our office. That way, we have our entire inventory of masks available to them. In addition, we have a bed set up so that you can lay down while trying on a mask. When visiting patients in their homes, you usually wind up sitting at the dining room table. This can make a huge difference in evaluating a good mask fit.
If your Full Face Mask has to be tightened so much that it hurts your nose, try adjusting the forehead piece. If its the Mirage Quattro, dial it out more. If it's an older Mirage Full Face, adjust the angle so that the forehead piece is at a steeper angle. This will take some of the pressure off the bridge of your nose. Hopefully, that will help a little until you get a better-fitting mask
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BTW, It's the Mirage Quattro that I am now in possession of.
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Elaine, would that be SoundASleep sleep lab in Medical Arts 2?? I understand they use Resmed equipment for their PSG titrations. I've been thinking of going there the next time a titration is recommended for me simply because they do use Resmed equipment. Or maybe Sleep Diagnostics of Michigan on McLeod? I used Sleep Associates on Fashion Square Boulevard just down the road to these two. I just had a titration last October so it will be quite some time before I should need another titration so I haven't look into SoundAsleep too closely just yet.
You and I definitely have to get together over lunch one of these days and compare notes, etc. You and your husband should really give some consideration to coming to a couple of the apnea support group meetings at Covenant's Mackinaw campus, its not that far from the mall and easy to find.
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