We’re all fine

Posted on by hollyfrostgoldportpress

by Holly the Assistant

It’s that time of year: last minute shopping, shipping, etc. No worries, just busy. Sarah says to let y’all know because you do fret.
Please deck the blog comments, but not Holly, thank you. See you in a bit.

23 thoughts on “We’re all fine”

        2. “Oh, Wally, Oh Wally, oh Wally, oh Wally…”

          Captain Quirk: ” What are you doing in there? This is a broom closet!”

          Male crewman: “We’re engaged, Sir.”

          Captain Quirk: “Well, disengage and get back to your stations!”

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  7. I could buy “we are all fine” as the theme or summary of a Hoyt essay, given the wider context.

    Not really a necessary essay, barring idiots such as myself finding something new and stupid to get upset about. (I think I am tapped out for stupidity, so might not be me. :D )

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  9. I guess this counts as an “I’m fine”, there’s a heads-up for older people using CPAP.

    If you were diagnosed with apnea a long time ago (in my case, 1998), Medicare requires a re-diagnosis via sleep study before any upgrades can be considered (going to BiPap or a servo-type machine). That part of the test is 1-2 hours, but in my experience, felt like 4 hours to years… I survived it, though to my chagrin (and a new mask, courtesy the sleep lab), fell asleep at home with the machine double-clicked to “off”. I guess I can actually sleep unassisted on my side if I’m sufficiently tired. I am looking forward to an upgraded machine. Medical accounts of Cheyne-Stokes breathing for people dying doesn’t fill me with joy. :( OTOH, I’ve been sleeping that way for a few years, but it’s getting more noticeable.

    I don’t know if there’s a way to get less-interesting ways to convince Medicare, but it’d be worth talking to the relevant doctor.

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    1. Dang.

      So if I actually break the current mouth piece I have to have another sleep test to get another one? Already know, that I won’t sleep worth a dang. I wake up sore. Won’t be upgrading.

      Did find out how that new sleep aid they advertise on TV (Inspire?) works (replaces “hoses”, doesn’t say anything about mouth pieces). Process is not only the insertion of the device to turn it on and off with an external device, but wires to the tongue. Whole point of it is to shock the tongue up away from your throat.

      Ew. No. Mouth piece forces lower jaw forward which pulls tongue forward. No shock needed. Okay downside is no gum, taffy, or other sticky candy or food, that sticks to teeth. Have too many nightmares about that sensation as it is. That is the constancy of the mouth piece on the teeth when sleeping.

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      1. See if you can find it on Amazon. Seriously. My guys have been buying everything but the machine on Amazon the last several years.

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        1. If I was using a cpap machine, yes buying the parts on Amazon would work. I’m not. I use a custom fit (orthodontist or dentist) mouth piece that goes over my teeth. Designed to pull my lower jaw forward. Doesn’t take much.

          A lot of designs out there. One I had didn’t work because (apparently) I grid my teeth (because of the mouth piece) and it broke, three times. Second one is a different design and a lot bulkier. Been almost 9 years haven’t be able to break it. Caution from dentist was to make sure the dog didn’t get a hold of it. Not inexpensive ($2k of which medical insurance only paid 2/3, each time. Second out of pocket was what it would cost to get the first fixed, again. Worth it.)

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        2. My first CPAP compressor and the humidifier were covered by work’s health insurance. About 7 years later, it died (would have lasted longer if I’d been diligent about cleaning the filter–lesson learned), I found a place online to get a machine. Prescriptions were sort-of optional at the time, and it shipped with the clinician’s manual, so I could set it to a valid number (dumb machine, single pressure).

          By 2016 I had to have a prescription. I wrote up one (machine, plus all accessories) and gave it to my primary care doc (Dr. Mengele of Covid not-vax persuasion infamy), and he sent it. There’s an online outfit in Washington that sells machines and the related stuff. Not sure if I’ll have to get a fresh Rx soon; not counting on the original one lasting beyond 10 years.

          I’ve gotten 4 machines (two ResMed S9s, for redundancy), an AS10 to replace the deceased S9 (bad controller), and a Chinesium machine for backup. Not a great choice for the latter; it treats pressure as a one-way ramp–woke up with the machine at max, blowing the mask off my face. It’s now the way-back machine.

          I’m now on Medicare, and one of the local DME suppliers is the place I’ve used for welding gasses and supplies. Still, I just ordered a new full-face mask online. I like the Fisher-Paykel Vitera mask they gave me at the sleep center, but I’ve grown to like ResMed and am willing to pay outside insurance.

          Link to the supplier: Was CPAPMan, now CPAP Ninjas. (#Rollseyes)

          https://www.cpapninja.com/ I’ve been using them since 2002 or so.

          Information link on another comment.

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          1. A general resource for hoseheads and those using other means of dealing with apnea is the Apnea Board. Good forum, reviews on machines, a source for the OSCAR data monitoring program (it was a fork of the now-defunct Sleepyhead program), and not least, full manuals. Need to update the clock or tweak a setting hidden in the clinician’s menu? That’s how to find what to do.

            https://www.apneaboard.com/

            I don’t comment much there, (I did leave a review of the Chinese machine.) but it’s been a goldmine at times.

            Oh, a note on CPAP Ninja. They’ll give you the forms for Medicare (maybe others–never tried it). It looks like you pay first, then submit a claim to CMS for reimbursement. Since I haven’t been officially (re)diagnosed yet, I’ll stick with cash for my supplies. They do sell the advanced machines, both BiPap and the servo, but at the costs, I’ll go through a local DME and let Medicare pay. I need to talk to the DME supplier about the supplemental stuff.

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          2. I found the review I left (as a similar name to my handle here). Beyond Medical. Might be fine for ordinary apnea, but with centrals, it gets confused and maxxes out. It wasn’t supported on OSCAR as of last summer. Haven’t looked with the latest update.

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