P10 Pillows wearing out?

[iSnore]

When Medicare says it allows for replacement of two nasal pillows per month, are they referring to a set, or to two pairs? Thanks!

[DariaVader]

When Medicare says it allows for replacement of two nasal pillows per month, are they referring to a set, or to two pairs? Thanks!

depends on who you talk to. some months they send 2, and others they tell me that the 2 is for 2 nostrils and that some pillows come with separated nostril pieces, and then they only send 1

[truetopath]

I get 2 sets per month, but not on Medicare though.

[OpalRose]

My DME calls one nasal pillow a set. Their explanation is that there are two nasal openings, so it's a set.

I don't argue with them, I just pray that they can manage to send them to me at all.

[retired_guy]

"nasal pillows" is a singular thingy. If it were a plural thingy, it would be "nasal pillowae"

[trailrider]

I get to claim a max of $300 per year. My DME set me up "with what I needed to start." And THAT came to $200, after I declined the heated hose. They sell the P10 pillows for $53 each. So at 1 set per month that would be...more than I want to pay. So I orderedthree online from the US at $20 US each. Makes the trip across the border worth it. (grumble)

Player is right, organized crime has taken over the CPAP supplies up here!
Maybe I'll order a few more before I make my trip. I did order up an oximeter.

[OpineCone]

In my experience, the performance of nasal pillows deteriorates after two to three weeks. However, I beg to differ from previous comments made about what changes occur in the pillows. My impression is that the soft nostril inserts become stiffer rather than softer, and that makes it more difficult to get the inserts to seal into the nostrils, and also increases the probability of injury to the inside of the nose. I just changed from month-old pillows to brand new ones and marveled at how gently and completely the pillows sealed into my nose both at bedtime and after a 4 a.m. trip to the bathroom, without using the lanolin product I needed with the older pillows.

My first pillows were soaked every day in warm water with a small amount of baby shampoo, then rinsed, shaken and set to dry. After watching a ResMed video showing how to clean a P10, I changed to washing my second pillows by swishing them around in warm, slightly soapy (baby shampoo) water for about a minute, then rinsing them out, shaking them and setting them to dry. Both methods seem to work equally well, but I prefer the second method because it is over and done with in 3 minutes max. The soaking step does not seem to be necessary. And I wash my pillows every day, even if sometimes I don't get around to it until 5 minutes before bedtime.

I used my first nasal pillows for a month because I had been told by the DME company that "masks" would be replaced every 3 months, and it never even occurred to me that the increasing leakage rate towards the end of the month was a problem with a simple solution. Then I read about pillows being replaced at least once and maybe twice a month, called the DME supplier, and was told that I could have new pillows immediately because of the high leakage rate from the first ones. After another 3 weeks I called again with the same problem and this time was told that I would receive 2 pillows a month BUT the shipping of supplies could not begin until 3 months after I received my first mask. I called back later and argued that, if I needed 2 pillows a month after the first 3 months, I also needed 2 pillows a month during the first 3 months, because there was nothing magical about the original pillows. The person I talked to agreed with me and said she would send me 2 pillows a month if I phoned her each month to request them. She also said she would arrange for the other people I had talked with to be retrained! Now when my head spins I am no longer sure it is from lack of quality sleep.

[DariaVader]

She also said she would arrange for the other people I had talked with to be retrained!

Where do they find the people they hire to answer the phone anyway.... and why oh why can't they just have a website that shows you what your insurance plan covers and what you are eligible for?

[PaytonA]

I am afraid that most companies feel that they must keep their expenses for customer service to a minimum so they do not pay the people dealing with the customers very much and give them a script for the answer to many questions. Not conducive to giving the customer good information on a specific question.

Remember the old days when you called tech support at a computer company and talked to a really sharp person that knew computers backward and forward. Do you find any of that now?

[DariaVader]

I am afraid that most companies feel that they must keep their expenses for customer service to a minimum so they do not pay the people dealing with the customers very much and give them a script for the answer to many questions. Not conducive to giving the customer good information on a specific question.

Remember the old days when you called tech support at a computer company and talked to a really sharp person that knew computers backward and forward. Do you find any of that now?

Once upon a time, telling my ISP that my computer at home was linux got me automatically bumped to top level support. Now if you tell them that they say "we don't support linux" and HANGUP before you can say anything else - and that after an hour wait.... so now I lie and tell them I have winders xp and lie and say i am performing the steps they prescribe (perform the equivalent on linux if relevant) but my memory of how windows behaves is fading after working > 2yrs at a company that gives out macs... going to have to switch the lie to the mac Fortunately, the need to call them is rare these days/