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Infuriating Situation (little brother trying to get cpap) - ReturnofXile - 07-21-2019
Hey everyone, so I'm having a problem that I'm hoping someone could weigh in on. After I was diagnosed with OSA, I encouraged my little brother to get tested as well. After having an at home sleep study done, he was diagnosed with mild OSA. Anyways, I talked to my mom about it (he still lives with our parents), and she said he was prescribed an auto-titrating machine.
For whatever reason, the DME company that they decided to go with (they live in a small town), only has 1 type of machine. I suggested that he should get the Resmed 10 Autoset, but apparently they are trying to give him a basic Resmed 10 fixed pressure machine. I told him that he should get a copy of his prescription and demand that he gets the right machine or find another DME. He's under my parent's insurance and my dad is rather ignorant about cpap treatment in general and has just told my brother to be happy with what he gets. There's only one DME company where they live. I suggested they could find a DME company in Indy that's covered by insurance and they could pick up a good machine, but he's not willing to drive that far (it's only an hour).
Apparently, they got into an argument over it. Its ironic because I'm pretty sure that my dad also has sleep apnea based off of his symptoms (constantly falling asleep when watching TV, always tired. etc.) I have talked to him briefly about it, but I get the feeling he doesn't think its all that big of a deal as "he's made it to 60 and he's still able to to do everything."
So here's the thing. If my brother hasn't had a sleep titration study or isn't going to be given an auto-titrating machine, then how the heck can they know what pressure to put him on?? To the best of my knowledge, I thought you either get a sleep titration study done to figure out the best pressure or you let an auto-titrating machine do it for you. Am I missing something? Do the at home sleep study tests also help find the right pressure you would need?
I'm trying to be an advocate for my little brother and make sure he doesn't get handed a brick by the DME company. Honestly, I don't even understand how it would be legal for the DME company to give him a fixed pressure machine when his prescription says he needs an auto-titrating machine. Anyways, I'm just a little bit infuriated with the level of ignorance shown by my dad. But I don't know, maybe I'm mistaken. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
RE: Infuriating Situation (little brother trying to get cpap) - Melman - 07-21-2019
Check other small cities near you. Lincare has offices in Columbus, Terre Haute, and Vincennes.
Edit: Actually they have 19 locations. Google Lincare in Indiana. They may have a location closer than Indy.
RE: Infuriating Situation (little brother trying to get cpap) - DeepBreathing - 07-21-2019
ReturnofXile Wrote:Honestly, I don't even understand how it would be legal for the DME company to give him a fixed pressure machine when his prescription says he needs an auto-titrating machine.
AFAIK that's not legal. Best thing is to get hold of the actual prescription and see what it says. However you sound like you're fighting on too many fronts - pick your battles carefully.
RE: Infuriating Situation (little brother trying to get cpap) - Sleeprider - 07-21-2019
If your brother needs CPAP and has not had a titraton test, auto CPAP is the only logical conclusion. His doctor could specify this and any DME would comply. Unfortunately, you are not a party to the conversation unless your brother or parents are willing to listen. Keep it simple. Let them know why Auto CPAP is needed.