Comment

Comment by Bill on September 14, 2011 at 11:59pm

Hi Emmy,
Im not sure of your proximity to the border however you can order your product and get it delivered to an American border town business. This Business allows you to ship/use their address for all major shippers including USPS. They will have a commercial addressed place to receive it and hold it for you for a small fee You just need to pick it up and drive it thru the border saving the ridiculous broker fees some shippers charge. From my recollection if it is USA made it should be duty free due to the Free trade agreement with the USA. I live near the border here in BC and all i ever pay is the sales taxes and GST when entering Canada. The service I use emails it customers when the package has arrived, I regularly buy my diabetes friendly footwear from the parent company in the States and save 20%. The irony is it comes from the same company's plant that delivers to Canadian retailers They fix their retail price higher in Canada.hope this helps.

Comment by Emmy on September 14, 2011 at 11:19pm

The dealers here in Canada are just about as expensive online as they are locally. I have considered ordering from the USA, but with importing goods, there are duties and handling fees, etc, which can really add up fast.

Comment by Ox Drover on September 4, 2011 at 6:12pm

Emmy, can you not order supplies on line? They seem cheaper than through a supplier.

Comment by Emmy on September 4, 2011 at 5:11pm

We had a thunderstorm last night, and the hydro was off so I had to stay up for about an hour till it passed, then I was able to finally turn on my CPAP machine and get some sleep! Then woke up early for over an hour and finally got a litte more sleep late in the AM. I am tired as usual. I really need a new mask so I can get better rest.

The box in the cord might be the power converter. Mine has one. Mine is less than a year old.

I have NO insurance. I use a full face mask which is about $350. Prices are very high here. I need a new mask soon, as I'm getting major leaks (from 30 to 40 % right now).

This is the same model that I have: http://www.cpap.com/cpap-machine/respironics-pr-system-one-remstar-...

Of course it was more money here.

Comment by Ox Drover on September 3, 2011 at 8:36pm

Dear Emmy, sorry about that, that is miserable I am sure....mobility is so important. They changed my cord out finally (it has a "box" in the middle of it some kind of electronics I guess) after the first time they changed out the humidifier, but it did it ONE time since they changed the cord, so I know it is NOT fixed, but it hasn't done it again. This is a Respironics M series and a woman who worked with them in another town where I was visiting when this started said that was a LEMON SERIES. It is only 3 years old though and so Medicarte won't change out the unit, but the did "fix" it and I haven't got a bill yet so will just kind of see what I end up paying. I have an old one I got at an auction....not sure even if it works, but it was only a couple of bucks so I grabbed it. They show up at estate auctions every now and then so I keep my eye open for them just in case. LOL Mine is a bi-pap, and I use a full face mask. I am THE most motivated user though, like you, I can't get by without it...It makes life worth living to be able to breathe at night and get SLEEP. My number of incidents (per last sleep test) has dropped very low, but when I do quit breathing, it is for a LONG TIME and my O2 goes very low. So actually, I am technically (due to the number of times per hour I quit breathing) no longer having OSA, but I still have to have the machine in order to get sleep and rest. Insurance no longer pays for my supplies and my machines, though, so will have to buy my own when this one carps out. But I would sell plasma to get the money as I can't NOT have one.

Comment by Emmy on September 3, 2011 at 3:17pm

Ox, that's the same problem I'm having with my Phillips CPAP. It keeps shutting itself off randomly. However, last time it woke me up, then happened 3 times in a row as it was ramping up. Usually it happens while I'm asleep and I wake up with NO air pressure, lots of stale air in my mask and the feeling of suffocating, and angina. This time it recurred when I restarted my machine, and did it again and again. Then at the store it wouldn't do it.

I've done weights but they end up causing slippage in my back. I have a condition where my joints slip out of place too easily, Hypermobile Joint Syndrome, and arthritis as well. When I use even a 1 pound weight, my back gets messed up, pins and needles all around my ribs, and pain in the spine. It compresses the nerves too much, so I had to stop doing weights. Even just moving my arms around or turning to look beside me can trigger it. Never know when its going to happen, so I have to move cautiously. I have degenerative disk disease and its pretty bad now.

Comment by Ox Drover on September 3, 2011 at 8:42am

Emmy, I have had problems with my company too....in fixing my machine. My problem is intermittent, the machine turns off and on randomly, so it is somewhat difficult to diagnose where the problem is, but apparently the "techs" are just "parts changers" and sort of guess at what it might be...they don't really test or KNOW. Since these machines are pretty much electronics, so a "broken part" isn't as visible as it would be on say a Lawn mower, which is more mechanical, I'm convinced they don't KNOW what is wrong, they just change parts until they find you quit complaining.
Good for you for making yourself heard!
Oh, Emmy, if you are no longer able to walk, then use your arms for the exercises, there is research which has shown a great benefit to even wheel chair bound patients with upper body exercises...so don't let not being able to walk stop you for exercising. Get some weights to hold in your hands, start low (you can even use a can of corn or beans held in your hands to start with) and increase as your strength does.

Comment by Emmy on September 2, 2011 at 9:28pm

I got a call that my machine was back from the shop. I asked what was wrong with it, and the woman on the phone started talking nonstop, but would not answer my question. I quickly got fed up and told her to stop and LISTEN. "What was wrong and what did they do to fix it?" No answer, just more yacky yack. So I got angry and told her I was not taking back a faulty machine that hasn't been fixed. I am not going to wake up suffocating and with angina again. Call the shop, find out what was wrong and what they did, and then call me back.

I have not heard a peep.

Normally I don't get angry with people like that but I was not going to take it and after a bad week, this was the final straw.

Comment by Emmy on September 2, 2011 at 9:25pm

Excellent post Will. Anerobic exercise does not burn any fat, and in fact only burns sugar. Walking at a pace that allows you to speak or sing without huffing and puffing is the best pace for you. This will vary from individual to individual and as you get stronger and in better shape, you'll be able to increase the pace gradually. Any exericse that uses your leg muscles in this fashion, while allowing you to speak or sing, will do. Walking is excellent, so is cycling, swimming, and dancing. About an hour per day is the best, but even half an hour will help a lot. I lost a lot of weight this way, but unfortunately I am unable to walk now, so its going to a lot tougher to get it back off.

Comment by Ox Drover on September 2, 2011 at 11:53am

Will, as a retired medical health care professional I totally agree with you about losing weight and exercising...and I've been a "professional hypocrite" for a long time, getting paid big bucks for advising others to do what I did not do myself! LOL But at last I am DOING what I advised others to do. I'm an extremely compliant patient now.

Another thing to add to your information about NC is that a high salt diet (which most people in the US eat WAYYYY too much) causes the legs to swell with dependent edema, which is decreased during the night, and that water actually causes puffiness in the neck regions as it goes from the intersticial spaces between the cells (edema) back into the blood stream during the night. So preventing swelling of the legs by eating a lower sodium diet and/or wearing support (elastic hose) will also help to decrease apnea events at night.

My strict LOW sodium diet has greatly helped the swelling in my legs, but still had a bit, which I have done completely away with by wearing support hose. I put it off as long as I could resist it, but finally bit the bullet when my son said to me, "You know you are a compliant patient with the bi-pap machine which is a pain to get used to, so just get used to the hose" LOL He was right and I have bitten the bullet and started to wear them 24/7 now....a light variety is working well, so don't have to wear the heavy duty white TEDS yet. Can't tell any difference it has made with the sleep apnea yet (I slept through it! LOL) but it has made a difference in my legs swelling. If any women (or men) are interested in the brand name etc. let me know. I am very pleased with the quality of these, the way they work, and how they feel....and the price is right.

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