January 26 - I Can Stop Snoring Again!

I have used a CPAP machine (for sleep apnea) since around 2003.  It makes a huge difference in my sleep and I have used it every night since I got it.  However, over the last couple of years, the machine has been starting to act a little crazy.  First the heating element went out, so I stopped using the humidifier.  It hasn't really bothered me breathing the dry air - in fact, I think it has helped keep my sinuses dry.

Over the last several months, it has started making strange noises.  My roomies will remember that it was getting a little loud when we had our reunion.  I told them to think of it as "white noise" - a stretch, I know.  By mid-December, it started making so much noise, it no longer could qualify as white noise.  It even totally conked out on me for several days.  So, for the first time in all those years, I had to sleep without it.

I had tried to contact the company that supplied the machine originally, but after leaving several messages and getting no response, I discovered that they had disappeared - not sure just what happened, but it looked like they just packed up and left in the middle of the night, with their phones still working!  I also called my doctor, since CPAP's have to be prescribed, and left several messages there that did not get returned.  I finally called the referral office and they got another provider right away.

By this time, the machine is working sometimes, but making a whale of a lot of noise.  Poor Bill couldn't sleep - either the machine kept him awake or my snoring did!  He actually slept a few nights in the guest bed.  First time that has happened, other than if one of us was so sick that it was best to sleep alone.

Because this will be covered by Medicare, the provider needed office notes from the doctor in order to be in compliance.  So, here we go again - leave messages at the doctor, get no response.  Both the provider and I were leaving messages.  I finally got through to someone in the referral office and actually spoke to a person!  Believe it or not!  She said she would fax the notes that day.

I followed up over the next couple of days with the provider, who said they didn't get the notes.  She finally called the same person in the doctor's office, found out the notes had been faxed, and someone in her office had just filed them away, even though there was a not on the file that they were waiting for the notes.

Any way, long story made longer, everything was finally approved and today I went to get my new machine.  They have really improved the machines since I got my original one.  It is smaller, quieter, and easier to run.  So, tonight I get to sleep again, Bill gets to sleep in our bed again, and all is right with the world - at least, my sleeping world!