Damn You Apria!!!

The BBQ Pit
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Hello fellow Dopers. I have been MIA for a while due to health issues but I have returned. As usual I have a bitch lol. Wouldn’t be me posting if it weren’t a bitch now would it? :stuck_out_tongue:

I was diagnosed with pulmonary edema about a month ago. This was brought on by (of all things) my new CPAP machine. Not really a big deal right? Just a little oxygen therapy and go about your business. WELLLLL, tis not that easy folks. I had to stop the CPAP because of the edema and get retitrated for a BiPAP. While I’m waiting on the appointment for the retitration, I’m SUPPOSED to be on oxygen 24/7. This little fact was not told to me until this past Friday when, after getting my new machine, I called the doc because he had ordered oxygen treatment with the BiPAP and I hadn’t heard from Apria. He told me that he had ordered the oxygen THREE WEEKS AGO for 24/7 treatments. :eek: :confused:

I get off the phone with him and call Apria. The lady there looked on the computer and says “Oh MY. This is an old order… I… well… You need to talk to dispatch Hun, I’ll put you thru” Shuttles me on to dispatch where I hear…" I apologize ma’am… the order was supposed to be filled three weeks ago. I’ll get someone out there this evening" :smack: Think they could have done this three WEEKS ago!!!

I have been thru HELL this past month. I’ve been so tired that I can barely stay awake to make dinner, I haven’t been able to sleep with my husband because laying flat just about kills me. My lungs are half full of fluids and I can’t fucking BREATH. I have been slowly DROWNING for three weeks and where was my oxygen!!! I could have DIED before those bastards caught their “slip” and they wouldn’t have even told the doc unless he figured it out. I am LIVID about this. I’m SERIOUSLY thinking about calling a lawyer in the morning…

One good thing… the tech that came to deliver the oxygen set me up and explained everything VERY well. Even told my 5 year old what he could do to help me. I must give John 2 thumbs up for making this a little easier to bear. He was a sweetie. :slight_smile: Just wish the rest of those morons were as knowledgeable as he was! :mad:

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:eek:
Was the CPAP maladjusted, or what?

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No it was working fine, I just couldn’t tolerate it. I happen to be one of the rare people that cannot tolerate the CPAPs exhale pressure being the same as the inhale pressure. I have a heart condition that apperently makes my risk factor a bit higher for this problem. :frowning: I’m on the BiPAP now and it (so far) seems to be ok.

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Ahh, that makes sense. I started out on an Apria unit, and the service was bad. The machine went down and I had to rent :mad:
Finally took the bull by the horns and built a couple cpaps. They work great, and there’s an in house service representitive. :wink:

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LOL I wish I knew how to make one for myself that WORKED. I’m still in the baby stages (less than 3 months on the damnable things) so I’m still learning. I’m trying to get rid of the damn edema right now… Even on 40 MG of Furosemide twice a day I’m STILL bloated :frowning: I’ll be glad when this is over…