On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 03:09:52 GMT, "Oscar_Lives"
wrote:
|
| "Tom Miller" wrote in message
| ...
| On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 02:45:39 GMT, "Oscar_Lives"
| wrote:
|
| |
| | "Tom Miller" wrote in message
| | ...
| | On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 23:48:15 GMT, "Stormin Mormon"
| | wrote:
| |
| | | I'm with Bob on this one. A machine of that value is worth a
| couple
| | bucks to
| | | have an electrician replace the cord.
| |
| | |
| | | "Bob K 207" wrote in message
| | | ...
| | | OP-
| | |
| | | I get the feeling this is a medical device in a hospital?
| | |
| | | Get one of the electricians to replace the entire cord properly
| or do
| | it
| | | yourself.
| | |
| | | this isn't brain surgery
| | |
| | | btw what kind of device is it?
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | Well, I may have to have it done, but to have the cord replaced will
| | cost me at least $125.00 -- and probably more -- for a very minor
| | problem -- a 10 cent problem. If this problem were on a lamp, for
| | example, or on one of my computers, I wouldn't even tape it up.
| Having
| | medical equipment repaired by a durable medical equipment dealer is
| a
| | real ripoff.
| |
| | The device in question is a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
| device
| | -- a pump that prevents collapse of the airway while sleeping. It's
| a
| | prescription item in the USA. It's mine, for my personal use, not a
| | device in a hospital.
| |
| | The real problem is that if I have someone else fix it, I can kiss
| it
| | goodbye for a week or more while they send it off to some repair
| | place, which means that I can't sleep properly at night. I walk
| around
| | all day like an oxygen-starved zombie until I get it back. And it
| | affects my ability to drive, too. Yeah, there are ways around all
| this
| | but they all cost money and are not real convenient.
| |
| | There is no conceivable liability issue involved. The machine is 6
| | years old, so it is not ancient. There is nothing wrong with it
| | otherwise. The crack came about when I packed it into a case and
| | travelled around for two weeks with it banging against the inside of
| | the case until the cord started to split right where it goes into
| the
| | machine. I have used the machine for several years since it happened
| | and it works fine. You can barely see the split even if you look
| | carefully.
| |
| | I have several chronic medical conditions which have occasionally
| | taken me to the hospital overnight. Having the machine makes the
| night
| | bearable; one less thing to worry about.
| |
| | Once I spent the night in an emergency room waiting for a regular
| | hospital bed so I could have a coronary stent implanted in an artery
| | next day. They would not allow me to plug in the breathing device
| | because it had not been approved by their electrician (who was home
| | sleeping). As a result I had to stay up all night. This is not the
| way
| | you want to prepare for a guy putting a steel mesh tube in your
| heart
| | using a wire and a balloon!
| |
| | I guess cutting the plug off the cord and slipping a heat shrink
| tube
| | over it is the only way, but putting a new, non-molded plug on the
| | cord opens yet another possible electrical issue for the hospital to
| | object to. I just thought there might be a clean, neat way that
| would
| | not involve this, but I guess not.
| |
| | Thanks to all for the suggestions.
| |
| |
| | Oh, hell. Quit making such a big deal over nothing.
| |
| | Get a loaner CPAP from your DME and send in the old one to get
| repaired.
| |
| | Better yet, get a new CPAP and keep the old one for a spare. Six
| years old
| | means it probably has over 17,000 hours on it and it is probably worn
| out.
| | You got your money's worth if it lasted 6 years. Besides, I'll bet
| you got
| | your insurance company or Medicare to pay for 80% of the cost.
|
| It's not me making this into a big deal. I'm just asking for a simple
| electrical repair suggestion on a tiny problem.
|
| My DME doesn't give loaners. In fact, my DME is such a money grubbing
| crook that I never deal with them any more. My insurance company
| doesn't pay for this device. The machine works fine. Why toss away
| $800-$1200?
|
| buy one from http://www.cpapman.com/ for $400 instead of using the local
| crooked DME.
I've bought from Joe and from other online sources (there are cheaper
sources than Joe, in fact). But my machine isn't broken. I need a
cosmetic repair to the power cord. Apparently there isn't one, so I'll
just keep on using it as is or look elsewhere for a repair suggestion.