HELP!!! PCP problems

Hi everyone I sort of mentioned this in another post but it's getting worse. I had my CPAP sleep study done last Thursday at St. Luke's in Cedar Rapids. They usually get the results back within the week but aren't always quick to send them to the PCP. Last time the nurse at my doctor's office was able to call them and they faxed her the results. This same nurse has made it clear that she and my doctor are not happy with having to do all this paperwork and make all these phone calls when they aren't getting paid for any of it. I sort of understand that but again, I haven't bothered them much in the 5 years I've been going there and my doctor is the one *****ferred me to Sartori and told me he would do whatever he could to help. They have been very helpful but now that things are getting down to the wire, it seems like they just want me to stop calling. I promise you, I'm not nagging but sometimes they say they will call back and don't so I have to call them again. At this point in this process, I need them to order the CPAP machine since I will have to be on it for at least 3 weeks before they will do surgery. Covenant said they thought they could get me in the first week of August but that isn't going to happen if my PCP's office drags it's feet about ordering the CPAP machine. Has anyone else had this problem? How did you deal with it? I have already talked to the case manager at my insurance company and she said that it's the nurse's job to do these things. I have a call into Covenant right now and they are going to call me back to discuss it. I'm trying to be patient with them but I know from experience that if you don't stay right on top of things, weeks could go by before they get around to doing anything. Any suggestions would be appreciated..... and yes, I always thank my doctor's office for anything they do for me but I can't make the insurance company pay them for making phone calls. Leslie

Make an appointment and talk to your PCP face to face and not thru the nurse. Tell him how frustrated you have been thru this process and be sure he know all of it!

Lyn, thanks for the reply. If I go in to talk to my PCP, he will be happy since he will get paid for my inconvenience. I was going to go in anyway to get a new inhaler. I have a really strange form of asthma that only shows symptoms when I get a cough of any kind. The cough stays around sometimes for weeks. The inhaler doesn't seem to really get rid of it but it keeps everything open so the coughing isn't so hard. I would hate to have my surgery postponed because I am coughing so hard. ACK!! if it's not one thing, it's another! My hubby is going to fix our other car this weekend so I can go to the doctor next week. He has already taken off a lot of work to take me to Cedar Falls for testing etc. and for dropping me off and picking me up from the sleep studies. He wants to save some of his vacation time so that he can spend a week at home with me after the surgery. I really just need my PCP to do this last thing with the CPAP and then it should all be finished. Sigh........ Leslie

Hey Leslie, hang in there your getting closer!! It is your primary care providers responsibility to take care of your cpap. They should not make you feel like you are inconvincing them!! They made the referral, they should follow through and finish up what they are needed to do! Shelli

Leslie I am so sorry to hear what your going through but alls I can suggest is to do what your doing and stay on top of things even if they do get mad because if you don't then time will go by and its for your good not theres so don't feel bad when you keep calling them. I wish you the best. Lavonda

I finally got a call from my doctor's office saying that they were going to call the Health Care Company and tell them to get a hold of me for the CPAP machine rental. Now I'm a little confused as to whether they even got the results back from the hospital and whether they even need those to calibrate the CPAP machine. Does anyone know? I will going on Monday to get the machine. The man wanted me to "rent to own" but I told him that I didn't plan on using it more than a month if I could help it since I don't have symptoms of sleep apnea. He said I could just use it a month and give it back if I wanted. I was glad to hear that. Now if I could just get rid of this horrible cough or I won't even be able to use it yet. Does anyone have any experience with these machines? What do you wish you had known before you used it? When I did the sleep study with it, I couldn't talk at all with the mask on so I'm guessing that coughing is out of the question. I could really use some advice here. thanks everyone....Leslie

The doctor will probably send a perscription to the company or tell the company how the machine needs to be set. They have different pressures & I suspect yours will be pretty low since your problem isn't bad. That setting is determined by the sleep test results & the person *****ad it will decide on the setting. My insurance rented my machine by the month- don't know how much & they said if I needed it long enough it would be purchased. I kept it for as short of a time as possible! Be sure they give you one that includes a humidifier. The moist air is much easier to deal with. You'll be able to adjust it. Also try different masks & chose the one most comfortable. You can even get the ones that just go in your nostrils if a mask bothers you. Most of the machines "ramp up". In other words, when you turn it on the pressure is real low & it gradually goes up to the setting you require. By going up gradulally it is supposed to be easier to fall asleep with it. Can't remember about coughing, sorry. Dixie