Upgrade or Downgrade?

When I received my spinal cord injury in 1985, portable ventilators were not very common. Fortunately, two options existed at the time and my parents chose a model called the PLV-100 by

Respironics. It ran quieter than the other type and seemed to work well.

For the next couple decades, this is what I used to get every breathe. I had one vent on my chair and another by my bed equipped with a humidifier. In college, my original machines were replaced with new ones of the same model and the same company, completely covered by insurance.

When I received my diaphragm pacemaker in late 2010, I continued to use my green box while I transitioned to the new system and kept them available for backup. They remained close by at all times, until last month.

With the beginning of the year, my insurance decided it would be like Medicaid and start renting vents instead of paying for them. Even though my machines were purchased around 2002, my equipment provider started receiving rental checks for both machines every month. This increased monthly maintenance fees by a factor of 12 and meant I had to update to newer models, even if I

New vent alongside suction machine

didn't want to change.

Therefore, I have now have two new vents still by Respironics, but this time a Trilogy. The large green machines are now smaller and blue, but also much noisier when operating. In talking with my respiratory therapist that does regular maintenance checks, the new machines are also not as reliable as the old.

Fortunately, it has been a few years since I have used a traditional vent for any length of time. If I did have to go back on it, this system should also be able to go on the back of my chair if needed. I wouldn't be able to make people hear me, but I would be breathing at least.

Some days in the quad life make me wonder if people who make these machines actually know someone who uses them or just looks at statistics and cost. In any case, I'm thankful that this technology exists and has worked well for so many years. I was told that some of the old vents are being taken for use in third world countries, so they will get used by people that need them. We'll see what another week will bring.