Mom diagnos

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mariuca

New member
Joined
Jul 31, 2020
Messages
3
Reason
CALS
Diagnosis
04/2020
Country
MO
State
CH
City
chisinau
Hi everybody,

Thank yu so much for your help.

My mom was diagnose in April 2020 but I think she is in avanced stage.

We are from Molodova, a small country near Russia, it's the poorest of Europe.

on paper care are good but in fact it's really hard when you don't have much money to pay the Dr.

My mom arms are wik, she has trouble swalloing and is speech is bad.

She also have trouble breathing, specially at night or when excercice (move in the house). I think she need a respiratory help.

is it possible to buy in the US and send it to moldova with internet? How to know how to use the machine?


Thank you so much for your help
 
Yes, it is possible. I have helped others do this and set up the machine. I will send you a message so we can correspond by email.

Best
Laurie
 
Mariuca, you wrote you don't have much money to pay the doctor... before spending big
money for a machine here then shipped to you there... use that money to get care from a
doctor first. He/she may be able to help you get a machine there or from much closer Europe
for much less and sooner.
 
That is often not the case in other countries, Al -- I'm presuming she's already looked into that.
 
"...it's really hard when you don't have much money to pay the Dr" ?

It just seems wiser to spend money on a doctor first.

I'm sure a doctor there would be aware of sources to these 'machines' other
than the United States.

Europe doesn't have 'machines' as she refers to? Germany, France, the EU?

Hope something works out for her.
 
Yes, other countries have machines. They also have different export laws and prescription regulations. It is often easiest to go through the US even when other countries' inventories may be closer geographically.

Even when machines are available within a country, a hospital stay of thousands of [unreimbursed] dollars may be required to obtain a machine, and the choices very limited even then.

We are very fortunate essentially to have BiPAP machines available for the asking with an rx from any doctor, for those willing to pay with cash, which is often less than the copay would be given artificially high DME pricing. Most other nations do not have this capability in-country.
 
Here's thought... isn't Amazon world wide including Europe. Maybe she could check that.
We sell equipment here on this site. Not long ago wasn't there a BiPAP or a Trilogy for
sale here? Amazon does sell/lists both for sale. Apparently no RX needed.

Does she need a BiPAP or more fitting Trilogy... that's where I'd think would be decided
from a doctors consult. Maybe you Emailing her you can help determine that if she
wishes to bypass a doctors visit.

She wanted to use the internet here so she apparently has that avenue available there.

Again, hope something works out for her.

*Edit: Ooops. Unfortunately after some research Mariuca may not even be able to get a
machine here. Moldova has stiff incoming shipping restrictions...

In bound shipping Restrictions

Medicaments and other products used in medical treatment are subject to prior authorization
granted by the Ministry of Health (Pharmaceutical and Medical Equipment) or by the Ministry
of Agriculture and Food (Veterinary Service).

Maybe there's some way... but it looks like it is up to a doctor. Sad.
 
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Thank you for your anser. Thank you so much.

I explain little bit better the situation we have.

Moldova is a really small and really poor country. We are near Europe but politically we are not in EU. We need visa to travel everywhere. And it s not easy to have. And my mom is not able to travel also (cars and roads are bad and mom is too fragile for a travel.)

I have family in Italy and I firstly ask they if they can do something. but the Dr dont want to make a prescription without see my mom.

Here in Moldova theroricaly we have good doctor. But the problem is they don t care about us, they care about money. We have to wait such a long time to have an appointment. (for exemple my dad is dead from a heart attack because we call the ambulance and they come 2hours after... before that he has a leg chirurgy and they didnt put too much anestesic med because they want we pay more, I think is heart don't support well the shoke.)
Now for my mom it's take too long to have a diagnose and we have to pay so muche money to have an appointment with a neuro. Because here if we want good care we have to pay the official price of the appointment+ a tips for the Dr and nurse. It s like this for everything. And I m not sur they give a good machin (like an old communist one...) + we have to pay the machine too (no inssurance here)
so I think on the forum we can have help how to buy one by ourself or other solution.

I dont know wich kind of machine she need, maybe you can also help with the choose of the machine and also wich price are the machine.

Thank you thankyou so much

Mari
 
To Mari: Yes, I can help, email me. I sent you my email. [never mind, I see you did, and I responded].

To Al: Yup, importation restrictions can be a constraint but it often works out (note the terminology is "subject to prior authorization," so it's not a given), so always worth exploring the options. An individual parcel receives less scrutiny than inventory shipments.

And you're right, I always recommend "gently used" machines, for the cost factor.

Amazon doesn't sell BiPAPs, though, for the benefit of anyone reading, and most of the sites that claim to ship internationally are crooks. The site I recommend when machines are not available through individuals is Second Wind CPAP. They are reputable and ship internationally. I have used them myself. We did not use a DME for BiPAP.

Re BiPAP vs. Trilogy, remember Trilogy is essentially just a more portable BiPAP, unless someone ends up with a trach. Many people's lifestyles, especially in this pandemic, do not require going out at the stages at which I am consulted (and some people can make do with a portable CPAP with EPR for limited excursions), so I most often hook overseas PALS up with something cheaper than a Trilogy or Astral. The key features, depending on the person's needs (which we discuss in email) are a backup rate, synchronization capabilities like a flow trigger, and/or volume control.
 
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Laurie, I was just going by the numerous BiPAPS and Trilogy machines I saw posted
on their web site for sale. Maybe not Amazon itself but available to purchase.
Whatever...

Here's an note on shipping something to Moldova and their extreme medical
equipment shipping restrictions. (As she wrote, their medical complex is unique.)

(Customs does not normally open every parcel; these checks are rather random; however,
their frequency increases when the declared package value is over $100 USD. It is also more
likely that your parcel will be opened.)

Maybe one could sneak through.

What caught me off guard is that Moldova is predominately a Christian country.
Yet... so restrictive. ?
 
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Yup, Mari and I are working out a purchase, possibly through an Eastern European company so it's less likely to be restricted. It's also important to have recourse if the machine is defective.

As she says, Moldova is a bit different from the rest of Europe. But I have learned in helping PALS in different countries that ALS is treated very differently almost in each one.

It is unfortunate that we do not all have the same access to support.
 
Laurie, Have your pastor, priest, bishop, minister send it to her counter part there. Church to church.
 
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