Description of Event or Problem · 0
I HAVE WRITTEN A MUCH MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF MY PROBLEMS, BUT IT IS WAY TOO LONG FOR THIS SPACE. I AM HAPPY TO ATTACH IT OR EMAIL IT IF REQUESTED. BASICALLY, I HAVE AN INSPIRE IMPLANT THAT SEEMS TO HAVE STOPPED WORKING AFTER ABOUT 6 MONTHS OF USE. FOR 9 MONTHS NOW I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET IT REPAIRED/FUNCTIONING. EVERY TIME I SEE MY PHYSICIAN AND THE INSPIRE REPRESENTATIVE, THEY SUGGEST THAT I AM SOMEHOW TO BLAME FOR THE LACK OF FUNCTION. I HONESTLY DO NOT THINK THE INSPIRE REPRESENTATIVE SHOULD HAVE ANY INPUT ON MY TREATMENT AS THEY ARE NOT MD'S. HERE IS MY INSPIRE IMPLANT STORY. I WAS IMPLANTED IN (B)(6) 2023. SURGERY WENT VERY SMOOTH (TO BE FAIR, I HEAL LIKE WOLVERINE). IT TOOK TWO MONTHS TO GET AN APPOINTMENT TO GET IT ACTIVATED. PART OF THE DELAY WAS TO HEAL, ONE MONTH, BUT IT TOOK ANOTHER MONTH TO GET AN APPOINTMENT WITH A NEW PHYSICIAN AS THE SURGEON (IN MY CASE, DOES NOT MANAGE THE DEVICE). MY NEW PHYSICIAN WAS GREAT; HE WAS EXCITED ABOUT TWEAKING THE DEVICE AND GETTING IT GOING RIGHT. THIS WAS ESPECIALLY SO AS I AM VERY FAR FROM OBESE AND THAT GAVE HIM CURIOSITY. WITHIN SIX WEEKS WE FELT LIKE WE HAD IT TITRATED CORRECTLY. FROM THAT POINT UNTIL (B)(6) 2024 (ABOUT 6 MONTHS) THE DEVICE SEEMED TO WORK FLAWLESSLY. THEN ONE DAY I WOKE UP AND DID NOT REALIZE IT WAS ON. NOW, THIS WAS STRANGE AS IT IS OBVIOUS WHEN IT IS ON, IT PUSHES MY TONGUE FORWARD ALL THE WAY TO MY FRONT TEETH. MORESO, I NEED TO SHUT IT OFF TO TALK OR DRINK WATER. I CONTINUED TO USE IT, BUT IT DID NOT SEEM TO WORK. IT FELT LIKE IT WAS PUSHING THE BACK OF MY TONGUE OUT TOWARD THE EDGES OF THROAT AND NOT FORWARD AS BEFORE. I TRIED TO GET AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY PHYSICIAN BUT HE HAD A FIVE-WEEK BACKLOG AND I WAS SCHEDULED TO MOVE IN FOUR WEEKS. I THEN MOVED TO (B)(6) (I WAS IN (B)(6)). I KEPT TURNING THE DEVICE ON, EVERY NIGHT, BUT WHEN I WOULD WAKE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, THE DEVICE WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT PUSHING MY TONGUE. MANY TIMES, I WOULD WAKE UP AND WALK INTO THE KITCHEN BEFORE REALIZING IT WAS ACTUALLY STILL ON. AT THIS POINT I WAS ON LEVEL SEVEN ON THE DEVICE. I CONTACTED INSPIRE¿S CUSTOMER SERVICE TO FIND A PHYSICIAN NEAR MY NEW HOME. THEY DIRECTED ME TO DR. (B)(6). I CALLED THE CLINIC AND WAS TOLD I COULD NOT MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITHOUT A REFERRAL. I EXPLAINED THAT THIS WAS NOT NECESSARY AS I HAVE A VERY HIGH (B)(6) HEALTH INSURANCE POLICY. SHE INSISTED I NEEDED A REFERRAL FROM MY PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN. I EXPLAINED THAT I HAD AN INSPIRE DEVICE IN MY CHEST, THAT I WAS NOT SELF-DIAGNOSING AND THAT I WAS NEW IN TOWN AND DID NOT HAVE A PCP. NO MATTER, SHE WOULD NOT MAKE ME AN APPOINTMENT. I FOUND A PCP, WHO INCIDENTALLY IS A GREAT PHYSICIAN. I GOT THE REFERRAL AS WAS TOLD DR. (B)(6) CLINIC WOULD CALL ME TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT. LET ME STATE HERE THAT I AM AN AGGRESSIVE SELF-ADVOCATE WHEN IT COMES TO MY HEALTHCARE. SO, WHEN THEY DID NOT CONTACT ME, I CALLED THEM. AGAIN, A VERY SUBSTANDARD INTERACTION OCCURRED. THE REPRESENTATIVE EXPLAINED TO ME THAT IT WAS PAST THE FIRST WEEK OF THE MONTH. THEY WOULD NEED TO CALL ME THE FOLLOWING MONTH, AND IT WOULD LIKELY BE A MONTH AFTER THAT BEFORE I GOT AN APPOINTMENT. THE NEXT MONTH I RECEIVED AN APPOINTMENT FOR ABOUT A MONTH INTO THE FUTURE. ON THE DAY I ARRIVED FOR MY APPOINTMENT, I WAS BROUGHT BACK INTO THE EXAMINATION AREA IN ABOUT 40 MINUTES. WHEN THE NURSE WAS CHECKING MY VITAL SIGNS, SHE MEASURED MY NECK. I ASKED WHY SHE DID THIS AND SHE SAID, ¿WELL IF THE CIRCUMFERENCE IS GREATER THAN 18 INCHES, IT COULD BE A SIGN OF SLEEP APNEA. I TOLD HER, WELL THAT¿S SILLY, I HAVE SLEEP APNEA, I HAVE AN IMPLANT IN MY BODY THAT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE WORKING. SHE LEFT THE ROOM AND RETURNED TO EXPLAIN THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO FOR ME THAT DAY AS THERE WAS NO INSPIRE REPRESENTATIVE PRESENT. I LEFT, VOWING NOT TO RETURN. I CALLED THE INSPIRE CUSTOMER SERVICE ONCE AGAIN. THEY RECOMMENDED A PHYSICIAN ALSO NAMED (B)(6), IN THE (B)(6) AREA. FOR REFERENCE, THIS IS ABOUT AN HOUR DRIVE FOR ME. I GOT AN APPOINTMENT AND SAW A NURSE PRACTITIONER (INDECENTLY I DON¿T THINK THEY SHOULD CHARGE ME THE CO-PAY FOR A SPECIALIST AND HAVE ME BE SEEN BY A NP). THERE WAS AN INSPIRE REPRESENTATIVE THERE AND SHE RESET THE DEVICE AND TESTED IT AND CLAIMED IT TO BE WORKING FINE. SHE ALSO ADJUSTED THE BASELINE STRENGTH. ENDS UP SHE PUT IT AT A LEVEL WAY TOO HIGH; I COULD NOT USE IT AT ALL, IT WOKE ME AND EVEN HURT DUE TO THE EXTREME STRENGTH. A MONTH LATER I HAD ANOTHER APPOINTMENT WITH DR. (B)(6). THIS TIME I SAW THE PHYSICIAN. THERE WAS AN INSPIRE REPRESENTATIVE THERE WHO WAS VERY NICE AND THOUGHTFUL. HOWEVER, HE WAS UNABLE TO GET MY DEVICE TO COMMUNICATE WITH HIS EQUIPMENT. AFTER SOME CALLS TO HIS TROUBLESHOOTING DEPARTMENT, THEY MANAGED TO GET IT TO CONNECT. THEY THEN RESET THE DEVICE AND CLAIMED IT WORKING JUST FINE. THE RESET IT TO A MUCH LOWER BASELINE AND SENT ME ALONG. WHEN I USED IT, I BEGAN TO GO UP IN STRENGTH (NO MORE THAN ONE LEVEL PER WEEK) AND I GOT TO A RELATIVELY STRONG LEVEL BASED ON HOW HARD IT PUSHED MY TONGUE ON THE INITIAL ACTIVATION. HOWEVER, WHEN I WOULD WAKE IN THE NIGHT WHICH I DO FREQUENTLY, I COULD BARELY NOTICE THAT IT WAS ACTIVATED. NOW, I ALREADY UNDERSTOOD THAT NEITHER THE PHYSICIAN NOR THE INSPIRE REPRESENTATIVE THOUGHT THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE DEVICE. EVEN THOUGH I COULD POINT TO A TIMEFRAME AS TO WHEN IT SEEMED TO STOP WORKING. SO, I GRABBED MY PHONE AND TOOK VIDEO SHOWING THE DEVICE ON, AND THE LEVEL AT WHICH IT WAS AND THEN POINTED THE CAMERA AT MY TONGUE WHICH WAS CLEARLY NOT MOVING. ABOUT A MONTH LATER I HAD ANOTHER APPOINTMENT WITH DR. (B)(6) AND THE INSPIRE REPRESENTATIVE. I SHOWED DR. (B)(6) THE VIDEO BUT THE INSPIRE REPRESENTATIVE HAD NO INTEREST IN IT. THEY RESET THE DEVICE YET AGAIN AND TESTED IT. DR. (B)(6) TOLD ME TO KEEP IT AT THE LEVEL 2 ON THE DEVICE. DR. (B)(6) ALSO SET UP AN AT-HOME SLEEP STUDY. DR. (B)(6) ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT I SEE A DR. (B)(6) AND THEY MADE ME AN APPOINTMENT FOR THIS, AGAIN A MONTH INTO THE FUTURE. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE (B)(6) I WAS INITIALLY SEEN BY A NP (I¿VE ALREADY EXPLAINED THE INJUSTICE THERE). SO, I ASKED TO SEE THE SURGEON, I SAID, I HAVE A PHYSICIAN ALREADY, HE SENT ME TO SEE THE SURGEON. I WAS THEN SEEN BY DR. (B)(6). HE EXPLAINED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO FOR ME AT THE TIME AS THERE WAS NOT AN INSPIRE REPRESENTATIVE PRESENT. HE RECOMMENDED A WAKING ENDOSCOPY AS A FIRST STEP OF TROUBLESHOOTING. HE EXPLAINED HIS STAFF WOULD SCHEDULE IT FOR ME. WHEN THE STAFF CONTACTED THE INSPIRE REPRESENTATIVE, SHE TOLD THE NURSE I NEEDED TO RETURN TO DR. (B)(6) AS THAT WAS MORE CONVENIENT FOR HER. AS THIS CALL WAS ON SPEAKERPHONE AND I AM PRETTY MUCH AT MY END WITH ALL OF THIS, I GRUFFLY TOLD HER THAT DR. (B)(6) SENT ME TO DR. (B)(6), IT WAS NOT MY CHOICE NOR HER¿S. DR. (B)(6) OFFICE TOLD ME THEY WOULD CONTACT ME ONCE THEY HAD A DATE FOR THE PROCEDURE. AFTER A WEEK, I BEGAN TO CALL DR. (B)(6) OFFICE. I EITHER RECEIVED NO ANSWER OR A VOICEMAIL SERVICE. OF THE MESSAGES I LEFT, NONE WERE RETURNED. I THEN CALLED ONE TIME AND RECEIVED AN AUTOMATED TEXT MESSAGE EXPLAINING I COULD EXPRESS MY CONCERNS THROUGH THE TEXTS. I DID SO. I THEN RECEIVED A CALL FROM DR. (B)(6) OFFICE. THEY TOLD ME I NEEDED TO GO SEE DR. (B)(6) (NOT HIS NAME BUT I DON¿T RECALL THE NAME SHE GAVE ME). THE REASON I DIDN¿T RECALL THE NAME IS BECAUSE I DID NOT SEE A DOCTOR BY THAT NAME. I EXPLAINED THAT MY DOCTOR¿S NAME IS (B)(6). DR. (B)(6) REPRESENTATIVE SAID THIS OTHER DOCTOR IS LIKELY IN DR. (B)(6) OFFICE. I CALLED DR. (B)(6) OFFICE AN GOT AN APPOINTMENT TO DO A HOME SLEEP STUDY AND A FOLLOW UP FOR RESULTS, 3 WEEKS AND 6 WEEKS INTO THE FUTURE RESPECTIVELY. AT THIS POINT, (B)(6) 2025, I¿VE BEEN 8 MONTHS WITHOUT A WORKING DEVICE. I CALLED INSPIRE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND EXPLAINED MY IMMENSE DISPLEASURE. I ALSO CALLED (B)(6) AS I THINK (B)(6) SHOULD APPROACH INSPIRE FOR A REFUND AS THE DEVICE IS NOT WORKING AND NOT MUCH CARE HAS BEEN GIVEN TO FIXING IT. AFTER (B)(6) CONTACTED INSPIRE, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM AN INSPIRE REPRESENTATIVE NAMED (B)(6). (B)(6) WAS PROFESSIONAL, BUT NOT AMIABLE. I EXPLAINED TO HIM ALL THAT I HAVE WRITTEN ABOVE. I FURTHER EXPLAINED I SHOULD BE COMPENSATED FOR MY TIME AND EXPENSES FOR TRAVELING TO (B)(6) SO MANY TIMES. HE ASKED IF I COULD AFFORD TO DO THE TRAVELING, I EXPLAINED I WAS FINANCIALLY STRONG BUT THAT WAS NOT THE POINT. THE POINT IS THE INJUSTICE OF IT. I ALSO EXPLAINED THAT I DID NOT TO TRAVEL TO (B)(6) ANYMORE. I WAS FINE WITH IT WHEN I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE TWO OR THREE VISITS, MAXIMUM. HE SAID HE WOULD TALK TO THE REPRESENTATIVES AND FIND A PHYSICIAN IN (B)(6). WHEN HE GOT BACK TO ME, HIS ONLY RECOMMENDATION WAS THE DR. (B)(6) THAT I HAD ALREADY TRIED TO SEE IN (B)(6). HE ALSO EXPLAINED THAT THE INSPIRE REPRESENTATIVE DID NOT RECOMMEND THAT I GET A WAKING ENDOSCOPY SO WE WOULD NOT BE PERUSING THAT. PLEASE NOTE I DID NOT RECEIVE THIS INFORMATION FROM ANY PHYSICIAN. IN FACT, IT WAS THE LAST THING RECOMMENDED FOR ME. I TOLD (B)(6) THAT I WOULD CALL AND TRY AGAIN, THAT MAYBE SOMETHING HAS CHANGED AT THE CLINIC AS IT HAS NOW BEEN EIGHT MONTHS SINCE I FIRST TRIED. I CALLED THE NUMBER (B)(6) GAVE ME SEVERAL TIMES OVER AN HOUR OR SO AND IT WAS NEVER ANSWERED. I EMAILED (B)(6) AND ASKED FOR ANY NEW IDEAS. HE PROVIDED ME A DIFFERENT NUMBER FOR DR. (B)(6). THIS NUMBER WORKED AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE OFFICE IN (B)(6). PLEASE NOTE, I HAD PREVIOUSLY TOLD (B)(6) THAT I WAS WILLING TO TRAVEL TO (B)(6) AND HE TOLD ME THERE WERE NO INSPIRE PHYSICIANS THERE. THE APPOINTMENT I RECEIVED IS FOR (B)(6) OF THIS YEAR. I WANT TO MENTION THAT NO ONE (EXPECT DR. (B)(6)) HAS BEEN WILLING TO EVEN CONSIDER THAT THE DEVICE MIGHT BE DEFECTIVE, ONLY THAT IT IS NOT TITRATED CORRECTLY. I TOLD (B)(6) THAT UNTIL SOMEONE IS WILLING TO CONSIDER THAT IT MIGHT BE DEFECTIVE, THE PROBLEM IS LIKELY NOT TO BE SOLVED. AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE LENGTH OF THE LETTER, I HAVE GONE TO GREAT LENGTHS TO TRY TO GET THIS DEVICE WORKING THE WAY IT WAS PRIOR TO (B)(6) 2024. HONESTLY, I AM AT MY END. I WILL GO TO MY (B)(6) APPOINTMENT AND I¿LL LISTEN TO WHAT DR. (B)(6) HAS TO SAY BUT IF IT IS MORE OF WHAT I HAVE PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED AND AN ENTIRE MONTH BEFORE A FOLLOW UP APPOINTMENT, I AM GOING TO PURSUE OTHER CORRECTIVE MEASURES AND I WILL GO AFTER INSPIRE FOR ALL OF MY DISTRESSES DURING THIS SAGA.