Emily will be getting a (HillRom) vest... what to expect?

hmw · Jan 7, 2009

Emily had her clinic appt. yesterday and the pulmonary dr. wants her to start using a vest. She showed us what they looked like and fitted her for one but I would like to know what to expect... how difficult are they, typically, to get used to? (I know all kids are different but some heads up would be greatly appreciated!) Very important for me as she is sensitive to sound- how loud are they?

She has sensory integration disorder but really benefits from deep pressure; they thinks this might work in Emily's favor when it comes to getting used to it since it is tight... I hope she is right.

Does the vest seem to be pretty much the 'standard', most effective, treatment for kids now?

Oh- and how often does insurance resist covering them? The pulmonary dr. told me they run about $17K!! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> (OK, we paid less than that for our 'good' car.)

I will check out the search function and see what I can pull up as well.

hmw · Jan 7, 2009

Emily had her clinic appt. yesterday and the pulmonary dr. wants her to start using a vest. She showed us what they looked like and fitted her for one but I would like to know what to expect... how difficult are they, typically, to get used to? (I know all kids are different but some heads up would be greatly appreciated!) Very important for me as she is sensitive to sound- how loud are they?

She has sensory integration disorder but really benefits from deep pressure; they thinks this might work in Emily's favor when it comes to getting used to it since it is tight... I hope she is right.

Does the vest seem to be pretty much the 'standard', most effective, treatment for kids now?

Oh- and how often does insurance resist covering them? The pulmonary dr. told me they run about $17K!! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> (OK, we paid less than that for our 'good' car.)

I will check out the search function and see what I can pull up as well.

hmw · Jan 7, 2009

Emily had her clinic appt. yesterday and the pulmonary dr. wants her to start using a vest. She showed us what they looked like and fitted her for one but I would like to know what to expect... how difficult are they, typically, to get used to? (I know all kids are different but some heads up would be greatly appreciated!) Very important for me as she is sensitive to sound- how loud are they?

She has sensory integration disorder but really benefits from deep pressure; they thinks this might work in Emily's favor when it comes to getting used to it since it is tight... I hope she is right.

Does the vest seem to be pretty much the 'standard', most effective, treatment for kids now?

Oh- and how often does insurance resist covering them? The pulmonary dr. told me they run about $17K!! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> (OK, we paid less than that for our 'good' car.)

I will check out the search function and see what I can pull up as well.

hmw · Jan 7, 2009

Emily had her clinic appt. yesterday and the pulmonary dr. wants her to start using a vest. She showed us what they looked like and fitted her for one but I would like to know what to expect... how difficult are they, typically, to get used to? (I know all kids are different but some heads up would be greatly appreciated!) Very important for me as she is sensitive to sound- how loud are they?

She has sensory integration disorder but really benefits from deep pressure; they thinks this might work in Emily's favor when it comes to getting used to it since it is tight... I hope she is right.

Does the vest seem to be pretty much the 'standard', most effective, treatment for kids now?

Oh- and how often does insurance resist covering them? The pulmonary dr. told me they run about $17K!! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> (OK, we paid less than that for our 'good' car.)

I will check out the search function and see what I can pull up as well.

hmw · Jan 7, 2009

Emily had her clinic appt. yesterday and the pulmonary dr. wants her to start using a vest. She showed us what they looked like and fitted her for one but I would like to know what to expect... how difficult are they, typically, to get used to? (I know all kids are different but some heads up would be greatly appreciated!) Very important for me as she is sensitive to sound- how loud are they?
 
 She has sensory integration disorder but really benefits from deep pressure; they thinks this might work in Emily's favor when it comes to getting used to it since it is tight... I hope she is right.
 
 Does the vest seem to be pretty much the 'standard', most effective, treatment for kids now?
 
 Oh- and how often does insurance resist covering them? The pulmonary dr. told me they run about $17K!! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> (OK, we paid less than that for our 'good' car.)
 
 I will check out the search function and see what I can pull up as well.

JazzysMom · Jan 7, 2009

Emily will be getting a vest... what to expect?

I, personally, prefer manual clapping, but for independence its great. I didnt have the vest as a kid (since I am in the "older" group) so I dont know how I would react.

It can be loud depending on how sensitive I guess. I have the hillrom & that sounds like a helicopter taking off. The higher the frequencies (tighter the vest & faster the shaking) the higher pitched it sounds.

I dont know if the other versions of vests have the similiar sound.

Insurances vary. Often its a struggle (as with many things that are "not the norm in healthcare since we are *different*"), but not impossible. My understanding is that all the companies that offer the vest are great at working with insurances &/or making arrangements accordingly with the patients.

One thing that might bother her is "itching" of the skin. Some people it bothers & some it doesnt. For me its only occaisionally.....so "layers" of clothing is best to minimize this, but thats not a guarantee.

Another thing also is that the recommended settings are always best for each & every CFer. I had to sit down & play with my settings with my therapist to find what worked best for me. I couldnt tolerate as high as they wanted me to use.....

Good Luck!

JazzysMom · Jan 7, 2009

Emily will be getting a vest... what to expect?

I, personally, prefer manual clapping, but for independence its great. I didnt have the vest as a kid (since I am in the "older" group) so I dont know how I would react.

It can be loud depending on how sensitive I guess. I have the hillrom & that sounds like a helicopter taking off. The higher the frequencies (tighter the vest & faster the shaking) the higher pitched it sounds.

I dont know if the other versions of vests have the similiar sound.

Insurances vary. Often its a struggle (as with many things that are "not the norm in healthcare since we are *different*"), but not impossible. My understanding is that all the companies that offer the vest are great at working with insurances &/or making arrangements accordingly with the patients.

One thing that might bother her is "itching" of the skin. Some people it bothers & some it doesnt. For me its only occaisionally.....so "layers" of clothing is best to minimize this, but thats not a guarantee.

Another thing also is that the recommended settings are always best for each & every CFer. I had to sit down & play with my settings with my therapist to find what worked best for me. I couldnt tolerate as high as they wanted me to use.....

Good Luck!

JazzysMom · Jan 7, 2009

Emily will be getting a vest... what to expect?

I, personally, prefer manual clapping, but for independence its great. I didnt have the vest as a kid (since I am in the "older" group) so I dont know how I would react.

It can be loud depending on how sensitive I guess. I have the hillrom & that sounds like a helicopter taking off. The higher the frequencies (tighter the vest & faster the shaking) the higher pitched it sounds.

I dont know if the other versions of vests have the similiar sound.

Insurances vary. Often its a struggle (as with many things that are "not the norm in healthcare since we are *different*"), but not impossible. My understanding is that all the companies that offer the vest are great at working with insurances &/or making arrangements accordingly with the patients.

One thing that might bother her is "itching" of the skin. Some people it bothers & some it doesnt. For me its only occaisionally.....so "layers" of clothing is best to minimize this, but thats not a guarantee.

Another thing also is that the recommended settings are always best for each & every CFer. I had to sit down & play with my settings with my therapist to find what worked best for me. I couldnt tolerate as high as they wanted me to use.....

Good Luck!

JazzysMom · Jan 7, 2009

Emily will be getting a vest... what to expect?

I, personally, prefer manual clapping, but for independence its great. I didnt have the vest as a kid (since I am in the "older" group) so I dont know how I would react.

It can be loud depending on how sensitive I guess. I have the hillrom & that sounds like a helicopter taking off. The higher the frequencies (tighter the vest & faster the shaking) the higher pitched it sounds.

I dont know if the other versions of vests have the similiar sound.

Insurances vary. Often its a struggle (as with many things that are "not the norm in healthcare since we are *different*"), but not impossible. My understanding is that all the companies that offer the vest are great at working with insurances &/or making arrangements accordingly with the patients.

One thing that might bother her is "itching" of the skin. Some people it bothers & some it doesnt. For me its only occaisionally.....so "layers" of clothing is best to minimize this, but thats not a guarantee.

Another thing also is that the recommended settings are always best for each & every CFer. I had to sit down & play with my settings with my therapist to find what worked best for me. I couldnt tolerate as high as they wanted me to use.....

Good Luck!

JazzysMom · Jan 7, 2009

Emily will be getting a vest... what to expect?

I, personally, prefer manual clapping, but for independence its great. I didnt have the vest as a kid (since I am in the "older" group) so I dont know how I would react.
 
 It can be loud depending on how sensitive I guess. I have the hillrom & that sounds like a helicopter taking off. The higher the frequencies (tighter the vest & faster the shaking) the higher pitched it sounds.
 
 I dont know if the other versions of vests have the similiar sound.
 
 Insurances vary. Often its a struggle (as with many things that are "not the norm in healthcare since we are *different*"), but not impossible. My understanding is that all the companies that offer the vest are great at working with insurances &/or making arrangements accordingly with the patients.
 
 One thing that might bother her is "itching" of the skin. Some people it bothers & some it doesnt. For me its only occaisionally.....so "layers" of clothing is best to minimize this, but thats not a guarantee.
 
 Another thing also is that the recommended settings are always best for each & every CFer. I had to sit down & play with my settings with my therapist to find what worked best for me. I couldnt tolerate as high as they wanted me to use.....
 
 Good Luck!

Ratatosk · Jan 7, 2009

Emily will be getting a vest... what to expect?

DS got his when he was 3. He liked how his voice sounded funny when he sang when he first tried it.

He didn't like being "tied down" at first. We started off with the vest in our room and let him watch dvds. Sometimes he couldn't hear very well and other times he wanted to get up and play. Last year when we got an Xbox and moved his vest to the family room, he started ASKING for extra treatments. We only do xbox during his vest.

It is loud -- helicopter sums it up. He doesn't complain much about the itching, but if we're snuggling him while he's vesting it does make me want to scratch my skin like
crazy.

As far as insurance. We thought we'd have to come up with 20% as per our BCBS contract for medical equipment and had been saving since DS' birth. We ended up with a hill-rom vest. I think it was initially denied -- which we expected based on conversations with the customer service rep. We answered more questions and all but $500 was approved. I know another family who has the same insurance, but they did some sort of lease to buy, someone else had the costs covered by insurance spread out over two years -- they paid part of the cost each year.

Ratatosk · Jan 7, 2009

Emily will be getting a vest... what to expect?

DS got his when he was 3. He liked how his voice sounded funny when he sang when he first tried it.

He didn't like being "tied down" at first. We started off with the vest in our room and let him watch dvds. Sometimes he couldn't hear very well and other times he wanted to get up and play. Last year when we got an Xbox and moved his vest to the family room, he started ASKING for extra treatments. We only do xbox during his vest.

It is loud -- helicopter sums it up. He doesn't complain much about the itching, but if we're snuggling him while he's vesting it does make me want to scratch my skin like
crazy.

As far as insurance. We thought we'd have to come up with 20% as per our BCBS contract for medical equipment and had been saving since DS' birth. We ended up with a hill-rom vest. I think it was initially denied -- which we expected based on conversations with the customer service rep. We answered more questions and all but $500 was approved. I know another family who has the same insurance, but they did some sort of lease to buy, someone else had the costs covered by insurance spread out over two years -- they paid part of the cost each year.

Ratatosk · Jan 7, 2009

Emily will be getting a vest... what to expect?

DS got his when he was 3. He liked how his voice sounded funny when he sang when he first tried it.

He didn't like being "tied down" at first. We started off with the vest in our room and let him watch dvds. Sometimes he couldn't hear very well and other times he wanted to get up and play. Last year when we got an Xbox and moved his vest to the family room, he started ASKING for extra treatments. We only do xbox during his vest.

It is loud -- helicopter sums it up. He doesn't complain much about the itching, but if we're snuggling him while he's vesting it does make me want to scratch my skin like
crazy.

As far as insurance. We thought we'd have to come up with 20% as per our BCBS contract for medical equipment and had been saving since DS' birth. We ended up with a hill-rom vest. I think it was initially denied -- which we expected based on conversations with the customer service rep. We answered more questions and all but $500 was approved. I know another family who has the same insurance, but they did some sort of lease to buy, someone else had the costs covered by insurance spread out over two years -- they paid part of the cost each year.

Ratatosk · Jan 7, 2009

Emily will be getting a vest... what to expect?

DS got his when he was 3. He liked how his voice sounded funny when he sang when he first tried it.

He didn't like being "tied down" at first. We started off with the vest in our room and let him watch dvds. Sometimes he couldn't hear very well and other times he wanted to get up and play. Last year when we got an Xbox and moved his vest to the family room, he started ASKING for extra treatments. We only do xbox during his vest.

It is loud -- helicopter sums it up. He doesn't complain much about the itching, but if we're snuggling him while he's vesting it does make me want to scratch my skin like
crazy.

As far as insurance. We thought we'd have to come up with 20% as per our BCBS contract for medical equipment and had been saving since DS' birth. We ended up with a hill-rom vest. I think it was initially denied -- which we expected based on conversations with the customer service rep. We answered more questions and all but $500 was approved. I know another family who has the same insurance, but they did some sort of lease to buy, someone else had the costs covered by insurance spread out over two years -- they paid part of the cost each year.

Ratatosk · Jan 7, 2009

Emily will be getting a vest... what to expect?

DS got his when he was 3. He liked how his voice sounded funny when he sang when he first tried it.
 
 He didn't like being "tied down" at first. We started off with the vest in our room and let him watch dvds. Sometimes he couldn't hear very well and other times he wanted to get up and play. Last year when we got an Xbox and moved his vest to the family room, he started ASKING for extra treatments. We only do xbox during his vest.
 
 It is loud -- helicopter sums it up. He doesn't complain much about the itching, but if we're snuggling him while he's vesting it does make me want to scratch my skin like
 crazy.
 
 As far as insurance. We thought we'd have to come up with 20% as per our BCBS contract for medical equipment and had been saving since DS' birth. We ended up with a hill-rom vest. I think it was initially denied -- which we expected based on conversations with the customer service rep. We answered more questions and all but $500 was approved. I know another family who has the same insurance, but they did some sort of lease to buy, someone else had the costs covered by insurance spread out over two years -- they paid part of the cost each year.

beccasmom · Jan 7, 2009