Sierra

About the only way to reduce the effects of apnea and possibly get off the PAP solution is weight loss if that is an issue. Males with a neck size greater than 17" and females with a neck size greater than 16" are at high risk for apnea. In many cases significant weight loss would bring that down. But, then there are others that are not overweight and still have apnea issues. Those tend to be more likely to suffer from central apnea, which is a different kettle of fish...

Interesting. Perhaps Canada is the new North Korea! It may be a broadcasting rights issue. I watched it last night, and it is interesting but not something to get real excited about. I think there may be some what of a continuation next week, and there was some mention of it being available as a podcast, which I think is a section of the show. I don't see it now, but will watch for it. However it may be limited to Canada too...

Yes, you need the machine, and the basic package should include SlimLine tubing, the power supply, the humidifier which is built in, the SD Card, one filter, and a travel case. Some places will put together a few more things in a package, such as extra filters, the heated ClimateLine hose, and sometimes a choice of a mask from a limited selection. These can be a good deal when you add it up. Even if you have to buy it as an option I would recommend the ClimateLine hose. It does add to the comfort factor, and makes it easier to get the humidifier setting right. Some like to add in the SoClean machine and I think that is a bit of a scam and not worth it. Distilled water you can get from places like Walmart etc.

On the prescription I doubt that anyone would prescribe any specific mask, and you wouldn't want them to. I would think just a prescription to use a CPAP is all you need. Perhaps call a vendor you are considering using to ask what they want for a prescription. I suspect what that site means by saying they need a prescription to buy a mask, is that they are making the point that you need a prescription for a CPAP to get a replacement mask. It seems to be a goofy US rule. It is not a requirement in Canada. You should not have to get a prescription for each mask you buy. Perhaps if you can get as bonjour suggests just a prescription for the APAP and mask of choice you will be good to go.

On the mask, if you just have to pick one without trying it ahead of time, I would pick the ResMed Swift FX nasal pillow, or the ResMed AirFit P10 nasal pillow. They are two of the lower priced masks and typically get good reviews for comfort. The head straps on the P10 are somewhat flimsy and are not that durable, and can have issues with keeping the mask in place. The P10 has a very quiet exhaust port though. The headgear on the Swift FX is more substantial and I suspect will last longer without replacement. The Swift FX exhaust port is not as good as the P10 but it can be worked around. I've used the P10 for about 9 months now, and have just replaced it with the Swift FX. For either one if you are just buying them on line make sure you get the fit pack version. It includes three sizes of nasal pillow inserts.

They both come in standard and For Her versions. I would buy the standard if you are male, and the For Her if you are female. In both versions the nasal pillow inserts for the standard version are small, medium, and Large. In the For Her version they are extra small, small, and medium. The headgear on the Swift FX For Her is a bit smaller than on the standard. On the P10 I believe the headgear size is the same on them both. It is very elastic, and part of the reason why it is kind of flimsy.

Hope that helps some,

I have not experienced the neck pain issue you describe, although I do use a chin strap (BreatheWear Halo). I am somewhat familiar with the equipment you have as my wife has the S9. I have the AirSense 10 version. I have tried the F20 mask with the silicone cushion, but could not get it to stop leaking, and gave up on it.

I am curious what pressure you are using and how you ended up using a full face style? Just wondering if you could use a nasal pillow type. Also there is new style of full face but minimal contact masks out now. ResMed just released one called the F30. Very similar to the DreamWear Full Face. Also wondering if a switch in mask type could let you stop using the chin strap...

The one good thing about getting a good machine like the ResMed For Her is that you essentially get a basic sleep study done every night you use it. The machine will easily detect central and obstructive apneas, RERAs, and Hypopneas, as well as snoring and flow limitation. It is all there to see with SleepyHead. It is a significant price to pay, but it may be cheaper than another study.

Welcome to the forum. If you start a new thread with the concerns you have about your pressure possibly being too high with your weight loss, that would be a better place to discuss it. As BUG suggests, post with your exact machine manufacturer and model, and as much as you know about the current pressure settings.

In this really long thread things tend to get lost....

All this Sci-Fi discussion reminded me that it is claimed sleep apnea was a factor in the death of Carrie Fisher. William Schatner is also said to be suffering from sleep apnea. Must run in the Sci-Fi family...

That said I am just a little skeptical of the coroner's report on the cause of death for Fisher. A quote:

"a more detailed analysis of Fisher’s death revealed the presence of multiple substances in her system at the time of death: cocaine, opiates, methadone, alcohol, and ecstasy. Ultimately, however, the cause of death was listed as “sleep apnea with other conditions: atherosclerotic heart disease, drug use.”"

Seems to me that blaming it on sleep apnea is stretching it a bit, especially considering that Fisher was not even diagnosed to have it. Not sure how one could diagnose a dead person with sleep apnea. I just don't buy it, and smell a little coverup going on. Seems to me that there are much more obvious causes...

The American Sleep Apnea Association even commented on it. Link here.

I did a quick check at CPAP.com and it appears the For Her headgear for the Swift FX does have a shorter backstrap. The silicone top strap is the same. A quote from the site:

"The elastic backstrap used with the Swift FX measures 16.5 inches long not counting the length of the tabs. This is 1.5 inches longer than the backstrap for the Swift FX For Her which is 15 inches long without including the tabs. The tabs add 2.5 inches to the overall length of the elastic backstrap. The width of the backstrap is 3/4 inches for both. The silicone portions of the headgear are the same for the Swift FX and the Swift FX for Her."

You will be happy to know I bought the blue version of the Swift FX. Actually for me the size was about right! The one difference for sure in the regular Blue version and the Pink For Her version are the mask inserts provided as part of the fit pack. The Blue version includes a small, medium, and large insert. The For Her version includes an extra small, small, and medium. I pretty much knew from my P10 that I needed the large insert, so the Pink one was not really a choice...

"Interesting, for "Obstructive Hypopnea" and "Central Hypopnea" they had 0 for both. Mine were unclassified at 13. If it isn't central or obstructive, what the heck else is there? I would guess something like neurological, but they also noted that there were no PLMS (Period Limb Movements of Sleep)."

I recall that got discussed in one of your earlier posts. It is my view that there are both obstructive and central hypopneas, but it is difficult to distinguish between them without a lot of manual effort. For that reason I suspect few sleep labs actually do it. One can sort of do it with a lot of effort using SleepyHead, but it would be a pretty time consuming exercise. My thoughts are that one quick and dirty way to estimate the obstructive vs central hypopneas would be to proportion them in the same ratio as obstructive and central apneas. In your case all apneas are obstructive, and there are no central apneas. Using my seat of the pants guestimate method, that would indicate all of the hypopneas are obstructive in nature. In effect they are a flow limitation that does not proceed to full obstructive apnea.

As an aside with a CPAP, apneas can be designated as unclassified. That is a bit different. At least in the ResMed machines they mainly use that unclassified category when there are mask leaks so high that accurate classification is not possible.

You have a difficult choice to make, and I would not want to push you in one direction or another. If it was me, and it was going to cost me as much for another sleep study as it would to buy a machine, I think I would lean toward buying the machine. If it turns out to be a bad solution, then there is at least the possibility of selling it to a place like SecondWindCPAP.com, and getting some money back.

I can't remember if I posted the technical paper on the For Her version of the AirSense 10 AutoSet. Here is a link to it again. The reason I think it may work for you is that it puts more emphasis on flow limitation, and snoring, and less on full apnea. That seems to be your situation.