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wiredgeorge
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Sleep
Enthusiast
How would anyone know the difference in feel as most folks don't switch between one type of PAP machine and the other? I can tell you I have used straight CPAP mode and BIPAP and as far as feel, I didn't feel much difference. I tried the CPAP mode on a ResMed S9 as the motor bearings made a terrific racket (it was shot) at 25 pressure and could tell little difference from my normal BIPAP 25/21. I am not the sensitive type so this may mean nothing. The APAP is adaptive but I would guess if I were sleeping, I probably wouldn't notice much different. When you say the APAP is not doing a great job, that is the heart of your issues.... probably explaining would get more useful responses.
sleeptech
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Sleep
Enthusiast
BiPAP and CPAP (or APAP) are used for treating quite different conditions. You can't just swap between them either. To set up a BiPAP requires an overnight study and an experienced technician. It is much more complicated that CPAP/APAP.
theMezz
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Original Poster
Yes. Thanks I am aware. Just wondering what it felt like as an end user.
(Overnight study scheduled for next month and dr mentioned I may be switched from cpap to bipap. I used cpap but never bipap and wondered how it felt as an end user with regards to using it in comparison)
I was switched from cpap to apap and it made all the world of difference for me, meaning longer time on the machine. I did not feel like I had a blow torch on my head; it was easier to sleep with, and this is one of the best things that has happened to me in my sleep apnea care. I will note that I dumped my ENT who did sleep apnea on the side and transitioned all my care to a full-time sleep medicine physician. Huge difference and this is the first thing he changed up for me.
sleeptech
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Sleep
Enthusiast
Sounds like you had the wrong treatment from the get go. Like we keep saying, find yourself a trustworthy sleep specialist. It makes a huge difference.
what is a sleep medicine physician? Is that the title of the practice? I have been seeing a pulmonologist to address my apneas which exceed 75 per hour without a machine
snuzyQ
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Sleep
Commentator
Hi farmercyst. A sleep medicine physician is a specialist - an M.D. who practices only within the realm of sleep-disordered breathing and sleep medicine. A pulmonologist is a generalist who treats sleep apnea but mostly a host of other lung and brochial troubles such as asthma, COPD, etc. He's primarily concerned with whatever goes wrong with the lungs, bronchii (wind-pipe) and with breathing. They are both M.D.s but when dealing with sleep apnea, I'd much rather have the specialist. Unfortunately, my insurance plan doesn't provide any sleep specialists, so I'm seeing a pulmonologist too (just once). Ever since that first interaction, technicians have been handling my case because I haven't had any apparent complications or aberrations.
wiredgeorge
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Sleep
Enthusiast
While your insurance may not allow a sleep specialist MD, it may take a referral to a sleep clinic. The sleep clinic will have a sleep specialist MD on staff. When I was referred, I was under Humana HMO and they were not keen to pay
for any specialist so my primary care doc made a referral to a sleep clinic for study and it went through with no issues. There are MANY sleep clinics in San Antonio (closest city to where I live) and I am not sure if the referral would have been good at any other clinic but it was good at the one I went to. You could actually do some research; call around to find out which clinics accept your insurance and then have your primary care doc write a referral for the one you choose. BTW: An HMO is VERY restrictive on specialists; that is how they save a buck and the referral needs to go to and "in network" provider". I am no longer using Humana (Medicare) as my primary insurance source.
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