So they're finally, finally, FINALLY going to give me my prescription so that I can buy my own CPAP online from the place I want. They want $1,600 to $1,800 for the Air Sense 10 at the sleep clinic. Found it online for 1/3 of that price and will probably be about $800 or so with everything else that I need with it. I'm going to try to get the For Her version, as well, for the lower pressure setting.
Which mask? A long time ago when I was first considering it, I asked about it, but I can't find the post now. Is the AirFit P10 any good? I see something Philips puts out called Dreamwear, as well. Looking for whatever will have the least amount of stuff going around my head, too.
Of course, like so many...I'd like to find the most comfortable and quietest one. Just as a reminder, 4.7 AHI and 50 total events of just under 3 hours. 18.1 RDI. So if that was correct from my sleep study a long time ago, I'm on the mild end. No notably drops in SPO2. I also want the machine to kind of do my own sleep tests and also see how it makes me feel in the mornings. If it doesn't seem to be working out, I'll keep looking into it with other options. Blood work was done previously, so nothing wrong was found. Brain scan, neurologist, etc. Nothing wrong found. Minor essential tremor and I feel my body "moving" some nights when I get extra tired. A few extra hypnogogic jumps here and there, but I don't think that happens while I'm sleeping. Just when drifting off to sleep. I still feel absolutely awful and drained of energy every morning. UARS and/or my tongue falling back.
So what say you regarding the "best" mask to get starting out? P10?
If you just have to pick a mask without any opportunity to try it, I would suggest the ResMed AirFit P10 nasal pillow mask to try first. It is extremely quiet and minimalist. The headgear is flimsy though. However the headgear can be replaced with the Swift FX headgear as I explained in another thread. It is a good start. If the headgear becomes a problem just buy the Swift FX headgear to replace the original. If you order the P10 make sure you get the Fit Pack version. It comes with three different sized inserts so you can determine what size you need. After that you just buy the correct sized insert.
I'll probably order the Swift FX headgear and the Fit Pack when I order the machine and accessories so that I'll have everything together at once. Very curious to see what my results will be after I get used to it and see if CPAP is going to help me or if I need to start looking at other things. I didn't even want to get up this morning. Alarm was set for 8am, but didn't get up until 10. Even after 10 hours of "sleeping"...I felt like I just went to bed an hour ago and was getting up. Even if I wake up just once halfway through the night for a bathroom trip, I just have that feeling that I haven't been sleeping for long at all. Same feeling every morning. It's so awful.
Just to be clear the For Her version does not use a lower pressure. It just responds to hypopnea and flow limitations faster than the standard mode. Given you situation and that it is the same price, I would recommend the For Her. You can always switch it to the regular mode if the For Her is not ideal for you.
So they have declined a prescription until I see the doctor for yet a third time. Saw him before my sleep study, after my sleep study to review results and then I had a surgery a few months after that and had to wait months to heal up from the surgery. He wants a third visit for some reason. Probably just wants more money instead of writing a prescription. My condition certainly didn't magically change.
If you had a sleep study and it said OSA and your surgery was not for apnea, maybe you want to consider going "solo". It is possible to purchase a good auto machine without a prescription. I know of 2 Airsense 10 Autosets with very low hours (24 and 48 run hours) $395 ea plus shipping...Paypal. By downloading SleepyHead / OSCAR to your computer you can manage your won care.
Well, it "was" mild OSA technically, but he made a big deal about the 4.7 AHI instead of 5.0 and kept quoting the stupid 0.3 difference that prevented him from officially diagnosing me. Meanwhile, that 18.1 is pretty high and those 50 combined events and RERA's were plain as day. The only thing was that my oxygen levels never dropped.
My only thing with a used one is how much I have read about catching other people's germs from them. I know that they can be "cleaned" somewhat...I'm just iffy about it. Every article that I've read seems to say to stay away from used.
I'm not trying to talk you into a used machine if you're dead-set against it, but as Bonjour notes, it may be a good way to get you started with CPAP. Do a quick Google search for "resmed airsense 10 reprocessing instructions" and you'll see that even in a clinical environment with multiple patients using the same machine, all that is required for full disinfection is and external wipedown with alcohol followed by cleaning of the humidifier tub and air outlet with disinfecting agents. If I were to go down the used equipment path with an unknown provenance, I'd simply replace those two items with brand-new parts (total cost ~$25). Add in a new hose and mask, and you're in business.
Anyway, just food for thought.
If you go the used route, the attraction in your case is that a prescription is not required for used equipment. You also need a prescription for a mask in the US. However you can buy the mask new, typically in two components, and put them together. A prescription is not needed for mask PARTS.
If you are concerned about contamination see pages 22-26 in the manual at the link below. It describes how a unit is disinfected for reuse -- typically in a hospital situation.
I'm waiting to hear back from an employer that will be contacting me soon and then I'll be fine to spend some of the money that I have saved. I think I'm going to try the home sleep study because I really want to see if I can get better results than the in-lab that I had. I'll be at home in my own bed and won't have to worry about asking someone to go to the bathroom or "focusing" on sleeping - it will be almost like a regular night minus the equipment that will be a little uncomfortable. Also, if they send the unit to you and you don't feel that you got good results on that night, you can keep it for another night and try again before sending it back to them. Definitely can't do that one with an in-lab study. They will write me a prescription based on the results. I'm just really looking forward to trying to get some closure for this after all of this time. It actually seems like it is getting "worse" with time. I have days like yesterday and today where I sleep 8-10 hours and it feels like I just went to bed an hour ago and I get up just about to fall on my face tired. I woke up sleeping on my stomach this morning, but some nights it seems like sleeping on my stomach is also the same as on my back. I'm starting to wonder if I don't have a combination of both Central and OSA. I'm not just "tired" during the day, I'm jumpy-tired as in muscles don't want to work the way they should, reflexes are out of whack, etc. I'll see what the study results say and try the Air Sense...if I don't see any improvement with that over a reasonable time period, I guess I'll be checking with an immunologist or endocrinologist. I'm ready to punch my pillow some mornings and wake up "angry" because I feel so bad.
