06-25-2019, 07:45 AM
Anyone used a Sefam S.Box machine?
Hi All,
I'm a newbie to this forum and also to sleep apnea. I was diagnosed in March after suffering for a few years. Last September I got pneumonia and after a month I thought that I had recovered but felt awful, brain fog, weak legs and general feeling of walking in syrup. All of my nice interests became chores. I have shakes mostly in my right hand, and my GP doc considered early onset parkinsion's, so I ended up at a neurologist, who did scans, loads of blood tests etc. and this guy found three bumps (spurs) in my neck vertebrae and diagnosed spinal cervical stenosis. I then saw a neurosurgeon who was supposed to operate and get rid of the bumps, but this highly experienced surgeon checked me out and said that there was now way he was going to operate on me and that the spurs were not causing my issues. He sent me to another neurologist who is a colleague of his. After getting many other specialist inputs, doing more scans and blood tests with no real indicators of my problems he did a sleep study and guess what?? Yup......sleep apnea! I stopped breathing around 26 times per hour. They let me try their cpap/apap machine with a full face mask. I lasted 15 minutes and hauled the thing off. I did not think that I was claustrophobic but I sure didn't like the idea of this mask and that pressure. The machine however was incredibly quiet. It was a Sefam S.Box which they actually lent me to take home for a week-end, but that week-end we had major power failures (I live in South Africa.......or Darkest Africa now with so many power failures!). I therefore did not get used to the masks. They lent me a nasal mask and a full face mask.
My medical aid insurance dragged their heels more than usual, and it took 2.5 months for them to get me a machine. The recommeded supplier only had Sefam machines and at that stage I had no idea about cpap machines or this wonderful apnea board. The S.Box was quite a few grand more than the insurance would pay, so I was offered the next model down, which was the Sefam Dreamstar Auto. I was told that that it had most of the features that I wanted and was also nice and quiet. When it was finally delivered I noted to the salesperson that it had an annoying whine to the fan when I breathed in with the mask as the rpm picked up. He said that all the machines are about the same so I reckoned that I would just get used to it. I didn't! Eventually I stuck the machine inside a cupboard next to my bed, and tried real hard to get used to this while most unnatural process. I relaxed and got to sleep ok after a few nights of trying but continually woke up after about an hour and a half. They would not give me access to the pressure settings which were set by the salesperson to the comfort level of 4.0 and the max to 8.0. Of course, I soon found out how to set these things and tried various pressure and a few other non-critical settings, but that damn whining noise bugs me. My wife cannot sleep next to me with this going on either.
The nasal mask is a Sleepnet Airgel type that is reasonably comfortable but my breathing out sounds like Darth Vader, and of course the air coming out is a hassle. I immediately stuck some filtrex sponge rubber over the holes and that cured the problem, but it looks like I will try to get a Fisher & Paykel Brevida nasal pillow mask because that already has a diffuser for the airflow and noise.
The next issue that I had after reading this forum is that it is useful to have software like Sleepy Head, or now, OSCAR so that I can look at all of the data. I am a retired (68) electronics technician and all-round highly inquisitive type and like to understand what is going on in anything. I'm also busy working on the concepts of Vitamin D3 and other amazing right sleep stuff from Dr Stasha Gominak who I have also been in contact with, so I would like to monitor my sleeping data. The supplier of the Sefam machines will not give me the Analyzer software and the DreamStar will not work with OSCAR, so now I'm snookered.
I have contacted the supplier and told them how unhappy I am with my present machine, and I am hoping to get some kind of solution. I may not get my money back and be obliged to upgrade to the S.Box, so this is why I would like to know if any of the forum users have any experience with the S.Box. It does look like an amazing machine with loads of features including a Bluetooth interface and two types of software. Quite honestly If I had the choice right now, I would buy the Resmed. The Philips machines also look great, but cost a fortune here. The Resmed Airsense S10 Autoset is the same price as my Sefam DreamStar Auto machine. Thanks and I would appreciate any help and advice I can get.
Keith R
I'm a newbie to this forum and also to sleep apnea. I was diagnosed in March after suffering for a few years. Last September I got pneumonia and after a month I thought that I had recovered but felt awful, brain fog, weak legs and general feeling of walking in syrup. All of my nice interests became chores. I have shakes mostly in my right hand, and my GP doc considered early onset parkinsion's, so I ended up at a neurologist, who did scans, loads of blood tests etc. and this guy found three bumps (spurs) in my neck vertebrae and diagnosed spinal cervical stenosis. I then saw a neurosurgeon who was supposed to operate and get rid of the bumps, but this highly experienced surgeon checked me out and said that there was now way he was going to operate on me and that the spurs were not causing my issues. He sent me to another neurologist who is a colleague of his. After getting many other specialist inputs, doing more scans and blood tests with no real indicators of my problems he did a sleep study and guess what?? Yup......sleep apnea! I stopped breathing around 26 times per hour. They let me try their cpap/apap machine with a full face mask. I lasted 15 minutes and hauled the thing off. I did not think that I was claustrophobic but I sure didn't like the idea of this mask and that pressure. The machine however was incredibly quiet. It was a Sefam S.Box which they actually lent me to take home for a week-end, but that week-end we had major power failures (I live in South Africa.......or Darkest Africa now with so many power failures!). I therefore did not get used to the masks. They lent me a nasal mask and a full face mask.
My medical aid insurance dragged their heels more than usual, and it took 2.5 months for them to get me a machine. The recommeded supplier only had Sefam machines and at that stage I had no idea about cpap machines or this wonderful apnea board. The S.Box was quite a few grand more than the insurance would pay, so I was offered the next model down, which was the Sefam Dreamstar Auto. I was told that that it had most of the features that I wanted and was also nice and quiet. When it was finally delivered I noted to the salesperson that it had an annoying whine to the fan when I breathed in with the mask as the rpm picked up. He said that all the machines are about the same so I reckoned that I would just get used to it. I didn't! Eventually I stuck the machine inside a cupboard next to my bed, and tried real hard to get used to this while most unnatural process. I relaxed and got to sleep ok after a few nights of trying but continually woke up after about an hour and a half. They would not give me access to the pressure settings which were set by the salesperson to the comfort level of 4.0 and the max to 8.0. Of course, I soon found out how to set these things and tried various pressure and a few other non-critical settings, but that damn whining noise bugs me. My wife cannot sleep next to me with this going on either.
The nasal mask is a Sleepnet Airgel type that is reasonably comfortable but my breathing out sounds like Darth Vader, and of course the air coming out is a hassle. I immediately stuck some filtrex sponge rubber over the holes and that cured the problem, but it looks like I will try to get a Fisher & Paykel Brevida nasal pillow mask because that already has a diffuser for the airflow and noise.
The next issue that I had after reading this forum is that it is useful to have software like Sleepy Head, or now, OSCAR so that I can look at all of the data. I am a retired (68) electronics technician and all-round highly inquisitive type and like to understand what is going on in anything. I'm also busy working on the concepts of Vitamin D3 and other amazing right sleep stuff from Dr Stasha Gominak who I have also been in contact with, so I would like to monitor my sleeping data. The supplier of the Sefam machines will not give me the Analyzer software and the DreamStar will not work with OSCAR, so now I'm snookered.
I have contacted the supplier and told them how unhappy I am with my present machine, and I am hoping to get some kind of solution. I may not get my money back and be obliged to upgrade to the S.Box, so this is why I would like to know if any of the forum users have any experience with the S.Box. It does look like an amazing machine with loads of features including a Bluetooth interface and two types of software. Quite honestly If I had the choice right now, I would buy the Resmed. The Philips machines also look great, but cost a fortune here. The Resmed Airsense S10 Autoset is the same price as my Sefam DreamStar Auto machine. Thanks and I would appreciate any help and advice I can get.
Keith R
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