tbhausen - Therapy Thread

[UnicornRider]

Glad to hear your therapy is working out for you. Do post back after your Jan Doctor's follow-up.

Periodically follow up with additional post to keep us up to date.

 Your "Overview" OSCAR page should show recent improvements to therapy response.

Whereas the "Statistics" page will give a further out window to view the improvements.

If you need additional Tweaking and Tuning, we are here.

[tbhausen]

So I did visit the Doc (he was a NP) for the compliance follow up. He laughed pretty hard when I described my therapy as "huffing on the magic machine". He asked how it was going and how I felt. All good, I told him, after the first week of misery with masks when I thought this would never work. I described Bleep Eclipse when he brought up equipment, and he'd never heard of it. As I did during the initial two (failed) mask fittings, I insisted he check it out and see if they could supply it for me. I suspect that's a pretty tough force field for many DME's to break through, existing contracts, competition, etc. being what they are.

I brought up Oscar and whipped out a printout of my stats, citing Apnea Board as the source of the change I made about a week into therapy. He gave the data a good look and said "the numbers speak for themselves; I wouldn't change a thing. See you in a year". He did state that he didn't mind higher AHI's as long as the patient felt good. Pretty anticlimactic, so thanks everyone!

Now, let's see what they try to subscribe me to. I was clear... no mask parts. Only machine tubing and filters.

He wrote up a report saying, essentially, "the therapy is working, he feels good, he's compliant". So what can I expect cost-wise? I haven't seen any bills yet, other than copays for specialist visits. I have "CareSource Marketplace Bronze First" (in Indiana) insurance if anyone would be so kind as to take a look. It's not clear to me if they'll pay anything for equipment until I reach my deductible. I have potentially ~$800 of bills floating out there (hardly the end of the world), and monthly payments to "rent to own" the machine, but I don't really understand insurance mumbo-jumbo or how all this stuff works.

[tbhausen]

A week ago I made a post about how well everything has been going... well, I shouldn't have done that. Everything has started to go sideways with me and Bleep Eclipse. I have no idea what's changed, but I've been awakened by leaks most nights since then. It doesn't take much... just a small hiss against the cheek or in an eye. I'll scootch things around or try to press the adhesive down again, but it never works; the leak remains. I haven't changed my routine at all--witch hazel wipe and same manner of application. Frustrating...

Edit to add: on days when I don't shave, I've been shaving the area below my nose quickly with an electric razor. That's an additional hassle with Bleep Eclipse I can do without. I've been extra diligent about this, but it's not helping the leaks.

Now that I know I can control mouth breathing, I've ordered a P30i Assembly Kit (frame and pillows) and a DreamWear headgear (the one with the silicone arms) per reviews/feedback here. Hopefully this works out. I've tried the F30i again when ditching the leaky Bleep Eclipse in the middle of the night, but my sleep has suffered (AHI went from around .5 to around 3.5), so that mask is a backup in case I become so congested I can't use pillows.

[Deborah K.]

I have been using the Bleep Dreamports for years.  I decided to try the Bleep Eclipse, but I found it did not work well for me.  The steel ring stuck out too far from my narrow nostrils and sometimes caused a small tear in the tape, resulting in leaks.  I went back to the original Bleep and have been very happy.  It was somewhat fiddly to use at first, but I have overcome that and LOVE my Bleep.

[tbhausen]

Thanks... I have some Halos left to work with. If things don't improve, or if I don't get on well with the P30i, I'll give the older Eclipse DreamPorts a try.

[Kathy14225]

Where are the air leaks coming from with the halos? Are you doing the puff test once you've applied them? If there are any wrinkles I always put a little extra adhesive over the top. I love using the halos, I just have to be really careful when I take them off because it pulls on the thin skin at the top of my nostrils. But I have zero leaks. Have you contacted Stuart at Bleep? If you go to the FB page you get a very quick response. I'm wondering if they're not fitting your nose or your septum is too thin? I know a few people where their nose was just too small and another one where the nostrils kind of go up the side. I would at least talk to Stuart before giving up on Bleep! I used the dreamwear pillows and can kind of tolerate those on my face and I do use it if my nose gets sore with the bleep. I also have the P10 which the nasal piece is really hard compared to the dreamwear. I think the P10i is the same but I'm not sure. I'm in a Facebook group where most agree that the dream wear is much softer.

[Old Codger]

You should really contact Stuart at Bleep and get help with him on a webinar. Have tried alcohol instead of witch hazel to clean? That’s what I use. Witch hazel didn’t work as well or just wasn’t strong enough at getting all the oil off my skin. He helped me develop a much better routine, putting the tape on going out towards my ears instead of up towards my eyes and wrapping up around the bridge of the nose. Once I changed how everything was going on everything held on much better.

[tbhausen]

Thanks, both of you. No, I haven’t contacted him yet. I did get the P30i today. I guessed large cushion and it fits great with the DreamWear headgear. I ran a mask fit and it’s dynamite, no leaks right off the bat. It’s popping my ears from the inside, though! I think therapy through it could be very effective. I’m going to try it tonight since I work from home on Fridays. I know from using the F30i that I love the hose on top and the way the quick disconnect works.

[tbhausen]

Very good so far with the P30i with DreamWear headgear (the one with arms). Over 9 hours last night and 0.0 AHI. I did wake up once feeling a slight leak caused from burying my face into the pillow and pushing the mask sideways. Not a big deal... just slipping the thing over my head and plugging it onto my nose without having to fiddle with anything is undeniably simple and easy. I also really like how easy it is to unplug the elbow if needing to get out of bed. I'm going to stick with it a few days and see how it continues to go.