Canadian here without insurance. Purchase advice needed.

[TrailerSweetheart]

Hello all!  First off, I am in Canada....would be great to have some fellow Canadians with a similiar experience chime in however, I am happy to accept any and all input

Secondly, I do not have any insurance and will be purchasing the equipment solely out of pocket and my budget is extremely limited. 

Third, is there any benefit of purchasing an ACPAP from a private sleep clinic employed with sleep technicians versus online? 

So my real question is...if I can set up my own machine, download Sleepyhead and make my own adjustments if needed, are there any "real" benefits to buying from a clinic where the only service seems that they will preset a new machine while charging a premium?

I find the clinics pricing is beyond ridiculous compared to online.  The clinic of course says they will offer me limitless "support" and will make any and all necessary future adjustments.  However, to me it kinda all sounds like a used car sales pitch.  I am currently 2.5 weeks into using the clinics equipment and I figure I will have full access to my results (I will request them for sure) at the end of my 30 day sleep trial.  So in my mind, I figure with the final information, I could easily set up a Dreamstation that I would purchase online, saving myself close to 2 thousand dollars versus buying at the brick and mortar sleep clinic!  And of course I would then download Sleepyhead and with the wealth of info from this group... be fully prepared to be hands on.  Am I off the mark because the sleep technician at the clinic seems to think that managing my own treatment is better left to the "professionals."  Is this just a sales pressure technique or is there some real merit that I am not seeing clearly?  For me, the savings from ordering online seem to outweigh the clinic's perceived services.

BTW, I do not currently have access to any of the clinician settings and only know that the Dreamstation is set between 8-12 as the sleep tech said my optimum pressure seemed to be 10.

Thank you to everyone in advance!

[storywizard]

Welcome TrailerSweetheart....
I am Storywizard in Vancouver BC.....

Sounds like you are doing great to figure out the clinics so fast...  
I would get a machine on line, there is company in Toronto: CPAPmachines, they sell at really low prices, and their support is excellent.
Dreamstation Pro for $725 Can......

This is a great forum, we are mostly polite...and really helpful, there are no stupid questions....
Once you get Sleepyhead up and running post some charts and you will be good to go...

Again welcome and  

Storywizard

[DeepBreathing]

I got five years' "support" from my clinic when I purchased my VPAP Adapt. I got a call-back after one year - they said I was doing fine. Haven't heard from them since and (because of the knowledge I picked up on this forum) I've never needed to call them.

I think any person of average intelligence with ordinary sleep apnea can manage their own treatment with the help of this forum. If you have more complex medical issues then you will need medical attention: but a sleep clinic is not always the best place for that, anyhow.

I am currently 2.5 weeks into using the clinics equipment and I figure I will have full access to my results (I will request them for sure) at the end of my 30 day sleep trial.

You should pre-empt that situation. Download and install #SleepyHead software and load the data from your machine's SD card. You will then have a complete record in your own computer and not be dependent on the goodwill of a commercial enterprise.

[chill]

Welcome!  I am also in Vancouver.  I bought my machine through Coastal Sleep, but I have excellent insurance.  They do provide a service that is worth the price if you need it.  I am glad that I went there as I had No Clue when I started.  I just wanted to sleep.  It sounds like you are willing to do the research and take charge of your own therapy.  In your case, I would purchase it at the cheapest price that you can find and use this forum for support.

[TrailerSweetheart]

Thank you "Storywizard" for the tip...I concur that a simple google search for CPAPmachines is all that is needed to show up great prices that simply can not be beat...even across the line

It didn't even occur to me to downloand and install the software and load the data from the machine's SD card NOW....that is brilliant "DeepBreathing", thank you!

"Chill"....I am curious, care to mention what kind of additional service was provided?  I viewed the website and they pretty much are the same as the can sleep clinic I am going thru.  Since I have "vanilla" obstructive apnea (but borderline moderate/severe) my rationale was if I felt I needed additional sleep therapy, I could always ask my GP for another clinic referral or have the doc send me to either the UBC or Surrey Memorial Sleep Disorder clinics.  I believe hospital clinics provide the most thorough sleep diagnosis.  Thank you all for your very helpful replies!

[HL649]

I purchased my machine through my sleep center out of pocket.  Was fed the great service and all that crap sales pitch.  They set it up for me and sent me on my way.  I went back a few times to get the settings tweaked but they just weren't getting it.  I have since made my own changes and have averaged a low AHI ever since.    I also get 20% discount on all future purchases through them but that price is still much higher than others.

If you are willing to adjust your machine yourself, definitely don't get your machine through a sleep center unless their price is comparable.

[Snoopy.pa30]

I am in Ontario, and have a prescription, so OHIP is covering 75% of the cost, so I will only be about $200 out of pocket for the machine, plus what ever upgraded mask I choose. Not sure how the Health care system works out in BC, but some of the other West Coasters should be able to indicate if a Rx would help you out.

I can say that I am enjoying working with my supplier, as I have been able to try many masks. As the mask seems to be the most important piece of the therapy puzzle, I am happy to give them the "extra" price over the online suppliers. Although, that will only be for this first time purchase. So far, I have tried out 6, a couple were complete fails (for me), and have two more to try now. Will do a write up when I do my purchase.

If you are reasonably computer literate, you can install and use SleepyHead software. (Just don't hit the F11 full screen toggle - you have to remember F11 to get back!).

Then being able to hold a couple of buttons "At the Same Time" upgrades you from User to Clinician, and you can change your settings. Not really a big deal.

And best of all, THIS SITE has GREAT helpers. Take advantage of it, and ask Questions

Good Luck, and Good Sleep

[Sleeprider]

Do you have anyone in the U.S. that can help you reship something purchased at a significant savings?

[aquanaut20]

I am in BC also, these resources may be of assistance..

I am new to CPAP, blue Cross covered all my equipment and supplies. So I had no issues there.

My clinic initially was great, but once the authorization was cleared, I became an orphan.


https://sleepapnea.org/

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/govern...nd-devices

...  Philip

[TrailerSweetheart]

Thanks for sharing your experience "HL649".  I actually told the sleep centre that if they could match the best online price, they would have a customer in me.  They did not match the price but came within a couple of hundred of dollars.  Might not be much for some but for me, that pays for a 12volt DC lighter plug cord I will need for camping and leaves room to buy an extra headgear or two   So they came close but no banana  I installed Sleepyhead last nite and will download the machines info.   I am one of those people that research, research, research and this group has been a far superior resource than the technician at the sleep centre