[Equipment] Which Mask?

[Bompa]

After trying several masks, pillows ,full face, nasal I now have a ResMed
Mirage Activa Nasal mask and am very happy with it. It has been the most comfortable and leakless one I have tried.

[b360155]

You can switch to a different mask if you want to after 3 months. What you pay out of pocket depends upon your insurance plan and your deductibles and annual maximum out of pocket limits.

That one thing I am really loving about insurance, after looking at the replacement cost of this stuff - they have a schedule - I get filters monthly, new mask every 3 months, climate-line tubing every 3 months, humidifier chamber every 3 months - all at no cost to me - and that is on top of the $180 a month rental fee - and then in roughly 9 months, the payments stop, and the machine is mine - just need to remember to stocked up on supplies while I can.

Yeppers, that's what I did last year. With my September sleep study bills, I hit my annual deductible and maximum out of pocket expenses in September. Stocked up on everything I possibly could from then until the end of the year. New deductible started 1/1/12 though but I've got a pretty good stockpile as I've also purchased some replacement parts on eBay. I only wish I had done the sleep studies in January of last year as I would have had several more months to stock up on supplies!!!

[w7sot]

B36, yup - no deductible here - so just waiting for those dates to get here and will ordering sutff - always a good idea to have more than what you think you might need to run out and be stuck. I should check with the insurance, and see if they will keep paying for the replacement parts after the machine is paid for?

[TorontoCPAPguy]

Highly recommend the ResMed Quattro full face mask. It has a forehead brace (a must if you want to avoid leaks around the mask and especially the bridge of the nose. The brace makes for a more stable platform as well.... as does the large footprint of the full face mask itself.

Don't get me wrong; there are lots of folks using all sorts of masks and I have been there and done that. I have nasal masks and nasal pillows and hybrids and none of them did the job as well as the Quattro full face mask. Then again, I am a face smoosher.. I like to smoosh my face into my pillow. All the other nasal masks and ffm's gave me face farts while leaking. My leak rate with the Quattro is essentially zero with the occasional exception. The pillow part of the Quattro uses the airflow/pressure to inflate it and when properly worn and adjusted it is most comfy.

It has a swivel for the hose and the swivel pops off if one needs to go to the washroom at night, instead of having to take the whole mask off and readjust same afterwards. It has oxygen input nipples (although to be frank I use an inline tap in my hose).

I have four of these masks and rotate them each week through the month and at the first of the month put them in the sink filled with odourless soapy water and Control III disinfectant to soak for an hour or two and then brush them with a soft bristle pain brush to get into all the cracks and crevices. Many will say not necessary but I beg to disagree. Even a tiny bit of bacteria inhaled into the depths of one's lungs can be DEADLY (Ask me how I know and I'll tell you about three weeks on total life support three years ago this week). I just ordered a whole case of Control III from an eBay supplier for $118 delivered; at one ounce per GALLON of water - it is probably a five year supply for me and helps cover the cost of my FOUR masks, instead of washing and disinfecting one at a time every week.

I find that the Quattro FFM along with odorless soap and Control III disinfectant does the job. BTW, I also toss the humidifier tank and the hoses into the sink as well to clean and disinfect.

There are two reasons to use odorless soap. First - it is a matter of sleep hygiene. No odors generally gives better sleep. Secondly, it permits you to smell anything out of the ordinary more easily and ANYTHING out of the ordinary is a BIG cause for concern. It is going into your lungs. Fix it... it is generally slobber that you have not wiped down with those disinfectant wipes made for masks (I wipe mine down every morning after getting up and allow the mask to air dry).

Good luck with choosing a mask that works for you and do not give up in the quest as it can become frustrating.

Murray
TORONTOCPAPGUY

[mikael26288]

Hey, Mikael:
I'm pretty sure that the REMstar Pro does not come in a fully auto model (it starts with automatic pressure adjustment capability, but loses that capability and becomes a set CPAP after 30 days), and may have a less-capable data recording feature. Check your wife's machine and manual, am I right? If you can sway things, get them to give you a REMstar Auto--it's got everything the Pro has, and the data card with all the numbers, and can be set to auto forever. This is very helpful in getting the right pressure for your needs every night, since it can change pressures based on how well you are breathing. Just ask your doctor to prescribe a true "APAP" automatic machine and the DME will give you one (some docs only prescribe auto machines).

Thanks for the tip.
But the Doctor had already told me that he has nothing to do with what machine the Health Care supply company will bring me. It will depend on what my insurance is willing to pay for. Which is Medicare/Humana.

But they will send the nasal mask that the sleep study center recommended though.

[PaulaO2]

I'd not settle for a non-data capable machine. I did and I hate myself.

Your doctor can state "autoPAP" or whatever and the insurance should comply with the prescription. Just don't get the S9 Autoset Escape. Non-data capable.

[zonk]

But the Doctor had already told me that he has nothing to do with what machine the Health Care supply company will bring me. It will depend on what my insurance is willing to pay for. Which is Medicare/Humana.

Tell your doctor that insurance pay the same amount for any type of machine he write on the prescription as all types CPAP/APAP are billed by the same billing code E0601 whether data capable with full efficacy data or not and insurance only interested in compliance data hours used. It does help if the doc specify the type of machine on the prescription such as S9 AutoSet and dispense as written bc DME known to give the cheapest machine possible to maximize their profits. Here,s the chart for specification and comparison of both the S9 series and System One.
http://www.resmed.com/us/products/s9_ser...nc=dealers
http://respironicsremstars.respironics.com/

[memnoch1974]

to follow up, mask choice is merely a personal preference. I have been on my cpap for 3 months so far and have found a nasal mask and nose pillows work great for me. I alternate every 2 weeks. I hate the face farts the nose masks gives, especially since I have a crooked nose bridge . Shortly, I'll inquire about an all-gell mask that can be custom molded to your face and I hear those are great in comfort as well. I like the nose pillows over my nose mask simply because of the convenience, ease of cleaning/disinfecting and allows me to sleep on my stomach.