[Equipment] Bipap repair or replacement ?

[Sleeprider]

The System One 60 Series Auto BiPAP is going to provide the therapy you have been accustomed to with the option to use the BiPAP S Pro fixed pressure or the newer Auto BiPAP. It's a great choice and a robust compact machine for camping. Be sure to get a SD card, and we'll be glad to help you self-titrate and optimize it, if your needs have changed since your last sleep study. Congrats!

The humidifier on the 60 series can be upgraded to use a heated tube if you choose. Supplier #1 sells an upgrade kit that includes a new power supply, Heated tube and Humidifier lid with electrical connectors to make the conversion for about $80. You lived without the heated tube for a lot of years, but if it's something you want for home use, it's well worth it for comfort.

Try to persuade your primary doctor to help you manage your BiPAP therapy needs. This will get you back under insurance an will preclude the need for future sleep studies. At your next routine visit, just take in a report that shows your usage of the machine and efficacy / AHI. He can include this in your records, and only needs for you to state you are benefiting from the therapy, and that should suffice for most insurance. There is no need for another sleep study. Make copies of your diagnostic sleep study to go with your new data, have that made part of your current medical file, and that will be all that is ever needed. Avoid sleep specialists, most are really expensive assholes!

[srlevine1]

The magic of the forum and its "community."

[Texis1]

The System One 60 Series Auto BiPAP is going to provide the therapy you have been accustomed to with the option to use the BiPAP S Pro fixed pressure or the newer Auto BiPAP. It's a great choice and a robust compact machine for camping.  Be sure to get a SD card, and we'll be glad to help you self-titrate and optimize it, if your needs have changed since your last sleep study. Congrats!

<snip>
.........     There is no need for another sleep study. Make copies of your diagnostic sleep study to go with your new data, have that made part of your current medical file, and that will be all that is ever needed.  Avoid sleep specialists, most are really expensive assholes!

That's pretty much what I got from the rep. My IH and EX are 17 and 13 and he said this would provide more headroom if needed, and I could use "Auto" to find another setting if necessary. My first and only Respironics has worked perfectly, and after the hell I went through for years before being diagnosed, I'm hesitant to change something that I've come to rely on so much. My bipap is my life. Seriously. 

Before being diagnosed with OSA I couldn't get to work on time, would fall asleep during meetings and couldn't drive more than 15 minutes without falling asleep at the wheel. Most docs kept prescribing Ambien  I found a new doctor and told him about my years of taking Ambien and still losing sleep. He asked what size shirt I wore and when I told him he said "you have OSA" and immediately referred me for a sleep study. Years of pills and in 3 minutes this guy had me headed in a new direction. I had the study and apparently it was bad. Zero seconds to clinically enter a sleep state, woke up over a hundred times (don't remember exactly) and once went 90 seconds before taking a breath. Got my bipap and haven't spent a single night without it. I can't!

My sleep doc is a decent guy. Before I moved to another state I asked if I should have another study. He said not unless I had gone through some major change in weight or some medical issue. The problem I had getting my records was with his staff but that's been resolved. 

Couple questions about the card.....    do I need to buy a card formatted specifically for the new machine or can I use any SD card?  

Many thanks!  This place is great. I didn't get this much help from the pap company when I was initially set up.

[SarcasticDave94]

I'm pretty sure you get the same info as on the newer PAPs for the SD. Stick with standard SD physical sized cards. Capacity up to 32 GB. Brand isn't a concern, whichever you find as cheap as possible. Digital camera stores are a good source to buy these.

If you format, it's FAT32 and your PC can do the formatting while it's in the card reader. I don't know if yours is capable, but newer PAPs can do their own formatting the first time it's slotted in.

And I don't know if this applies, but some older ones, especially ResMed 9 series, needs to have the SD locked before inserting into the PC card reader. The ResMed 9 doesn't like the info PCs write on the card.

If I got it wrong, others will give you corrected info and straighten me out on this. Meanwhile, I'm on coffee break wondering why I can't sleep.

[Sleeprider]

Glad to hear your sleep doc is one of the good ones and the records issue has been resolved. Never let a DME tell you a test is required, let them work that out with the doctor, and in most cases a test requirement goes away. The data you will get from the PRS1 60 series BiPAP Auto will be very comprehensive, and it should be quite easy to optimize your settings, in either fixed or auto mode. The original SD card in that machine was only 2 GB, but it handles 8 to 32 GB formatted to FAT 32 easily. Once you get the settings down, you won't need to look at data very often. I think sometimes a couple months go by between downloads for me. Good luck, and I love a success story.