Hello all
Just wanted to say hello - have been reading the forum for a while now and finally became brave enough to sign up! I live in the not-so-sunny UK and have been a CPAP user since 2019. I have a Sleep Cube AutoAdjust Plus with humidifier and heated hose - am looking at software at the moment as I would like to be able to track my progress. some nights seem good, some not so good. I just need to work out how to organise getting data from my machine as it seems a bit complicated.....and will look into downloading OSCAR and getting it set up so I can take more control over my sleep and look for advice on here!!
RE: Hello all
Welcome, VolvoFan.  You've come to the right place for all things related to sleep apnea. Don't hesitate to ask questions or share your experiences. It's what the forum is all about. Best of luck with your journey.
Regards,
Mitch
RE: Hello all
Thanks Mitch! Just reading about software options and looking into getting OSCAR setup. I believe my Sleep Cube may not be that straightforward to get data from, but am possibly getting a second machine sometime soon which is easier to do that, a Phillips one, so will get myself acquainted with all the software and apps etc and do some more reading and research! So much to read on here!
RE: Hello all
Volvofan, if you can get your hands on a Resmed Autoset rather than Philips, I would strongly encourage you to do so. While both provide data, the comfort and efficacy of Resmed is just head and shoulders above Philips. There are many vendors that ship internationally and have much better prices than what you have in UK. Your NHS is a system that would have me self-financing to avoid the bureaucracy, low-end machines and "consultants" that only look at use and AHI.
RE: Hello all
I agree with Sleeprider on purchasing a ResMed Autoset rather than a Phillips. I started out with a Phillips DreamStation Pro which I ran auto trial mode (auto for all intents and purposes). The ResMed is by far the better machine, in my experience. It is more flexible as far as pressure settings and, for me at least, much more comfortable to use.
RE: Hello all
Hey Volvofan - whereabouts in the UK? I'm in SE London, and while the NHS can be a bit of a postcode lottery, if you're in a good area you'll get a decent machine. I got a referral to the Guys & St Thomas' Sleep unit, and they issue the ResMed S10 AutoSet - so it might be worth finding out if you can get one from your sleep clinic.
RE: Hello all
(02-23-2020, 10:47 AM)dickydutch Wrote: Hey Volvofan - whereabouts in the UK? I'm in SE London, and while the NHS can be a bit of a postcode lottery, if you're in a good area you'll get a decent machine. I got a referral to the Guys & St Thomas' Sleep unit, and they issue the ResMed S10 AutoSet - so it might be worth finding out if you can get one from your sleep clinic.
Dickydutch, am in the Derby catchment area - the sleep clinic locally is really rubbish unlike you lucky lot in London  . they only dish out Fixed CPAPs here, Birmingham and Notts areas unless there is some dire reason not to.......patient choice doesn't come into it! I had to wait over 6 months before they bothered to offer an appointment......by which time I had paid approx £200 for a private test and diagnosis and managed to acquire the Sleep Cube which seems to work fine and my sleep has improved, but I would like to be able to download data and upload it to software like OSCAR. All self funded here as I have found the local NHS services including GP to be non-reactive and somewhat disinterested. Have seen a private Cons Resp Physician whose main interest was usage hours and AHI and he tells me I am doing just fine...........
Unlikely to be able to afford to relocate to London, so Guys and St T's won't be an option at present 
RE: Hello all
(02-23-2020, 10:20 AM)Sleeprider Wrote: Volvofan, if you can get your hands on a Resmed Autoset rather than Philips, I would strongly encourage you to do so. While both provide data, the comfort and efficacy of Resmed is just head and shoulders above Philips. There are many vendors that ship internationally and have much better prices than what you have in UK. Your NHS is a system that would have me self-financing to avoid the bureaucracy, low-end machines and "consultants" that only look at use and AHI.
Oh so true...........absolutely the case here. I self funded or would have been a year further down the line before an appointment was offered and our lot only dole out the cheapest low end machines, unlike London.......so I didn't bother and cancelled the appointment when it came up for the "clinical measurements team". Even my Sleep Cube is better than that. Paid for a diagnosis privately so I could buy a machine as you cannot buy one in the UK without a prescription / diagnosis. One private company has pretty much cornered the UK market and operates several websites- they do offer a good service, albeit far from cheap. The private sleep test costs about £200 if ordered through them and they turn it around in a few days. The poor folk who are entirely dependent on the NHS just have to wait and take whatever cheap junk is doled out after a long long wait for assessment.
RE: Hello all
(02-23-2020, 10:39 AM)MitchS Wrote: I agree with Sleeprider on purchasing a ResMed Autoset rather than a Phillips. I started out with a Phillips DreamStation Pro which I ran auto trial mode (auto for all intents and purposes). The ResMed is by far the better machine, in my experience. It is more flexible as far as pressure settings and, for me at least, much more comfortable to use.
+1. Specifically, the Phillips machine, which I also had for "titration" at home my first week, had flex that kept trying to hustle me into my next breath. I was issued a ResMed machine as my "keeper" machine, and its algorithm for EPR was far superior. It really follows your inhalation and exhalation, dropping the pressure down at just the right moment.
RE: Hello all
There are 3 types of apnea events we look at, from worst to best
Apnea
Hypopnea
Flow Limits
The top two are classified by duration as well as severity (10 seconds min)
Flow Limits only by severity and are not part of the AHI and can easily be seen in a zoomed in view (2-3 minutes) of the Flow rate chart as "distorted" breaths.
PR machines do a fine job of managing obstructive apnea, but fall far short of ResMeds capability of treating the other two.
Thus ResMed as a recommended brand, autoset is the preferred model
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