Help selecting mask and settings for airsense 10 machine

[Fiddy]

Just want to preface this post with the following:

I understand this machine and its parts are Rx devices and i should be seeing a doctor to manage the care. Please do not reply telling me to contact a doctor.


I just purchased a resmed airsense 10 machine to help with what i believe is obstructive sleep apnea. I have begun to snore badly due to medication i am taking and obstructive sleep apnea is a possible side effect from it. I wish to explore treating this condition myself which is why i am here.

I have done some preliminary research and figured out how to unlock the machine so i can change the settings. I plan to start at the lowest pressure setting and work my way up slowly every night while tracking the data from the machine until i hit the correct pressure. I have my machine in airplane mode and am logging the data via SD card and will manage with sleepy head.

I have a full face beard and am not sure what type of mask to get. Will a full face one work or will it leak too much since it wont form a proper seal on my face due to the beard? Mostly sleep on my back or side.

Any other general advice for a cpap newbie welcome.

Thanks!

[ardenum]

This is one board that won't tell you to see a quack.

I have a full beard, albeit its not dense, AifFit F20/silicone worked good for me no leaks, as did Quatro FX and F10. Now I use Dreamwear series, both nasal and a full face one. The thing that makes a difference in leaking or not are the straps, I have custom wide straps that i made myself from a white t-shirt. There's also no gold standard for masks that wont leak, it all depends on your face shape. Best case scenario is you find a retailer that lets you try different masks and you buy the best performing one. With a nasal mask you wont have a problem with the beard, what you might have a problem is the pressure blowing your mouth wide open.

It's a common thing with CPAP that people buy masks that appear good but end up in the drawer or basement because they don't work. I have total of 7 masks and half of them leak because they don't fit my face correctly.

[DeepBreathing]

G'day Fiddy. Welcome to Apnea Board. We're all about patient empowerment here so we won't send you to a doc. However if you haven't actually been diagnosed with obstructive apnea there might be value in seeking a sleep test. That will confirm whether or not you have apnea and if so whether there is a central apnea component. It will also pick up a lot of other conditions with heart, lungs and brain.

In terms of the mask, Crowter is spot on. There is no "best" mask as every face is different. You can try nasal pillows, nasal mask or full face mask. Generally the advice is to start with the simplest (pillows) and work up from there. And also as Crowtor said, it's an expensive business and you'll probably end up with one or two or more in the bottom drawer.

In terms of managing your own treatment, don't try to push things too fast. If you make a change to the settings, give it a few nights and see how things are trending. There will be good nights and bad nights, and dial twiddling every night is a one-way ticket to frustration.

Good luck with your treatment. Post your #SleepyHead charts here and we'll give you some advice. See this page on how to set up SleepyHead and the best way to format the charts: http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...SleepyHead

[Fiddy]

Thanks @DeepBreathing. I may see a doc eventually since it looks like parts will need to be replaced frequently and would be nice for insurance to foot the bill on that. But for now i am going to self-treat and see where that leads me.

Guess i will have to just got a couple different masks and see what works for me.

Any suggestions on size? I am 220lbs, 6'1'', guessing i need a medium or large mask? Couldn't really find a sizing guide online for the masks.

[Sleeprider]

Fiddy, if possible I would suggest you try the Resmed Airfit P10 nasal pillows. It avoids all the problems of a beard and is the quietest and lightest interface available. You can find the complete mask with all 3 pillow sizes (you will be large) for less than $70. Some people find it a challenge to stop air from leaking from the mouth, but many more have succeeded in using this very comfortable mask. I would only switch to full face if you find you need that.

You can get all the inside information on your machine by requesting the CPAP Setup manual at the link at the top of the page. The Resmed clinician manual has a lot of technical information on titration and function as well as settings for your machine. If you have an Autoset, then I humbly suggest you just self-titrate in autoset mode. Set the minimum pressure to 8.0, Maximum pressure to 16 and EPR (exhale pressure relief) to On, Full Time, Setting 3. This will provide automatic adjusting pressure starting at 8.0/5.0 (inhale/exhale), and if you have residual flow limitations, obstruction or hypopnea, the machine will automatically increase pressure to as high as 16/13. I recommend Ramp set to off or Auto, and set Essentials to Plus for more data on-screen. These settings are a wide enough span in the comfort-zone to narrow down your optimum settings. Please see the Optimizing Therapy link in my signature.

[Fats Drywaller]

Doctors are useful for writing prescriptions.

Insurance will (or should) pay if you've had a sleep study done and it shows a need for CPAP (or bi-level, or ASV). The sleep study itself will be covered by insurance if you've been referred to the sleepydoc by another doc (usually a GP) who has evaluated your symptoms.

Self-paying and self-treating using the machine of choice (which you have, if it's the Autoset model) and an appropriate mask is a good way to go, generally, as long as the patient can afford it.

Trying more than a couple of masks can get moderately expensive (hundreds of dollars over the course of a year or two). One possibility, without your medical insurance covering it, is to take advantage of the "mask-return insurance" offered by a few of the CPAP suppliers in the list: you pay a non-refundable fee up front, and if you don't like the mask, you can return it within 30 days or whatever and have the purchase price refunded.

It's a good idea to add the specific Airsense 10 model name to your profile, along with the mask make & model once you've got that. (Resmed's are called Airfit <model-name> or Airtouch <model-name>.)

[Fiddy]

Can you suggest a place i can pick one up without prescription or is that against rules here?

Looks like i cant buy the mask with pillows attached without a script, but i can buy the two components separately?

[Fiddy]

It's a good idea to add the specific Airsense 10 model name to your profile, along with the mask make & model once you've got that. (Resmed's are called Airfit <model-name> or Airtouch <model-name>.)

The manuals in the bag say "AirSense10 Autoset" and "ClimateLineAir / ClimateLineAir Oxy" for the tube manual.

I think its possibly a heated tube since it has a little chip that plugs into the machine? Can take a pic of tube if needed.

Machine label says "37028" for model number.

Has anyone tore apart one of these machines? I'd be interested in physically disconnecting what i understand to be a cell phone modem that is more than likely phoning home to the MFG with my data. I have it in airplane mode right now but do not trust it.

[Fats Drywaller]

Instructions for disabling the A10 modem are here:

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...irsense-10

There are a few photos, supplied by the OP (Sleep87) and posted by me, further along in the thread.

I've done it, and it's easy. Just be sure to use a plastic spudger, not a screwdriver or any other metal tool, as always when disassembling a snap-fit plastic case.

Congratulations on getting the Autoset model; that's the one to have.

[Fats Drywaller]

Can you suggest a place i can pick one up without prescription or is that against rules here?

At the moment, the Airfit P10 seems to be available from at least one seller on Amazon, possibly more. Just do a search for "airfit p10 mask" on Amazon, skip all the mask parts, look for the complete kit with all pillow sizes, and go for it. That's not always possible with Amazon, which sometimes goes through phases of purging all Rx-only products from its listings. For the P10 right now, I see prices in the $61 to $70 range.

I happen to hate the P10 and I think it's vastly overrated, but then I don't have any facial hair and I can't recommend my fave mask (F&P Brevida), which is much more comfortable, to anyone who has a stache, because it'll all end in tears according to various reports from stache-wearers here on AB.

Sometimes a few other masks of various types are available on Amazon too without Rx, and from what I've seen, usually those are from one or two generations back, are no longer in great demand, and are sold at a discount, maybe around $50, maybe slightly less. If you're shopping around, it's worth searching there.

It is possible to build a mask from parts, but I don't think it's practical, partly because of the huge expense and partly because the frame component will be difficult to find. The headgear is trivial, the nosepiece (pillows or cushion) is trivial, because those are the replaceable components that everyone needs periodically. But usually the frame is never replaced until the entire mask is. One exception is when the frame is available in sizes, as with the PR Dreamwear, where it's also part of the headgear.