Need to start CPAP and feeling overwhelmed
A friend noticed that I sound like I am strangling goats in my sleep and suggested I get a sleep study. Turns out I have obstructive sleep apnea with 51 AHI. I got the results in May and have avoided dealing with it because it feels so overwhelming. My insurance isn't covering the machine so it all comes out of my own pocket and I am underemployed. I would love to have the money to turn myself over to someone and have it taken care of.
I have done enough research/reading to think I want the Airsense 10 Autoset. It looks like the card to cloud is cheaper and available since the Philips Respironics recall has made things a little tighter. And I am totally onboard with the idea of OSCAR.
I don't know if I should order online or find someone local. I expect that I will have issues with masks since I tend to sleep with my mouth open even if I work at keeping it closed when I go to sleep.
I am not sure what my next steps should be. I feel like I have done a lot in order to even be able to get here to ask this question. Help/Advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
RE: Need to start CPAP and feeling overwhelmed
Welcome to Apnea Board!
The first thing if you haven't already done so is to obtain a prescription from your doctor even if you're not using insurance. Also, ask for a copy of the sleep study. You can post that here for review if you like.
The AirSense 10 AutoSet is a great machine and would work well for you as long as your sleep study didn't show central sleep apnea. That could require a different machine.
There is a supplier list at the top of the page, where you can at least compare prices.
08-14-2023, 05:17 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-14-2023, 05:18 PM by Sleepster.)
RE: Need to start CPAP and feeling overwhelmed
You can also download the clinician's manual from Apnea Board so you know how to check the run hours on a used machine and set the pressure. You live in a densely populated area so you should be able to find one on craigslist.
But by all means follow OpalRose's advice first and get a copy of your prescription and a copy of your sleep study. Let us know what they say.
Sleepster
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: Need to start CPAP and feeling overwhelmed
Thank you for the reply. I do have my prescription. I asked for a copy my sleep study read-out when I did a virtual meeting to discuss it. I believe they sent me a hard copy in the mail but whatever it was that they sent me is lost in the house. It didn't seem to show anything enlightening to me. The Sleep team at Kaiser said my sleep apnea is caused by a collapse of the soft tissue of the throat but I don't know how they could tell that since the study consisted of a device I strapped onto my wrist and an oxygen monitor on my finger. I can tell from the video my friend took of me that I struggle getting air through my mouth so the idea that my throat is closing up makes sense.
RE: Need to start CPAP and feeling overwhelmed
The air volume will 'stent' your airway in the same way a wire cage stent replaces an aortic valve or widens the path in an occluded artery. So, at some point, your machine will get dialed in and provide you with therapy that you won't find intrusive or objectionable, although that isn't a sure thing. It surprises me how many offer their initial experiences with PAP and ask for help because it is awful or doesn't seem to mitigate their apnea.
I feel badly that you are unemployed and finding yourself overwhelmed...quite understandably, too. I hope you can snag a decent machine, even if slightly used (they last a long time, at least five years, often quite a bit more). Your prescription is a starting point, but chances are quite good that you won't end up with the numbers it prescribes. Most don't. Many do, and I'm one of those lucky ones.
We'll do what we can to coach you along. You are among apnea-afflicted friends here.
08-14-2023, 08:08 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-14-2023, 08:10 PM by Phil487.)
RE: Need to start CPAP and feeling overwhelmed
I bought my Airsense 10 for Her on Craigslist for $300, it only had 1400 hours on it. I have insurance but decided to go it alone. With the help of this board and with enough reading about apnea and the treatments, it's been worth it.
RE: Need to start CPAP and feeling overwhelmed
Is it possible to use a FitLife Total Face Mask by Philips Respironics with a ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet CPAP?
RE: Need to start CPAP and feeling overwhelmed
(08-26-2023, 02:53 AM)shipofools999 Wrote: Is it possible to use a FitLife Total Face Mask by Philips Respironics with a ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet CPAP?
Yes. The mask and CPAP machine can be any of the different brands.
Sleepster
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: Need to start CPAP and feeling overwhelmed
I bought a Fitlife mask in anticipation of facial surgery that never happened. In the brief time I used it, I found it was exceptionally hard to maintain a seal with PS 4 on a bilevel because the mask would inflate on inspiration and deflate on exhale. I found I had to securely tighten the mask straps and turn down pressure support. The mask certainly helps to maintain CPAP therapy with no apparent pressure differential between the nose and mouth, provided you resolved leaks. It's a really awkward interface if you're an active sleeper or like to sleep in any position other than supine.
RE: Need to start CPAP and feeling overwhelmed
A friend has popped up with a CPAP machine he isn't using, an AirSense 10 Respond. I figure that I would get whatever mask I plan on getting and try his machine out. Worse case scenario is I still need to buy a new one. The only glitch is that he isn't back in town for three weeks.
I have been trying to move forward on this CPAP thing since May so what is another 3 weeks.
Does anyone know about the AirSense 10 Respond?
