Lets Talk About Sleep Apnea/CPAP Machines

[I-Hate-Hulse]

I've gota ResMed AutoSet 10. Nice and quiet - looks like a iPod stand so it doesn't scream medical device. I do wish it had a bigger water tank - usually have to fill it every two days.

As for masks - it's good you're renting. At the clinic I rented from as part of the rental package I tried no less than 5 different masks before settling on a full face one. Trying multiple ones is key - it's all a matter of personal preference.

[TheAlpineOracle]

So I have an insurance question and am wondering if anyone else has experienced this. Under my insurance plan, I am eligible for new headgear/mask every 6 months. In the past I've always got a new heated hose as well which connects the mask to the Cpap machine. The last two times my insurance has denied the 65 heated hose. Has anyone else experienced this? Doesn't make any sense to me. It a supply I need. I called and they said it wasn't covered, but I have a feeling the person on the other end of the call had no idea what I was talking about.

[Northendzone]

^ did the insurance company pay for the hose in the past, if so, tell them to look at your claims history and ask what has changed in your employers policy

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

^ did the insurance company pay for the hose in the past, if so, tell them to look at your claims history and ask what has changed in your employers policy

They did the first couple of times but the hose wasn't split out from the headgear on the invoice. When they started to split them out, they stopped covering hose. So I guess they are taking the position they aren't covered which may be correct, but it does t make sense to me as it is a vital part of the headgear and was wondering if other people get their replacement hoses covered.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

I've gota ResMed AutoSet 10. Nice and quiet - looks like a iPod stand so it doesn't scream medical device. I do wish it had a bigger water tank - usually have to fill it every two days.

As for masks - it's good you're renting. At the clinic I rented from as part of the rental package I tried no less than 5 different masks before settling on a full face one. Trying multiple ones is key - it's all a matter of personal preference.

I got the new RedMed AirSense 10 which totally blows away the Philips Respironics I had for a month trial. Quieter and doesn't look like an 80's electronics device. I also had to try a few masks as the nasal pillows type didn't work for me as I had major leaks any time my head was turned to my side. A nasal mask worked best for me.

[Fuzz]

So my wife came home with one of these bloody machines. I was up until about 1:30 listening to the damn thing go brrrrrrrBRRRRRRbrrrrrrrrBRRRRR until I moved to the couch in the basement for a fully un-restful sleep, because hey, lets try it when her cousin is staying over in the spare bed so I have nowhere to go.... Any suggestions on how to quite it down? It's a AirSense 10 AutoSet for Her. Thinking of taking it off the nightstand to below bed level and putting it in a 3 sided box surrounded in noise dampening foam. Also the hose gurgles with water, to much humidity?

She went for the study and has what they call mild to medium. I'm a bit skeptical because it seams everyone who goes for a sleep study comes home with one of these, and they cost 2x through them as they do online, so someone is cashing in. The cynical side of me says she doesn't need it, but I do want her to have a good sleep.

[Northendzone]

^ does the mask fit properly (minimal leaks) around her mouth or nose?
sometimes if the hose gets kinked or twisted it can be louder
does the machine have settings. if so can it be adjusted in any way?

is there any white noise you can introduce into your bedroom to offset the sound of the machine?

[Sliver]

Would it be uncomfortable for you to wear earplugs?

[Fuzz]

Not sure how it fits, didn't have much time to chat this morning. I don't think the hose was kinked, it looks fairly sturdy and long. Will look into the settings, but I'd have no idea what to change. Fortunately it is a loaner before she buys so maybe another machine will be better? It didn't sound like they offered much for options.

I could try earplugs, but I did stuff my head into the pillow and tried plugging my other ear with the comforter. Still heard it, though it was possibly the vibrations propagating through the wood bedside table into our wood bedframe. I'd be a little worried about not hearing the morning alarm if I had them in.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

IF you bought it from a clinic, they can help you with mask fit. Their service is why you're paying the premium of using them so take advantage of it.

Also - check the humidity settings. If you have water gurgling in the machine it sounds like this is your problem. I had to turn my resmed autoset way down in summer (like 2) otherwise condensation interfered with the check valve and made a really loud noise. It should be quite quiet so something isn't right.

[Fuzz]

Well it is fairly quite, I think, but I am kinda sensitive to noise. I'd be OK if it was a steady brrrrr, but it goes louder and quieter with every breath(the machine itself) and I found it very tough to sleep through. I assume that is normal for it to do that though?

[Locke]

Just imagine that you're sleeping next to Darth Vader and if you dont behave he'll force choke your ass to death.

[Fuzz]

Ah yes, fear and anxiety. That'll keep my mental systems in line...

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Ah yes, fear and anxiety. That'll keep my mental systems in line...

And asphyxiation. Dont forget asphyxiation.

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

So my wife came home with one of these bloody machines. I was up until about 1:30 listening to the damn thing go brrrrrrrBRRRRRRbrrrrrrrrBRRRRR until I moved to the couch in the basement for a fully un-restful sleep, because hey, lets try it when her cousin is staying over in the spare bed so I have nowhere to go.... Any suggestions on how to quite it down? It's a AirSense 10 AutoSet for Her. Thinking of taking it off the nightstand to below bed level and putting it in a 3 sided box surrounded in noise dampening foam. Also the hose gurgles with water, to much humidity?

She went for the study and has what they call mild to medium. I'm a bit skeptical because it seams everyone who goes for a sleep study comes home with one of these, and they cost 2x through them as they do online, so someone is cashing in. The cynical side of me says she doesn't need it, but I do want her to have a good sleep.

The hose shouldn't gurgle as there shouldn't be any water in there.
I'm guessing the gurgling is actually from the reservoir and it just means she's filling it too full.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Locke

Just imagine that you're sleeping next to Darth Vader and if you dont behave he'll force choke your ass to death.

If Fuzz is a guy he should imagine sleeping next to Dorothy Vader otherwise it's weird.

My wife is a light sleeper and she loves me using my unit because I'm not snoring. Stick with it; you'll get used to it.

By the way, I've never used the water. I run it dry. Doesn't bother me.

There is a forum for CPAP users. CPAPtalk or something like that.

[Fuzz]

My wife never snored, so it was a lot quieter before. I told her she probably didn't need the water because we have a home humidifier, but she wanted to try it. I have a few items up for negotiation tonight, so we will see.

[Mr.Coffee]

Fuzz, it is "quiet". Not "quite". Probably a typo but couldn't stop reading it. And re-reading. And kinda getting angry over the misspelling.

Anyway I have mild sleep apnea. I was diagnosed and the solutions include the darth vader mask, surgery or the mouthpiece I chose in order to try and hit two birds one stone kinda thing (teeth grinding, sleep apnea).

Anyways, the key purpose of this post was to correct your annoying spelling but the second purpose was to suggest, have you tried the mouthpiece + humidifier? That seems to work for me. Also, then she won't die from heart issues primarily arising from poor breathing during 1/3rd of her time alive.

[Fuzz]

Sorry for my annoying spelling, you may be aware I'm operating on limited sleep!

She has the nose one right now, only one night. She doesn't, as near as I can tell, have sleep apnea though. She had one issue all night on the study and I've never heard her have breathing problems. The bigger issue is her O2 sat drops and I don't think a sleep clinic is really the right place to deal with that issue, but I'm humouring this one... Anyway, it's all very complicated(you could write a medical journal on her issues) so we are trying this thing for now but I suspect a better solution would be sleeping with O2. Unfortunately their is very little research for her, so it'll be another round of specialists, I imagine.

[Da_Chief]

If anyones interested in a machine, they can PM me and I can direct them to my brother, he knows everything about this stuff.