I know I'm late to this party, but I'll add my two cents and hope the original poster sees it. I can unequivocally, without reservation, recommend Weight Watchers. I've lost about 90 lbs on this program, and I can't imagine doing it any other way. It isn't a diet; it's a lifestyle change. The progra...

I'll be traveling by air next week for the first time since being on CPAP, so this is valuable information for me. Thanks for posting. I still haven't decided whether to carry on or put the CPAP in well-cushioned luggage. I have to carry a briefcase with laptop also, and the thought of lugging both ...

I use Johnson's baby shampoo to clean my mask. I think it's milder than the dish soaps, and doesn't seem to irritate my sensitive rosacea skin. The only time I have redness is if I slack off on cleaning the mask.

An expensive pillow is not necessarily needed, even for a side sleeper. I use a regular down pillow and squish the side in, similar to the shape of the expensive pillows, and that works just fine for me. May or may not work for others, but it's worth a try before investing $50 + in a cpap-specific p...

Great idea, lifeartist. Thanks!

I haven't tried the DME yet. My thinking is that if I have the insurance approval first, it will strengthen my case with the DME. I know my doctor (primary, not sleep, whom I've never met) will help me out and pretty much say whatever I tell her she needs to put in the letter. She's a really great a...

Hi all, I've read tons of posts about convincing DMEs and docs to give you an apap, but how do you all go about convincing your insurance company? In my case, the insurance will not cover the apap unless it is "medically necessary." I assume this means my doctor would have to send them a letter conv...

I get the puffy face at times as well. I think BrnEyez's doctor is right about the lymph draining. It is more likely to happen to me if my mask is a little too tight and hits me in the wrong place. What I do is when I take my shower, I get the wash cloth nice and hot and place it across my eyes/chee...

The three things that help me the most are the NeilMed sinus rinse, my full face mask (otherwise I get claustrophobic and lay awake worrying that my sinuses are going to block up while I sleep and I won't be able to breath), and the PurSleep Clear oil.

Another thing...when I'm not flopping around in my sleep, I spend the majority of my sleep time on my side. The 431 has not been a problem for me in that regard. In fact, sleeping on my side seems to hold it in place better than when I'm on my back.

Rose--Thanks for that explanation of the return insurance. It really helped me understand why it's as high as it is. Makes sense now!

431 user checking in! I really just love this mask. I wanted so much to not need a FF mask, but none of the mouth taping/Polidenting/chin strap solutions were working for me. Taping was a hassle and drool made it come loose. Polident didn't hold tight enough. Chin straps gave me massive headaches. S...

IF a doctor writes a specific script that says Do Not Substitute on it, I don't believe a pharmacist or DME can .... substitute. In the case of drugs, it is true that if the doc writes the scrip with the notation Dispense as Written (or do not substitute), the pharmacist does have to fill it as wri...

I may try to get over there as well. I went to one of their meetings last summer, but it happened that the one I dropped in on was their annual picnic or something like that. No speaker, and everyone had brought a dish to share but me. It was kind of uncomfortable, but the folks I did talk with were...

Great, one more thing to be paranoid about! Now those who are resistant to treatment will use concentration of harmful air elements as an excuse not use the machine. I found the writing style of that article to be rather odd. They wrote more about the wife (who's fine) than they did about the deceas...