Card Readers?

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 2:38 pm

I got the word my insurance company is buying me a machine. I told the DME I want the type that will allow me to monitor my own nightly events. He said he knows of some that I will be able to every few months have them check with their software to see how I'm doing, but I wouldn't be able to do it myself. I told him that wasn't what I wanted. I want to be in control of what is going on.
Does anyone have the names of the machines that do this? My criteria was to have C-Flex, heated humidifier and the ability to monitor my nightly progress/lack thereof. My insurance company seems to be rather compliant and I agreed that whatever they won't put up, I will. Does the machine have to be equipped or can you buy something to attach to a machine that isn't set up to do this? I am so not informed when it comes to machines. Masks is another story, but not machines. So I am looking for the names of machines or any other suggestions.
Thanks for any help you can offer.

littlebaddow · Post by **littlebaddow** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 4:19 pm

Remstar auto with c-flex, plus card reader and encore pro software will fit the bill.

Have a look at

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... ifier.html

and

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... eader.html

littlebaddow · Post by **littlebaddow** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 4:21 pm

sorry, I can never get those links right, but if you go to the cpap.com site you should be able to find them easily enough

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 5:32 pm

Yea! Thanks, Littlebaddow. Yes, I did find them easy enough. I guess my insurance won't pay for the card reader and software, but that's okay. And this is all I need, right? I love this site! Ask and your questions get answered.
Have a great night and thanks for the help.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 6:09 pm

I told the DME I want the type that will allow me to monitor my own nightly events. He said he knows of some that I will be able to every few months have them check with their software to see how I'm doing, but I wouldn't be able to do it myself.

If the DME truly thinks you can't monitor your own nightly events with software, he's clueless.

If he knows you can purchase software to do your own monitoring, and he said all that just to try to discourage you from doing it yourself and keep you relying on them in every way, he's being deceitful.

But let's give him the benefit of the doubt. Call him "clueless". He probably doesn't run across many customers who want to take an active role in their own treatment. Most customers probably file through like sheep, trusting that the DME knows what's best for them and accepts anything they are told...or are given.

Only Respironics machines have C-Flex. If you particularly want C-Flex and want to see your own results on your own computer, you'd need one of these machines:

REMstar Auto with C-Flex (autopap)
REMstar Pro 2 with C-Flex (cpap)

Respironics also has a bi-level machine (one single pressure for inhale, one single lower pressure for exhale) - BiPAP Pro 2. It also lets you use software to see your own results.

Those machines come with a "Smart Card" already stuck in the side of the machine.

You'll need Encore Pro software and a special card reader in order to download your nightly data from the "Smart Card" to your own computer. The software and card reader together are about $200.

Insurance isn't going to pay for software (or the card reader.) Software purchases will be out of your own pocket, but the good news is you don't need a prescription to buy the software or card reader from an online store like cpap.com.

You said you wanted C-Flex, but if you don't have to have relief from pressure when you exhale, there are two other very good manufacturers who make machines that can use software for monitoring your overnight data:

Puritan Bennett Goodknight 420E (autopap)
Puritan Bennett Goodknight 420S (cpap)
Puritan Bennett Goodknight 425 (bi-level)
Those machines use Silverlining software and a download cable - less expensive software than the Encore Pro/card reader.

ResMed Autoset Spirit (autopap)
ResMed S7 Elite (cpap)
ResMed VPAP III (bi-level)
Those machines use Autoscan software and a download cable - less expensive than the Encore Pro/card reader.

Personally, if I were going to get a ResMed autopap, I'd wait until ResMed releases (end of this year, first of next year?) the new smaller autopap they are developing - the Autoset S8 (not to be confused with a small CPAP, the "S8 Escape" they recently introduced. The new little cpap does not give any info except hours of use.)

The two machines I typed in bold are the ones I'd try to get, if I were you. They are autopaps. One of them (Respironics) has C-Flex, the other (Puritan Bennett) does not. Both are excellent autopaps.
_____________________________________
My disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, nor have I ever worked in the health care field. Those are just my personal opinions. A mask or machine I love/hate could be completely the opposite for others. Finding suitable equipment can be an expensive trial and error experience.

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 6:54 pm

RG,
If this site doesn't put you on some sort of payroll for all the knowledge you have and all the people you have imparted that knowledge to, I'll pay you myself!!! I have a few questions for you? How many years have you had OSA that you know this much about all of this stuff? And how do you find the time and patience to impart all of your information on to all of us? You never are at a loss, and your answers are so full of whatever the question call for. Let me say thanks in advance.
Now, back to the topic, my DME is one of many in the place I go to, and I adore him. I think it is probably safe to say he is clueless, rather than deceitful. Either that or I am just a naive, overly trusting fool. We hit it off from the first day we met and I really do like him a lot. I get the impression, though, no one has ever asked him for something like this. Today, a little over a week since we first started discussing this, he was waiting for information back from one of the companies. So I don't think he has as much knowledge AS YOU!!!! Boy, you should be employed as one of the RTs!!!
Now, is there a machine you would say is better of the two you recommend? I am on a 10 pressure setting on my CPAP. I don't even bother with the ramp setting because I have no problem at all exhaling. It was this gentleman who suggested I go for the C-Flex and APAP. I figured, hey, why not? If they're buying it for me, it's a better, more flexible type of machine to have so I might as well take advantage of it. From what I've learned, conditions change nightly and so can your breathing (that's what he told me), so it might be best to have an APAP. I am more than willing to hear your take on it if you have the time to respond.
Once again, as usual, thanks for the informed reply. I am also awaiting delivery tomorrow of my Breeze (switching from my Activa after six weeks of leaks that I can't take anymore) and have read your article where you have the photo of the revamped headgear. Will rig mine up accordingly, if necessary. You need to write a book!!!

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:13 pm

Hi LI,

I haven't been on cpap that long -- about a year and a half at this point. (Hey, look at Nitro Dan - a 19 year veteran!! wow!! )

Once I decided I had OSA (in Oct 2003) I needed to learn all I could. I had to figure out what to do about it from the perspective of someone who had no insurance.

Sleep studies and doctor visits would have been a very expensive way to go about it. On top of that would be the expense of equipment.

I knew without a doubt I needed to get myself onto cpap treatment. I borrowed one from a friend. It worked!! I was determined then to find out if it would be possible to "self treat" this disorder....to spend my money on good equipment rather than on an expensive sleep study to tell me what I was already 100% sure I had.

I spent hour after hour after hour, days at a time, reading several apnea message boards. Turning the pages backwards; digging into the old topics, making notes. Coming up with an absolute wealth of information!

I had the time available to do all that sifting through old posts, and the incentive (hey, it's about a treatment I need!!) to learn everything I could to make it effective. Equally important, to make it as comfortable as possible. I'm big into comfort.

By the time I got a 420E autopap/software, received invaluable help from another message board poster (that dear genius, "-SWS") on settings, had learned to tape my lips, and was using a very comfy Breeze, I could have stopped looking at the message boards. I was getting good treatment. Comfortable treatment. Felt great.

However, I enjoyed reading about people trying other machines, other masks, and posting hints and tips.

So, I hung around and kept reading.

I feel sorry for people who are at the mercy of so many DMEs who don't know how to help the new user get comfortable enough to be able to stick with it.

So, I hung around and kept posting.

I remember so well how it was when I was trying to decide, "Gee, what machine should I buy?", "What mask should I get?", "OMG...TAPE?!! Do I really want to experiment with something that drastic?"

The Search button on message boards is a wonderful thing.

I guess you could say that continuing to try different masks and machines long after I found a combo that worked beautifully for me has turned into a nutty hobby of sorts.

So, I hung around and am still here.

Just a lab rat at heart.

P.S. LI, to answer your question, if C-Flex is not really needed, I personally would go with the 420E autopap.

2listless · Post by **2listless** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:14 pm

Get the Remstar Auto with CFLEX....it gives you all the options. Usable as straight CPAP or Auto, with or without CFLEX. Make sure you get the INTEGRATED HUMIDIFIER!!! The software is a must and then download Derek's MYENCORE program....it will give you more information than the Encore Pro software. Masks are just a plain pain in the behind.....everyone is different......a mask someone loves, you may hate. Best bet is to look and try on as many as possible and follow your "gut" instinct. I personally CANNOT stand anything in front of my face.....so that automatically eliminates a lot of masks!!!!!!! At my Sleep Doctor this past Tuesday, they actually took me into a room with masks hung everywhere.....I was amazed. They now allow you to try them on and try different sizes....actual real people help you with sizing. They gave me new inserts for all my masks...the shock was more than my poor body could take!! I even tried on a mask that looks like a horror movie mask..they kept trying to get it on me and I kept backing up..they finally cornered me and my panicked look said it all! Good luck!

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:21 pm

I even tried on a mask that looks like a horror movie mask..they kept trying to get it on me and I kept backing up..they finally cornered me and my panicked look said it all!

LOL!! Gawd, I love your posts, 2listless! ROTFL! What mask was it?????????

chrisp · Post by **chrisp** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:26 pm

If you say that you don't have a problem exhaling then why not go for the GK 420E. It is much cheaper and the software doesn't require an expensive card reader.. https://www.cpap.com/productpage/1541

Cheers,

Chris

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 6:03 am

RestedGal, I'm sure a lot of us on this site will enjoy reading that post you wrote about how you became as qualified as you are and why you stick around here to help everyone so much. That is an incredible story. I give you a lot of credit for having the guts and the ability to do that. You certainly did absorb a lot of information and your kindess to others goes without saying. You are one of the treasures on this site, no doubt.

Thanks for the advice on the 420E. It seems to be a favorite of a lot of users out there. The only quetion I would have then is, the Siverlining software, is it more "clumsy" to use than the other Encore? Is it a card reader or something else? I don't mind the extra money if it's more technologically advanced. I am extremely computer savvy (can take one apart and put it back together-to a certain point) and I was looking at the ads on this site and it made me wonder. You and Chrisp seem to be in agreement over that machine.

But I believe 2listless made a good point, that if I got the Remstar Auto, you can always turn off the C-Flex if you don't want to use it. Were you steering clear of that only because of the fact you needed the Encore software and reader and it cost more or do both machines function/perform differently?

Thanks to 2listless and Chrisp, too, for your helpful comments on which machine to ask for. I will definitely talk to my DME and "help" him out with some ideas since he doesn't seem to be too familiar with card readers and the like.

By the way, 2listless, what did you mean when you said, "The software is a must and then download Derek's MYENCORE program....it will give you more information than the Encore Pro software. "?
Have a wonderful day, all.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 5:38 pm

If you dont need cFlex then you are wasting an extra 200 bucks on the Remstar auto and it takes up a lot more space on your nitestand. Get the Puritan Bennett 420E instead. If your insurance covers it no matter how much is costs but you don't need the cFlex, why get it? Insurance costs and all being bad enough. Software wize they are both good. the My encore is a seperate program made by a computerwiz makes the results for remstar easier to understand. The 420E software is already easy enough.

Like Rested Gal said use the search button and like magic everything you asked is already answered there.

Sleepyman · Post by **Sleepyman** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 3:09 pm

You can buy the software Encore pro here $99 https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... -rev3.html
I would purchase the card reader here $49 http://www.securetech-corp.com/smart.html
rather than shell out the $149 for a separate card reader or $100 for the combo online.
The card reader includes the same driver supplied by Resperonics.
That just me Yes I'm cheap!

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 3:33 pm

Thanks for the advice, Sleepyman! I am spending more than I want to on masks, so any penny saved at this point is fine by me. The site you gave the link to, do you just look for an Encore card reader? Is that what it would be called?

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 3:42 pm

Regarding the Silverlining, though, I notice that has a download cable. Does that mean it doesn't take a card reader and you use the CPAP machine directly hooked up to a cable on one end and the computer to the other to transfer the data? I know that software goes to the PB 420E/S, but just curious.

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