Airsense 10 Autopap vs. Dreamstation Autopap

[Jenk2k]

When I wake up in the morning, I feel like a little hypoxia. that's the best way I could describe it. I would prefer to be taking deeper breaths. I wake up and it still takes me extra effort to get moving in the morning. I still have trouble concentrating at 100% even getting 7 hours of sleep a night. If I sleep any longer, I dry out and my throat starts getting irritated and sleep quality goes out the window.

My job involves alot of of concentration, technology stuff, brain work, and people skills all at the same time. By the time 4pm rolls around I'm ready to close my eyes most afternoons. I push through and do my exercise, but I know that I would much prefer to take a nap.
I have been trying to live without much caffeine for a few months now. I still have "half caff" here and there, but I mostly try to avoid it because it masks the tiredness. Because I'm not using much stimulants, I know I still have some fatigue that is managed, but could be better. Maybe this is the best result I can hope for, until I drop some weight. But maybe i'd be getting fuller breaths if the pressure was up a few cm.

I do have an appointment with the new sleep doc on the 31st, I will definitely be bringing this up.

[jonny515]

I think the DME only stocks ResMed because they can get into the settings remotely. That said, I've never had it happen. I'd be really ticked at this point, and probably they would hear from me. I reset the lower setting (auto pap).

Any feedback from the group or anyone who's tried both?
Has anyone had issues with a Sleep doctor objecting to you adjusting your own settings? ....

[palerider]

I think the DME only stocks ResMed because they can get into the settings remotely. That said, I've never had it happen. I'd be really ticked at this point, and probably they would hear from me. I reset the lower setting (auto pap).

anything with a modem can be adjusted remotely, prs1, s9, air10, dreamstation, I don't know if F&P or devilbiss have modems available on their machines yet.

[Janknitz]

I think the DME only stocks ResMed because they can get into the settings remotely.

I think the "official" software for a DME to get clinical reports on patients is expensive. I know in Kaiser's case, they only had Respironics (now they have ResMed) software. So there is some truth to that theory. The other part is that they get volume discounts, so they are more likely to carry one brand over another.

[SewTired]

There is a difference between the algorithms and you can't know if one will be better for you than the other without trying them. I also think most people could use either one without a problem.

I happened to be able to try both because when my Airsense arrived, it failed the first night so they gave me a Respironics 60 series as a backup until my replacement arrived over 2 weeks later. The algorithm for the 60 series is the same as that for the Dreamstation. Since I had had an S9 Resmed for 2 weeks, I knew this Respironics apap was not working for me, so after about a week, I set it to a straight pressure of 11. I would upload your data and try some things before deciding to switch machines. The machine might not be the problem - just your setting choices.

[jonny515]

I think just did not want to carry anything else. They have one type of machine and it works for them.

I think the DME only stocks ResMed because they can get into the settings remotely. That said, I've never had it happen. I'd be really ticked at this point, and probably they would hear from me. I reset the lower setting (auto pap).

anything with a modem can be adjusted remotely, prs1, s9, air10, dreamstation, I don't know if F&P or devilbiss have modems available on their machines yet.

[palerider]

I think just did not want to carry anything else. They have one type of machine and it works for them.

most likely

[Thatgirl]

I suspect since you're having an AHI of 0.4-0.5 your symptoms are not apnea related. You could try turning down you EPR and turning up your minimum pressure to closer to your 90% pressure to see if you could get your AHI even a bit lower.

[Jenk2k]

I will try this and not worry about a new/different machine, for now. But I think I'm going to play it safe and talk to this doc and feel it out before tweaking any settings. I will probably have to print out the sleepyhead report for him but then again, he will probably ask for the SD card so he can do his own analysis.

If you are correct, thatgirl, then maybe I have a throat issue that needs to be addressed by ENT. Or maybe this leads back to the "you need to drop some weight," which is definitely true no matter which path this leads me on.

[SleepyCPAP]

Hi Jenk2k,

Your AHI numbers are very good, congrats!, and if you see that RERA events are not bad then a difference in machine algorithms isn't something I'd guess as an issue (I suspect if RERAs or flow restrictions were the culprit, then the "Airsense for Her" algorithm might have enough difference).

I'm one of those folks who does best without air pressure adjusting in the night. My machine can do APAP temporarily, but I really prefer finding the straight CPAP pressure that works best for whichever mask I'm using. So I throw in the suggestion to talk with your doc if you think you'd like to try it at a single setting for a bit.

You are also good to think of talking with your doc about other "whole health picture" items. I found CPAP wasn't the total solution for me, but rather just a major issue to deal with first so things could settle down and give space to look at other potential contributing factors. Bodies are complex, our life stresses intersect with our physical energy, and addressing each piece makes incremental improvements.

-- SleepyCPAP

[jonny515]

The bulk discount thing makes sense. I can't complain too badly, as it is in an excellent machine-- unlike what some DMEs are unloading.

I think just did not want to carry anything else. They have one type of machine and it works for them.

most likely

[Hose_Head]

The bulk discount thing makes sense. I can't complain too badly, as it is in an excellent machine-- unlike what some DMEs are unloading.

I think just did not want to carry anything else. They have one type of machine and it works for them.

most likely

That, combined with the cost of keeping stock on hand for multiple brands.

[JVincent]

So between these two, which one would be best for someone who is just starting on a APAP?

[robysue]

So between these two, which one would be best for someone who is just starting on a APAP?

In all honesty? It doesn't really make much difference. They're both high quality machines that record full efficacy data and provide excellent therapy once the settings are optimized.

And for all our talk around here about the differences in the Auto algorithms and the differences between Resmed's EPR and PR's Flex, the average CPAPer probably can't actually feel much difference between the two of them.

It's kind of like arguing over which tastes better, Coke or Pepsi? While there are some people who can actually tell the difference between the two and correctly identify them in blind taste tests, most people can't.

Now once you are accustomed to one of the two algorithms or one of the two exhalation relief systems, switching brands can make you notice differences that you would not have noticed as a newbie. In other words, many people who start out with the PR machines prefer to stick with them when they upgrade their equipment. Likewise, many people who start out with the Resmed machines prefer to stick with them when they upgrade their equipment. It's a matter of sticking with the thing that you've learned how to sleep with rather than having to learn how to deal with a system that may feel just different enough to wind up distracting or annoying you when you're trying to get to sleep.

[Gasper62]

I had the impression that the DreamStation isn't Sleepyhead friendly yet. Maybe that's changed by now, not sure. FWIW, I always avoid the newest of anything. This is a result of 63 years worth of observing that many new things are rolled out long before all the "bugs" are identified and addressed. "New Coke" was one of em. I think you can still find a bottle of it on ebay every once in a while. Good luck.