Getting Used To CPAP

[Jenbes]

Hi,
Newbie.
I'm doing a 2 week trial via a sleep clinic of a CPAP machine. I've been to a sleep study, a titration study and get my prescription after the machine data is looked at. My sleep specialist is very thorough. I'm having trouble getting used to the machine. Waking to check the mask, the machine, still feeling tired, probably from anxiety. I guess this is all normal. My question is how long does it take to get used to the therapy?
Secondly Dr recommends CPAP not APAP. He says they are cheaper and they provide better therapy for someone like me. Pressure range 6 to 7. I don't use ramp and I find it disturbing when it changes. I'm just wondering what other people's experiences are?

[Pugsy]

It takes as long as it takes and there is no set time frame that fits everyone.
Some take to it like a duck to water and others it can take months to just keep the mask on all night.

Some docs don't like apap because they don't understand it and they don't make any effort to learn.

Fixed pressure might work fine for some people but often people have times in the night where their pressure needs might vary and vary quite widely.
Sleeping on your back can cause OSA to worsen and need more pressure.
Same thing can be said of REM stage sleep. I happen to be one of those REM worse OSA people. Sometimes I might need 6 to 8 cm more pressure during REM. If I had to use a fixed cpap that would mean pressures upwards of 15 to 18 all night long to deal with REM which maybe composes 20% of the night. It's doable but not much fun. Instead I use around 8 or 9 cm the other 80% of the night and let the machine go higher only when I need it. It's a lot more comfortable that way and the changing pressures don't mess with my sleep at all.

[palerider]

Secondly Dr recommends CPAP not APAP. He says they are cheaperr and they provide better therapy for someone like me. Pressure range 6 to 7. I don't use ramp and I find it disturbing when it changes. I'm just wondering what other people's experiences are?

Recommend finding a better doctor.

CPAP is restrictive, it *might* work, maybe, but peoples needs change, from hour to hour and night to night... cpap doesn't.

[zoocrewphoto]

Hi,
Newbie.
I'm doing a 2 week trial via a sleep clinic of a CPAP machine. I've been to a sleep study, a titration study and get my prescription after the machine data is looked at. My sleep specialist is very thorough. I'm having trouble getting used to the machine. Waking to check the mask, the machine, still feeling tired, probably from anxiety. I guess this is all normal. My question is how long does it take to get used to the therapy?
Secondly Dr recommends CPAP not APAP. He says they are cheaper and they provide better therapy for someone like me. Pressure range 6 to 7. I don't use ramp and I find it disturbing when it changes. I'm just wondering what other people's experiences are?

If you are in the USA using insurance, the cpap and apap machines are billed with the SAME code, and that means that the insurance will pay the same price regardless of which machine you get. And you get to pay the same copay. The only one saving money is the DME.

Also, it is better to have a machine with both cpap and apap than a machine with just cpap. Apap mode is much better if you have different needs at different parts of the night, and/or you have different needs from night to night. You can also look at the data and see what the pressure was doing and use that information to dial in on better settings for you.

If your doctor can't handle that, then you need a different doctor. Or you will need to buy the machine yourself. No sense in wasting money on the cheapest model and then having to buy a better machine later when you need better options.

[Dog Slobber]

The difference in price between APAP and CPAP really is not all that significant

For example the our sponsor sells the ResMed 10 Elite for $808, and the ResMed 10 AutoSet for $883. On a 5 year device lifespan, that's $15 a dear difference.

Currently the sale price of the AutoSet is $679, considerably cheaper than the Elite.

On the off chance that CPAP is your preferred treatment, APAPs can do CPAP. Personally, I think most proponents of CPAP over APAP are basing their opinions on poor treatment on a misconfigured device or a negative first impression from years previous.