first timer

mississippi · Post by **mississippi** » Thu May 12, 2005 7:55 pm

hi, I have been reading your forum the last few days to try and educate myself on sleep apnea since I have just been diagnosed with it and also while waiting on my results from the 2nd night at the sleep lab. It has really been helpful. Thanks.
I received my equipment today, so tonight will be my first time to sleep with the cpap. The sleep center gave me the machine that "they" thought I needed. It is a Respironics Remstar plus w/ c-flex. And they gave me a Breeze mask to try tonight.
Is this Remstar plus w/c-flex an older style machine? I noticed that many of you use an auto or a remstar pro. Although my insurance will pay well on this machine, I saw what the sleep center is charging for the equipment - over $2,000.00.!!. this is about three times what it cost on-line. I asked about getting the auto, but they told me that the doctor doesn't like them.
Thanks,
Mississippi

glassgal · Post by **glassgal** » Thu May 12, 2005 8:13 pm

Welcome Mississippi!

Keep on reading on this forum and you will learn lots!

I didn't find this forum until after the DME had set me up with a CPAP -- ResMed's S7 Lightweight. As I learned more, I ordered the PB420E from our kind hosts at CPAP.COM. I have been very happy with it -- it is much smaller and lighter to travel with, and I got the software, so that I can see how things are going.

I don't have experience with the Respironics machines, but I have heard good things about them -- especially the C-flex.

I purchased mine outright -- I decided that our insurance premiums at our family business where I work were too high and that maybe I could keep the costs down by doing this. I also got exactly what I wanted, not what some DME thought was right for me. I have since changed doctors, and my doc is good, but is not familiar with my machine, software or the kind of information it provides. I am slowly educating him about the software. Before I made my purchase, I did contact the insurance company to see if it would be covered if I returned the S7 and purchased the PB420E on line and they said yes.

I guess that the main thing to do IMHO is to do your homework -- spend as much time as you can learning from this and other forums and then make the decision that is right for you -- hopefully with your sleep doc's help. You also need to do whatever it takes to be compliant -- use the machine every time you go to sleep -- even naps! Most of us have had to try different interfaces -- I have had good luck with the NasalAire II, and recently purchased an Aura, which is very disappointing. I may have to do radical modifications (a la Rested Gal's reconstructed Aura) before I can make it work, but the key is to make it work!

Best of luck to you on your first night!

IWannaSleep · Post by **IWannaSleep** » Sun May 15, 2005 2:34 pm

My doctors are ok with auto pap's, but they prefer the ResMed Spirit since they claim the software is the best. However, since I was having to pay for it myself I bought the REMStar Auto w/CFLEX.

.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sun May 15, 2005 2:53 pm

mississippi, here's a link to a long (several pages) topic that's rather interesting:

Feb 19, 2005 subject: "Sleep Doctor" doesn't like autopaps