New to cpap

[pdean44]

pdean, you say you think you are a mouth breather. Thia may only be due to your apnea condition having difficulty in breathing. I was the same way. however as my breathing improved with cpap, I found that I could quite naturally breath through my nose and had no major mouth leak problems. As before stated here, a nasal pillow mask is by far the most comfortable.

Normally i feel pretty congested when I sleep even before I go to sleep. I did notice that the one night on the mask for the over night study did seem to help that. I had a full face on and did awake once feeling like a burp of air was coming through my lips now and then.
I am so new to all of this I am not really sure what I will need for a mask and what will work. By surfing the masks mentioned here It would appear those masks are more comfortable because of the smaller foot print on your face. I am waiting for my visit with the dme and am hoping I get hooked up properly. March 1st is the visit in the morning. So if i get my gear you will be hearing from then. I read the forums every day to try and get a feel for what to expect. I hope I can get some reasonable sleep and results out of the box at least to some degree. I really want this to work for me

[foxhunter]

How did it go pdean?

[SleepingUgly]

DreamOn, can you send the link to the Medicare reimbursement schedule? Thanks!

[pdean44]

So far I have been doing pretty well with the nose mask. I was sleeping today for my night shift and struggled a little. I had some minor rain out. I have been trying various settings since I got the machine. I think i had the humidifier set too low and I woke up and turned it up a bit. I woke once more and i believe i had my mouth open which may be why i woke. Since I dont have the card reader yet nor can figure out how to access my data on the machine itself without the reader, I cant be really sure how it is going yet. My right lung has a tiny bit of an ache to it. Not sure if i slept on my side funny or am still adjusting to the pressures. I have been sleeping longer and feel a bit more rested. My wife says I dont snore. I ordered a chin strap a few minutes ago and will try that to see if it makes a difference. When i finally am able to access my data I will be able to clearly see how well I am doing. Not sure when I will be able to swing the reader. Hopefully soon. Overall i am happy with the machine and mask. I am determined to get this to work for me.

[fiberfan]

When i finally am able to access my data I will be able to clearly see how well I am doing. Not sure when I will be able to swing the reader.

You have to look before noon but http://www.apneaboard.com/CPAP%20Adjustment.htm has instructions for getting into the clinician menu, from there select results and scroll to see leak rate, ai, hi and ahi for the previous day.

[pdean44]

Yeah so far i have nto been able to figure out how to enter the clinician menu for my machine.

[DreamOn]

Yeah so far i have nto been able to figure out how to enter the clinician menu for my machine.

To enter the Clinical Menu on the ResMed S8 Elite II, you hold down the Right and Down buttons simultaenously. Keep them held down (about 5 seconds) until it says "Clinical Menu Welcome". You can navigate the various menus from there using the Left, Right, Up and Down arrow keys.

I hope that helps!

[DreamOn]

DreamOn, can you send the link to the Medicare reimbursement schedule? Thanks!

I typed it up myself, from information my DME gave me:



I believe that the CPAP machine replacement interval for Medicare is five years. I didn't include that on the chart.

[pdean44]

Yeah so far i have nto been able to figure out how to enter the clinician menu for my machine.

To enter the Clinical Menu on the ResMed S8 Elite II, you hold down the Right and Down buttons simultaenously. Keep them held down (about 5 seconds) until it says "Clinical Menu Welcome". You can navigate the various menus from there using the Left, Right, Up and Down arrow keys.
I hope that helps!

Thank you kindly. I will be checking that as soon as I get home off of this night shift.
What I hope to find is the mask leak rates and other vital relevant information.

[SleepingUgly]

DreamOn, can you send the link to the Medicare reimbursement schedule? Thanks!

I typed it up myself, from information my DME gave me.

On some sites it says nasal pillows are replaced every 3 months, and on other sites it says 2 pillows in a month.

[fiberfan]

What I hope to find is the mask leak rates and other vital relevant information.

The info for the last night is there until noon. I get up at 12:30 most days and find this very frustrating. I am debating changing the time on the machine so it is 1 hour late after I see the sleep doc this month.

[DreamOn]

Thank you kindly. I will be checking that as soon as I get home off of this night shift.
What I hope to find is the mask leak rates and other vital relevant information.

I sent you a PM, so be sure to check your messages.

[DreamOn]

On some sites it says nasal pillows are replaced every 3 months, and on other sites it says 2 pillows in a month.

I just double-checked the original Replacement Schedule given to me by my DME to make sure I didn't make a typing error, but that is how they had it. I checked Medicare's website and couldn't find anything. Maybe someone here has a link to an "official" Medicare replacement schedule document? Or perhaps you can get that info from your DME.

The Replacement Schedule here says that nasal pillows (A7033) can be replaced at a rate of two per month, which is also what my schedule said: http://www.billmyhealthinsurance.com/me ... es.aspx#18. They list it as "30 days (2)". I'm not sure why there are discrepancies on other websites. It would be good to know what is correct!

[foxhunter]

pdean, you are getting a lot of good replies here.
If you are not there yet, here is the sequence for the Elite
1: Press right and left buttons and hold till you see;
REVIEW:
press ENTER
then down button and you will see;
REULTS:
press ENTER:
you will see;
EFFICACY:
press ENTER:
then using the down button, you will be able to scroll through;
LEAK;
AHI
AI
HI

Leak and AHI will tell you most of the story you need to measure your progress.
Try to get your leak below 4, and you AHI ideally zero but less than 5

AND Do not panic if you don't get there straight away. It is too easy to get hung up on the numbers. What you are looking for is steady improvement. You WILL get there and enjoy the nights as you improve.
Two things that stick in my memory as I started the journey.
I used to lay on pillows from foam to feather to down and they all felt like bricks; Now I swear I could lay on a brick and it would feel like a pillow!
I had not dreamed for a long time. I do now! You will be surprised how good that feels.

Pdean; it will take a little patience but it is well worth the trip.
Good Luck.....Over and out!