10 years and 30,000 hours

[mlk18]

10 years ago, in early August 2008, I had a sleep study and was prescribed a CPAP machine. I set up my Resmed S8 Elite with my Fisher Paykel OPUS mask and had the best night sleep of my adult life. I have not slept a single night since then without my CPAP machine. I have not even taken a nap without it. Why would I? I sleep better, I sleep deeper, I have more energy, I wake up alive every morning, etc., and so on. I keep my S8 clean and maintained, and other than replacing the filters, have not had to replace anything except the tube and the masks. When I realized it had been a full decade I looked at the run time on my Resmed to discover it had just turned over 30,000 hours. Not too bad for an $800 CPAP machine.

The other day I found a used Resmed S8 Auto Set II and H3 humidifier, fully refurbished with under 300 hours use, for $130. So I picked it up to put away just in case mine gives out. While searching the internet for the difference between the S8 Elite and the S8 Auto Set II I found this forum. So I thought I would chime in with how my CPAP machine changed my life for the better and how well it's stood up over the years.

[Muse-Inc]

Congrats!

[mlk18]

Thanks.

My Mom was recently prescribed a CPAP and her machine looks like something out of Star Trek. It has a large LCD display, heated tubing, 100+ settings, etc. Not sure if all that is really necessary as I just need air blown up my nose not the ability to fly at warp speed to some other galaxy. My boss also has sleep apnea and he told me he is on his 3rd machine in 15 years. So either I just got lucky or the S8 is a pretty durable unit.

[TahoeGal]

Wonderful!! Congratulations!!

[zonker]

good work! always terrific to hear a success story like yours.

could i impose upon you to post a picture of your fine rig?

also, conventional wisdom puts the life span of a cpap machine at around 5 years. so good job on getting that baby to last so long!

[klm49]

10 years ago, in early August 2008, I had a sleep study and was prescribed a CPAP machine. I set up my Resmed S8 Elite with my Fisher Paykel OPUS mask and had the best night sleep of my adult life. I have not slept a single night since then without my CPAP machine. I have not even taken a nap without it. Why would I? I sleep better, I sleep deeper, I have more energy, I wake up alive every morning, etc., and so on. I keep my S8 clean and maintained, and other than replacing the filters, have not had to replace anything except the tube and the masks. When I realized it had been a full decade I looked at the run time on my Resmed to discover it had just turned over 30,000 hours. Not too bad for an $800 CPAP machine.

The other day I found a used Resmed S8 Auto Set II and H3 humidifier, fully refurbished with under 300 hours use, for $130. So I picked it up to put away just in case mine gives out. While searching the internet for the difference between the S8 Elite and the S8 Auto Set II I found this forum. So I thought I would chime in with how my CPAP machine changed my life for the better and how well it's stood up over the years.

That's great! When was the last time your machine was tested by your Sleep Dr. or DME?

[kismet210]

Congratulations! Just goes to show how treatment works if you use it any time you are going to go to sleep!

[SewTired]

Congratulations! Good that you had no problems too which makes it all the easier!

Those older machines did seem to last a long time. My sister had the same cpap, used most nights and naps, from 1994 until about 2012. She only stopped using it because surgery eliminated her need for it.

[LSAT]

good work! always terrific to hear a success story like yours.

could i impose upon you to post a picture of your fine rig?

also, conventional wisdom puts the life span of a cpap machine at around 5 years. so good job on getting that baby to last so long!

There are lots of S8 machines in use...great machine. Life span of most CPAPs is a lot longer than 5 years...It's just that most insurance companies will replace at 5 years so people take advantage and upgrade. It's not the machine that makes for successful therapy..it's the mask and regular use.

[mlk18]

I don't have any pics of my set up, but I will try and take one this week. I had my sleep study done, spoke extensively with my Doctor and the respiratory therapist about it, set it up and got started. After 30 days the respiratory therapist came to my house and checked the machine and downloaded some data from it. They have never spoke to me about it in any way since, other than providing a signed copy of my "prescription" so I could purchase items directly without using my insurance. My Doctor has since left (about 2 years after that) and I never signed on with another primary care physician. So I am basically out in the woods without a compass. My plan has been if I stop sleeping well at night, my wife starts kicking me for snoring, I start having headaches, or anything else happens that indicates things aren't going in the direction they need to go; I would head back in for a check up. But here a decade in I am sleeping well, my machine is still working, I am not having another health issues, and I haven't had an insurance claim since 2008 when I paid $800-900 for a machine and $250 for a mask. Which I quickly learned was ridiculous. I think part of my CPAP success has also been that I am fortunate to be a back sleeper who does not move around much when I sleep. I am also a very deep sleeper who tends to go very deep into REM sleep very quickly.

[jaybee72]

That sounds like me - I'm coming up on my 11 year anniversary in September. I did the first half of that time on an S8 elite, the second half on an S9 autoset. I'm guessing there have been less than 5 nights without it in that time, and they all were miserable! I don't check data that often, and the SD card in the S9 corrupted once, so I don't have a number of hours handy.

I still have the S8 as a backup, for camping or power outages on 12 volt power, plus it is great at inflating air mattresses and rafts!

I'm now in a new quandary - my general physician of almost 20 years who last wrote me a prescription left the area, and I had a bit of trouble convincing him last time to write a new one without a follow-up sleep study. I need supplies, and would like to get a new machine - but have no interest in doing another sleep study! Maybe if I cannot get a general internist to do it I can take some data to a sleep doctor and get it... Oh, and I have had as little interaction with the DME's as possible. They have never looked at either machine since it was new.

[palerider]

I need supplies,

1) fax your rx to cpap.com.
2) ebay
3) amazon.

2 and 3 are probably cheapest.

[zonker]

I don't have any pics of my set up, but I will try and take one this week. <snip>

when you get the chance, that would be great. i cut out the rest, but it's a pretty remarkable story. i'm sure your attitude was the biggest help in your treatment.

if you look around a bit here, you'll see a few of us who don't go the insurance route. myself, i think it's a bit of a scam and i'm fortunate enough to pay out of pocket.

also, the majority of users here think sleep doctors are a waste of time and thus go their own way.

[carbonman]

June was my 10yrs. I have missed 3 nights in those 10yrs.
2 in the ER w/my dad. 1 in San Fran airport after missed flight.
"Slept" in a booth at the all night Subway.

I still have my original M Series Auto w/C-Flex, an S8 Elite and 2 S8 autos.
One of those I use for travel and battery use in the trailer and power outages.
I got those 3 S8s here at cpaptalk auction before Resmed killed it.
I upgraded to an S9 4yrs ago.
I'm on the pay as you go plan.

Cpap.....it's my life....
it's your life.

[WRX03]

The S8s are bowling balls, you can roll them down the hallway and they would still work. But the S8s demand keeping water out of them. It will kill the flow sensor and the darn things rust terribly internally. You will be breathing in rust and not know it! They didn't use stainless steel in the housing. If the keypad acts up you should be able to find the replacement and repair it yourself, very easy.