Goofproof wrote:It pays to have a spare for everything, however replacements are not as well made as OEM. My hoses come from Targa "SP"m and are poorer and smaller. Thank's Lincare!!! Jim

Well, I certainly don't mind having a spare. But I think Rainsux has the DME's motivation figured out.

My DME insists that, as a matter of hygiene, I should replace my hose every 6-12 months. I wash it out periodically, rinse thoroughly, and let it drip dry. It's not cracked or deteriorated in any way. Can any of you think of a reason the hose needs periodic replacement? I don't exhale through the ho...

Early last week I got a new mask -- Ultra Mirage Full Face -- and finally everything seems to be working for me. This is my 4th mask. And it is comfortable, doesn't leak, and I am utterly amazed that I'm finally able to sleep through the night. It's taken a year and 3 months to get to this point. So...

Perhaps I'm just in a negative mood this evening; but I tend to agree with the folks who think the sleep apnea treatment thing is a racket. I live in the SE suburbs of Chicago. My primary care physician sent me to the sleep clinic at the big local hospital where I spent two nights being tested and t...

I'm in month 13 of treatment now and I can honestly say that the good nights are very, very good -- but then there are the bad nights. Like last night. I've been taping my mouth to eliminate the mouth breathing, and I'm going to give up on paper tape. Paper cuts. Ouch! The fabric tape I had was much...

I am a mouth breather - got my nose broken boxing and and then a car wreck modified it some more so, it's pretty much a permanent feature I've had two different humidifiers and even set to max the air really doesn't seem that moist - to the point that I wish it would rain out on me just so I could ...

In my experience, the full face mask actually encourages me to open my mouth and, for me, the consequence of mouth breathing with the full face mask is that I quickly develop an absolutely terrible case of dry mouth -- lips glued to my teeth and throat so dry I can't swallow. I find myself getting o...

I'm using Medline 1-inch paper tape that I got from the nurse at my mother's nursing home. Problem, sometimes, is it gets damp (do I drool from the corners of my mouth?) and comes apart about 4 hours into the night. Anyone else have this problem and a recommendation for a different tape? I'm not eag...

One more quick question for the experts. Even though taping my lips has eliminated the mouth breathing and the very uncomfortable dry mouth, it does not change the fact that I still tend to wake up early (3:30 or 4:00 AM) after 5 1/2 or 6 hours of sleep. I'm so uncomfortable at that point after bein...

Absolutely. In fact my apnea was diagnosed after I fell asleep driving on the expressway coming home from visiting my mother. We had eaten lunch together at a restaurant near her nursing home, and I had the lasagna. You know how restaurants are -- they over-size the portions to justify prices. And b...

I was embarassed to even try it; but, hey, desperation leads us to try anything. I taped my lips shut last night. And guess what? Dry mouth gone completely. Didn't use the Ramp feature either. Only problem I had was that I need to buy a wider tape and refine my taping procedure a bit. But I think I'...

Thanks folks. I didn't even know about the software. I'll discuss this with my medical equipment supplier after Christmas. They've Never looked at what's recorded on my card.

I've logged over 1700 hours on my CPAP machine during the past year; but I cannot honestly say that the therapy has made the slightest difference in how I feel during waking daytime hours. How do I know that CPAP therapy is working and not just a monumental waste of time, effort and discomfort? I'm ...