Brick machine, no health insurance - what else can I DO?

[Black Shampoo]

It seems to me that you are entrenched in a "poor me" syndrome and that is giving you a bad attitude problem. Do you really think that you are the youngest, no insurance, no job, sold a brick patients to come here and get help. You are among a big number of patients ........
We have kids ages 11 to 16 and young adults ... that beats you.
We have patients with no insurance - MANY of us - me included.
No job, lots of folks here have lost their job.
Sold a brick... tons of us again. Me included, I had to pay $1600 for a brick out of my pocket, and my pockets are pretty damn poor.
You see, you are not alone, you have been given many good ideas on how to either cope with what you have or get a cheaper auto. But, somehow you don't want the advice you have been given, nor do you want some of our help. Your words that "you don't want to hear from any senior citizens" bodes well for your attitude that needs some adjustment.
I might be a poor senior citizen, but some how I now have an auto machine that I only paid $80 for from another member here .. it was used but it sure works just fine and the price was right. Patience and perseverance are the keys to successful therapy, you need to dial down and take a breather... if you can't put up with the brick, then take some suggestions from the "senior citizens" and go to craigs list, secondwind, or here, there are several people here that sell used and new machines.
Best advice you are going to get is right here on this forum, we have been there, done that and got the t-shirt , but somehow we get the job done ... one problem at a time.
Good luck
Nan

I'm not sure why your response here is so defensive - it's not a competition for who's the most miserable. Why are you treating it like one? I'm allowed to be frustrated with my situation, and that doesn't mean it's in competition with yours or anyone else's.

You're taking my senior citizen comment entirely out of context - it was in response to people completely blowing off my questions about long-term effects of CPAP treatment, which is basically inhaling vapor through heated plastic for, in my case, decades and decades to come. The vast majority of the responses were blow-off, "well, think of how bad it is without CPAP!" type answers, but being concerned over regular untreated Sleep Apnea effects and being concerned over long-term CPAP effects aren't mutually exclusive. And frankly, most of the people responding that way don't have nearly as much time ahead of them as I do, which is the primary factor in them not worrying about long-term effects...there is no long-term for them, so CPAP is a palliative option for Sleep Apnea with no concern for the longer term. Most of these people were diagnosed in their fifties or sixties. My comment there was completely contextual and in response to this sort of blow-off, anti-intellectual response.

[chunkyfrog]

Two points that need to be clarified:
One: Plastic fumes are not an issue; unless someone needs an excuse to stop therapy.
Two: Palliative, my slippery green behind! CPAP is singularly the only reliable treatment for OSA.
Right now there is no cure. Surgery only works for a few; and only partially for most of them.
HGNS is still experimental, expensive, and not covered by insurance.
If you hate CPAP so much, start saving your pennies for that.

[Black Shampoo]

I don't hate CPAP at all. If it worked - I'd happily strap that sex toy on my face for the rest of my life. As is, I sleep like a freaking baby with it, straight through the night. Only...I don't feel any better at all. I'm still tired all the time, can easily fall asleep while reading or watching TV, and generally feel that worn-down malaise. I want it to work, bad, because I tolerate it VERY well.

[chunkyfrog]

Sex toy? OMG! You put that thought in my head.
I have to show this to my husband; maybe he can figure out what you mean.

[RandyJ]

Black Shampoo,

I think it's important that you get to the bottom of your sleepiness/fatigue. You say you sleep like a baby through the night with your brick, but in order to know for sure, you'll have to get a machine that offers data. (I'm not saying anything new here, just trying to bring the thread back on track).

The other common culprits for how you are feeling are: low vitamin D, thyroid issues, inflammation in the body (sometimes caused by food sensitivities), etc to name a few. All can be checked with blood tests, which I'm guessing you'd want to wait until you are insured again before getting potentially expensive bloodwork done.

If you can manage the $300-400 it would cost you to perhaps get a gently used S9 Elite (maybe less if you can get something for your Escape in trade), that would be something you would not have to wait to do, and you'd know for sure if your therapy is working, and at least tick that box. Then, if you have to investigate further, you can cross that bridge when needed.

Hope this helps & good luck.

[allen476]

I'm not sure why your response here is so defensive - it's not a competition for who's the most miserable. Why are you treating it like one? I'm allowed to be frustrated with my situation, and that doesn't mean it's in competition with yours or anyone else's.

She isn't making it a contest. You have been given the best advice we can give you based on the circumstances you have presented. Your posts have become a whining and often pity laden read which has become tiresome.

You're taking my senior citizen comment entirely out of context - it was in response to people completely blowing off my questions about long-term effects of CPAP treatment, which is basically inhaling vapor through heated plastic for, in my case, decades and decades to come. The vast majority of the responses were blow-off, "well, think of how bad it is without CPAP!" type answers, but being concerned over regular untreated Sleep Apnea effects and being concerned over long-term CPAP effects aren't mutually exclusive. And frankly, most of the people responding that way don't have nearly as much time ahead of them as I do, which is the primary factor in them not worrying about long-term effects...there is no long-term for them, so CPAP is a palliative option for Sleep Apnea with no concern for the longer term. Most of these people were diagnosed in their fifties or sixties. My comment there was completely contextual and in response to this sort of blow-off, anti-intellectual response.

If you are so worried about the long term effects of BPA or plastics, do some research. You will find that the problem with BPA is when you use acid based products with it. So unless you are going to make swiss steak or spaghetti sauce in your CPAP humidifier, the effects of the plastic vapor is near zero.

If you would use the search function at the top of the page you can find plenty of discussions on the effects of plastic vapor. Also search for posts on how to tweak your settings without data. There are plenty of them from way back when data-capable machines were only auto's and then those weren't prescribed very often.

Otherwise buy or rent a data-capable auto and come back when you have 1-2 weeks of data.

[Kate M]

And yes...I did make it in the other thread...and you made it here.. I got lost where I made it.
Avi's response here was his typical ugly self and I just had to stick my foot in it. Sorry...originally I had let it slide.
I will edit my error and give credit where credit is due.

LOL, Pugsy.. that was not necessary, but thanks... I was just trying to be the peacemaker. Seems it's way beyond that here now! I WAS tickled to see that you and I were giving the same advice in two different threads at exactly the same moment!

Now, Black Shampoo... I think it's time to say "thank you" to folks for their advice and then run with it. As that add says, "Just do it!" The natives appear to be getting restless in this here thread!

Blessings,

Kate

[BlueLu]

[quote="chunkyfrog"]Two points that need to be clarified:
One: Plastic fumes are not an issue; unless someone needs an excuse to stop therapy.

Bull pucky! YOU may not be sensitive to fumes; others are. Those of us who are have to find other equipment, because that smell will never go away.

Some mfrs just use cheaper plastic that will off-gas forever. (\Or, at least, for the full week that I tried running my stinky machine 8 hours/night (without being hooked up to it) and STILL couldn't get it to stop stinking.

But it's worth the search, because a non-stinky CPAP can make life much easier. A stinky one makes it vastly harder.

[chunkyfrog]

The smell goes away, especially if you clean the plastic and silicone parts,
like you should--BEFORE the first use.
For incidental odors, a drop or two of pure vanilla extract on a cotton ball next to the intake may help.
Some find success with aromatherapy, like Pur-Sleep or Snugglescents.
Only use a scent you find soothing, but not.an irritant.
I ruled out quite a few until I found my "Goldilocks" aroma.
Just curious, where did you get a stinky machine?

[Goofproof]

The smell goes away, especially if you clean the plastic and silicone parts,
like you should--BEFORE the first use.
For incidental odors, a drop or two of pure vanilla extract on a cotton ball next to the intake may help.
Some find success with aromatherapy, like Pur-Sleep or Snugglescents.
Only use a scent you find soothing, but not.an irritant.
I ruled out quite a few until I found my "Goldilocks" aroma.
Just curious, where did you get a stinky machine?

Also that controller we call a brain, will get used to a certain smell and make it appear less strong, as long as we aren't obcessing, trying to find any excuse to not be helped.... Jim

[chunkyfrog]

+1,000,000

[Sir NoddinOff]

A very old initial thread, but like others have said I've used a common room deodorizer like Glade or whatever to mask new machine odors. I like pine scent from Renuzit, however those are getting hard to find except around Christmas. The new machine smell goes away pretty quickly, at least from my experience... cigarette smoke, however, sticks around a very long time so be glad you don't have that!

[Janknitz]

As one highly sensitive to fragrances (just being in a room with glade air freshener can make me physically ill) I have no issues with the plastics and silicone in CPAP equipment and supplies. I give them a day or two to off-gas after washing and it's been fine. Better than choking and dying in my sleep from an obstructed airway.

[KardiacKeith]

I'll sell you a brand new Airsense 10