Cpap noob question

[xUnderCoverHoBo]

Hi so I had a few questions for you wonderful people of the forum.

So I’m a few weeks in with my airsense 10 auto set with heated hose and f30 mask. Currently I am starting a new job without insurance for a few months and was wondering the following. I have found replacement cushions and hoses for the mask and will replace these about every 3 months per my doctors instructions. However, do I need to replace the actual frame piece of hard plastic as often? I can’t seem to find that piece anywhere and combined I have found the hose and mask for around 50-$80 and I’d rather not spend a ton more to replace the frame if I can help it. Also if anyone has links to the frame piece by itself I would love to see it.


Thank you so much for your help. Just wanting to learn from the best

[xUnderCoverHoBo]

Also I should state that I plan on replacing the cushion and hose frequently and mainly wondering if that tiny frame piece of plastic needs to be replaced often. If I can go without replacing that piece I can replace everything for about $80. I can’t find the frame piece by itself and most places charge $200 or more for their entire mask set up.

Also is it important to replace the elbow piece of the mask often and if so how often?

[Cruiser1234]

Cushions are the most common items needing replacement on masks, followed by headgear, followed by the frame piece. Absolutely no need to replace the frame for a long time (maybe every 1-2 years?)

[xUnderCoverHoBo]

I like that time line of 1-2 years can others here agree with that? What would the timeline on replacing the elbow attachment from my hose to the mask?

I plan on frequently replacing the hose and the mask cushion and I’m finding if I just replace these pieces it can be a lot cheaper.

[Julie]

A lot of us have 10 yr old (or close to) hoses... no need to either replace or even wash routinely. Imagine all that plastic in landfills just to feed the DME's bottom line!

[Pugsy]

There is no urgent reason to replace anything at 3 month intervals unless it is damaged.
Everything except the cushion will last months and months with common sense care and some people can get months and months out of their cushions too.
Cushion life varies with people depending on facial oils and cleaning schedules.
Headgear life varies also depending on how stretched out it gets and the cleaning schedules.
The main reason we see the "3 month" thing...that's how often insurance will replace it so DMEs/doctors jump on that time frame.
It's not from a medical need. It's so they get to sell you something and make more money.

[zonker]

Cushions are the most common items needing replacement on masks, followed by headgear, followed by the frame piece. Absolutely no need to replace the frame for a long time (maybe every 1-2 years?)

that's not true. it's what the dme and the manufacturers want you to believe. it's actually throwing away money when there is no need.

i have a p10 mask. i've been using in for two plus years. the key in getting your mask to last is to give it a regular, but not religious, cleaning.

[Dog Slobber]

Buy replacements, as soon as your replacement schedule allows. But keep using your original supplies until they actually wear out.

Create an inventory of 1 maybe 2 items of every item, what your comfort level is. Then only replace when they actually wear out or break.

[xUnderCoverHoBo]

Thank you all for the replies! I think the only thing I would replace would be the cushion. The actual mask frame is just a piece of plastic and isn’t constantly touching my face like the actual cushion. Glad to see a variety of answers

[Pugsy]

Get a spare of everything when you can...then save it.
You never know when something might get dropped and broken or step on and broken or whatever.
When buying out of pocket...do what you can afford.
The cushion is the most commonly "used up" part of the mask but those hard plastic parts can break also and I guarantee it will happen on a Friday or Saturday night when it's not so easy and quick to get a replacement part.

I have dropped 2 water chambers...both on Friday nights...and while there was no obvious crack it did damage the seal and it did leak and I did try all sorts of stuff to fix the leak without success.
So I keep one water chamber new and in the box for the next time I am clumsy.

[zoocrewphoto]

Buy replacements, as soon as your replacement schedule allows. But keep using your original supplies until they actually wear out.

Create an inventory of 1 maybe 2 items of every item, what your comfort level is. Then only replace when they actually wear out or break.

This is what I do. I have a double set of everything. I bought a used machine cheap that is the same as my original machine. I use it to travel and it serves as a backup. IMy mom uses the same model machine and mask, so my backups serve as her backups as well. And I had to use part of my backup machine to fix hers while I trouble shooted and solved her problem once.

Along with two complete sets, I have some spare complete masks that I got a really good deal on, an extra headgear and cushion (purchased before the spare complete masks). A spare hose, and even a spare humidifier tank.

That said, I am still have the original mask frames that I got in 2012. I did recently open one of the new masks, so I moved the original mask to backup status. I think I used the first hose for about 5 years before replacing it, though it still worked fine. My cushions last me about 6-7 months. And I still have some of the older ones. Just in case I need one in an emergency.

Most things last much longer than they say. If you will have insurance in a few months, you may be just fine waiting until then to get supplies. Then get replacements as soon as you can until you have some spares. Then, you just use a spare when you need it and replace the spare. No worries of something breaking and having to wait several nights to get a replacement.

[Okie bipap]

We have a double set of everything. we each have two machines, two masks, two hoses, two water chambers, and one extra cushion. If we got everything we are allowed to get under Medicare, we wouldn't have room to store it. We recently went to the DME for the first time in about eighteen months. We wanted to get new head gear and a spare cushion. Our DME does not stock the head gear by itself, so we ended up getting two complete masks and two spare cushions. I doubt if we will be getting any more supplies any time in the next two years. I changed the cushions on our masks about two months ago. They were each more than a year old.