Will it ever get better?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Rosebud
Posts: 17
Joined: Sat Mar 07, 2009 12:20 am
Location: Delaware

Re: Will it ever get better?

Post by Rosebud » Sat Mar 07, 2009 9:27 am

I want to thank everyone for your responses and wonderful advise. I will definitely be asking them to swap for the Elite w/EPR! I'm having a hard time understanding why they waste time working up to the one that makes the most sense, but I guess it's because we are all different!

I did finally go back to bed @ 2:30 am, and tried to get the "ramp" back down to start over, but couldn't get anything to come up on the screen, so I gave up. I did manage to fall asleep rather quickly, even on 8, but it still was not a really restful sleep. I will not give up, though. I know I need this and will do what I have to to adjust. I know I have a lot of aspects to consider, such as managing my hose, oh, and my CHIN STRAP!!! Ugh. I can't seem to make that thing get along with the head gear of the mask, but I WILL figure it out.

Next question: Does anyone have a special cpap pillow they sleep on? I saw some on the https://www.cpap.com site, but don't want to buy such an expensive one if it's not worth it.

Thank you again. I'm sure you'll be hearing from me quite a bit.

Rosie
Rosie

The best cure for insomnia is a good night's sleep!

SharkBait
Posts: 593
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:41 pm
Location: Texas -- the ugly part... El Paso? No, not quite THAT ugly...

Re: Will it ever get better?

Post by SharkBait » Sat Mar 07, 2009 9:42 am

Rosebud wrote:I want to thank everyone for your responses and wonderful advise. I will definitely be asking them to swap for the Elite w/EPR! I'm having a hard time understanding why they waste time working up to the one that makes the most sense, but I guess it's because we are all different!
No, it's because the insurance codes are the same on the different machines so the cheaper one makes them more money. Please realize this when you approach them again, not to be confrontational necessarily, but just so you know where they are coming from. For a few extra bucks, they knowingly make it much harder for new patients to be compliant. No other explanation except they just do not care.
Encore Pro 1.8.49; Encore Pro Analyzer 0.8.9 by James Skinner
SnuggleHose - Got the 8 foot and cut it down to 6, used the rest for mask hoses.
Memory Foam Pillow - Cut my own out of my Tempur-pedic pillow. (works great!)
Hose Mgmt - Velcro Tie Strap

User avatar
plr66
Posts: 1339
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2008 6:33 pm

Re: Will it ever get better?

Post by plr66 » Sat Mar 07, 2009 9:45 am

Rosebud wrote:Next question: Does anyone have a special cpap pillow they sleep on? I saw some on the https://www.cpap.com site, but don't want to buy such an expensive one if it's not worth it. Rosie
There are a remarkable number of choices of bed pillows for use with cpap, and at a huge range of prices. Everyone is different in their preferences. What I thought I would prefer, actually turned out to be unworkable for me. You might want to use the Search box at the top of this page to see many discussions of this subject. Two very contrasting choices at $12 apiece are the Shapeable Pillow at Target, and a memory foam contoured pillow at Big Lots. I have both. The memory foam pillow is pretty hard in winter, but I actually find that I wake up less often fiddling with keeping my mask vent unobstructed with it. Works very well for side sleeping, which is preferable. I did, however, finally shell out the big bucks for a double edged papillow http://www.papillow.com/--also very firm--and like it best at this point. It's a personal preference thing, and probably will require some investment in the trial & error process. All the best, Rosebud!
DeVilbiss IntelliPap Std Plus with Smartflex; Transcend miniCPAP & Everest2 w/humidifier & batt for travel. UltraMirage FFM; PadACheeks; PaPillow. Using straight CPAP at 13.0/passover humidifier. AHI consistently < 1.5. Began CPAP 9/4/08.

SharkBait
Posts: 593
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:41 pm
Location: Texas -- the ugly part... El Paso? No, not quite THAT ugly...

Re: Will it ever get better?

Post by SharkBait » Sat Mar 07, 2009 9:50 am

plr66 wrote:
Rosebud wrote:Next question: Does anyone have a special cpap pillow they sleep on? I saw some on the https://www.cpap.com site, but don't want to buy such an expensive one if it's not worth it. Rosie
There are a remarkable number of choices of bed pillows for use with cpap, and at a huge range of prices. Everyone is different in their preferences. What I thought I would prefer, actually turned out to be unworkable for me. You might want to use the Search box at the top of this page to see many discussions of this subject. Two very contrasting choices at $12 apiece are the Shapeable Pillow at Target, and a memory foam contoured pillow at Big Lots. I have both. The memory foam pillow is pretty hard in winter, but I actually find that I wake up less often fiddling with keeping my mask vent unobstructed with it. Works very well for side sleeping, which is preferable. I did, however, finally shell out the big bucks for a double edged papillow http://www.papillow.com/--also very firm--and like it best at this point. It's a personal preference thing, and probably will require some investment in the trial & error process. All the best, Rosebud!
I've got a memory foam pillow which I love, but I'm going to get one from Big Lots or somewhere and cut some slots in the side and see if I can make my own CPAP pillow. Mine that I have was the original TempurPedic and there is a difference in the longevity of foams so I don't want to be hacking on that one until I proof out the concept.
Encore Pro 1.8.49; Encore Pro Analyzer 0.8.9 by James Skinner
SnuggleHose - Got the 8 foot and cut it down to 6, used the rest for mask hoses.
Memory Foam Pillow - Cut my own out of my Tempur-pedic pillow. (works great!)
Hose Mgmt - Velcro Tie Strap