frtwome wrote:The DME man is suppose to give me call at soon as he recieves it in his office, and I will ask him what the model is and any other information that he has. He might be giving me a good price on it, because I have to pay cash, I'm not sure. I intend to go online to compare the machine as soon as I know what it is. I think he told me what full face mask, but I'm not positive on that. I though that he said resmed gel, size small. But David has put on a lot of weight, so I don't know. I don't know if that is correct or not. But I will get that info from him.
Thank you all so much for your help. I can't help but feel excited.
Judy
Hi Judy,
Yes, it'll help to get the information regarding both BiPAP machine and the mask. For the machine, I suggest that you get the model
name and the model
number. Many of the names sound similar, and some may have different features, so also having the model
number will confirm what you'd actually be purchasing. It may also be a good idea to get the "blower hours" on the used BiPAP machine, which will tell you how many hours the machine was used. Some machines are used very little, as people do sometimes need to trade to a higher level of machine, but other machines can be near the end of their useful life. It'd just be good to know upfront.
If it is a
full face mask, as you said earlier, then it must be the Respironics ComfortGel Full Face:
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/comfor ... dgear.html. I am not aware of any ResMed full face masks with the word "Gel". ResMed does make a
nasal mask called the Mirage SoftGel, however:
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... dgear.html. You need to clarify with the DME exactly which type and model of mask he's getting. The mask names can be very similar -- just like the machines. I think they're meant to confuse, so write everything down.
I'm happy to hear that things are moving in the right direction. Once you get that information, let us know and I'm sure someone here can explain more about the machine and if there may be a better option.
~ DreamOn
ADDED: While some of us are fortunate and have few challenges adjusting to xPAP, I would say that the majority have to work through numerous problems. As I mentioned earlier, you will want a hose cover, so your husband won't experience rainout (water condensation in the hose, which then travels into the nose). You can improvise a cover at first if needed (cut off arms of old sweatshirts and secure around hose, or wrap it with material). It can sometimes take a while to adjust to the pressure and breathing with the machine. And there are almost always "mask fit" issues once you're home. It takes a while to figure out how tight (or loose) the headgear straps need to be, and masks can leak. There's always the hose right there to deal with. There are many little excuses to quit.
Also, there can be an adjustment period emotionally. He has been having trouble accepting this. At some point, HE is going to need to take ownership of this situation and learn to manage his therapy. Be sensitive to that, as you may need to step back a bit. I hope that your husband will remember the serious consequences of NOT treating his sleep apnea. He does have a severe case, and he'll end up with more than just high blood pressure if he doesn't use his machine every night. I just hope that your husband can be patient through the whole process because if he sticks with it he should see
great improvement in his energy and outlook. We're here to help each other through the challenges as they may arise!
