Hi there

[Guitarist]

Newbie here saying HI

[Okie bipap]

Welcome to the forum. Are you new to sleep apnea, or only to the forum? If you are new to sleep apnea, you have come to the right place. You can find a lot of help here. Some of the people will spoon feed you very gently while others take a more direct approach when offering help.

[Grace~~~]

Hi Guitarist ~~~

Tell us how your apnea treatment is going.

[Guitarist]

New to Sleep apnea as in using a machine. I’ve done it 5 nights now. It’s a battle ... lol

I’m a Respiratory Therapist so I’m familiar with ithe concept



I've had the symptoms like forever so .... I finally had a study done and I had a AHI of 72 while sleeping on my back and 12 on my stomach so .... here I am

I hate using the machine but I realize it necessary and I’m not waking up with headaches now even tho I’m sleeping like crap still. Gonna take a while ugh

[Guitarist]

And let me add.

I plan on learning lots from you guys and hopefully I can help if needed but it seems like there’s a ton of knowledge here so this is really good !!!

FWIW , I just ordered some cleaning supplys and a SD card for my machine. I also need software and I was surfing here a little last night and someone recommended OSCAR so I downloaded that program.

Is OSCAR what I want or is there something better ?

[Julie]

Oscar's It!

What cleaning supplies?

[Guitarist]

Oscar's It!

What cleaning supplies?

Cool about Oscar !!!!

I got a 15mm brush for the hose and some CPAP wipes. I also needed some filters as the machine only came with one. I should have gotten some special soap ( forgot that ) but I’m using Dawn dishsoap for now. I’m eventually gonna look into a cleaning thingy I quess. What a pain it is ugh I know I’ll need advice on that and this seems to be the place.

When I worked at the Home Care place people would bring in there machines and many where so disgusting. That would gross me out. I needed gloves to touch anything. No way I’m letting that happen

[ChicagoGranny]

but I’m using Dawn dishsoap for now

For many of us, Dawn is the forever soap. What could be better?

Welcome and good luck!

[Guitarist]

but I’m using Dawn dishsoap for now

For many of us, Dawn is the forever soap. What could be better?

Welcome and good luck!

Well that’s good to know and thanks.

I’m gonna learn a lot here so thanks in advance

[palerider]

I’m a Respiratory Therapist so I’m familiar with it all.

Do your best to forget everything you know, and learn from people here.

Training is not the same as experience from the patient's side.

[palerider]

Is OSCAR what I want or is there something better ?

Oscar is the software that is under active development. You can use ResScan if you're a bit of a masochist.

[palerider]

I got a 15mm brush for the hose and some CPAP wipes. I also needed some filters as the machine only came with one. I should have gotten some special soap ( forgot that ) but I’m using Dawn dishsoap for now. I’m eventually gonna look into a cleaning thingy I quess. What a pain it is ugh I know I’ll need advice on that and this seems to be the place.

When I worked at the Home Care place people would bring in there machines and many where so disgusting. That would gross me out. I needed gloves to touch anything. No way I’m letting that happen

I've used Dawn for years, special soap is not necessary.

whatever that "cleaning thingy" you're talking about is also unnecessary. Soap and water every week and a quick wipe of the cushion nightly is all you need... (unless you sneeze boogers into your mask... then wipe that out when it happens )

That grossness you mention is something that builds up over a long time... spend a few minutes cleaning your mask every week, and you'll think it's new all the time.

[Okie bipap]

As far as cleaning, most of us use dish soap or baby shampoo. The brand name is not important, just use what ever you have available. People clean to the level they are comfortable with. I clean our equipment once a week. I normally do the cleaning on Monday morning while my wife does the laundry. The masks and strap pads bet washed weekly. I clean the water reservoirs once a month. I can't remember when I cleaned either of the hoses last. When I first started treatment, I worked with a respiratory therapist who also used a machine. She is the one that got me on the weekly cleaning schedule. After being on this forum a while, I started reading how other people cleaned their equipment, and I decided there was no need to wash the hose regularly. When I was using a brush on my hose every week, I had two hoses develop leaks. Once I quit scrubbing the hoses, I have only had one hose leak, and that was on the end, right next to the rubber connector that connects to the mask. If you take care of your equipment, it will last a long time. I recently changed both of our mask cushions ( they were both over a year old).

[Guitarist]

As far as cleaning, most of us use dish soap or baby shampoo. The brand name is not important, just use what ever you have available. People clean to the level they are comfortable with. I clean our equipment once a week. I normally do the cleaning on Monday morning while my wife does the laundry. The masks and strap pads bet washed weekly. I clean the water reservoirs once a month. I can't remember when I cleaned either of the hoses last. When I first started treatment, I worked with a respiratory therapist who also used a machine. She is the one that got me on the weekly cleaning schedule. After being on this forum a while, I started reading how other people cleaned their equipment, and I decided there was no need to wash the hose regularly. When I was using a brush on my hose every week, I had two hoses develop leaks. Once I quit scrubbing the hoses, I have only had one hose leak, and that was on the end, right next to the rubber connector that connects to the mask. If you take care of your equipment, it will last a long time. I recently changed both of our mask cushions ( they were both over a year old).

Interesting to not clean the hose. Air is blowing out And not in so I’m quessing that will be fine but then you got the heated water blowing out and thru the hose. If your only cleaning that weekly your probably throwing some kind of bacteria thru that hose on the last few days before cleaning.


Thoughts are welcome and I’m a newbie so ....
????

[Guitarist]

I’m a Respiratory Therapist so I’m familiar with it all.

Do your best to forget everything you know, and learn from people here.

Training is not the same as experience from the patient's side.

lol ... I can’t forget everything but I do plan on learning from you guys so I’m open to it all.