cpap masks

broocha · Post by **broocha** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 7:34 am

I was just diagnosed with SA. The mask they used on me during the study covered both my nose and mouth, thus allowing me to breathe through either. When I woke up, (it took forever to fall asleep) the bridge of my nose was sore and I had marks on my face. Anyway, I will be seeing my dr. this week so he can prescribe the machine. How do you know which mask will be the best for you? Will the insurance keep paying for all the trials and errors before you find the right mask? Or, when you buy your machine and masks does the company allow you to try on several different types? It is just so creepy to see what I look like wearing this apparatus but if it will improve my life it is worth it. I am very glad I found this forum.

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:03 am

Welcome to the forum! You couldn't have come to a better place for advice from fellow xPAP users. You might want to start by calling your insurance company and asking them what local DME suppliers they are contracted with. Hopefully you will have the choice of more than one.

You will also want to ask them what your DME copays and/or deductables are for CPAP equipment and how often they will reimburse for interface and headgear. Do they rent your xPAP at first and then purchase it outright or can you make an outright purchase right from the get-go.

Ask your sleep doctor for the summary report, with graphs (about 5-6 pages) for both your sleep evaluation and titration studies as well as the dictated results reports and for your order for equipment so that you can shop your various DME supplier options.

Tell him you would want a fully data capable xPAP and data card, rather than just a bare-bones, compliance data only, xPAP that most DME suppliers will try to supply you with. You want your doctor to be able to adequately monitor your response to xPAP therapy and have the necessary data to make informed adjustments to your therapy if they are needed rather than have to go by guess and by gosh or bring you back for another titration study. Ask him if he or one of his staff could go over the summary report(s) w/you and explain the more important issues to you. Ask if your sleep lab does the data downloads from the xPAP ordered for you or if the DME supplier will be doing the data downloads.

Then shop your local DME supplier choices you got from your insurance company. Ask specifically about their mask exchange policy if the one you choose doesn't work out for you. Pay close attention to the selection of masks they offer you and allow you to try in the office. Pay even more attention to how they go about fitting you w/the masks that interest you.

Ideally, for a proper mask fitting they have at least a cot for you to lay down on. They may fit you loosely sitting up, then have you lay down on your back, turn an xPAP on to your pressure and make any adjustments necessary to get a COMFORTABLE fit w/only minor or no leaks, then you should be told to lay on one side and then the other w/any further necessary adjustments made. At no time should the mask be fitted uncomfortably tight. It will only get MORE UNCOMFORTABLE the longer you wear it and as you sleep w/it.

Pay close attention to how well the DME supplier answers your questions and how comfortable you feel with them and that they are being open w/you and not evasive or not knowledgeable about the equipment the two of you are working with.

Pay PARTICULAR attention to the paperwork provided and what you are asked to sign. Ask what the procedure is if you are NOT satisfied w/the machine. If your sleep doctor said the DME supplier will be doing the data downloads ask the DME supplier if they charge you or your insurance for downloading the data from your FULLY DATA CAPABLE xPAP and how often you can request the download or will they only download on doctor's order. Will they give you a copy of the download printout. Ask when they will first check your compliance data and how often they will check for compliance.

I'm sure others will be along shortly w/more and/or even better advice or suggestions. I'm only sharing the things I did or WISH I HAD DONE.

shippy · Post by **shippy** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:39 am

Most insurance companies allow the purchase of a new mask once every six months, got my Quattro right at six months (from when i started treatment) , purchased two other masks from cpap.com before the six months were up out of my pocket. Its an expensive trial and error learning process, but slinky's advice sounds good.

Dale

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:55 am

If the mask left you in pain, either it was the wrong size and/or too tight.

Go to CPAP.COM and start doing mask comparisons and use their mask sizing link. For a Full Face mask, use the option #5.

My own preferences are the ResMed Ultra Mirage Full Face and the ResMed Quattro masks.
Everyone will probably tell you that the mask they're using is the best. It's a very individualistic thing.

Den

Sergey45 · Post by **Sergey45** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 9:49 am

[quote="shippy"]Its an expensive trial and error learning process
Dale

oceanpearl · Post by **oceanpearl** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 10:46 am

Consider yourself very, very, very lucky if you get the right mask the first time.
One thing to remember as far as I am concerned is that the mask is the most important single item in your treatment.
If your dme does not have you LAY DOWN in order to fit your mask, it will not fit when you put it on at home. The only dme covered by my insurance co, just lays you back in a chair to fit a mask.
You need to lay down and put the mask on so that it is just touching the skin all the way around. Then move around to see if there are any leaks. If you have leaks you should be able to figure out how to adjust the mask, just to the point where the leask stop.

RosemaryB · Post by **RosemaryB** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 12:11 pm

Slinky gives some very good advice. Another good reason to get a machine that's FULLY (not just compliance) data capable is that the fully data capable machines will give you information about leaks. Don't let your DME tell you a machine is data capable just because it has a data card. Leaks are very important to your therapy (regardless of what some RTs and techs will tell you). Otherwise you won't have the leak data you need and hence, your mask may not work for you properly.

I was fitted with the Swift by my DME, which is a pretty good mask for me. When I asked the RT about mouth leaks, she said that they were not a concern, that serious leaks would wake me up so I'd know aout them. This is what the sleep lab tech said as well about the nasal mask they tried on me during my sleep study.

Not true! With my fully data capable machine I was able to see and control the leaks. This helped bring my AHI down under 5. I was also able to see that my pressure was set at the wrong setting and change it. My AHI with their advice was between 5-10. With the data and making changes based on that data, it's now below 1.0 most nights.

The mask is the most important part of the therapy, true. But I'd still have sleep apnea (albeit a mild rather than moderate OSA) without my machine's data and access to it. I'm saying this because the Swift fit fine from the start (way better than the one used during the sleep study). IMHO, both the data and the good mask are necessary.

If you get a machine that's data capable along with the software, you can monitor your therapy yourself.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): swift, DME, AHI

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:45 pm

Thank you all for the wonderful information. I am going to print it all out to take to the dr. What is DME anyway?

birdshell · Post by **birdshell** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:57 pm

DME=Durable Medical Equipment (provider)

For some reason, that abbreviation has left out the provider portion in common usage.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:58 pm

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for the wonderful information. I am going to print it all out to take to the dr. What is DME anyway?

Durable Medical Equipment (provider - the store facility or employee of same)

Den

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:58 pm

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for the wonderful information. I am going to print it all out to take to the dr. What is DME anyway?

Durable Medical Equipment ... provider/rt

They are sort of like car salesmen ... there are a few you can trust but it seems most are out to make as much money as they can off your OSA misfortune. Read all you can here and get up to speed ASAP and your wallet will fare better and your health even much more so.

Best wishes!