Had my study last night...tech woke me up and hooked me up to the CPAP around midnight. Slept the rest of the way through. They said I adjusted easily at low pressure (unknown at this point) Best nights sleep I've had in I don't know how long!!
I have my followup visit with the doc on Monday.
Questions are..what questions should I be asking?
Is there a preferred machine? Should I ask for an auto and or cflex machine? Machine I was on was functioning as basic CPAP and It didn't bother me in the least.
I need a machine that is quiet and would like one that uses a smart card so that I can also review the data.
I know this is an open ended question, but I don't have a lot of time to get my info before the followup.
Thanks in advance
Had sleep study, need advice
8 posts
• Page 1 of 1
Hiya, biggziff and welcome to our world. Congrats on having a successful study! We have some great folks here who can be of definite help to you.
IMHO, the 2 most important things to ask for (and don't leave without them!) are 1) a full, complete, detailed copy of your sleep study report to take with you when you leave (don't accept a promise that they'll "get it to you") and 2) a copy of your prescription with the words "Auto CPAP with heated humidifier". With those 2 things, you can pretty much run the show from then on instead of being at the mercy of the sleep doctors/DME/insurance companies. This will possibly help you to avoid numerous headaches in the near future. The next thing to ask your doctor is "Do you use CPAP?" If the answer is no, then just be aware he/she will not understand what we're going through.
Other than those 3 things above, do a bunch of reading here on the board. Post questions. The more precise you can be, such as including your AHI, your recommended pressure, any symptoms you are experiencing, how you prefer to sleep, etc the better your chances are of getting solid answers. Be aware that a lot of what we experience, such as masks, machines, APAP vs CPAP, CFLEX vs no CFLEX, software vs no software, are highly individual preferences. But this place is a great start. I know it sure helped me a bunch back when I started.
Again, welcome and remember, this therapy WORKS!!!
IMHO, the 2 most important things to ask for (and don't leave without them!) are 1) a full, complete, detailed copy of your sleep study report to take with you when you leave (don't accept a promise that they'll "get it to you") and 2) a copy of your prescription with the words "Auto CPAP with heated humidifier". With those 2 things, you can pretty much run the show from then on instead of being at the mercy of the sleep doctors/DME/insurance companies. This will possibly help you to avoid numerous headaches in the near future. The next thing to ask your doctor is "Do you use CPAP?" If the answer is no, then just be aware he/she will not understand what we're going through.
Other than those 3 things above, do a bunch of reading here on the board. Post questions. The more precise you can be, such as including your AHI, your recommended pressure, any symptoms you are experiencing, how you prefer to sleep, etc the better your chances are of getting solid answers. Be aware that a lot of what we experience, such as masks, machines, APAP vs CPAP, CFLEX vs no CFLEX, software vs no software, are highly individual preferences. But this place is a great start. I know it sure helped me a bunch back when I started.
Again, welcome and remember, this therapy WORKS!!!
_________________
| Mask: Ultra Mirage™ Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Additional Comments: APAP, 8-14 cm H2O. |
This therapy WORKS!!!
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Jan in Colo.
- Posts: 128
- Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2005 11:54 pm
- Location: Colorado
Biggziff--
Glad your sleep study went so well!
I haven't purchased a machine yet myself. I think the general advice here is to purchase an Autopap because of it's versatility. You may only want to use it as a CPAP (it works that way also)(sometimes that is even recommended as being a better treatment that autopap for some people), but then down the line if you start having trouble sleeping again, lose weight, gain weight, etc.; you can set it to automode and do kind of a "mini" sleep study in your own home without the hassle of the sleep clinic. Cflex is a brand...sort of like Kleenex...but it looks to me like most of the Autopap machines come with something like that on them. With your low pressure, that probably isn't really a big issue anyway, since you tolerated your treatment with no problems. Seems like Cflex type mechanisms are most useful for those who have to use a high pressure...it helps as you exhale against the pressure. I have a plain-jane CPAP without C-flex and with no bells and whistles at all, a pressure of 9....and no problems, for what it is worth. But you want the fancy machine for the FUTURE...
Your DME is going to fight you tooth and nail to keep from giving you an Autopap because it is more expensive for THEM to buy and they get reimbursed by the insurance companies the same exact money they'd get from the cheaper basic CPAP machines.
Best bet is to make sure your doctor writes you out a prescription for AUTOPAP, a heated humidifier (an absolute must), with recording capability. If he/she doesn't s-p-e-l-l it out...you won't get it without a major major fight. Then in addition, the prescription HAS to have your desired pressure and/or range or pressures written down. If you can get your doc to cooperate, you have it made. Some doctors don't understand Autopap. Try telling them it is actually a CPAP machine and that is how you intend to use it....but that it has other features that you just "might" need in the future and you'd just as soon get a "do-it-all" machine right from the get-go. See if that argument works.
Look up the Auto-paps sold on this site. The prices are really good if you have to go out of pocket...and they list them in the order of "most popular". You can do a lot of quick research there.
Oh, and you don't have to use just any DME either. Call your insurance company (before your doctor appointment) and get a complete list of ALL DME's in your town that accept your insurance. Then call around and see what brands they carry so you can best get the brand you want. OR....there is that sister-website to this one, billmyinsurance.com. You could check with them to see if they are compatible with your insurance and order directly from them. You do NOT have to use the one your doctor "knows about". Honestly, the docs don't know much about them at ALL and it doesn't really matter which one he has sent people to before. DME's (durable medical equipment suppliers) are usually listed under "oxygen" in the yellow pages....
Masks are really, really important. Read up on this website and see if you can get probably either the Resmed Swift or the Activa mask. Those seem to be the ones most liked (although there are certainly other well-liked masks as well). Those two just seem to be liked by the largest number of people as far as I can tell. Again, don't let the DME make you take a cheapie mask just to bump up their profit margins. You are the one that has to SLEEP with the thing.
I was initially scared of the "nasal pillow" style of mask and now a few weeks later that is my favorite kind. But who ever heard of a "nasal pillow" before and who the heck wants to put one of those up against your nose??? So the point is try to put your irrational fears and prejudices aside...you are entering whole new territory here! Be open to it!
Hopefully others will post with more experience than I have....I've just kind of summed up what I've absorbed from reading this forum. I'm sure I've missed something or mis-represented something, but you've got a start anyway.
Good luck with your journey as a hose-head! You've got a great attitude about it and that really seems to be at least 50% of the battle right there!
Jan in Colo.
Glad your sleep study went so well!
I haven't purchased a machine yet myself. I think the general advice here is to purchase an Autopap because of it's versatility. You may only want to use it as a CPAP (it works that way also)(sometimes that is even recommended as being a better treatment that autopap for some people), but then down the line if you start having trouble sleeping again, lose weight, gain weight, etc.; you can set it to automode and do kind of a "mini" sleep study in your own home without the hassle of the sleep clinic. Cflex is a brand...sort of like Kleenex...but it looks to me like most of the Autopap machines come with something like that on them. With your low pressure, that probably isn't really a big issue anyway, since you tolerated your treatment with no problems. Seems like Cflex type mechanisms are most useful for those who have to use a high pressure...it helps as you exhale against the pressure. I have a plain-jane CPAP without C-flex and with no bells and whistles at all, a pressure of 9....and no problems, for what it is worth. But you want the fancy machine for the FUTURE...
Your DME is going to fight you tooth and nail to keep from giving you an Autopap because it is more expensive for THEM to buy and they get reimbursed by the insurance companies the same exact money they'd get from the cheaper basic CPAP machines.
Best bet is to make sure your doctor writes you out a prescription for AUTOPAP, a heated humidifier (an absolute must), with recording capability. If he/she doesn't s-p-e-l-l it out...you won't get it without a major major fight. Then in addition, the prescription HAS to have your desired pressure and/or range or pressures written down. If you can get your doc to cooperate, you have it made. Some doctors don't understand Autopap. Try telling them it is actually a CPAP machine and that is how you intend to use it....but that it has other features that you just "might" need in the future and you'd just as soon get a "do-it-all" machine right from the get-go. See if that argument works.
Look up the Auto-paps sold on this site. The prices are really good if you have to go out of pocket...and they list them in the order of "most popular". You can do a lot of quick research there.
Oh, and you don't have to use just any DME either. Call your insurance company (before your doctor appointment) and get a complete list of ALL DME's in your town that accept your insurance. Then call around and see what brands they carry so you can best get the brand you want. OR....there is that sister-website to this one, billmyinsurance.com. You could check with them to see if they are compatible with your insurance and order directly from them. You do NOT have to use the one your doctor "knows about". Honestly, the docs don't know much about them at ALL and it doesn't really matter which one he has sent people to before. DME's (durable medical equipment suppliers) are usually listed under "oxygen" in the yellow pages....
Masks are really, really important. Read up on this website and see if you can get probably either the Resmed Swift or the Activa mask. Those seem to be the ones most liked (although there are certainly other well-liked masks as well). Those two just seem to be liked by the largest number of people as far as I can tell. Again, don't let the DME make you take a cheapie mask just to bump up their profit margins. You are the one that has to SLEEP with the thing.
I was initially scared of the "nasal pillow" style of mask and now a few weeks later that is my favorite kind. But who ever heard of a "nasal pillow" before and who the heck wants to put one of those up against your nose??? So the point is try to put your irrational fears and prejudices aside...you are entering whole new territory here! Be open to it!
Hopefully others will post with more experience than I have....I've just kind of summed up what I've absorbed from reading this forum. I'm sure I've missed something or mis-represented something, but you've got a start anyway.
Good luck with your journey as a hose-head! You've got a great attitude about it and that really seems to be at least 50% of the battle right there!
Jan in Colo.
Well...just called the lab and they said that I was best at a pressure of 9-10. They had me using a Fisher Paykel HC405 mask that seemed to work well (althought I've been told to wait a week or so to see if it really still works for you)
A friend (member here, Triden) has given me a wealth of knowledge as far as asking for APAP, Heated humidifier, etc.
I appreciate your input and look forward to giving as much as I'll get on this forum.
A friend (member here, Triden) has given me a wealth of knowledge as far as asking for APAP, Heated humidifier, etc.
I appreciate your input and look forward to giving as much as I'll get on this forum.
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rested gal
- Posts: 12880
- Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:14 pm
- Location: Tennessee
Personally I think of my Swift as a snorkel for my nose. I wonder if it would work in the pool?Jan in Colo. wrote:I was initially scared of the "nasal pillow" style of mask and now a few weeks later that is my favorite kind. But who ever heard of a "nasal pillow" before and who the heck wants to put one of those up against your nose??? So the point is try to put your irrational fears and prejudices aside...you are entering whole new territory here! Be open to it!
However if you are afraid of the water, maybe it would be better to think of it some other way.
You've done great! I really don't have anything useful to add.Hopefully others will post with more experience than I have....I've just kind of summed up what I've absorbed from reading this forum.
Personally I think attitude is closer to 90%. OK, maybe 70% attitude, 15% mask, 10% support of family and/or friends (in particular, the wonderful people on this forum) and 5% or less the CPAP machine you choose.You've got a great attitude about it and that really seems to be at least 50% of the battle right there!
The CPAPer formerly known as WAFlowers
8 posts
• Page 1 of 1