APAP versus CPAP

[Glass]

I was just diagnosed two months ago with moderate sleep apnea, but because of a change in insurance, I had to give my equipment back. My last machine was a Fisher Paykel 254 which I really liked. Nice and quiet. I have to go through Apria and two days ago they set me up with a Respironics PR1 Pro. Fortuneately, because of this forum, I was able to tell her that I wasn't going to take the Plus model that she tried to give me and she wouldn't let me have the auto. Unfortuneately, this machine has such a loud whirring sound, there is no way I can use it. I'm going to see if they have a Resmed or the Fisher Paykel because they are quieter. My question, my prescription doesn't say I need an auto, but the first Fisher Paykel I had was an auto, although I'm not sure it was set up in the auto mode; I had it for such a short time. My pressure is at 14. Is having an auto something I should try to get the doc to put in a new script or would the Resmed S9 Elite be just as well. I guess I'm not really sure what the auto is and if it would benefit me. Since I have another shot at this, I want to make the best decision possible. Thanks for any help you can give.

[DreamStalker]

The thing about autos is that they can easily be set up to run as plain CPAP or "constant" pressure mode. So with an auto you have the option of using either APAP or CPAP.

Insurance pays the same and your copay is the same regardless of whether you get a plain CPAP or an APAP.

Most DEMs are not willing to take a hit on their bottom line in exchange for you to have optimal healthcare ... their dollar is more important than your health, the bird calls it free market but I digress.

The best way to get an APAP is to convince your doc to specifically Rx you one and then the DME must provide it to you.

Some reasons that a doc could choose to Rx an APAP are for things like change in body weight which could in the future affect your pressure requirements ... having an APAP could save lots of $$ by allowing you to self titrate at home.

The one-night lab titrations are just that ... a one-night snap shot and not really representative of your long-term average sleeping characterisitcs.

Some folks suffer from aerophagia (stomach gas) induced by high pressure like your 14 cm. APAP may help reduce those types of issues.

Finally there is positional apnea. Many folks need more pressure while sleepin on back than while sleeping on side. An APAP will adjust so that folks can sleep in any position if they happen to toss-n-turn a lot during the night or are unable to sleep in one positoin all night long.

Talk to you doc and try and convince him/her to Rx an APAP.

Best of luck!

[Wulfman]

I was just diagnosed two months ago with moderate sleep apnea, but because of a change in insurance, I had to give my equipment back. My last machine was a Fisher Paykel 254 which I really liked. Nice and quiet. I have to go through Apria and two days ago they set me up with a Respironics PR1 Pro. Fortuneately, because of this forum, I was able to tell her that I wasn't going to take the Plus model that she tried to give me and she wouldn't let me have the auto. Unfortuneately, this machine has such a loud whirring sound, there is no way I can use it. I'm going to see if they have a Resmed or the Fisher Paykel because they are quieter. My question, my prescription doesn't say I need an auto, but the first Fisher Paykel I had was an auto, although I'm not sure it was set up in the auto mode; I had it for such a short time. My pressure is at 14. Is having an auto something I should try to get the doc to put in a new script or would the Resmed S9 Elite be just as well. I guess I'm not really sure what the auto is and if it would benefit me. Since I have another shot at this, I want to make the best decision possible. Thanks for any help you can give.

Take it in and show them what the problem is and make them give you a different one. The new generations of machines (ResMed and Philips/Respironics) are reported to be VERY quiet......so, there may be something wrong with yours.

There have been many threads about CPAPs vs. APAPs. (if you care to search for them) APAPs don't necessarily guarantee better therapy for everybody and the changing pressures all night long can disturb some people's sleep. Having software to interpret the nightly data from an APAP is a definite MUST.


Den

[dtsm]

Everyone should insist on two features:

1. apap
2. ability to download data to computer

Ask your doc to revise Rx to get a good cpap machine. My doc wrote cpap, I told the DME I wouldn't settle for anything less than apap, with humidifier and data and would ask doc to revise the Rx. They gave me the S8 AutoElite II!

[pb5927317]

I just switched my machine from CPAP to APAP. It is SOOOO much better. My pressure was 18, and now I have the range set from 14-20. I usually hang out around 16. This stops the bloating issues, and really helps with my dry mouth.

[rosacer]

Me too I just switched from CPAP to APAP, now I wake up more rested and need less hours of sleep. I love it! The bloating is almost completely gone.

I definitely am affected by my position while sleeping, my pressure changes a lot and on top of that if I sleep on a hard bed I need more pressure. Traveling was a pain since most of the days I was waking up tired while on travel; not funny at all, not a good time to be tired.