Help me decide on a machine?

[Catalytic]

I thought I'd made up my mind that I wanted the ResMed S9 Autoset, but then I came across this thread, so now I'm not sure? I know I want a fully data capable machine, and I'm pretty sure I will want a humidifier.

(I have my titration tomorrow night and I'll get my prescription on Wednesday. Doc said I have severe OSA with severe RLS)

Any advice on which machine would be my best choice? I'm planning to use SleepyHead for data.

[STL Mark]

The S9 Autoset is a great machine. The thread highlights exceptions from the norm. You will have a two year warranty. Make sure they don't find a reason to stick you with a S9 Escape Auto.

[sol]

Any advice on which machine would be my best choice? I'm planning to use SleepyHead for data.

PR System One REMstar Auto CPAP Machine with A-Flex $595.00
NOTE: the Heated Humidifier is included in the price of this machine
https://www.cpap.com/cpap-machine/respi ... -flex.html

[Catalytic]

The S9 Autoset is a great machine. The thread highlights exceptions from the norm. You will have a two year warranty. Make sure they don't find a reason to stick you with a S9 Escape Auto.

Thanks for that reassurance, Mark. I absolutely will not accept an Escape, and I have already checked with my insurance company (Tricare Prime/Triwest) and the DME I plan to use (Optigen.net) to be sure it (the S9 AutoSet) is covered. Optigen told me how to have the prescription written to be sure I get the machine I want, and Tricare told me to have my doc submit a request for authorization to purchase the machine (usually they prefer rental.) It just concerned me when i read the other thread, because I will be moving from Texas to New York via Florida and Alabama in a few months and I will be away from non-emergent medical providers for about 3 months, so I am hoping to not have any issues during that time. (We're stopping to visit family and do some work on a house we own before heading to NY because hubby needs to burn leave.)

Any advice on which machine would be my best choice? I'm planning to use SleepyHead for data.

PR System One REMstar Auto CPAP Machine with A-Flex $595.00
NOTE: the Heated Humidifier is included in the price of this machine
https://www.cpap.com/cpap-machine/respi ... -flex.html

Can you elaborate on why the PR over the S9 AutoSet? Unfortunately, my insurance company will not reimburse me if I purchase the machine on my own, so price doesn't really matter, as they pay a flat rate regardless of which machine it is, if I understand correctly. I'm planning on Optigen as my DME, and they do carry the PR machines.

ETA: I am planning to purchase an Icon Auto (I think) for a backup machine from a poster here. I've PM'd to see what other machines he might have, as well, but the Icon looks like a nice little machine, so I'm leaning toward it at this time.

[jweeks]

I have my titration tomorrow night and I'll get my prescription on Wednesday.

Hi,

You might want to wait to get the results of your titration before making a final decision. There are a couple of factors that could alter your decision:

- if the study doesn't go well and you have to do yet another study
- if they cannot get a CPAP or Auto unit to treat your problem, and they have to try something else
- if you end up with mixed or complex Apnea, and need a more complex machine
- if your pressure ends up kind of high, and BiPAP would work better.

-john-

[Nooblakahn]

I have my titration tomorrow night and I'll get my prescription on Wednesday.

Hi,

You might want to wait to get the results of your titration before making a final decision. There are a couple of factors that could alter your decision:

- if the study doesn't go well and you have to do yet another study
- if they cannot get a CPAP or Auto unit to treat your problem, and they have to try something else
- if you end up with mixed or complex Apnea, and need a more complex machine
- if your pressure ends up kind of high, and BiPAP would work better.

-john-

Agreed. I went into this knowing I had OSA, thinking I would use my wifes old cpap machine, and try to loose enough weight to where I no longer needed the machine. I ended up needing an ASV unit. Not saying that is the route you will need to go, but no sense deciding on a machine only to find out you need bipap bipap st or bipap asv.

If you do end up needing cpap, I've heard great things about that s9 autoset. A friend of my from work has one, his only complaint is he can't keep the mask on all night.

[dos coyotes]

Assuming your tests prove that you need only the CPAP, I really like my S9 Autoset. Having no insurance I didn't have the luxury of tests, etc. so bought the S9 in part because in trying to self treat with no prescription my only real option required an "auto" machine. Advice from this forum then helped me decide on the S9 vs other auto machines. Then I found a like new S9 being sold here by a forum member at a great price. I pull the SD card and check my data every morning to see how my night's sleep went and love that capability.

Like you're thinking, I did, just last night, buy a F&P Icon Auto from forum member mcdover to have as a back up and for the 60-90 days/nights of travel that I do per year.

[Catalytic]

According to my sleep doc/NP/PA/whatever she is, I don't have central apnea, and I won't need an ASV. Whether she can truly tell that from the initial sleep study, I have no idea. Quite frankly, I'm unimpressed with her, and if I weren't desperate, I would have requested a different provider from my insurance company, so it wouldn't surprise me in the least to know she is wrong. But, I think going in knowing which machine I want should I only need CPAP/APAP is in my best interests, because then I can get the prescription written for what I want. My insurance company changes at the end of the month, so I don't have time to fool around. I already had her submit an authorization request to buy the machine rather than rent, and I do believe she did include BiPAP on the request, just in case. Should she not write the prescription for what I want, my PCM has assured me that SHE will write it, if I bring her the script from the sleep doc.

mcdover is who I am planning to buy the Icon from, and he encouraged me to wait until I have the script so he can set it for me. If I should need something other than CPAP/APAP, I'm sure he can assist me with those for a backup, as he seems to have a lot of machines at various times.

If I need something other than CPAP/APAP, I guess I'll be Googl'ing in the doc's office to find what I want quickly, because I do not want to get stuck with a "brick" no matter what kind I need.

Anyway, I'm relieved to know the S9 AutoSet is mostly thought to be a good machine, so at least if it's just CPAP/APAP I need, I know what is a good machine to ask for. I don't think the sleep doc will have an issue writing a script for it, because they have a bunch of them (the S9s) in the sleep center. (I have no idea if they are a DME or not, I kinda think they just have them there for show because all of them have the pretty stickers on them that I stumbled across somewhere. (Sports teams, flowers, kiddie designs, etc.)

[Pugsy]

Unless you have some really high pressure needs it is unlikely you will need a BiPap or bilevel pressure machine.
The other most common cause of a need for bilevel machine would be aerophagia.

The S9 Autoset will serve you well for run of the mill plain jane obstructive sleep apnea. It has the EPR exhale relief available that sort of works like a bilevel to a modest degree.

Now if you come back with a pressure need of 14 or above....you might want to push for the bilevel machine because it offers greater pressure support ranges that would come in handy at the higher pressures. It's simply more comfortable but a lot of people use pressures pushing 20 cm on regular cpap/apap machines without huge issues.

[Catalytic]

Now if you come back with a pressure need of 14 or above....you might want to push for the bilevel machine because it offers greater pressure support ranges that would come in handy at the higher pressures. It's simply more comfortable but a lot of people use pressures pushing 20 cm on regular cpap/apap machines without huge issues.

Thank you very much for that advice! I will definitely keep that in mind on Wednesday when I get the results. I'll be leaving in about an hour for the titration, aack!

[Catalytic]

I'm home from the titration. The tech couldn't tell me anything other than what mask I used (Quattro Sm or Med, he said both at different times ) but he did say the numbers on the machine were the pressure. I looked throughout the night and the highest I saw it get was 6 and then some letters and 3. (ER? might have been the letters? Can't remember, and the machine was dark the last few times I tried to see it.)

[Mary Z]

Good luck. You got good advice from faithful forum members. I hope you can get a good sleep doc when you stop traveling. It's not always necessary to have one on your support crew, but comes in handy if you need a new script or run into problems we can't help you with. An auto machine would be nice to help you titrate between states. I usually stick with the two major manufacturers, but hear good reports about other brands of machines and sometimes you can get more bang for your buck with a lesser known model. The availability of software is also a consideration (it that's important to you). This is probably not necessary, but since you're doing a lot of moving be careful to empty the humidifier before packing the machine up. Elementary I know, but you would be surprised what we forget when packing and traveling. I would also suggest a spare mask, filters and tubing in care of an accident with supplies. Maybe even carry a prescription with you. This will probably not be necessary (the 'script), but you would be surprised at the folks who leave something behind (power cords!) or have something break while out of town. One guy even went on a long trip by sailboat and forgot his machine. Oh, if you're not a smoker and go to a smokey house the smell with get into your machine and be hard to get rid of.

[Ugly]

The S9 Autoset is a great machine. The thread highlights exceptions from the norm. You will have a two year warranty. Make sure they don't find a reason to stick you with a S9 Escape Auto.

Agreed. In October they stuck me with an S9 Escape before I knew any better. And getting it traded in was like pulling teeth. They tried to use every excuse in the book.
I told them that I didn't appreciate their dishonesty.
I told them that I couldn't properly track my progress if any.
And I told them that ResMed had no problem in trading up for me. (Seriously. I called them.)
So all excuses were used up. I was told that I can trade this sucker in for an AutoSet on Wednesday the 20th. Indeed I'll make sure it's not an Escape Auto because it would almost be like no progress at all.