Newly diagnosed and need advice

SnoringinDXB · Post by **SnoringinDXB** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 6:28 am

This is my first post. I'm glad to have found a forum like this.

I've been snoring fiercely for about 2 years. It drove my wife into the spare bedroom. I recently did a sleep lab study. In 7.7 hours of sleep I had 205 arousals. I never reached sleep stage 4 and spent very little time in REM. I've got a ton of stats in the report, but won't bore everyone with more unless you specifically request them as being useful.

The follow up meeting with the doctor the following morning was very brief - it basically consisted of him quickly highlighting key results then saying yeah, you have apnoea, you need a CPAP, off you go with the nurse. They recommended a Breas iSleep i20. For the lab study they used a ResMed Nasal Pillow Swift FX (size small).

They were almost pushing me to order immediately but I wanted to do come checking first. I would like some inputs from forum members to help my decision making:

1. I travel a fair bit internationally on business, so the machine has to be portable. How portable is the i20?
2. Is the i20 a good machine (I know people will have their own preferences - I want to know if the i20 is good, good value form money, good reputation for quality and reliability etc)?
3. Would people recommend a different machine? If so, why?
4. The sleep lab said that a face mask would not suit my nose (no idea why) and that a nasal pillow device was better. I found it pretty comfortable, but my one reservation is that I have a deviated septum, and the right nostril was slightly tender after the sleep study but only very briefly. I am just wondering whether nightly wear will take the discomfort level much higher to unbearable/unwearable. Does anyone have any experience of the Swift FX and a deviated septum?

The whole deal of using a CPAP and wearing a mask doesn't bother me - I just want decent quality sleep and for my wife to come back from her exile.

Looking forward to receiving some useful advice. Thanks.

NotLazyJustTired · Post by **NotLazyJustTired** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 7:20 am

I am not familiar with that machine, but a quick search revealed that it only reports compliance information and AHI. If that is so, then we around here call that a brick. It will be to you (and your doctor's) greatest advantage to use a machine that records more data than these basic metrics. I use the ResMed S9 AutoSet. It has an SD card which can be loaded onto your computer and using free software like SleepyHead you can review your progress on a daily basis. There are other data capable devices out there, but I will let the more experienced members chime in with their recommendations.

All I will say here, is that in the short time I have been on the machine (9 days now) having the ability to "look inside" and see what is going on has been very important to me in terms of keeping a positive attitude. As a result, I am averaging over 8 hours per night on the machine and truly believe I am on the path to recovery.

SnoringinDXB · Post by **SnoringinDXB** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 7:47 am

Thanks. I'd already checked out the Breas website for the product, and thought there is very little information there. Contrast that with the ResMed site (saw you use a S9) and they have videos, pdf guides for everything etc....way better. The price is higher, but I would rather have a better machine with more sophistication and therapy data. What price do you put on sleep and prolonging your life?

NotLazyJustTired · Post by **NotLazyJustTired** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 7:53 am

SnoringinDXB wrote:What price do you put on sleep and prolonging your life?

That's the attitude! My insurance isn't covering my treatment so I am having to pay out of pocket, so there's you answer.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 7:58 am

Here in the US the Breas machines are not very common at all. So we really don't have anyone here using that brand to offer any ideas on reliability.
You already know about the full efficacy data stuff.
The 2 main players in the cpap market here in the use would be the ResMed and Phillips Respironics companies. They have a very large segment of the population covered with their machines. There is software easily available and easy to use for either machine and that software gives some in depth information to help you monitor your own treatment if you want to.

SnoringinDXB · Post by **SnoringinDXB** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 8:36 am

NotLazyJustTired wrote:
SnoringinDXB wrote:What price do you put on sleep and prolonging your life?
That's the attitude! My insurance isn't covering my treatment so I am having to pay out of pocket, so there's you answer.

Unfortunately the cost is coming out my pocket too....but I view it as an investment...the per might cost over the machine lifespan must be peanuts. The S9 seems a pretty popular machine so I am now heading towards that I think. I will do some more reading.......

NotLazyJustTired · Post by **NotLazyJustTired** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 9:23 am

Well you have my endorsement, not that it means much, I am so new at this. As Pugsy has pointed out, there are quite a few of us on here with that machine, so we can help with questions about the machine, settings, and interpretation of the data. The group here is very caring and helpful in that regard. Just another perk for you to consider.

Catnap · Post by **Catnap** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 4:34 pm

SnoringinDXB wrote:
NotLazyJustTired wrote:
SnoringinDXB wrote:What price do you put on sleep and prolonging your life?
That's the attitude! My insurance isn't covering my treatment so I am having to pay out of pocket, so there's you answer.
Unfortunately the cost is coming out my pocket too....but I view it as an investment...the per might cost over the machine lifespan must be peanuts. The S9 seems a pretty popular machine so I am now heading towards that I think. I will do some more reading.......

I have an S8 and don't have the software for it, but I thought I would mention it is still far better than a machine with no info. I can check my leak numbers and AHI, which give me a good idea of how I'm doing. I initially had a machine where I couldn't check anything except the pressure setting and ramp (and couldn't change those), and it really made me feel I was shooting in the dark to determine if I was getting good benefit from my treatment. My apnea is not very complicated to treat, though (I peg zero leaks and AHIs under 1.0 on a regular basis); I would want more sophisticated measurement if it were.

old64mb · Post by **old64mb** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 6:10 pm

A couple of comments.

As a brand, Breas is ok - to answer your question, the Breas models aren't actually all that big, being about the size of F&P models. I know a few people in Britain who have been prescribed Breas machines and they don't have any complaints. However, they're almost exclusively used in Europe and thus aren't going to be covered in this forum. Not terribly surprising that's the machine you were offered in Dubai.

The i20 is indeed the lowest end model; it doesn't even have exhalation relief. Even if you don't care about analyzing your data, I'd avoid it as the latter is kind of a basic requirement nowadays for even entry level units. The 20+ has exhalation relief, and the 20i is the autoPAP version. I know someone who simply raved about the 10i (which was their autopap a few years back), so again, Breas isn't necessarily a bad machine. It's just you're not going to find much support for it away from your healthcare provider, and the Respironics or Resmed models have a lot more support online.

Both the S9 (Resmed) and the System One (Respironics) are smaller than previous generation models and travel well, but after getting used to it you might want to look at one of the travel-oriented machines like the Transcend II or the DeVilbiss IntelliPAP as a travel-only machine and use the other as your main machine at home. Having a second setup (bag, mask, machine, adapter) for travel makes life a lot easier, and if you fly Emirates I believe they're going to require you to run the machine off of batteries instead of through their power outlets.

If you want to post the summary of your study, that'd help in recommendations.

jweeks · Post by **jweeks** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 7:45 pm

SnoringinDXB wrote:Unfortunately the cost is coming out my pocket too....but I view it as an investment...the per might cost over the machine lifespan must be peanuts. The S9 seems a pretty popular machine so I am now heading towards that I think. I will do some more reading.......

Hi,

One thought is to buy a used machine to start. Get a fully data capable machine that is maybe a year old. There are stores such as Second Wind that specialize in this. Then, after you use it for a while (year or so), you will know more about what machine you really want for the long haul. Then promote your first machine to status of travel machine, and save you new machine for home. Having 2 machines is great for a traveler. I never have to unpack my travel bag once I get home, so I know all my CPAP stuff will be there when it is time to pick up and go. I also don't have to tear down my home setup each time I travel, and risk losing parts or forgetting things. Finally, it is nice to have a spare machine just in case something breaks (or I forget to empty the water tray and ruin one of the machines).

-john-

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