This is probably a dumb question

[CoupleCPapUsers]

Hello!
My husband and I have both been diagnosed with mild sleep apnea.
He got the Cpap yesterday.

He works 3rd shift and sleeps during the day.
I sleep at night.

He has an auto machine with an SD card.

Is it at all possible for us to share a machine by switching out the SD card or something? It would be really expensive for both of us to have separate machines and honestly we probably won't get one for me for a long time.

[Julie]

But I imagine your pressure settings are different and I can't imagine wanting to delve into the machine's set-up every a.m. and p.m. to switch things around, let alone what might you do if someone's tired one time and either forgets or gets it wrong...

But why won't you get one now - money? There are ways to get less expensive ones that through your insurance and we can help with that, plus is your life not as important as his? Until next time (and stay with this thread so we can follow things) try to not sleep on your back (it makes more apneas), maybe sleep in a recliner, and stay away from caffeine after noon (it can give you acid reflux which messes with sleep and you don't need it now).

[CoupleCpapUsers]

We couldn't even afford my husband's machine. We had to put it on the Credit Card. It was $341 to start and about $100 a month. There is no way we can afford to pay that for both of us right now.

My husband works 2 jobs to support us and I stay at home. He is a priority right now as far as sleep issues.

I do think my sleep apnea is why i have been depressed. I have no energy.

[D.H.]

It's not recommended. However, if you know how to change the pressure settings, and do it twice each day, it should theoretically work.

[palerider]

We couldn't even afford my husband's machine. We had to put it on the Credit Card. It was $341 to start and about $100 a month. There is no way we can afford to pay that for both of us right now.

My husband works 2 jobs to support us and I stay at home. He is a priority right now as far as sleep issues.

I do think my sleep apnea is why i have been depressed. I have no energy.

you know, you could get rid of that one and buy one outright for 3-400$ possibly less.

[CoupleCpapUsers]

We couldn't even afford my husband's machine. We had to put it on the Credit Card. It was $341 to start and about $100 a month. There is no way we can afford to pay that for both of us right now.

My husband works 2 jobs to support us and I stay at home. He is a priority right now as far as sleep issues.

I do think my sleep apnea is why i have been depressed. I have no energy.

you know, you could get rid of that one and buy one outright for 3-400$ possibly less.

But does it come with the equipment with it? The $341 included the face mask, tubing, and humidifier and I think the first month of "Rent to own"

[CoupleCpapUsers]

Ok, I registered to make this easier

Thank you to those that have responded! We are very new with this whole Cpap thing

[D.H.]

Some "rent to own" schemes are really rip-offs, especially the ones not originating from insurance. You need to figure out how much rent you will pay before you own it and compare that to the purchase price.

If insurance pays only for "rent to own," you need to compare what you'd pay out of pocket vs. what it would cost you outside your insurance. It makes no sense to use your insurance of doing so will cost more than not.

[CoupleCpapUsers]

Some "rent to own" schemes are really rip-offs, especially the ones not originating from insurance. You need to figure out how much rent you will pay before you own it and compare that to the purchase price.

If insurance pays only for "rent to own," you need to compare what you'd pay out of pocket vs. what it would cost you outside your insurance. It makes no sense to use your insurance of doing so will cost more than not.

Our insurance isn't the greatest because we have a high deductible. I didn't realize there were different machines. We were so anxious to get him set up because his Sleep apnea disrupts his daily living.
I don't know how it works and if we could return everything. I guess I could call the company and ask their cash rate for this machine. I wouldn't be surprised if they charge more with insurance just because they can.

[CoupleCpapUsers]

I don't understand what the pressure settings are. The machine is an auto - I know that.

If it is auto doesn't it automatically go to the correct pressure you need? It starts low when you first go to sleep then goes up.

[palerider]

I don't understand what the pressure settings are. The machine is an auto - I know that.

If it is auto doesn't it automatically go to the correct pressure you need? It starts low when you first go to sleep then goes up.

if it did, this forum wouldn't have half the people that come here for help.

[jim22]

To start with, the pressure settings should be on your prescriptions. If the prescriptions are nearly the same it could be easier to share, but eventually you may find that optimal settings are different for the two of you. You are basically correct, there is a range of pressures specified and the machine adjusts the pressure within the range as it detects and tries to prevent events. Sharing a machine would make it difficult to analyze the data and fine tune the settings. Could well be better than nothing.

Jim

[CoupleCpapUsers]

I don't understand what the pressure settings are. The machine is an auto - I know that.

If it is auto doesn't it automatically go to the correct pressure you need? It starts low when you first go to sleep then goes up.

if it did, this forum wouldn't have half the people that come here for help.

I suppose that post was insensitive of me. I realize a lot of people have issues getting used to the Cpap machine. Trust that my comment was ignorance and not an attempt to be insensitive.

[Julie]

If your doctor has done what so many do who understand the science of apnea but nothing about the equipment, he probably had it set for the low number of 4 and high of 20, which means your husband will find it quite difficult to breathe at 4 though can leave the 20 alone for now. The 4 would need to be bumped at least to 6 I think without any problem, but without having a clue what machine you have I can't say more. The doctors think autos will just go to whatever level needed to deal with apneas, but if they're higher on the scale, the machine takes too long to get there, which is why 4 is unrealistic apart from feeling suffocating to most. Please give us not just the brand name (e.g. Resmed) but all other wording on the machine so we can know what model it is, plus what type of mask he's got.

[palerider]

I don't understand what the pressure settings are. The machine is an auto - I know that.

If it is auto doesn't it automatically go to the correct pressure you need? It starts low when you first go to sleep then goes up.

if it did, this forum wouldn't have half the people that come here for help.

I suppose that post was insensitive of me. I realize a lot of people have issues getting used to the Cpap machine. Trust that my comment was ignorance and not an attempt to be insensitive.

I didn't think it was insensitive.

many people (doctors, therapists, DME idiots) think that 'auto' machines are some panacea that solves all the problems, but for them to work well, they have to be set up properly, for the needs of the user.

when you set a machine on default settings, then it takes time for the machine to reach an effective pressure, some are much slower at doing that than others, and during the time pressure climbs, you're suffering apneas and hypopneas. then when it does get to a good pressure, it starts trying to go back down to where its minimum is set to... so the whole cycle starts again, and ... bad sleep.