Just purchased my first CPAP....HELP

[PBanda]

I was just diagnosed with sleep apnea. The terminology is still a little new to me so pls be understanding. My results came back that I have 18 episodes per hour. Kaiser sent me home with a cpap to try out and it works well, its Resmed Airsense 10. However, my insurance does not cover CPAP machines and I really dont want to spend almost $1,000. I purchased a used Resmed Airsense 10 autoset and it has 59 RUN hours. Is that good? I spent $300 on it. Also I cleaned the humidifier and all of the holes where tubing goes into. Is there anywhere else that I need to clean? I read multiple posts online about the dangers of buying used CPAP machines due to the risk of infection such as pneumonia, influenza or even TB from machines that have not been professionally sanitized and now I am worried....help

[Pugsy]

Welcome to the forum.

Exactly which AirSense 10 model machine did you get?
There are 4

AirSense 10 CPAP
AirSense 10 Elite
AirSense 10 AutoSet
AirSense 10 AutoSet for Her

You have chosen the ResMed AirStart machine in your profile..is that what you have? There is an apap model of the AirStart.
Let's make sure you got the AirSense 10 AutoSet and if you did that machine is listed in the Rs on the equipment menu.
You got a great deal if you got the AirSense 10 AutoSet...great machine. If you got the AirStart...well maybe not so great of a deal.

You did all that I do when I purchase a used machine (and I have bought probably well over a dozen in the past years). Those germs won't live on inanimate objects..they need a food source and there simply isn't one.
I wipe down the parts I can reach and change the filter and wash the hose and water chamber...that's about all I ever do.

[Fetou]

I purchased a used Resmed Airsense 10 autoset and it has 59 RUN hours. Is that good? I spent $300 on it.

You did very well for yourself. Good buy.

Also I cleaned the humidifier and all of the holes where tubing goes into. Is there anywhere else that I need to clean? I read multiple posts online about the dangers of buying used CPAP machines due to the risk of infection such as pneumonia, influenza or even TB from machines that have not been professionally sanitized and now I am worried....help

Scare tactics to make you pour money into a racketous scheme for the benefit of everyone else but you.

[chunkyfrog]

Scare tactics are just plain EVIL.
Our only defence is truth.
Use it liberally.

[palerider]

Is there anywhere else that I need to clean? I read multiple posts online about the dangers of buying used CPAP machines due to the risk of infection such as pneumonia, influenza or even TB from machines that have not been professionally sanitized and now I am worried....help

The clinical manual for the machine, says in part, when discussing reprocessing the unit between patients in a hospital (where they're quite possibly more sick than a home user):

1. Wipe the exterior of the device including display, externally accessible ports, power supply unit
and accessories with a disposable cloth and mild detergent or alcohol disinfectant (see list
below).
2. Remove any excess disinfectant with a disposable dry cloth.

 Warm water and mild detergent eg, Teepol TM multipurpose detergent
 Window cleaner or other premixed surface detergent
 Methyl alcohol solution
 70% Ethyl alcohol solution
 70-90% Isopropanol solution
 10% Bleach solution
 Isopropyl wipes
 CaviCide TM
 Mikrozid ®
 Actichlor TM Plus
 Terralin ® .

So... warm water and soap, or alcohol are easy to get...

Best to replace the hose just to be sure, if it worries you.

The stories you've heard are scare tactics.... I've bought ten different cpaps off craigslist. except for one that smelled of cigarette smoke, there's never been any problem.

[Slartybartfast]

Last week I bought a used machine for backup. It had been used only 10 hours, and spent the rest of the time in its bag in a closet. When I got it home and opened the bag (Resmed S9 Autoset) the bag and machine did, indeed, smell like the inside of someone's closet. Sweaty sneakers.

I removed all the parts from the bag, rinsed the hose out with soapy water, ditched the mask (I have my own) and wiped everything down with a damp paper towel. I washed the bag in a bucket of warm soapy water, rinsed it well and set it out to air-dry.

Rinsed the filter out in the sink, shook the water out of it and put it back on the machine. Then put everything outside on a table in the shade to air out. By next morning, the smell was gone and I packed up the machine with a couple sprigs of lavender from the garden and put it away until I need it.

[Muse-Inc]

Plain old white vinegar makes a great disinfectant AND it removes soap residues. I keep a spray bottle filled with it under kitchen sink and both bathroom sinks. After washing and rinsing, I spray my mask with it, let sit a few mins, rinse well and let air dry. Same for humidifier tank when it's in use (empty now). Hose gets same treatment when I wash it, usually after the rare cold.

[jacintaearley]

Just wondering about the humidifier on my machine. I’m not sure whether it’s working. The water appears sometimes to go down.its set at 1 on the dial. Do u check underneath the humidifier when it’s on to see if it’s slightly hot or is that just nonsense. It’s my dads bipap machine so don’t know a huge amount about it.


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[PBanda]

I purchased the autoset. I went back today to return the kaiser rental. I went to a CPAP store near me and purchased the N20 nasal mask. The nasal pillow was not comfortable. It would get anxious and felt like I was unable to get enough air. So tonight will be night 1 with my new mask and my new-used machine. Thank you to everyone for reassuring me that the interwebs are full of scare tactics.

[chunkyfrog]

Your mask preference can change over time.
When I first began cpap, I could not tolerate a nasal pillow.
4 months later, I found that I could use one.
(Some idjit techs set us up with too small pillows--harder to breathe)
I was surprised, but glad I gave it another try.
Now it is my main mask--with others reserved for emergencies.

[old dude]

I purchased the autoset. I went back today to return the kaiser rental. I went to a CPAP store near me and purchased the N20 nasal mask. The nasal pillow was not comfortable. It would get anxious and felt like I was unable to get enough air. So tonight will be night 1 with my new mask and my new-used machine. Thank you to everyone for reassuring me that the interwebs are full of scare tactics.

CPAP store?

Say what?

[PBanda]

Yes there's an actual cpap store like a mile from my house. She sells EVERYTHING from filters, tuning, mask, machines, pillows ..she used to head a sleep enter and decided she wanted to be her own boss .. .not the friendliest lady but i needed tubing and a mask...

[zonker]

Just wondering about the humidifier on my machine. I’m not sure whether it’s working. The water appears sometimes to go down.its set at 1 on the dial. Do u check underneath the humidifier when it’s on to see if it’s slightly hot or is that just nonsense. It’s my dads bipap machine so don’t know a huge amount about it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

please feel free to start your own independent post. it will be seen more easily and one of the experts here will see it and comment on it. if it's in someone else's thread, it's likely to be overlooked.

good luck!

[ChicagoGranny]

The nasal pillow was not comfortable. It would get anxious and felt like I was unable to get enough air.

A feeling of "not getting enough air" is sometimes because the CPAP pressure is too low. What ARE your presssure settings?

[old dude]

Yes there's an actual cpap store like a mile from my house. She sells EVERYTHING from filters, tuning, mask, machines, pillows ..she used to head a sleep enter and decided she wanted to be her own boss .. .not the friendliest lady but i needed tubing and a mask...

Wow, now that's handy!

Never heard of anything like that.

Does she require prescriptions?