My father passed away from sleep apnea and I don't want to so I am using BiLevel Aircurve 10 VAuto for the first time

[RLMMG]

First of all my father passed away a few months ago at 74 as his heart stopped and I am sure that he needed a cpap and never had one. Here is his information https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/198 ... hn-grimley

My insurance is terrible as I have to put out $6700 before my insurance pays anything. I had a sleep study and was dianosed with Sleep Apnea. I purchased my own used Aircurve 10 VAuto machine. I am doing a lot of reading and trying to be my own doctor in many ways as I have 3 children and we are a family of 5 with one income. I am so tired of being tired and having such terrible sleep. Here is the report from my first night and I feel it is not completely accurate as I was up quite a bit and the machine was running. I put it on the VAuto setting with no humidifer. Here is my report below and any help and input would be greatly appreciated. I want to live longer than 74 years old and be here for my family.

Here is my first report as I copy and pasted it as I didn't know how else to post it.


CPAP Statistics
1 day of CPAP Data on Wed Dec 18 2019
Details

CPAP Usage
Average Hours per Night
08:56

Compliance
100%

Therapy Efficacy
AHI
4.70
Obstructive Index
2.24
Hypopnea Index
0.67

Clear Airway Index
1.68

Leak Statistics
Average Leak Rate
3.75

95% Leak Rate
9.60

% of time above Leak Rate threshold
0.11%

Pressure Statistics
Average Pressure
10.06

Min Pressure
8.00

Max Pressure
16.98

95% Pressure
13.10

Average EPAP
6.06

Min EPAP
4.00

Max EPAP
12.98

[palerider]

First of all my father passed away a few months ago at 74 as his heart stopped and I am sure that he needed a cpap and never had one. Here is his information https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/198 ... hn-grimley

My insurance is terrible as I have to put out $6700 before my insurance pays anything. I had a sleep study and was dianosed with Sleep Apnea. I purchased my own used Aircurve 10 VAuto machine.

NOT a "bipap". http://cpaptalk.com/wiki/index.php/Cpap ... machine.3F

We'll certainly help you to make the best of it.

Please read the very first post on the front page of the forum, the one that says:

Sticky: Newbies PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

[Miss Emerita]

My condolences on the loss of your father. You are honoring his memory in a very meaningful way by resolving to maintain your health for the sake of his grandchildren.

If you can download the Oscar software and post a Daily chart, the experts here can help you optimize your settings. Here is Oscar:

https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/

Please stack your graphs this way:

Events
Flow rate
Pressure
Leaks
Snores
Flow limitations.

You can squeeze them into one screenshot by moving the gray line separating the graphs.

You have a great machine, and I predict in time you will be feeling a lot more rested. But first let's see what's going on.

Let

[Okie bipap]

Sorry for your loss, and welcome to the form. You can find lots of help here. Some of the people will take you by the hand and gently lead you while others take a more direct approach. You will soon figure out which category people fall into. Regardless of which category they are in, they are trying to help you and will give you what they think is good advice. You have taken the first step in getting your apnea under control. The first few nights using the machine can be difficult as your mind is adapting to the idea of having this "thing" on your face as you sleep. Normally, we do not recommend making changes based on one night statistics. However, I would make one change immediately, and that is to raise your minimum pressure to 6 instead of 4. Many people find it uncomfortable to try to breathe with only 4 cm pressure. If you don't notice immediate improvement in how you feel and your daytime sleepiness, don't get discouraged. Some people have immediate improvement, while for others the improvement is gradual and takes more time. Once again, welcome to the forum.

[ChicagoGranny]

RLMMG

My condolences to you and the family.

My insurance is terrible as I have to put out $6700 before my insurance pays anything.

Are you sure your insurance won't pay something toward the machine you purchased?

$6700 sounds like an annual out-of-pocket maximum. This means once your copays and deductibles reach $6700, everything else is covered 100% for the balance of the year. A call to the insurance company may be in order.

Welcome to the forum!

[RLMMG]

Thank You Again As I really appreciate the support and help. I love my Dad but he ignored important things like his health. He was a terrible sleeper always snoring and other issues. His brothers need cpap but he never wanted to get checked and his heart stopped when he was sleeping and passed away because of it and at 74 years old that is way to young. I have 3 children and we had them later in life we were in our 40's when we had our daughter and I truly want to learn from my fathers mistakes. I completely confirmed with my insurance multiple times and they don't pay for anything and never have until I pay my deductibles and co insurances of $6700.

I am unsure how to take the charts off and uploading them on the site so I copying and pasting my last nights info. It seems better with sleeprider suggested change to EPAP.


Here it is the data.I wish I sleeped as long as it says as I was up a lot and it took a while to fall asleep

AHI 1.57

ResMed AirCurve 10
VAuto
PAP Mode: VPAPauto
PS 4.0 over 8.0-20.0 (cmH2O)


Date
Start
End
Hours
12/19/2019
12:45:30
06:42:13
08:16:06

Large Leak
0.77%
Clear Airway
0.12
Obstructive
1.09
Unclassified Apnea
0.12
Hypopnea
0.24

Average Hours per Night
08:16

Compliance
100%

Therapy Efficacy
AHI
1.57

Obstructive Index
1.09

Hypopnea Index
0.24

Clear Airway Index
0.12

Leak Statistics
Average Leak Rate
5.19

95% Leak Rate
10.80

% of time above Leak Rate threshold
0.77%

Pressure Statistics
Average Pressure
13.12

Min Pressure
12.00

Max Pressure
17.22

95% Pressure
15.58

Average EPAP
9.12

Min EPAP
8.00

Max EPAP
13.22

[ChicagoGranny]

I completely confirmed with my insurance multiple times and they don't pay for anything and never have until I pay my deductibles and co insurances of $6700.

Sorry to be a pest, but this doesn't make sense. If you are under $6700 and you have copays and deductibles, then the insurance company must be paying part of your costs.

Customer service reps for insurance companies do give out incorrect information. If I were in your position having already bought the machine, I would file a claim with the insurance company. The worst they can do is deny it, the best would be reimbursing you for 80% of your costs.

[RLMMG]

I completely confirmed with my insurance multiple times and they don't pay for anything and never have until I pay my deductibles and co insurances of $6700.

Sorry to be a pest, but this doesn't make sense. If you are under $6700 and you have copays and deductibles, then the insurance company must be paying part of your costs.

Customer service reps for insurance companies do give out incorrect information. If I were in your position having already bought the machine, I would file a claim with the insurance company. The worst they can do is deny it, the best would be reimbursing you for 80% of your costs.

Even if they were to give anything I doubt they would reimburse me for a unit I bought off of Craigslist for $200 and to me its not about how bad my insurance is. I am thrilled to have purchased an Aircurve 10 Vauto with less than 200 hours for $200.

I have to pay the first $6700 each year. I need to pay doctor, meds everything that they will only pay a portion its more of a major medical insurance for major events

[jim blue]

I'm thrilled you're taking the plunge. I am now 60 days into my CPAP therapy. I resisted for many years and wish now I hadn't.

Getting your routine down and getting used to using the equipment can be a little frustrating. However, once you get a few nights of good sleep, you'll be hooked. I stopped falling asleep at work and at stoplights in the first few days. It just got better after that.

Good luck.

[ragtopcircus]

I completely confirmed with my insurance multiple times and they don't pay for anything and never have until I pay my deductibles and co insurances of $6700.

Sorry to be a pest, but this doesn't make sense. If you are under $6700 and you have copays and deductibles, then the insurance company must be paying part of your costs.

Customer service reps for insurance companies do give out incorrect information. If I were in your position having already bought the machine, I would file a claim with the insurance company. The worst they can do is deny it, the best would be reimbursing you for 80% of your costs.

Unfortunately, it DOES make sense. My insurance is very similar. Some services have a copay only. Others are subject to copay AND deductible. There is no per-patient deductible, only a combined family deductible, and it is comparable to the OP's. My employer no longer offers anything better. They dropped all of the good options while my departed wife was still fighting cancer. We were hitting that sky-high deductible in January. Since she died, I don't think my daughter and I have ever hit the deductible.

The insurance company still believed they had the right to approve or disapprove of stuff they wouldn't be paying a dime for. And then there's the "discounts". The insurance company negotiates special discount rates that run double market price without insurance. For example, my out-of-pocket cost for a Dreamstation Pro CPAP (fixed pressure) was going to be around $1400 with the insurance discount. It would have been around $600 new from multipel online sources without insurance.

I initially caught a great sale on a Resmed For Her at cpap.com. My current wife is using it now, and I too bought a used Vauto instead.

[jim22]

RLLMG,
From the data you posted, it looks like your min pressure is set to 12. Based on the 95% pressure, i think 12 is a reasonable starting point if you are reasonably comfortable breathing against it. If not, you could lower it a couple in h2o if you need to for a couple weeks. It will take months to get back to sleeping really well, but it will get better gradually. You are doing great, if you have specific difficulties, share them and we will help.
Jim

[RLMMG]

Thank You again for everything here is from last night using oscar

[palerider]

http://cpaptalk.com/wiki/index.php/Sleepyhead:Organize

Please read, and follow that.

[RLMMG]

http://cpaptalk.com/wiki/index.php/Sleepyhead:Organize

Please read, and follow that.

Do you offer anything other than bitch, nag and complain. OMG I called it a BiPap instead of a BiLeve after just losing my father and now this. I know what group you fall in.

I completely opened up about my father passing away in his sleep as he ignored his sleep apnea for years. I posted my information for guidance and not a single comment on my reading other than the organization seriously just STFU if you can't be helpful

[Dog Slobber]

Do you offer anything other than bitch, nag and complain. OMG I called it a BiPap instead of a BiLeve after just losing my father and now this. I know what group you fall in.

You were corrected on terminology because incorrect terminology creates confusion.

Here's a topic from just a few days ago where a new member thought she had the wrong machine because of the same incorrect terminology that you want to use.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=177911&p=1334566

I completely opened up about my father passing away in his sleep as he ignored his sleep apnea for years. I posted my information for guidance and not a single comment on my reading other than the organization seriously just STFU if you can't be helpful

All members are asked to post graphs in a format where required information is present, unnecessary information is reduced. This way it can be read easily and reduces the risk of being read incorrectly.

Self-management of one's own CPAP therapy is challenging at the best of times. It means being receptive to information, including correct terminology ad presenting information in such a way that the potential for confusion is reduced.