Just diagnosed

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Mikebov
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2010 7:08 pm
Location: Northwest North Carolina

Just diagnosed

Post by Mikebov » Sun Feb 21, 2010 7:20 pm

Good evening to all. I am so glad that I found you! I had my sleep study done on the 18th and diagnosed with moderate OSA. I am going in for a titration study on the 24th. I know soon after this I will be getting my own cpap. I live in a small town and I want to go with the National DME. Do they give you any choices as to what type of machine and mask or do you get what they give you? If there is a choice what would you suggest? I was told that I had 50 episodes an hour. I know this will the first of many questions to you and look forward to any help and support you can give me in my quest for a good nights sleep.

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DreamDiver
Posts: 3082
Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:19 am

Re: Just diagnosed

Post by DreamDiver » Sun Feb 21, 2010 7:43 pm

Mikebov wrote:Good evening to all. I am so glad that I found you! I had my sleep study done on the 18th and diagnosed with moderate OSA. I am going in for a titration study on the 24th. I know soon after this I will be getting my own cpap. I live in a small town and I want to go with the National DME. Do they give you any choices as to what type of machine and mask or do you get what they give you? If there is a choice what would you suggest? I was told that I had 50 episodes an hour. I know this will the first of many questions to you and look forward to any help and support you can give me in my quest for a good nights sleep.
Mikebov,
Welcome!

Be sure to glance through the wiki. (Yellow light bulb at the top of the forum.)

Make sure to your doc prescribes a fully data capable auto - not a straight cpap.
Here is a list of the most popular in order of top-sellers on cpap.com

Mask choice is relatively personal. Get a mask you can be comfortable with. There are two main types of mask: full-face and nasal. DME's push the nasal masks, but don't let them bully you. If you were able to try a few different kinds of masks during your sleep study, choose the one that was most comfortable for you then. Don't settle for whatever they give you. You have to be comfortable. Check out Cpap.com again for mask possibilities. Again, they're listed by top seller.

Do a spreadsheet to find out what your costs will be before you sign with any local branch of a national DME vs. on just buying one online. It may surprise you to find out that depending on how your insurance pays out, it may actually be less expensive for you to buy it on line, even if you don't get reimbursed from your insurance company.

Good luck.

_________________
Mask: ResMed AirFit™ F20 Mask with Headgear + 2 Replacement Cushions
Additional Comments: Pressure: APAP 10.4 | 11.8 | Also Quattro FX FF, Simplus FF

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jmelby
Posts: 463
Joined: Sat Nov 14, 2009 7:52 pm
Location: Minneapolis, MN

Re: Just diagnosed

Post by jmelby » Sun Feb 21, 2010 7:47 pm

Be sure to get a machine that is fully data-capable... and by that I mean capable of tracking just more than your usage. Otherwise you and your provider will be blind to how it is working and if your settings are right for you. Basically, if you get a Respironics machine, avoid the "Plus" machines, and if you get a ResMed, avoid the "Escape" machines... these are the bottom-of-the line that only track usage. You'll find a lot of discussion on this forum about why it is important to know your numbers...

_________________
Mask: Mirage Activa™ LT Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: ResScan 3.12, APAP 9 - 13, no EPR, ClimateControl 75F
(yet another Jeff)