It would be very helpful if you could get a copy of your sleep study results (both diagnostic and titration) and your prescription. Doctors often send the prescription to the DME directly, but you should request that too. You should ask about your AHI, pressure, etc., but there is often other information in the sleep studies that can help you understand your situation better, such as a high arousal index or excessive limb movements. It's also good to know if your apneas were obstructive (airway restriction) or "centrals" (brain not getting message to breathing muscles).Mask2sleep wrote:I'm supposed to find out my results today... is there anything specifically I should ask them when they call? Like any kind of stats on number of apneas, information about titration, & etc?.
Your prescription will need to include "heated humidifier". That's pretty standard these days. The S9 uses the H5i humidifier, which fits right onto the machine. You can use several types of hoses. It should come with the SlimLine hose in the U.S. You can also purchase a heated hose for the S9, called the ClimateLine, which will help in the winter months especially. You can use a "regular" hose, as well. There's a special setting for that on the machine. You may want to consider getting a hose cover at some point if you're going to use a non-heated hose, as that will insulate the hose and minimize "rainout" (condensation inside the hose). A search on the forum will reveal more about that.It seems like the Autoset S9 is very popular with folks here, when the time comes I will ask specifically for that one. I like the idea of tracking how it is going, and from the little I know the APAP feature seems like a good idea. Does that come with a humidifier too?
I definitely don't think the sound will bother your wife, but I suppose some people are more sensitive than others. If you find it is bothersome, you could try placing it on a mousepad and/or have the machine slightly lower than bed level. I don't hear mine at all when my head's on my pillow, and just barely when I'm sitting up. Truly, I would describe it as "whisper quiet."I'm not so concerned about the sound bothering me, but more of my wife. I suppose there are always ear plugs!
The nasal pillows don't fit up into your nose. They go in just barely, and rest mostly on the outside. Many people do find that they need to use a chin strap to prevent mouth-leaking with nasal and nasal pillows masks. That works well for me. But for many people, that isn't enough to prevent the air leaks. Some people also need to tape their mouth, while others have to use a full face mask.I get the nasal masks and the full face, but just looking at them, the pillows seem fairly uncomfortable. Big prongs in the nose, and I guess you need a chin strap? I suppose I will want the best of both worlds, the best therapy possible plus the least amount of extra stuff needed besides the mask itself, like a chinstrap. I suppose part of that is vanity too. I have seen reference to a papcap - what is that? It looked almost like a dew rag.
The PAPCap is a chin strap that is attached to a cap. This distributes the tension more evenly than the standard chin straps. The PAPCap is also made of cotton, which many of us find more comfortable. I've tried several chin straps, and that's the one that works best for me. It can be a bit warm in the summmertime. If I could find a full face mask that fit me well, I'd probably go that route, although the nasal pillows masks are very light and I like that there's less touching my face.
Here's the regular PAPCap (which comes in two sizes): https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pursle ... otton.html
And here is the "Plus 4" model, which comes with four straps that you can use instead of standard 4-point headgear with some masks: http://www.pur-sleep.com/products/produ ... category=6
I hope that you don't have any problems getting the machine you want. Let us know how you're doing.
