Considering a Fisher & Paykel Icon

[Posey]

I am new here and newly diagnosed as well. Thursday Aug. 30th I will go in for titration(sp.). A friend who is on her 3rd machine suggested a F&P Icon. It looks compact and has the water chamber inside rather than a separate unit. At this point I am clueless about what mask I'll be getting but since I have nasal allergies & polyps, I expect a full face type.
Does anyone have any input on the F&P - positive or negative. The S9 everyone seems to have looks huge. My bedside table is not large & I don't want a CPAP to take up all the space.

On the night of the diagnostic study I was allowed to try a CPAP. I felt like I couldn't exhale!!! I felt the panic people feel when they are not able to breathe. Scary. I have got to get a grip with this and am determined to adjust to it.
Thanks in advance for any input.

[chunkyfrog]

Just a word of wisdom:
have you ever noticed that the worst candy comes in the cleverest packaging?
Think about it.
My s9 Autoset is AWESOME!

[Guest]

I have a F&P Icon... in my opinion a great machine. Very very quiet, compact, integrated humidifier, good data reporting from the unit itself, easy to adjust.

My only beef is that it's not supported by Sleepyhead... yet.

[Lizistired]

If you search the forum you will find several comparison threads on the S9 Autoset and the PRS1 Auto. They are the most popular machines here. There are a few members with Icons, so I'm sure you will get some comments from them. You can do a forum search for that too.
There are also videos of the different machines on YouTube and at the cpaplibrary link in my signature below. Choosing the right machine is JOB ONE for you right now!
JOB TWO is learning what you need to know before you meet your DME. But I don't have that link handy.

[Lizistired]

Here it is: http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/what-y ... me-part-i/

[49er]

I am new here and newly diagnosed as well. Thursday Aug. 30th I will go in for titration(sp.). A friend who is on her 3rd machine suggested a F&P Icon. It looks compact and has the water chamber inside rather than a separate unit. At this point I am clueless about what mask I'll be getting but since I have nasal allergies & polyps, I expect a full face type.
Does anyone have any input on the F&P - positive or negative. The S9 everyone seems to have looks huge. My bedside table is not large & I don't want a CPAP to take up all the space.

On the night of the diagnostic study I was allowed to try a CPAP. I felt like I couldn't exhale!!! I felt the panic people feel when they are not able to breathe. Scary. I have got to get a grip with this and am determined to adjust to it.
Thanks in advance for any input.

Hi,

You might also want to look into the warranty policy of the company are considering buying a unit from. See this link:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=80249&p=739583&hili ... om#p730033

Resmed will provide a straight exchange whereas Devilbiss will not which means you would be without a unit for 3 to 6 weeks unless you rent one or have a backup unit. Not sure about the other company's policies but after my experience in having to return my intellipap, I feel it is important that all potential buyers are aware of this.

No one thinks their will be the one that fails but because I had to return my mine, I am making it my mission to inform potential buyers that they need to consider this issue.

49er

[Roobin]

I On the night of the diagnostic study I was allowed to try a CPAP. I felt like I couldn't exhale!!! I felt the panic people feel when they are not able to breathe. Scary. I have got to get a grip with this and am determined to adjust to it.
Thanks in advance for any input.

Others have already addressed your question about the machines, so I wanted to comment about your feelings regarding exhalation. I know EXACTLY what you are talking about, as I felt the same way the first time, too (including the sense of panic). First, please know you will adjust to it. For me, it was helpful to sit around with my mask and machine turned on before bedtime rolled around. It was all a bit easier to deal with when I wasn't lying there in the dark, trying to figure out how in the world I was going to fall asleep. Also, remember to tell yourself that you can take off the mask if you really were unable to breathe with it on. As is often the case with panic, it's made worse by the fear....so reminding yourself that you're in control may help. The more I was able to relax, the easier my breathing became. Many machines also have an exhalation adjustment, which cuts back on the air pressure as you exhale (Resmed, which makes the S9, calls this EPR, for Expiratory Pressure Relief). That way, the air you're expelling isn't hitting a "brick wall" created by the machine's output. To the extent you have input about which machine you get, you might want to inquire about this feature.

Your determination to adjust to XPAP is admirable, and will be a very big contributor to your success. Unless you are a truly unique (lucky?) individual, there will likely be many obstacles to overcome in the next few weeks or even months, stuff you never even imagined would be a problem. I've just hit my 2 month anniversary of being on APAP, and feel I have finally worked out most of the kinks (as an example, one of the toughest issues for me was how to keep from getting tangled in the hose during the night). This forum is a great resource for getting practical advice and emotional support, so you are starting out in the right place. Good luck.

[mcdover]

Do yourself a favor, get a ResMed or Respironics machine. Better quality and MUCH more common and supported.

[Roobin]

Do yourself a favor, get a ResMed or Respironics machine. Better quality and MUCH more common and supported.

Honestly, I think McDover gave you great advice. Plus, I checked out the Icon's specs on F&P's website, and it doesn't seem to have the expiration settings that I mentioned in my earlier posting (though it's possible I'm wrong about this). I understand why you don't want your nightstand taken over by an XPAP machine, but there are alternatives. Check out the following thread for a discussion about this very topic.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=81301&p=739676#p739676

[stanley_white]

I have an F&P Icon Auto CPAP.

I didn't know anything about anything when I got it in May of this year.

Performance wise I love it but I don't have anything to compare it to.

Per others on this forum the Icon's data capability is somewhat limited compared to other machines. However, if you are simply going to plug the machine, put the mask on, and sleep rather than try to scrutinize sleep data daily it may be the machine for you.

IMHO for me the Icon seems to be a great starter machine and next time around I will go with something like the S9 so I can more easily scrutinize my data.

-Stan

[OnTheCouch]

Posey, I agree with you completely about not wanting your machine to take up too much space on the bedside table. And mine's UGLY to boot!

So I dedicated my entire bottom drawer to the cause. I drilled a hole in the back of the nightstand for the power cord, fed it through, and plugged in my machine. There's plenty of room for air to circulate around the machine and in the morning I simply coil the mask and hose around inside the drawer and shut it, so I don't have to look at the ugly thing until I go to bed at night.

I don't use my humidifier unless there's something unusual going on (like if I'm sick or something and need the moist air to help unclog my sinuses) so I don't have to worry about water sloshing around when I open and close the drawer. If you do end up using a humidifier, you'd want to be mindful of that issue. But don't let worries about space and esthetics color your decision - there's always a way around that!

[-tim]

I have an S9 because my parents both have them and they are made here.

I have a new 560 sitting a box waiting for me at work that was a very good deal.

F&P is made by the Kiwis who tend to do some good if not odd engineering. Their machine was 2nd on my list when I bought the S9.

[Posey]

Thanks so much to all who replied! I am learning so much.
Last night I was put on a Resmed VPAP 1st on CPAP then moved to BIPAP(?) The mask that seemed to work best was the Quattro Full face as I am a mouth breather. I could swear I never slept at all but the tech said I slept and she was able to determine a pressure setting for me. Who knows? Maybe I am asleep now;)
I opted not to choose a DME at the time though the sleep center has one associated. Ha. I will have to wait a couple weeks to get results and then more questions. Meanwhile I called a DME closest to me and they do not carry F&P. I sure would like to have a DME in a brick & mortar place for this 1st unit.
Thanks again.

[archangle]

The F&P machines don't record airflow waveforms. These are a bit like an EKG for your breathing.

The F&P collect other data, and are apparently good machines. I think treating apnea without airflow waveforms is like treating diabetes without checking your blood sugar at home.

Get one of the fully data capable PRS1 or S9 machines. (Avoid the Escape or Plus models.)