Newbie, buying first CPAP - confused - HELP

Hi folks,

I am in the process of buying my fist cpap machine and I am confused.

So basically this is my story:

My doctor sent me to a sleep clinic to check for sleep apnea. They determine I have moderate apnea with 17 occurences in a minute with more than 10 sec long.
They give me a report with only that and suggestion to use CPAP machine.
After that they called me to offer me a trial with one machine, I am duing the trial now, they say its working. Now the problem is that for PR System One REMstar 60 AUTO they quote me 2500$.
I am based in Alberta Canada, and I found the same machine from different supplier in Ontario for 900$. I call to buy it but they asked me for a perscription so they know to what level to set up the presure.

Isnt the whole purpose of getting the AUTO machine so it can automaticaaly adjust the preasure? The problem is that the clinic I am doing the trial dont want to give me prescription or report as they want me to buy from them, and they don;t want me to tell me the preasure.

I found online shops where I can buy directly, but my question is , can I just do that? I mean if I buy Respironics System One Auto 60 with Humidifier, Heated Tubing just plug it and play, will that work. Do I need to setup anyting? Do I need help of sleep doctor.

Guys please help, I am not feeling to pay 1600$ more for the same shit...

This is crazy here in Canada, just the prices compared to US is much much higher.

If you can get a prescription for the machine, you're free to get whichever one you want I assume, unless OHIP, ADP or your insce. tell you otherwise. You can ask your MD to prescribe a setting of 4-20, the default high and low, and then wing it to find your best levels, or you can go by the advice from the study (I'm presuming they gave some... and results are yours by law). Once you have a machine at 4-20, you're more likely to raise the low end because it's close to impossible to actually breathe at 4 and you'd only get minimal 'therapy'. This goes on all the time however, people getting scripted machines at those settings because the doctor is lazy about prescribing anything else and the dealers go along with it. We can tell you how to (re)set your pressures once you have a machine, but it's much better if you also get an SD card reader and download SleepyHead software so you'll have something meaningful to go by when testing for optimum pressures. ALL of this depends on getting a machine that you can use SH on, and the one you mentioned should work, but it is an older model. The prices you're being quoted are crazy... but now that the exchange rate's so much higher than last year, you may have to pay somewhat more wherever you get it from. You could order through Cpap.com (in TX), but even tho' their prices are excellent, they won't be the same now, so we can give you some ideas of Can. dealers to look into. Some have quite reasonable rates... just depends. Have I helped?

ata wrote:Isnt the whole purpose of getting the AUTO machine so it can automaticaaly adjust the preasure?

setting the machine to defaults results in poor sleep, because you have to start having problems, then wait for the machine to react (and they react slowly). it's fine to run the machine at defaults for a night or two, just to get an idea what the settings should be, but then it's best to tailor the settings to what you need.

that said, you could tell them to send it to you at defaults, and then adjust it yourself... if they'll sell it to you without a prescription. you might check with secondwindcpap.com, I think they ship to canada, and they'll easily beat that 900$ price.

Julie wrote:If you can get a prescription for the machine, you're free to get whichever one you want I assume, unless OHIP, ADP or your insce. tell you otherwise. You can ask your MD to prescribe a setting of 4-20, the default high and low, and then wing it to find your best levels, or you can go by the advice from the study (I'm presuming they gave some... and results are yours by law). Once you have a machine at 4-20, you're more likely to raise the low end because it's close to impossible to actually breathe at 4 and you'd only get minimal 'therapy'. This goes on all the time however, people getting scripted machines at those settings because the doctor is lazy about prescribing anything else and the dealers go along with it. We can tell you how to (re)set your pressures once you have a machine, but it's much better if you also get an SD card reader and download SleepyHead software so you'll have something meaningful to go by when testing for optimum pressures. ALL of this depends on getting a machine that you can use SH on, and the one you mentioned should work, but it is an older model. The prices you're being quoted are crazy... but now that the exchange rate's so much higher than last year, you may have to pay somewhat more wherever you get it from. You could order through Cpap.com (in TX), but even tho' their prices are excellent, they won't be the same now, so we can give you some ideas of Can. dealers to look into. Some have quite reasonable rates... just depends. Have I helped?

Great Julie, your post have awesome points.
The report I got has only AHI per hour and that I go 94% oxygen. Nothing else. Reading other people results here I am getting the feeling as more things were committed on purpose so I have to stick with the same clinic and not be able to buy anywhere else.
One thing I know, I am not paying them 2500$ for sure... especially when I can get the same thing for 3 times lower.
After reading your post, I'll schedule visit to my MD, don't know if he will be willing to give me prescription, as this is Canada and things are weird , but I'll give my try.
I would appreciate if you can suggest some dealers here, I mean I was google for some online shops, but don;t know how legit they are?
do they all ask for prescription?

Thanks a million

palerider wrote:

ata wrote:Isnt the whole purpose of getting the AUTO machine so it can automaticaaly adjust the preasure?

setting the machine to defaults results in poor sleep, because you have to start having problems, then wait for the machine to react (and they react slowly). it's fine to run the machine at defaults for a night or two, just to get an idea what the settings should be, but then it's best to tailor the settings to what you need.

that said, you could tell them to send it to you at defaults, and then adjust it yourself... if they'll sell it to you without a prescription. you might check with secondwindcpap.com, I think they ship to canada, and they'll easily beat that 900$ price.

Thanks for the replay man.
So if I start with the default, can I figure it out how to adjust it?
Do I need to look for any specific model that will work the the software fine?
Any tips here?

This wesbsite I am looking at http://secondwindcpap.com/, its in the states, anyone with experience shipping it to Canada? Should I expect any problems with canadian border control?

ata wrote:Thanks for the replay man.
So if I start with the default, can I figure it out how to adjust it?
Do I need to look for any specific model that will work the the software fine?

we can help get your settings right. I suggest a resmed Autoset, or Autoset for her, or a respironics cpap AUTO.

those machines have full data, avoid anything that says "escape" from resmed.

Yes, you need a script for a machine here no matter what, but... there are places to get used machines and masks without one, but you need to know what you're getting and I suggest that if you can afford new, you'll be better off, though down the line could certainly go that route.

Some ideas - I heard there's a problem(website or ?) with clinicalsleep.com (normally the least expensive here), but certainly try them anyhow. Try cpapclinic.ca, cpapmachinescanada.com (know zilch about them). There are others, which others will recommend. HOWever, don't do 'cpapsupply...either US or Can.com because it's a US co. where the site looks Can, but you end up with all kinds of hassles. Normally you won't get those with e.g. Cpap.com (US) because they routinely do put something on the pkge so customs is not an issue ("med device" or whatever), but others are not so good about that. Let us know what happens and we'll continue to help if needed.