HELP - Picking a Cheap CPAP to start with!

So I took a "take home" test from a local Sleep office. They said I had medium sleep apnea and should get a CPAP machine. My insurance won't cover any of it till I spend my $2000 deductible so that doesn't help. I am shopping around trying to find something I can get for a few hundred bucks - full setup. I don't want to spend a fortune in case I turn out not using it - I heard 50% of people quit.

Today I found these NEW machines that seemed affordable (free shipping). I heard that the face mask will be around $100 more.

Any of these jump out as good ones?

$199 -- apex-xt-fit-cpap-machine

$204 - curative-curasa-cpap-machine-eut-data

$229 - 3b-resmart-cpap-reslex

$319 - 3b-luna-cpap-heated-humidifier
(this one is a litle too much)

50% of people quit because they have not been instructed properly in how to use the machines, and/or they haven't had any help with choosing masks, using software (an important part of tracking your progress), etc. etc, which is why this forum is here. If more people knew about it and asked for help, that 50% would go way down.

Now, if your child was diagnosed with OSA (or any other condition where he stopped breathing overnight) would you look for the cheapest machine you could find to treat him? Then why do it to his father?

If you can get a summary (if not the full report) of your study and download it on Imgur.com (attach with a link to this thread) we can see what's what and be able to give you useful advice, and still try to keep things within reason financially (none of us are exactly rolling in money!). But there are places where you can get reconditioned (well) machines cheaper than new, and we'll tell you about them too.

None of the machines you did list are worth your time, let alone your health. The right machine will not only address your particular diagnosis, but also be 'data capable', which means it will let you use software (also free to DL from here) to fine tune your Cpap/Apap experience and keep your son's father alive for a while. At least give some of the very experienced and knowledgable people here that chance.

You can sometimes get reasonably priced used machines but you need to know if most of your events were obstructive and if an APAP machine will work for you. We have members here that sometimes have machines to offer. If you have obstructive apnea and just starting out I would reccommend a ResMed APAP or Respironics APAP. You need to check and make sure to get a full data capable machine. Here is a site that will let you know which ones to avoid. If it has a Red NO do not buy. https://sleep.tnet.com/cmd
A company that many here have used is Secondwindcpap they have used and open box new so checkout their machines and give them a call. http://www.secondwindcpap.com/
Just remember you don't want a machine that won't help you to problem solve and find a way to use it.
Once you learn which machine you want you can check your local Craigslist. If you are uncertain on a machine come back and ask.

Welcome to the forum.
Your odds of succeeding have just gone way up, due to the information now available to you.

Once you follow the advice above, you can check out Secondwind CPAP for used machines. For around $300 you can get a used Resmed S9 Elite or spend a little more and get an S9 Autoset. These are data capable that use a standard SD card. I'm sure there are Respironics machines that provide the same quality at the same price.

FWIW... I've been using a Resmed S9 Elite for almost 5 years without any problems, although an Autoset is a better choice. I have never heard of the machines you have listed and be willing to bet they are not very reliable.

John

like new data capable machine .. (not an auto)
free US shipping

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/hab/5421607355.html

However since you have not had a titration study done and don't have a pressure , it would be better to have an "auto adjusting" machine. Altho it can be done with and non-auto with some help from here.

Just to flip it around -- the 50% failure rate means that there are a lot of barely-used machines out there cheap. But you want to avoid buying a machine that was so crappy that it was actually the cause of the failure.

(I've told this story before, I think it helps to put CPAP failures in a little perspective. One of my coworkers had no health insurance, and his wife told he that he was stopping breathing while sleeping and wanted him to go to a doctor. He was resisting because of the cost. So one day they were in line in the Wal Mart arguing about it, and the lady in front of them in line turned around and said, "My husband died 3 years ago and I put his cpap machine and all his cpap stuff in a box in the closet because I didn't know what to do with it. If you want it, it's yours." They followed her back to her house and took the box home. My friend got a new machine after he came to work here and had health insurance, but, as he says, he "used the dead guy's machine for a lot of years." Yes, you can do this, and be successful, because if he could do it anybody can!)

Get a copy of your sleep report. The info on it can help us advise you what machine to get. Does it mention Central sleep apnea or Obstructive sleep apnea? That makes a difference in what machine you need.
Also, make sure to get and keep a copy of your prescription.
You will need to decide on a mask to try. Take a look at https://www.cpap.com. the masks have customer reviews.
Replacement parts are an ongoing expense. It might be a good idea to go thru your insurance and let this apply to your deductible. Find out which DME is in network. (Durable medical equipment).
You will get alot of help here.