1st month Dr. appt.

Just a report; am open to comments, but things seem to be going well after the first month. Saw my doctor, who is awesome.

He was pleased with my compliance and the numbers. He changed the variable pressure on my APAP machine to a steady pressure -- 5.7 I think. He also helped me fit my headgear better, and recommended that I try the smaller nasal pillows again. When I tried them before, I didn't like them and abandoned the therapy for the night in frustration. Apparently I'm kind of in between sizes, but since he adjusted the pressure, he wants me to try the small again. So I will. He took the time to answer my questions and explain things -- said that patient education is key to compliance, and that his patients had a very high rate of compliance.

Other things he said & did:

--he's very confident about the machine prescribed (which is the Airsense 10); he says it's much improved over older machines, and very durable.
--said just to wash out the filter every month, and replace it 2-3 times a year
--said I didn't have to dump out or clean the water reservoir too often (was doing it once a week, and will probably keep doing that)
--gave me suggestion on where to buy the pillows and filters online
--we discussed playing around with the humidity levels if I needed it
--gave me a coupon for Dymista so I could afford it
--called the DME guy a "fool" for not explaining things
--told me not to obsess over the numbers, but to measure effectiveness by how I'm feeling
--AND . . . I don't have to go back for a year!

on the whole, it's been pretty tolerable, and I will continue to use the therapy since it's so important for my heart and treating my AFIB. I was a little alarmed reading the threads here seeing so many people with a lot of problems using the equipment. I think I will address the hose comfort though -- getting a cover for that, and possibly a hook thingy for above my bed.

Violet - did he say why he switched you to Cpap from Apap? And at such a low #?

yes, as for the pressure level, we knew it would have to be adjusted after the first month, because we didn't do a tritation study.

Today, he had me hooked up to the machine in his office and we played around with the pressure a little, between 5.7 and 6. He asked me which felt better, had me talk at each setting to see how much air escaped. It was kind of like the eye doctor -- "do you like this better? or THIS?"

He said something to the effect that the brain finds it harder to adjust to variable pressure, and that I wouldn't wake up as much when it was constant.

That last line may be true, is true for some, but the majority find variable/auto to be more effective and more useful in being able to see results with e.g. Sleepyhead.

Filter replacement depends on your environment. For instance, I can go over a month between filter changes in the Winter, but have to replace the filter twice a month when the windows are open. If it is even a little gray, replace it. Why? Because chances are, you are getting a generic filter from your DME and not the higher quality Resmed filter. From my experience with other machines, filter quality makes a difference. The most annoying part is that you have to have a PRESCRIPTION to get the danged filters. So, I cleverly got another copy of my prescription and have learned how to fax from my computer so I can buy them online. Yay!

I'll have to keep an eye on the filter, for sure -- lots of dust in my area and pets in my house. Seems weird you need a prescription to buy a new filter, though.

Violet - you can order filters from Cpap.com (or anywhere else) any time you want with NO prescription at all... really... and they're very inexpensive. The only things you need a script for are the machine and masks, but not mask replacement parts.

Violet West wrote:Just a report; am open to comments, but things seem to be going well after the first month. Saw my doctor, who is awesome.

He was pleased with my compliance and the numbers. He changed the variable pressure on my APAP machine to a steady pressure -- 5.7 I think. He also helped me fit my headgear better, and recommended that I try the smaller nasal pillows again. When I tried them before, I didn't like them and abandoned the therapy for the night in frustration. Apparently I'm kind of in between sizes, but since he adjusted the pressure, he wants me to try the small again. So I will. He took the time to answer my questions and explain things -- said that patient education is key to compliance, and that his patients had a very high rate of compliance.

Other things he said & did:

--he's very confident about the machine prescribed (which is the Airsense 10); he says it's much improved over older machines, and very durable.
--said just to wash out the filter every month, and replace it 2-3 times a year
--said I didn't have to dump out or clean the water reservoir too often (was doing it once a week, and will probably keep doing that)
--gave me suggestion on where to buy the pillows and filters online
--we discussed playing around with the humidity levels if I needed it
--gave me a coupon for Dymista so I could afford it
--called the DME guy a "fool" for not explaining things
--told me not to obsess over the numbers, but to measure effectiveness by how I'm feeling
--AND . . . I don't have to go back for a year!

on the whole, it's been pretty tolerable, and I will continue to use the therapy since it's so important for my heart and treating my AFIB. I was a little alarmed reading the threads here seeing so many people with a lot of problems using the equipment. I think I will address the hose comfort though -- getting a cover for that, and possibly a hook thingy for above my bed.

Sounds like a very smart doctor,,,very rare....keep him.

Agree, sounds like a wonderful doctor. I would still monitor my own therapy.