Buying a machine,, need help please

MssDarla wrote: Could anyone recommend one for me? Which is best autopap or Bi pap? Right now I have an old machine that just blows and still cant get a good nights sleep, I wake up in night sweats and heart racing sometimes, So I need to see on data what is happening,

That sounds like your pressure is not adjusted to eliminate events which cause the sweats, racing heart, and tiredness.
If you know the make & model of your cpap I am sure someone here can help you set it correctly if it is compatible with Sleepyhead.

I'm curious some machines dont come with humidifiers ? or is a heated one even important? I normally like sleeping in a cool room with cool air,,

So does everyone use a humidifier?

Most machines come with humidifiers, whether they're 'integrated' or attach separately, but while most people seem to need or want them at least in winter when central heating dries the atmosphere, some don't (like myself) who live in a climate humid enough (even tho' very cold in winter here) to not use them, or possibly only for a few wks. It's up to you to decide when or if you'll need one and at what settings. The heat is also optional, and while almost all have options to heat the water so some extent, not everyone likes or wants the heat... just depends. Some use what's called a 'passover' version of humidity - they don't use the heat, but still get some benefit from having the humidity available overnight. Its up to you. I would buy a machine with a humidifier and available heat (most have some heating option), but maybe wait and see if you want to add a 'heated' hose as well once you've tried what you have - you may not need it in Va, but in winter when things dry out, you might.

As far as heated hoses go, some machines have the option, others don't, so you have to shop around.

[/quote]If you know your pressure setting that would be helpful.

Doctor said setting--6cm H20. does that make sense??

D.H. wrote:I have a Phillips Respironics Dream Station Auto CPAP. It’s my fourth machine since 1999; the others were all “bricks.” Here is my review, the good and the bad.



Disadvantages:
• Machine is a bit larger than the major competing machine.
• Sometimes, there is a burning smell, especially after a potty break. I’m pretty sure it’s harmless.
• Frequently, the water does not last the whole night. I generally wake up at least once overnight, so I refill it at that time. This might not work for everybody.
• Some have complained about the brightness of the display when you turn it off and back on, such as for a potty break. I don’t find this a problem. In fact, I use the light to reattach my mask to the hose.
• The “full” line on the water tank is hard to see.
• The machine is somewhat noisier when used without the humidifier attached.
• The power cord has a proprietary signal, so you cannot use a different cord, even if the voltage, wattage, amperage, and fitting are all identical. This means that if you need a replacement cord (or a spare cord), you have to get the cord specific to Dream Stations. If you want to use a battery (such as for camping and electrical outages), you have to buy an $80 proprietary device to generate this signal.

refilling the water during the night would be a problem for me,, once I'm a wake ,, I'm up for good.. so glad you mentioned it, I cant sleep thru a whole night now, even this morning been up since 2 am / with machine on

Settings '101' - pressure settings on your machine are to stop apneas. Settings on your humidifier have nothing to do with that, but determine how much heat you want to use to accompany humidity. Ramp settings are another issue as well and have nothing to do with humidity either, though again many don't bother using the ramp feature at all, at any setting.

Guest wrote:

MssDarla wrote: Could anyone recommend one for me? Which is best auto cpap or Bi pap? Right now I have an old machine that just blows and still cant get a good nights sleep, I wake up in night sweats and heart racing sometimes, So I need to see on data what is happening,

That sounds like your pressure is not adjusted to eliminate events which cause the sweats, racing heart, and tiredness.
If you know the make & model of your cpap I am sure someone here can help you set it correctly if it is compatible with Sleepyhead.

Its about 10 to 15 yrs old but was in the closet,,I saw youtube showing in order to change settings you have to hold 2 buttons down and reboot the machine,, but I dont know what the settings mean anyways, still learning but am frustrated so I read a little each day.
, with all the lack of sleep I get ,, I did my homework and decided to stop playing around, the old one just blows air and my mask leak,,, back then no one explained anything to me,, so I just stopped using it, but now with several medical issues,, fibro,, diabetes, thyroid issues and horrible night sweats and morning headaches and I am almost 60 now,,, I need to pick a good machine and USE it, I was just blaming everything on fibro for so long, but now I seat so bad my ears are raw with sweat in them and eyes hurt,,, its that bad, However Medicare is taking months to do something so trying to do it for myself, besides I dont trust them enough to pick a good machine for me. ether way Ill be paying something anyways and they can have the option of taking it back too,

Darla I'm confused - as of yesterday I thought you'd decided on the S9 (or possibly 10) auto... has something changed overnight?

Julie wrote:Darla I'm confused - as of yesterday I thought you'd decided on the S9 (or possibly 10) auto... has something changed overnight?

Just over thinking it I guess,,, afraid of pulling the trigger unless I learn all I can first,

Do we need a humidifier? so are add ons I know its supposed to help with dry mouth

and was hoping for data with software to check every day by phone but maybe its not important. some on have it on data card,,is that good enough

I guess I just to make sure I get all I need, and still trying figure that out too, I dont think I need heated because I like cool air to sleep.

Its just a big buy and want to do the right thing, some come with hoses some dont,, ugg a lot to consider and makes me nervous is all.

the 10 is $883 kind of expensive S9 is on sale at $599 reading whats the difference,,, are they easy to change the setting if I need too?

Read what I wrote about the humidifier - if most come with one, it makes sense to have it and later on decide if you want to use it at some point... you are overthiking on this one. They are not so much for dry mouths as dry noses... dry mouth is soething addressed by the right mask etc... another business entirely.

As far as data goes, both the S9 and S10 have the capacity to use with Sleepyhead (the program you want that most here use, and that gives the most help). The machines don't come with it - you download it from links we can give you, along with lots of info on how to set it up, where to post and then we'll show you how to interpret the results... it's not something that we can do in one step here though... you're getting ahead of yourself again, and may lose out on the machine 'deals' available now.

Thanks Julie I am learning so much from you and all the others,, watching videos on the S9 AutoSet™ CPAP Machine with H5i™ Heated Humidifier for Her now, and I believe this is the one for me,

I wonder if medicare will still help with mask? maybe not if Im buying my own machine, extra filters and such,, for 669 I can get it with battery but dont think I need it, and the other extras I might find on ebay or somewhere cheaper later,

Thanks for all the help, I may be back when I have to set it up, I need to get a copy of the test done in lab with a mask,, Dr only gave me the home study results,, and really I dont think it tells the whole story because each night is different,

comes with slim line hose

I am new here, so I am still learning, but just so you know amazon has dreamstation auto pap for under $400 right now...I actually just purchased one last night!

If buying with any insurance or medicare it is best to get all of the options now as it can be difficult to make changes later and it will require the dr to order those options.

MssDarla wrote:I wonder if medicare will still help with mask?

Medicare will cover everything the Dr orders less 20% - if you have a co-pay that will cover the rest. But you can't buy privately and must buy from a DME.

Medicare requires that you follow up with the doc every 6mos but I think it is sooner in the beginning. So if using medicare get the heated hose and humidifier, you don't have to use either but they will be there should you decide to try them.

I don't like heated air in the summer either so just use it with heat OFF.
Something about pressurized air that seems to dry people out so the humidifier helps. Some people will stop using the cpap because of dry mouth.

Any cpap that records data will have an SD card. The mfg software that comes with the newer cpaps doesn't give the kind of detailed info that SH does - it is mostly for the DME to tell if you are using the cpap (w/o coming to your house) so they can get paid by insurance. If you don't use it they won't get paid.

So just be sure to get one that is compatible with SH. The DME can tell if you are using those also.

If you post the make and model here I'm sure someone can tell you how to see what the settings are and make minor changes until you get your next sleep study done - this could take months before you will get a new cpap.

I just ordered the S9 AutoSet™ CPAP Machine with H5i™ Heated Humidifier for Her

tired of medicare been over 3 months now and 2 DME

Used CC and i will just handle it,,, I cant live like this anymore and hope it help me with some sleep and other issues

I hope no one gives me bad feed back on it,,lol

I have been so stressed over it

thx for all your help so much

WTG. Good deal. If you have the patience just followup on the Medicare route later and you will have you a spare/backup machine.