Newbie Questions - Starting with which machine should I buy?

Hello to everyone!

I am new to the world of CPAP and though I've been reading your boards and watching all sorts of youtube videos in the end there's no substitute for just asking some of my questions directly to you all. Apologies if some of this is covered elsewhere; I remember seeing a lot of comparisons between brands and features somewhere on the site when I looked a few weeks ago but I can't seem to find it now despite quite a bit of time spent searching.

I'll try to make this as quick as I can but it's a bit of a long story!

My family and I are Americans but we have lived in Siberia for the past 10 years. When we first moved here we had no major health problems but due to the extremely poor air quality in our city (coal heating = black dust in the air) I developed first asthma, then mild COPD, and then that led to weight gain which coupled with breathing problems soon led to OSA. For the past two years I have managed this with a dental device (Silent Nite) which helped tremendously and since has gradually been less and less effective and I'm now starting to have the same trouble getting up in the morning and feelings of tiredness all day that led me to try it.

So I'm 99.9% sure that now is the time to finally break down and get some sort of CPAP machine. I have googled a lot and kind of feel like I know the basics but there is still no substitute for experience and, well, on this board there's a LOT of that. All of which leads me to the following questions:

1) What machine (make & model if possible) would you recommend, knowing how little I know about my specific needs in this situation?
2) Can I buy the machine in America and have it shipped to me here? Or does it have to be purchased locally (which gives me much less selection and about 40% higher costs)? I have relatives who live Stateside who can receive it and rebox it to send here if that helps.

Keep in mind that I have no prescription, and won't be getting one. I also have no sleep study, and won't be getting one. I recognize that these are challenges that make my situation unique, but those are the limitations I'm dealing with. I'm fairly handy with tech stuff and have no problems poking and prodding around to find the right settings that work for me, so I'm not worried about that part of it - the part I AM worried about is that I will have no way to return this stuff if it doesn't work out. I'd be very interested to hear if that changes any of your recommendations about the machine; I see a lot of "rent this one and try to see if you like it, if you don't you can return it" which does not apply to me. If I buy a $1000 machine that doesn't suit me for whatever reason or breaks, I am probably just out of luck, so if that changes your recommendation then please fill me in on how and why.

Also, and this isn't as important as the machine, what mask might be a good recommendation for a big guy with a beard? I know I had trouble finding a snorkel mask that fit properly without leaks, is that likely to be an issue with the mask? I sleep on my stomach with my head turned to the side, so if anyone is a similar sleeper I'd love to hear your thoughts on a mask. One of my biggest worries is that I'll spend huge money on a machine and then end up hearing "well, the only answer is to learn to sleep on your side" because I have tried that a bunch and I just can't seem to do it.

So yeah, I think that about sums it up. Should I just try to get the cheapest CPAP box out there and see if I can tolerate sleeping with a machine at all? Or, as I'm leaning now, just go ahead and get something decent with APAP features and all the software I need to tweak things plus a heated tube and humidifier and hope that it works for me? Oh, and the air quality here is terrible, as I mentioned - can you get like a dozen of the replacement air filters with the machine when you buy them?

I can not tell you how grateful I would be for any and all input on these questions. Thanks in advance!

Welcome to the forum.

Go to secondwindcpap.com and look for a ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet (preferably the for Her model because it like 3 machines in one).
Get a gently used one...will save money.
You don't need a RX with them and they ship internationally.

As far as masks....one question to start with. Do you have chronic nasal congestion issues that pretty much force you to mouth breathe a lot or is your nose clear for the most part with only maybe occasional congestion like when you have a cold or allergies act up?

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 25, 2019 10:48 am

As far as masks....one question to start with. Do you have chronic nasal congestion issues that pretty much force you to mouth breathe a lot or is your nose clear for the most part with only maybe occasional congestion like when you have a cold or allergies act up?

No, my asthma is pretty much a lung issue, my nose is usually clear unless I have a cold or something.

Oh, and on the idea of buying 2nd hand (which I hadn't considered, but might be a perfect solution!), will it plug into Euro-style plugs? Or is it just like a laptop, where you just need a plug adapter because it works 110-240 and no transformer is needed?

Just a warning - so many bearded guys have had trouble with mask fitting, so it's important to consider even shaving depending on how much you want Cpap to work but you may get recommendations too.

It's like a laptop....all you need is the power cord from the power brick to the wall. Easily changed or you can even use a wall adapter for the plug in but I prefer just changing the little power cord. My laptop power cord will work in place of the brick to wall power cord if something should ever happen to it (cat teeth mainly as I have a cat who likes to chew on power cords of all kinds).
These machines are made to be used all over the world with various electrical currents. The power bricks will make the necessary conversions.

With a clear nose most of the time....get a nasal interface mask of some sort...nasal pillows are the least intrusive and will be less likely to be an issue with facial hair.

The more area of the face that the silicone part of the mask has to touch...the more area needing to be kept sealed.

We have lots of people using cpap with full facial hair...it can be challenging of course but it can be done. I always suggest starting with a nasal mask if at all possible because the facial hair is less likely to get in the way...especially with the nasal pillow masks.

OK, so far the recommendation is to look for a ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet for Her, which is one of the ones I had been looking at. Is that pretty much accepted by the forum then as the machine most likely to be able to make work? Again, I'm concerned that I'll spend all this money and then not be able or comfortable to use it and I'll have wasted it as I can't return it (side question: is there a secondary market for these things if it turns out I don't like it/can't tolerate it and need to recoup some of the cash I spend?).

Nasal pillows make sense to me as well given the facial hair (which is NOT optional - my wife will definitely be upset if I shave! ) and the fact that I'm a stomach sleeper. Any particular model I should look at there? Or are they all kinda the same?

Another secondary question on air filters: are these things HEPA filters, just in miniature form? We have a large air filter running all winter in our room and it is unbelievable the amount of gunk that thing pulls out of the air (again, everything here is heated by coal and our pollution level is insane). I assume I'm going to need a lot of backups - are they easy to order in bulk? Where would I look for them?

Yes...there is usually a decent secondary market for used machines. Shipping costs will likely suck coming from Siberia hopefully maybe you could find someone in your neck of the woods that might want it.

My suggestion for nasal pillow mask (and no...they are NOT all the same)
Look at the ResMed AirFit P10....the ResMed Swift FX...the F & P Brevida or Pilairo Q
The P10 would be my number one choice of the 4. Silent diffused venting and not much on your face and head and weighs next to nothing.
You won't understand about the venting until you actually use a mask but all masks have to expel air out vent holes because when we exhale our breath contains carbon dioxide and you don't want to be rebreathing all that carbon dioxide...not good for you.
The venting can be annoying...it can bounce back off the bed covers or your arm and hit you in the face...or worse yet hit your bed partner in the middle of the back or face and disturb their sleep.

The P10 venting....I can't hear it and I have to hold my hand about 1 inch away from the vent holes to even barely feel it.

Machine filters...buy in bulk from Amazon is likely your best option or if you have EBay available...in bulk from EBay seller is also an option. That's what I do...buy 25 to 50 at a time.

Since you are doing this without a doctor and without a sleep study you are definitely going to want to look at your detailed data to see how good it is doing. We do this with Sleepyhead now and OSCAR in the near future (Sleepyhead project is shutdown) Download Sleepyhead for now from https://www.apneaboard.com/sleepyhead/ organize your charts per the sticky section above then post them here and you will get help. The good folks here will help you dial it in.

You will likely need extra machine filters because of your environment. They are there to protect the machine.

You mentioned COPD. where are you with that? I ask only that if you are somewhat advanced it can influence machine choice though I don't think it will in your case. Just trying to prevent you from purchasing 2 machines close together.

Julie wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 25, 2019 11:21 am

Just a warning - so many bearded guys have had trouble with mask fitting, so it's important to consider even shaving depending on how much you want Cpap to work but you may get recommendations too.

Why do you keep saying this ? There are lots of bearded guys right on this forum. People like my husband would say "if I can't keep my beard there is no way I will use a cpap machine". and it is just not the case. Why scare off new people with issues they may not encounter ?

Many people have successfully used their XPAP machines with beards. However, knowing how much trouble they had getting a mask to seal during my bi-level titration study, I opted to shave my beard off. I admit it felt strange at first, but I don't regret shaving it off. It made me look younger without the gray beard.

Okie bipap wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 26, 2019 1:15 pm

Many people have successfully used their XPAP machines with beards. However, knowing how much trouble they had getting a mask to seal during my bi-level titration study, I opted to shave my beard off. I admit it felt strange at first, but I don't regret shaving it off. It made me look younger without the gray beard.

See everyone is different. Its nice you were able to make that choice easily.

To be truthful, I was already thinking about shaving the beard off. I started the beard the day I started my terminal leave when I retired from the Air Force.

NotMyName wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:38 am

OK, so far the recommendation is to look for a ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet for Her, which is one of the ones I had been looking at. Is that pretty much accepted by the forum then as the machine most likely to be able to make work? Again, I'm concerned that I'll spend all this money and then not be able or comfortable to use it and I'll have wasted it as I can't return it (side question: is there a secondary market for these things if it turns out I don't like it/can't tolerate it and need to recoup some of the cash I spend?).

There's a post on the forum today from LSAT who's got two regular almost new autosets, buy one of those, if you can't make it work, or it doesn't help you, turn around and sell it for minimum, or maybe zero net expense.