newbie looking for tips/advice

dave, major congratulations to you on your journey so far. Good thing you checked which machine, though!! LOLOL Shame on them!!!! (But not unexpected!) Forewarned is forearmed, no?

You could easily get by for one night with tap water if you wanted to get started tonight. You ought to have a "plug and play" system.

Keep us informed, will ya??

Kajun

Dave,
I'm thrilled you are coming along so well with the process. Everyone here will help you with any snags. I didn't see in any of the posts what you decided to use for a mask. Advice on masks is iffy at best. You have to figure out what is best for you. I started with a nasal mask, but, found that the nasal pillows were more comfortable and less bothersome for me. I would take off the mask during the night with no recolection of doing it. The direct seal nasal pillows on a comfortlite set up have been best for me thus far. If you look up reviews on the various masks you will see a mask rated the "best mask on Earth" and then in the next review it will be called useless. If you can try on as many as you can with your provider. Your insurance seems to be exceptional comparex to mine, but, don't overlook the cpapauction, There are some great deals to be had there. Also keep your eye on the mask roulette thread. There are mask & parts for trade. So if you try one you don't like there is a possibility to swap and try something new. I will continue to watch this thread. We're glad to have you aboard. Stay safe and sleep well.

Richard

differentdave wrote:How often do you clean masks and hoses and do you use distilled water in humidifer (i know what the recommendations are but was wondering if you wind up doing it more often or less often in actuallity)?

I use distilled water in my humidifier. I just "add more" and don't dump the unused water out. I rarely (like couple of times a year) dump the unused water out and swish a vinegar/water solution around in the tank.

Same with the hose.

Mask - a light swipe with mild soap/water of the parts touching face. That means just the nasal pillows of the mask I use.

So, for me...much, much, MUCH less often than the CYA recommendations that come with this stuff. When "needed" instead of when "recommended."

The less you take things apart, the less wear and tear on it -- and the better chance it will keep fitting together right, imho.

Wooooooooooooo Hoooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Did 6 hours on the machine (midnight to six) and just like in sleep lab, I feel asleep very quickly and pretty much slept through (went to itch my nose and it woke me up, etc) My wife did not even notice I used the machine, it was that quiet.
I used machine w/o water and still no problems.
Thanks again to everyone for all the support/help/etc

WTG, dave!!!! Congratulations and keep it up!

Kajun

Congratulations, Dave! It sounds like you are doing it right!

Even though the insurance is not likely to pay for the software and card reader, in my experience they are the key to making it work well for you and figuring out any problems. The software is worth it's weight in gold.

I've been helping some friends and family members monitor their therapy. With each one it detects things that would not otherwise be clear. I want them all as well-rested and healthy as possible.

Glad its going well for you Dave.

Even though one night without water went well, I do recommend you use some humidification . It's very drying for the delicate nasal mucous membranes to whoosh air past them all night every night. If they dry out they hurt, crack and you risk an infection - not worth it.

I now clean and change my humidifier every day (I have two with the Fisher&Peykel 150 (almost wrote Fisher Price there...)

By topping up and just swishing once a week I found my water went cloudy and it was almost impossibly to clean a ?bacterial plaque ? out of the inside of my humidifier chamber. The unit was only a couple of months old. Vinegar, Bicarb, dishwash liquid wouldn't budge it, it continued to grow.

In the end I used some Steradent solution and a dose of Aussie sunlight. Not real good for the hardware I suspect. So now I am very very careful. I alternate the containers every night and wash and dry the one not in use.

Thanks for keeping us up to date with your saga. Very interesting.

Di

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): humidifier, clean

Did around 5 hours last night, got hot overnight, started to sweat a a little and it made the mask highly uncomfrtable. I started to use distilled water as of last night. Puchased vinegar, ivory diswasher detergent and a large spagetti pot for boiling water and cleaning tubes.
I think I am well on my way. I think I might hook up with a local support group as they are often sponsored by nurses or docotors and will read memory cards for free, sometimes have demo products and like this forum is another avenue for education and support.
Once again, thanks to all.

Went looking for my thread saw a BOMB next to it so I guess this is a bump?

Maybe one last update. I find my apap machine to be great for the most part! I am getting awesome sleep I dream and remember my dreams. Family and friends have already noticed difference in attitude and energy. My wife thinks I am little to hyper know (she is a special ed teacher and thinks I have adhd but that’s for another forum I guess)
Few down sides
I find after 5-6 hours of using mask my nose is very sweaty and hot, I must remove mask in order to cool down and thus ending my session early. I tried a little baby powder, face crème, etc with no luck (tell anyone about face crème and we got issues, ESPECIALLY my wife since it was hers and she doesn't know)
With new found better sleep and energy apparently comes newfound chores and time to tackle all those little projects. MY wife loves the fact that I no longer come home at night and spend rest of evening on couch or in bed. Sucks for me though, (joking.... somewhat)
After one short week, others and I have seen changes in me. I dream, I have energy. I wake awake up instead of being tired and blah. Its probably psychological but having not only an answer but also a therapy seems to have done a lot in a very short period.
I imagine/hope that I will continue to see the positives of xpap therapy and based on my learning’s and readings know that any potential negatives that might come up will pale in comparison to the benefits that I am and will have received.
Happy x-paping and I wish you all the best of luck and great success.
David

Dave,

My diagnosis was also in the very severe range with scary O2 desat. I've done will wiith the Auto M Series with A-Flex. I've found it very comfortable even at 18 cm. Fundamental difference over C-Flex is that the A-Flex "buffers" the inhalation pressure to make inhaling more comfortable at higher pressures.

Ed

Moby wrote:By topping up and just swishing once a week I found my water went cloudy

Were you using distilled water exclusively? Just curious, because the distilled water in my humidifier chamber stays crystal clear for months at a time with my "I just add more" routine.