complicated?

TerryFlower51 · Post by **TerryFlower51** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 9:24 pm

I'm making an appt w/the medical supply tech to come out w/apnea equipment and set things up. I'm thinking that this will be the time to discuss options re renting, buying, etc...

I do have a question...has anyone out there just jumped in and bought a new one after a couple of months of a "test drive" renting to see if it worked for you? IE if your tech rented you a remstar and you decided to buy a PBGK from cpap.com, when you got it in the mail did you have any problems setting it up for yourself????

I'm wondering how complicated it is to do that if you are a newbie....to just buy one online and set it up w/no service person/tech there to be sure its working correctly, etc.....Esp wondering how complicated it is to set up hoses for the humidifiers and apaps together....What's your exp been??? Terry

neversleeps · Post by **neversleeps** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 9:32 pm

Super duper simple!!!! I did it and I can barely walk and chew gum at the same time!

Seriously, all you do pretty much is plug the thing in to the wall, connect your hoses to the machine and you're done. If you run into any difficulties, you've got users of every conceivable machine here on the forum to assist you!

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 9:37 pm

All the pressures and everything are set via RX at cpap.com so you literally just plug it in and connect the hose. IMHO this is the way i would go.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 1:27 am

I've never used a DME. Every machine I've had (after my first - a borrowed old straight cpap) I've gotten online. They came already set up according to the original Rx the good old family doc gave me (with the pressure I asked him to put on the Rx.) Just plugged 'em in and good treatment started.

Oh, and a handy thing... the machines also came with the clinician manual. Something you won't receive from a local DME.
_____________________________________
Disclaimer: Whether you received a clinician's manual with your machine or read somewhere about how to change therapy settings, it's advisable to consult with your doctor to see if he/she thinks it's ok for you to make setting change decisions on your own.

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 1:40 am

Yes, this removal of an item that clearly comes with the machine and I paid for and I have a right to have, I mean I am an adult and all is taken away before I recieve the machine and then gets sold on ebay. It is another reason that DME's get a bad rap.

glassgal · Post by **glassgal** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 11:42 am

Hi TerryFlower51,

I did exactly what you are proposing. I had the sleep study, got a machine (rental) from the local DME (not really bad, but inconvenient) and struggled with the interface and pressure with no further help from the DME. The sleep lab helped much more than the DME in my case -- they helped me get the fit that I needed on the interface.

My first machine from the DME was a ResMed S7 Lightweight (NOT lightweight) with integrated humidifier. I schlepped the 10lb (in the bag with hoses, mask, humidifier, etc) S7 to Hawaii with me, and decided that I needed something smaller and lighter and smarter.

I did a lot of reading on this forum, decided that I wanted an APAP with software and narrowed it down to the PB420e. By that time I was on vacation -- so I had the new equipment shipped to Hawaii & shipped the old stuff home. I returned the old equipment when I got home & have been happily APAPing since. The equipment is not hard to set up, and CPAP.COM (where I purchased and our hosts on this forum) can help with any questions or problems -- I had runaway pressure at first and was instructed to try turning off the IFL1 which worked like a charm! I had a computer available on vacation, so ordered on line, and set up the software on my USB flash drive, so that I could take it home with me and not install it on a temporary machine. The PB420e is about 5 lbs with the bag loaded -- much more managable & I run at a lower pressure most of the night, which is more comfortable.

It IS hard to buy new masks online, as you can't try them on -- just look at pictures. Many of us have interfaces that we cannot use that were expensive to purchase. That seems to go with the territory.

You can make educated guesses as to what will work for you, based on knowledge of yourself and what you can learn here on this forum. There are some very innovative, caring people here, who will go to great lengths to get things to work for them -- and then share with the rest of us! Rested Gal (masks & common sense) & Derek (software) come to mind, although there are many more!

I made a personal choice to not bill insurance -- our insurance premiums are outrageous for our business, and I didn't want to raise them more, or hassle it either. When you purchase online, the prices are lower & you get more bang for your buck!

Good luck -- read, read, read & you will learn and make good decisions!

ahujudybear · Post by **ahujudybear** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 12:00 pm

If i might interject a bit of caution here?

My RT set up my PB GK 425 (BiPAP) after almost an hour of testing various settings on me to see what worked best.

Thanks to RG (Thank you again!!! What a treasure trove of knowledge she is!!), I was able to adjust my settings after asking my RT to set the thing too high (long story)

Anyway, walking through and recording all of the settings, I could see that she had made several changes to the ones that are preset in the machine, one of which requires the use of some sort of flow meter to change. These adjustments were to make the machine easier for me to use and had to be balanced with all the other stuff.

Maybe most of you folks don't have the same issues as I do (my problem is primarily weak muscles causing underventilation), so this stuff wouldn't affect you, but it sure does help me to be able to use the machine.

My sugestion would be that if you find the machine uncomfortable, find someone to help you with the fine tuning. This is something that really should be done either in person or by IM.

- JB

PS - I accidentally got TWO manuals with my machine, both with all the clinicians instructions.

snamvar · Post by **snamvar** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 4:06 pm

I also heard on this forum that PB machines are a bit more complicated to setup. I have a Remstar Auto that I bought from CPAP.cpm and it is very easy to setup both the clinical and user settings

ahujudybear · Post by **ahujudybear** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 4:19 pm

Ahh!

They may be more complicated in the fine tuning, but that is what makes them so much easier to use! I mean, bottom line, you want to play with it or breathe with it?

- JB

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 5:11 pm

I've used all three major brands of autopaps. None came from a local DME. All three were easily set to the pressure range I wanted - nothing complicated at all to starting treatment immediately on them. Just do as Rock and Roll and neversleeps said - plug in the machine, attach the hose, put on your mask and you're getting your treatment.

They were all autopaps:

Respironics REMstar Auto with C-Flex
Puritan Bennett 420E autopap
ResMed Autoset Spirit autopap

The range I used on all of them most of the time was 8 - 15 cm H2O.

I think the "advanced" tweaking that Judy's machine required by her and her RT during setup was due to (as she said) her particular breathing issues, weak lungs, etc. Also, she's using a bi-level machine, not an autopap.

I did use a borrowed bi-level machine (Respironics BiPAP Pro) for about three weeks recently, just to see how bi-level treatment feels. Felt good, by the way. I set it to IPAP 12, EPAP 8 and set the biflex on "3". Worked like a charm. It was just as easy to set up and use as my autopaps were.

However, bear in mind that the bi-level machine I used does not have the many advanced tweaking features that Judy's PB 425 bi-level has, or that the ResMed VPAP III has, or the Respironics Synchrony ST bi-level has. Judy's absolutely right that if a person is using one of those more advanced bi-level machines, it can sometimes take some serious tweaking to get all the settings right, especially if the person has compromised pulmonary function or some underlying health problems that affect the lungs.

Back to the autos....
The 420E auto is just as easy to "set up" as the Remstar Auto is. I think what snamvar is referring to are the advanced settings the 420E has....special settings that are already preset the way they should be at the factory and need not be changed at all, ever, for most people. A few have found they needed to turn off one setting that the 420E auto comes with ( IFL1). Like glassgal, I had to turn that off.

But for the vast majority, the 420E works perfectly fine for them straight from the factory, with just as easy a "set up" as any other autopap - connect the hose, stick the little sensor tube into the front of the machine, and plug it in.

snamvar · Post by **snamvar** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 8:34 pm

Thanks rested gal,
As usual, you clarified the ambiguity with your knowledge

twistedcherokee · Post by **twistedcherokee** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 11:54 pm

I rented mine for a month but had my own in 2 weeks. Took the other one back. If I would have waited a couple of days I could have saved myself 530.00 bucks. That is what they charged me for the hose (that comes with the machine), mask, head gear(that comes with the mask), filter(that comes with the machine), the CPAP and of coarse the heated humidifier (that comes with the machine). In all I could have ordered my CPAP for 399.00 and the mask for 89.00 and been done with it. By the way they still have not sent the bank card draft thru almost 2 1/2 months later. Maybe they felt bad and threw it away.

Toby

TerryFlower51 · Post by **TerryFlower51** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 12:07 am

If you don't mind sharing your info...what machine and etc....did you end up buying for 399? Through who? Pls tell me what it comes w/ (ie. heated humidifier/cflex, etc...). I still need to have "the talk" w/dh and my doctor re just ordering direct and not even having someone come to the house for the first time....When I went in to see this doctor he assumed I'd be wanting the person to come to the house and get me set up and THEN talk to them about arranging to buy equipment through them eventually. One question I have is if I do this and don't have the software with it (because of the initial expense plus, gotta admit, feeling intimidated by it), how will my dr keep track if this is working for me? I hope this is not a stupid question...if it is, be kind, I'm one of the new kids here!!!!! Terry

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 5:19 am

Terry,

The BEST way to tell if cpap is working for you is how you feel in the morning. Regarding the software, it is a nice toy for us cpap geeks and can be very useful, but do feel as though it is a necessity if you are trying to conserve your funds. A second or third mask option would be money better spent.

Here are a few great options for equipment:

REMstar plus package $500

PB 420G package $468

Buy either of these packages and a couple of masks and you will be all set to go.

As rock & roll said earlier. Just open the box, plug it in, and hook up the hose. Your precription will indicate your pressure setting and cpap.com will set the machine to the pressure indicated. Easy as pie!

ahujudybear · Post by **ahujudybear** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 7:35 am

But one more question....

If Terry has problems with her settings, can her DME be expected to come to her home to adjust it? (FX, if her Rx changes, etc.)

See, with the software you can do all of this yourself, or you can download the info and take it to your Dr ot RT for advice.

- JB

complicated?

complicated?

hi cherokee