Uncle Bobs hose head issues

Day 5 and I'm still leaking, my wife has video taped me during the last two nights and i only leak when sleeping on my back with my head leaning at 45 degree angle.
I've called my sleep doctors office and the medical assistant said I can change the mask without charge but she thinks i have to choose another mask from the same manufacturer Fisher Paykel. She has asked me to come into the office and she will have me lay down and see if we can fit a mask. I'm sort of disappointed she did not do that in the first place really, she fitted my first while i was seated.

I have also found out that my CPAP (FP SleepStyle 608) does not support any kind of nightly stats and I'm wondering about the importance of that feature going forward. I do like the CPAP I have as its quiet, it attempts to compensate for leaks and the humidifier with the heated hose is the best there is apparently. Do i gamble on all that just to have stats? I can return the machine i have but i have to pay for the hose. My insurance is 80/20 after 200 DME deductable and i am allowed a new machine every 3 years according to Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Also for the last 3 nights I have been removing my mask during my sleep, without knowing of course. Does this mean i'm not getting enough air? i started at 7cm i went to 8 and now i'm at 9. I asked about a APAP but the doctor said he does not like them and he would talk to me about them at my 30 day follow up.

This does seem to be a bit of a game so far. Thankfully i still have the upper hand as I'm feeling a lot better already.

I always leak when sleeping on my back. So I don't do it.

elader wrote:I always leak when sleeping on my back. So I don't do it.

Ditto

Im also trying the FP 431 FF tonight. Feels good, we'll see.

I don't think i would be capable of not doing it though.

However the doctors office just called and said i can switch to any brand of mask which is good news.

Also the alternative CPAP with data is the S8 Elite 2 with H4i humidifier, now i need to compare features and see if it is worth switching.

Uncle_Bob wrote:I don't think i would be capable of not doing it though.

However the doctors office just called and said i can switch to any brand of mask which is good news.

Also the alternative CPAP with data is the S8 Elite 2 with H4i humidifier, now i need to compare features and see if it is worth switching.

It's worth it! Tell your (stupid) doctor that it's YOUR therapy and YOUR health......and NOT his.
Having an APAP is not the "end all - be all" for this therapy......data capability is more important......but if a person is going to get serious about this therapy, they might as well get a machine that's got more "bells and whistles" (insurance pays the same, regardless). The APAPs can always be set to CPAP mode and just be used with a single pressure.

Den

Nasal pillows, as I understand, are far less prone to leaks. They are more prone to rain out.

If you sleep on your back, you sleep on your back. You need to find a mask that works for that. The medical supplier I went to to pick up my machine had no less than 18 different styles of masks displayed on dummy heads, so keep making your doc/nurse bring you ones until you find one you can stand and that doesn't leak.

I didn't have to ask for a data capable machine, I just got one, but since it can track how long I'm actually using the blower and how long the blower has been on, I find it kind of nice to compare the two. I think I got one because my insurance company demands compliance data before they purchase the machine. It seems to me that the difference in cost of the unit itself is fairly minimal, get the data capable one if you want it. The doc has to write the script, but it is your therapy and being able to be informed of issues you need to bring to your doc's attention is important. You're stuck with this thing for a long time, make sure you're as happy and as comfortable as you can be.

EDIT: Wow you got a heated hose with your unit? Those things cost quite a bit after market, I didn't even know they existed until someone on the boards informed me today.

I think I am leaning towards getting the S8 elite 2 machine. trouble is I have to pay for the hose and i dont know how much that is yet.

Uncle_Bob wrote:I think I am leaning towards getting the S8 elite 2 machine. trouble is I have to pay for the hose and i dont know how much that is yet.

Huh? Why do you need another hose. Just tell them you don't need another hose. They are cheap. I gave away about 3 extra I had lying around last year.

Hiya.

You need a fully data capable machine....For example, my husband does not see his sleep doc for another 2-3 weeks, but his numbers suck right now. I know this because we're downloading the data and checking it. I gave copies of the reports to our RT last week, and we talked again today. I told her he is stil having quite a few hypopneas and apneas, his AHI is running between 7.5 and 10. She agrees that 2-3 weeks like that is too long, she called thedoctor and she's now coming over to the office tomorrow (hubby has to bring his machine) to up his pressure. If we were not reading his data, this would have gone on another 2-3 weeks before we knew it.

The ResMed S8 ELITE II machine is VERY quiet and fully data capable. We have two of them in our bedroom and you can't hear either one of them. (Make sure they don't give you a ResMed ESCAPE or an M Series PLUS, neither of those is data capable)

Uncle_Bob wrote:Also the alternative CPAP with data is the S8 Elite 2 with H4i humidifier, now i need to compare features and see if it is worth switching.

YES, it is very much worth switching.

In addition to all the above, the way you route you hose can also affect you leaks. Some of us do better when the hose comes dangling from above.

Here are some suggestions posted by Rested Gal on another thread:

Stick several adhesive-backed velcro dots on the plastic of the front of the mask.

Cut a long strip of cloth (or use an Ace bandage, or...the leg cut off a pair of tights) and put it around the front of the mask, tying it behind your head with a doublestart knot. That kind of knot is easy to adjust, and lays flat. Won't be a bump behind your head:
DoubleStart Knot How to tie a flat knot behind head when using a homemade strap.
http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/doublestartknot.htm

The homemade strap across the front can help steady the mask in place and might allow you to loosen the regular straps considerably. The velcro dots would "catch" the fabric and keep the strap from sliding up or down off the smooth curved plastic. Having a strap across the front works somewhat like the way you can stop a leak with just the lightest "touch" of your fingers against the front of a mask.

Just make sure not to cover the mask's vent holes.

Also, if you haven't done this already, rig up a way to hang the main air hose overhead so the air hose doesn't tug at the mask when you turn over or move your head:
LINKS to Hose hangers and methods of managing the air hose
viewtopic.php?t=10640

DreamStalker wrote:

Uncle_Bob wrote:I think I am leaning towards getting the S8 elite 2 machine. trouble is I have to pay for the hose and i dont know how much that is yet.

Huh? Why do you need another hose. Just tell them you don't need another hose. They are cheap. I gave away about 3 extra I had lying around last year.

Sorry I wasn't too clear. I can not return the hose that goes with my existing machine, so i have to purchase my hose that i have used but will no longer be using.
I see the hose costs $49 online, i wonder how much my Dr office will charge me for it???

From the previous posts and after doing some more research Uncle Bob has an appointment tomorrow to exchange both the mask and the machine.
Last night i woke 3 times hearing hissing air and attempting to adjust my straps.

Despite these I am feeling much better than i was before i had the machine, I am looking forward to some improvement once my air leaks are fixed.

My wife does not support my decision to exchange the machine. She wants me just to get a new mask and not have a machine with data. She wants me to build on the positive experience with the machine I have and thinks that the data feature will be bad. She worries that i will be over paranoid about the data and start to feel bad when the stats are not good.

It isn't HER therapy, either.

Den

Ok so i've just got back from the doctors office and now have a ResMed S8 Elite II CPAP, Humidaire H4i Humidifier and ResMed Swift LT Nasal Pillow mask.
I tried them both lying down, moving my head from side to side. No leaks, much more comfortable breathing and very quiet.

The machine has the smart card in the back but the medical assistant said she was not allowed (by ResMed) to give me the software. Other brands allow her to give software and cables to patients but not ResMed She also says people are selling them but they shouldn't be. But she then goes on to say that if the doctor authorizes it she may be able to sell it to me but its going to cost me at least $300 Looks like i might be looking on bit torrent tonight, i don't mind paying $70 for a cable.