Anybody ever switch from bipap to cpap?

Im just curious. At the time when I got my bipap my doc mentioned I may be able to use a cpap. Im healthier now have way less respitory issues. Im just wondering if I couldnt handle cpap if it had cflex or similar.

grady61 wrote:Im just curious. At the time when I got my bipap my doc mentioned I may be able to use a cpap. Im healthier now have way less respitory issues. Im just wondering if I couldnt handle cpap if it had cflex or similar.

gardy61

I think there is a good chance you could. I suspect though you may discover you have been 'spolied' by how nice bilevel is to breathe with.
I used a CPAP for travel & have been able to sleep ok with it for a few days. But was always delighted to get back to my bilevel.

Give it a try ! (you can have the bilevel set to run as a cpap, that is available with most bilevels).

DSM

dsm wrote:

grady61 wrote:Im just curious. At the time when I got my bipap my doc mentioned I may be able to use a cpap. Im healthier now have way less respitory issues. Im just wondering if I couldnt handle cpap if it had cflex or similar.

gardy61

I think there is a good chance you could. I suspect though you may discover you have been 'spolied' by how nice bilevel is to breathe with.
I used a CPAP for travel & have been able to sleep ok with it for a few days. But was always delighted to get back to my bilevel.

Give it a try ! (you can have the bilevel set to run as a cpap, that is available with most bilevels).

DSM

I agree with DSM.

If you can get into your machine to change pressures, set your IPAP and EPAP to the same number (thus making it CPAP) and see how you do.

grady61 wrote:Im just curious. At the time when I got my bipap my doc mentioned I may be able to use a cpap. Im healthier now have way less respitory issues. Im just wondering if I couldnt handle cpap if it had cflex or similar.

WHY would you want to?

GumbyCT wrote:

grady61 wrote:Im just curious. At the time when I got my bipap my doc mentioned I may be able to use a cpap. Im healthier now have way less respitory issues. Im just wondering if I couldnt handle cpap if it had cflex or similar.

WHY would you want to?

economics

grady61 wrote:

GumbyCT wrote:

grady61 wrote:Im just curious. At the time when I got my bipap my doc mentioned I may be able to use a cpap. Im healthier now have way less respitory issues. Im just wondering if I couldnt handle cpap if it had cflex or similar.

WHY would you want to?

economics

doesn't add up.
Maybe I'm bad at math. For most of us - once it's paid for it's paid for.

For others - it doesn't change the cost of the insurance premium.
So - it doesn't add up.

I have a pretty bad case of OSA so at my original sleep study the sleep tech put me on bi-level and got good results. I stayed on bi-level for 6 years. Last year, I had a sleep study done and the sleep people said they wouldn't consider bi-level unless my pressure exceeded 16 on cpap. My bi-level pressure going in was 17/12 and my cpap pressure is now 15. The machine I use is a ResMed VPAP auto and the machine before that was a Sullivan (ResMed) VPAP II. I ended up getting the VPAP Auto by a strange mistake. The humidifier for my VPAP II died and I found that they didn't make it anymore. I was on vacation and in a bind so I wound up getting the VPAP auto in a small town with a very well stocked DME supply store. What I didn't know is that the VPAP auto uses the prescribed pressure then modifies it based on its treatment algorithm. The inconsistent pressures turned out to be a bad deal for my OSA and I was having problems. Hence, the need for the sleep study last year.

I use the ramp feature every night to get to a pressure of 15. The new pressure has disciplined me to be really attentive to my full Quattro mask cushions. I set all the hard plastic parts of the mask exactly the same and set my headgear so the tightness of the mask is the same every night. I still get leaks but I have reduced my leaks significantly since last year. I keep 4-6 mask cushions available and rotate to a different one every night. After about six weeks or so I replace the mask cushions when the leaks start to increase. Every 6-9 months, I replace the headgear since they tend to lose their elasticity over time. Previously, I would cinch my mask tighter to compensate for the leaks. The mask tightness would cause facial and nose bridge sores and all sorts of problems. Anyone who has experienced nose bridge sores knows they are no fun.

I still get minor facial irritations from my mask but nothing like I used to get. The consistency helps me acclimate (but never get used to) having the mask on my face. Over time, this helps with the overall mask comfort. Not perfect...but much better. I'm no longer at war with my mask. It's more like a tense truce.

The outcome? If I get the time to sleep with full treatment and fewer leaks, I feel much better. The troubles I face now are taking my mask off at night (usually when making a natural call) and not putting it back on; or fall asleep before putting on my mask. I still have skirmishes with the mask....but of a different kind than before.

GumbyCT wrote:

grady61 wrote:

GumbyCT wrote:

grady61 wrote:Im just curious. At the time when I got my bipap my doc mentioned I may be able to use a cpap. Im healthier now have way less respitory issues. Im just wondering if I couldnt handle cpap if it had cflex or similar.

WHY would you want to?

economics

doesn't add up.
Maybe I'm bad at math. For most of us - once it's paid for it's paid for.

For others - it doesn't change the cost of the insurance premium.
So - it doesn't add up.

Im still in the rent to own stage. Being new at this I didnt know I should have demanded a machine with the smart card. If they wouldnt do it to go to a differant dme. Was thinking about purchasing one on my own. Im sorta ticked about the whole deal. Not like my dme hasnt done pretty good in my home considering since august 2009 Ive had an oxygen concentrator, liquid oxygen system including a helios portable. 2 liquid oxygen refills a month until recently(was able to cut down to 1 refill/month-my health is improving Instead they give me a machine that they got a deal on because the model was discontinued in August and the dme purchased the machine at the end of August(I know this to be true because of warranty info and super secret sources) Funny thing is the rt stinkin called me last month and asked me to mail them the smart card in the back of my machine they were mailing me a new one. I called them and the rt keeps telling me theres a card in the back of my machine so Im turning it upside down upside right looking for a card. Nope no card. I call her back and got this response-'Oh I made a mistake you have a differant machine.'