Howdy from Houston

Just posting to say hello and introduce myself. I've been a hosehead for quite a while now and it all started like this.....

Mrs. .40 suggested that I get evaluated for sleep apnea back in 2001 due to LOUD snoring. As far as I was concerned the snoring accusation was complete hearsay until the USGS visited our house to investigate some unusual seismic activity that seemed to occur only at night and Saturday afternoons. ! My first PSG diagnosed me as having severe OSA...upwards of 50 apnea events per hour. Thus began numerous battles with insurance and doctors but I eventually got fitted for a CPAP set at 9 cm/h02. It took a couple of years of trial and error to get it right but I finally started getting some relief. My first machine died in a dog accident in 2004.

Back for another PSG and this time I got approved for an APAP but the insurance wouldn't pay for a luxury item. I ended up self paying for a Remstar Auto. That went great until it's flow sensor quit working and it was back to the doc for another PSG in 2008. New insurance from work supplied a ResMed S8 Vantage. I still have and use this machine today, but my symptoms have returned. Sleep deprivation, fatigue, and concentration issues causing problems with work and family.

This time I asked for an "in home" sleep study and the doc wrote me a prescription for it. The DME is loaning at no charge a Resmed Vpap Auto 25 and I've been using it for a few days. At the end of the trial they will download the data and see what the doc has to say. So far I like the machine. I'm using it in VAUTO mode with IPAP of 10 - 18 and PS setting of 5. The pressure support setting was originally set a 3 the sudden drop is pressure was making my throat collapse so I bumped it up a bit and it seems to be working better for me.

The Swift 2 nasal system works the best for me out of the half dozen I've tried.

Welcome 40 Caliber.... an old newbie at cpap!! Your experience and know-how is a welcome addition to our family here at cpaptalk. I am only a month into this, but the folks here were amazing to learn from as I was introduced to this new world of machines, masks, DME's and titration.

Glad you joined...... jump in and contribute at will. Best of luck with the new home titration!

forty_caliber!! Good to see you. I remember you from some years ago on the TAS board.

Glad you found your way here to cpaptalk!

forty_caliber wrote:This time I asked for an "in home" sleep study and the doc wrote me a prescription for it. The DME is loaning at no charge a Resmed Vpap Auto 25 and I've been using it for a few days. At the end of the trial they will download the data and see what the doc has to say. So far I like the machine. I'm using it in VAUTO mode with IPAP of 10 - 18 and PS setting of 5. The pressure support setting was originally set a 3 the sudden drop is pressure was making my throat collapse so I bumped it up a bit and it seems to be working better for me.

.40,

That is the same machine that I am currently using. It is very smooth compared to the M-Series machine that I was initially using. Are you watching your AHI numbers? You should be able to see them from the screen on the S8 machine. It would be interesting if you are seeing lower AHI numbers than before, and if that correlates to feeling any better.

Age is one of the biggest factors in OSA. It is not surprising that you would need a different prescription and possibly even a more advanced machine after being a hose head for 10 years.

-john-