AHI 131 !! - Help me understand my SleepStudy & CPAP results

Kenwood wrote: Hmmmmm....I have thought about nasal/pillows. I think my nasal issues have improved dramatically since being on CPAP.

I have a stash of supplies that people have sent to me to disperse as needed.
I don't know for sure what might be in there in the way of nasal pillow mask...let me get back with you.

If I have something you could at least try without spending a bunch of money...wouldn't hurt a thing to try.
You might like to read what Perrybucsdad discovered. 7th or 8th post from the top of the thread.
viewtopic/p663440/Mouth-Breathers.html#p663440

I will get the stash sorted out today and see what I have available for experimentation. I am pretty sure a ComfortLite2 but man, that's a lot of crap on a person's head.

Pugsy wrote:

Kenwood wrote: Hmmmmm....I have thought about nasal/pillows. I think my nasal issues have improved dramatically since being on CPAP.

I have a stash of supplies that people have sent to me to disperse as needed.
I don't know for sure what might be in there in the way of nasal pillow mask...let me get back with you.

If I have something you could at least try without spending a bunch of money...wouldn't hurt a thing to try.
You might like to read what Perrybucsdad discovered. 7th or 8th post from the top of the thread.
viewtopic/p663440/Mouth-Breathers.html#p663440

I will get the stash sorted out today and see what I have available for experimentation. I am pretty sure a ComfortLite2 but man, that's a lot of crap on a person's head.

Wow....seriously WTF!!! I'm soooo pissed off at my DME.

I just got off the phone with the lead respiratory tech at my DME company (there is a much more detailed post a couple pages back in this thread about my convo with DME tech). I sent him my SD card on Monday as he personally wanted to look at my CPAP data for the last month. As he didn't think the insurance company would authorize the Auto BiPAP machine. Said the Insurance Co ONLY base their decision on the sleep study/titration results. And looking at those results he says Aetna will not approved the added costs of an Auto. The DME STILL claim they never received the RX fax from my sleep doctor (which has been faxed twice now). Even if they did, they wouldn't submit it to the Insurance company as it would just get denied. WTF...really not even try!!? So went into the whole thing again about why my sleep doctor thinks an Auto BiPAP would help my treatment and such, etc. But the Insurance Company won't look at my machine data from my SD card. That the added costs between a BiPAP and an Auto BiPAP is over a $1,000 dollars and the insurance company won't authorize the added costs as my sleep study/titration doesn't show I need it medically. I said the difference between a PR System One 650 and 750 was not that much money online. He said that retail insurance rates its a $1,000 deference. I said I could buy a PS 750 online for less than a $1,000. Then it gets better. I told him that I'm still dealing with Major leak issues with my mask....get this.....he says based upon the printout from my SD card he's looking at I'm not have ANY LEAK ISSUES.....AT ALL! Are you kidding me!!! (Mind you he hasn't seen this weeks improvement with the new gel cushion). I said I see nothing but Major Large Leaks every night over 33% of the night on Sleepyhead. He said it doesn't show. That I'm now not due for a mask replacement until June. I was done after that!

So needless to say, I'm gonna have a very long talk during my appt with my Sleep Doctor on Monday about this DME company. I'm written up a list of things to talk about (Pugsy - anything you wanna add?). See if they can send my RX's for an Auto BiPAP and Mirage Quattro FFM to a different DME company that will work with Aetna Insurance. At the very least switch DME for my FF masks. Thank god, I bought a cheap Mirage Quattro FFM from McDover earlier in the week to try out.

Kenwood wrote:(Pugsy - anything you wanna add?)

Not that's suitable for public viewing or what a lady should be saying.

I would have lost it with the "your leaks are fine" statement. Geez....frigging idiots. They would have thought I was most unladylike and said some things that would probably make a sailor blush.

It's not their decision to decide what machine you need...that's between your doctor and any special requirements that your insurance company might have...and I wouldn't be asking anyone but the insurance company what those requirements might be. They don't want to supply the BiPap Auto because they get paid the exact same amount of money for it as they do the BiPap Pro...simple as that. It cuts into their bottom line. Yes, it does cost a little more but their "retail" price difference of $1000 they quoted is NOT what they would pay for the machine. They pay wholesale difference and like to charge retail difference.

I would be classifying them as LSOS and based on the "your leaks are fine"....they don't know squat about what they are doing and apparently don't care about you.

I would be looking for a new DME for sure.

Call your insurance company directly to see if they would really have a problem with the Auto BiPap...I bet they pay by HCPCS billing code and the BiPap Pro (model 650/660) and BiPap Auto (model 750/760) have the exact same billing code.
Now if you were asking for the BiPap ASV model 950...that's a whole different billing code and yeah...probably some additional hoops to jump through but we aren't suggesting that machine.

Pugsy wrote:

Kenwood wrote:(Pugsy - anything you wanna add?)

Not that's suitable for public viewing or what a lady should be saying.

I would have lost it with the "your leaks are fine" statement. Geez....frigging idiots. They would have thought I was most unladylike and said some things that would probably make a sailor blush.

That soooo made me laugh. I was more going towards anything you wanna add to the list for bring up with my sleep study doctor.

Kenwood wrote:<snip>Then it gets better. I told him that I'm still dealing with Major leak issues with my mask....get this.....he says based upon the printout from my SD card he's looking at I'm not have ANY LEAK ISSUES.....AT ALL! Are you kidding me!!! (Mind you he hasn't seen this weeks improvement with the new gel cushion). I said I see nothing but Major Large Leaks every night over 33% of the night on Sleepyhead. He said it doesn't show. That I'm now not due for a mask replacement until June.<snip>

What is WRONG with these people?

Definitely time for a new DME.

Kenwood wrote:That soooo made me laugh. I was more going towards anything you wanna add to the list for bring up with my sleep study doctor.

No, nothing really to add to what you want to discuss with your sleep doctor. You have that covered...it's pretty simple.
Discuss possibility of the greater pressure needs during possibly REM stage sleep and all that.
DME is an idiot.

Last night, I received the Mirage Quattro in the mail. Woohoo! I think what I like best about the mask compared to the ComfortBlue Gel FF is the way it fits on my jaw. Using the other mask, I felt it pushing up against my bottom teeth (hated that pressure feeling). The Quattro is lower and has more of a cut out space. The parts I disliked the most: 1) the forehead piece was not as comfortable as the ComfortBlue (but a Pad-a-Cheek forehead pad and/or MaskLiner will solve that). 2) The placement of the exhale ports on the nose bridge. As that meant my eye sleep masks (I have lots of em) would cover the exhale port. I cannot sleep much when the sun comes up and need eye shades to block out the light. Well this morning, the sun woke me up around 7:30am and I really tried to go back to back to sleep tossing and turning. Then finally got an idea an put my "Dreamweaver contoured sleep mask" UNDER the Quattro....so I unplugged and tired it and it worked!!!! My brain turned on and going back to sleep was done. So I'll do that tonight. It was my first night, so I've got to fine tune the straps and get used to this mask. But at least I've got the mask now and will continue to deal with my SleepDr/DME/Insurance issues. (So disregard anything after 7:30am as I was awake trying to go back to sleep)

Pugsy - What's the major leak line for the Mirage Quattro

Friday Night's using Mirage Quattro FFM for first time

Kenwood wrote: Pugsy - What's the major leak line for the Mirage Quattro

Doesn't really matter what the vent rate is which at 20 cm is around 54 L/min. Your own personal large leak territory line to avoid because the machine has trouble is around 90 L/min (doesn't matter what mask).

But you can get an idea of how much of your leak number is vent rate here.

http://www.resmed.com/us/assets/documen ... sa_eng.pdf

Did you wake up around 8:00 for a little bit and then go back to sleep?

Pugsy wrote: Did you wake up around 8:00 for a little bit and then go back to sleep?

I woke up at 7:30am and tired to go back to sleep. Was tossing and turning (different positions) trying to get back to sleep. That might have been when I was laying on my back. I might have drifted to sleep, but I would disregard everything after 7:30am this morning.

Kenwood wrote:I would disregard everything after 7:30am this morning.

That's kinda what I thought and probably the very first little events you have pretty much when you turned the machine on.
If you remove those from the AHI...your night's AHI is pretty decent. Snores still ugly but we understand why.

How are you feeling? We keep forgetting that little detail.
This mask that much of an improvement in quality of sleep once you get the kinks worked out?
Those that make it work just love it.

Pugsy wrote:

Kenwood wrote:How are you feeling? We keep forgetting that little detail.
This mask that much of an improvement in quality of sleep once you get the kinks worked out?
Those that make it work just love it.

I'm feeling pretty good this morning, but was hoping I would be able to sleep much longer until 10am tho. I need a couple nights of tweaking this mask. Need to still try on this mask my Pad-a-cheek: "Mask liner" and "Anti-leak Strap".

I also need to spend some time reading/learning how to "Tame the mask": http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/taming ... e-quattro/

I'm just a bit stumped by these leak numbers.
I went to sleep on my side/stomach....so maybe I rolled a bit too much and broke the seal against the bed? The other thing, eyes super puffy as the mask was ridding up into my eyes. every time I woke up, I was pulling it down. Also had my Pad-a-Checck "Anti-Leak strap" on.

It took my a little bit to fall asleep as I was playing with the fittings. Trying to figure out the part where the inner seal inflates as a cushion (hope that makes sense). But I put my fingers all around the mask and felt no air leaks. I woke up around 8:45am and fiddled with mask while trying to find a comfortable position - so those events are suspect after that 8:45am this morning.

Saturday nights data - Night #2 with the Mirage Quattro FFM. :

Pugsy - I might have something here.....I think this Mirage Quattro might be too big for my face.

I wear a medium on my ComfortGel FFM. But after watching some videos, I got the idea that maybe its too big - it it was riding into my eyes last night - which gives me puffy eyes in the morning. I printed out the fitting guide for the Mirage Quattro and my nose bridge bump falls right between the Small/Medium line - See my RED arrow I inserted into the fitting guide. Maybe McDover will let me exchange the mask for a smaller one - since I bought it from him?



http://www.resmed.com/us/assets/documen ... mplate.pdf

I doubt McDover will want to exchange sizes...I think his whole idea was to never see them again and that's why the good price.
Kind of like when we buy at the store with 75% off the price...they don't want the stuff back and all sales are final.

But you might find someone here who would be willing to swap sizes with you.