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Advice needed before 30 days are up!
#11
RE: Advice needed before 30 days are up!
(02-26-2015, 11:49 AM)Mich Wrote:
(02-26-2015, 11:28 AM)AshSF Wrote: A10 Autoset has 2 modes.
A10 Autoset for her has 3 modes. They include the 2 modes of the A10 Autoset. It has one extra "for her" mode which is gentler than the modes of regular A10 autoset.

Since an Autoset for her contains both modes of the regular A10 Autoset, you will be better off getting the Autoset for her.

S9 family is an older generation machine and I would advise you to stick to the latest generation which is A10 family.

Thank you for your feedback. I take your post to mean to ask them to replace it with the A10 For Her. I was not sure whether the "For her" was just a marketing gimmick.

(02-26-2015, 11:39 AM)Sleeprider Wrote: Since you tolerate nasal therapy and like to sleep on your side, the Airfit P10 mask is very nice. It does not emit a strong stream of exhaust like most masks and is very light and unobtrusive. The disadvantages is that it does not have adjustable straps. It just slips on and off, and the spacing of the head gear determines how tight it is. Works great for most, but some like to have stronger headgear. Try it, and you can switch back if you prefer the nasal mask.

Is the seal pretty good in terms of avoiding leaks? Does it stay put despite the small footprint of nose pillows?

Thank you!
The A10 Autoset for Her is the recommended machine to get.

I would second the option to get a P10 nasal pillows mask. Nasal pillows have the smallest contact area out of all types of masks and so they have the least amount of leaks.
PRS1 Auto & Dreamstation Auto w/ P10 and straight pressure of 8cm
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#12
RE: Advice needed before 30 days are up!
(02-26-2015, 02:23 PM)AshSF Wrote:
(02-26-2015, 11:49 AM)Mich Wrote:
(02-26-2015, 11:28 AM)AshSF Wrote: A10 Autoset has 2 modes.
A10 Autoset for her has 3 modes. They include the 2 modes of the A10 Autoset. It has one extra "for her" mode which is gentler than the modes of regular A10 autoset.

Since an Autoset for her contains both modes of the regular A10 Autoset, you will be better off getting the Autoset for her.

S9 family is an older generation machine and I would advise you to stick to the latest generation which is A10 family.

Thank you for your feedback. I take your post to mean to ask them to replace it with the A10 For Her. I was not sure whether the "For her" was just a marketing gimmick.

(02-26-2015, 11:39 AM)Sleeprider Wrote: Since you tolerate nasal therapy and like to sleep on your side, the Airfit P10 mask is very nice. It does not emit a strong stream of exhaust like most masks and is very light and unobtrusive. The disadvantages is that it does not have adjustable straps. It just slips on and off, and the spacing of the head gear determines how tight it is. Works great for most, but some like to have stronger headgear. Try it, and you can switch back if you prefer the nasal mask.

Is the seal pretty good in terms of avoiding leaks? Does it stay put despite the small footprint of nose pillows?

Thank you!
The A10 Autoset for Her is the recommended machine to get.

I would second the option to get a P10 nasal pillows mask. Nasal pillows have the smallest contact area out of all types of masks and so they have the least amount of leaks.


Thank you so much for your replies. I guess it the "For Her" it is, and then trying the Airfit P10. I can finally say that "Being tired of being tired" is quickly becoming a thing of the past! I have learned a lot by reading the different threads and also from reading the different clinical studies on the Pubmed website.
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#13
RE: Advice needed before 30 days are up!
(02-26-2015, 07:26 AM)Mich Wrote: Hello everyone. First of all I want to thank you because I have been reading a lot of posts and have learned a lot from you all.

I started therapy on 2/12/2015 and need to make some decisions before 3/12/2015.

My questions are the following:

Q. #1: I was given the Resmed Airsense 10. Being female, should I insist on having it replaced with the Resmed Airsense 10 FOR HER, or even backwards to the Resmed Autosense S9?

--------
Q #2: I was given the Respironics Wisp mask. I love that you can unclasp the swivel tube for bathroom breaks without having to take the whole mask off, however I am an active side sleeper and it seems like I get leaks when switching positions.

Others to choose from are:

A. Resmed P10
B. Resmed N10
C. Eson

What do other female members find most comfortable/effective (less leakage) in terms of masks. I don't care about paying out of pocket as long as I get the best fit for me. Please feel free to recommend masks not listed above. I am determined to make this work. Already feel so much better!
Thank you very much in advance!!!

Hi Mich,
Welcome to the board.

1. I am on my sixth week of therapy with the A10 Autoset. They didn't give me the "For Her" but I wish they did - mostly because it coordinates better with my new redecorated bedroom (white furniture Smile. I'm not sure how my insurance works. I got a letter that says I am approved and that I have to demonstrate compliance (4 hrs per day for 21 consecutive days the last thirty days of the initial 90 day period - which will be March 13th to April 13th). All in all though I am very happy w/my machine except for the black color lol.

2. I have a full face mask and am a side sleeper and am awakened sometimes due to the side leaks. Tonight I am going to my first AWAKE meeting - a sleep apnea support group that meets quarterly at a local hospital. The moderator of the group said she has a couple of masks for me so I can decide what works best. Also on Saturday I am being refitted for a mask because at my 1 month followup w/the sleep dr. he said he didn't like how the full face mask was giving me a rash. Since my appt w/the dr last week I've been using cotton/gauze pads so the mask doesn't touch my face and the rash is pretty much gone.

I am happy to hear you are feeling so good - I, too, am feeling quite wonderful. Also losing weight without even trying! 14 lbs so far!

Best of luck and stay in touch with everyone on here - they are amazing people!
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#14
RE: Advice needed before 30 days are up!
(02-26-2015, 04:13 PM)Sparkle Wrote: [


1. I am on my sixth week of therapy with the A10 Autoset. They didn't give me the "For Her" but I wish they did - mostly because it coordinates better with my new redecorated bedroom (white furniture Smile. I'm not sure how my insurance works. I got a letter that says I am approved and that I have to demonstrate compliance (4 hrs per day for 21 consecutive days the last thirty days of the initial 90 day period - which will be March 13th to April 13th). All in all though I am very happy w/my machine except for the black color lol.

2. I have a full face mask and am a side sleeper and am awakened sometimes due to the side leaks. Tonight I am going to my first AWAKE meeting - a sleep apnea support group that meets quarterly at a local hospital. The moderator of the group said she has a couple of masks for me so I can decide what works best. Also on Saturday I am being refitted for a mask because at my 1 month followup w/the sleep dr. he said he didn't like how the full face mask was giving me a rash. Since my appt w/the dr last week I've been using cotton/gauze pads so the mask doesn't touch my face and the rash is pretty much gone.

I am happy to hear you are feeling so good - I, too, am feeling quite wonderful. Also losing weight without even trying! 14 lbs so far!

Best of luck and stay in touch with everyone on here - they are amazing people!

Thank you so much for your input Sparkle! I got the same one as you. I am happy with the A10 Autoset, but since I have the 30 day period to do a final exchange, I thought I would ask. I am quite satisfied with the machine. I feel so much better that I would not mind keeping it, it just seems to me that the Doctor's office should be more concerned about female patients and should keep some of those in stock to begin with.

I, too, was told that you have to use it 4 hrs per night to show compliance. I have been averaging 6.5 to 7 hrs. and plan to keep using it because I can tell that in such a short time my energy level has really improved. For the first time in years I feel rested when I get up.

I am also quite happy with the Wisp mask, however, I am on a mission to find the best mask for me, one that shows the least amount of leak. There have been some clinical trials that concluded that nasal mask had greater success rate than full face and nose pillows.

Congratulations on your effortless weight loss!



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#15
RE: Advice needed before 30 days are up!
(02-26-2015, 05:58 PM)Mich Wrote:
(02-26-2015, 04:13 PM)Sparkle Wrote: [


1. I am on my sixth week of therapy with the A10 Autoset. They didn't give me the "For Her" but I wish they did - mostly because it coordinates better with my new redecorated bedroom (white furniture Smile. I'm not sure how my insurance works. I got a letter that says I am approved and that I have to demonstrate compliance (4 hrs per day for 21 consecutive days the last thirty days of the initial 90 day period - which will be March 13th to April 13th). All in all though I am very happy w/my machine except for the black color lol.

2. I have a full face mask and am a side sleeper and am awakened sometimes due to the side leaks. Tonight I am going to my first AWAKE meeting - a sleep apnea support group that meets quarterly at a local hospital. The moderator of the group said she has a couple of masks for me so I can decide what works best. Also on Saturday I am being refitted for a mask because at my 1 month followup w/the sleep dr. he said he didn't like how the full face mask was giving me a rash. Since my appt w/the dr last week I've been using cotton/gauze pads so the mask doesn't touch my face and the rash is pretty much gone.

I am happy to hear you are feeling so good - I, too, am feeling quite wonderful. Also losing weight without even trying! 14 lbs so far!

Best of luck and stay in touch with everyone on here - they are amazing people!

Thank you so much for your input Sparkle! I got the same one as you. I am happy with the A10 Autoset, but since I have the 30 day period to do a final exchange, I thought I would ask. I am quite satisfied with the machine. I feel so much better that I would not mind keeping it, it just seems to me that the Doctor's office should be more concerned about female patients and should keep some of those in stock to begin with.

I, too, was told that you have to use it 4 hrs per night to show compliance. I have been averaging 6.5 to 7 hrs. and plan to keep using it because I can tell that in such a short time my energy level has really improved. For the first time in years I feel rested when I get up.

I am also quite happy with the Wisp mask, however, I am on a mission to find the best mask for me, one that shows the least amount of leak. There have been some clinical trials that concluded that nasal mask had greater success rate than full face and nose pillows.

Congratulations on your effortless weight loss!

Yes, I have an appt tomorrow for a mask fitting and I'm going to ask the DME about the For Her - just for laughs and giggles. I don't really want to upset the "insurance requirements" apple cart but am curious as to what they would say if I requested one.

I'm glad the therapy is working well for you - it is a great feeling. Here in Boston we are buried under mountains of snow - more snow came yesterday, just a dusting but at this point it's like UGH! Anyway, I mention that because I am feeling great now and can't wait til spring gets here and we can really get out and about. I can't tell you how many beautiful, beautiful, beautiful spring and summer days I would be on my way home to work - thinking I should take a ride to the beach or stay outside for a walk or call a friend for an ice cream and just thought - nah, I'm too tired. I kept chastising myself for wasting my life away and not enjoying those beautiful days - I'm looking forward now to energy filled afternoons that will get me out after work on those gorgeous days. Smile

I'm anxious to hear your thoughts on masks - keep us posted!
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#16
RE: Advice needed before 30 days are up!

I'm glad the therapy is working well for you - it is a great feeling. Here in Boston we are buried under mountains of snow - more snow came yesterday, just a dusting but at this point it's like UGH! Anyway, I mention that because I am feeling great now and can't wait til spring gets here and we can really get out and about. I can't tell you how many beautiful, beautiful, beautiful spring and summer days I would be on my way home to work - thinking I should take a ride to the beach or stay outside for a walk or call a friend for an ice cream and just thought - nah, I'm too tired. I kept chastising myself for wasting my life away and not enjoying those beautiful days - I'm looking forward now to energy filled afternoons that will get me out after work on those gorgeous days. Smile

I'm anxious to hear your thoughts on masks - keep us posted!
[/quote]

Hi Sparkle,

I found an interesting article on pubmed. It seems to indicate that nasal masks are better than full face or mouth only masks. Here is the link:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25610507

I just completed 3 days with the Wisp. My next three days will be with the Airfit P10. After that, 3 days with the Eson, then the Airfit N10. I really appreciate my doctor's office wanting to get feedback from me on those four masks. I suppose it will help them in the long run, while I also benefit!

They are ordering and switching my Airsense 10 Autoset to the Airsense 10 Autoset for Her. I truly do not mind the black color and wish Resmed could just do a software upgrade, it is quite idiotic to not just make both models with the For Her option in the settings, but oh well! They really do not seem to take women's opinions into account. I saw that some of their clinical studies only included 20 participants!


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#17
RE: Advice needed before 30 days are up!
That's a very interesting study, Mich - thanks for posting the link. It might go some way to explaining the anecdotal evidence that people have lower AHI and/or lower pressures when using a nasal mask or pillows as against a full face mask. However on a quick reading it seemed that nobody in the various studies achieved the target AHI < 5, so I wonder how efficacious any of their therapy was.

However, I firmly believe that the choice of mask is a very individual thing and will depend on a whole range of factors including our face size and shape, whether you habitually breathe through your mouth (or if you can train yourself not to), the pressures involved and the percentage of central v obstructive apnea. In my case (a data point of one) I have tried both nasal masks and pillows and can't use them. The P10, so beloved of some on this board, is an absolute disaster for me. On the other hand a simple Quattro Air FFM works reasonably well despite the leaks and my AHI is seldom higher than 1 or 1.5.

You need to try it for your self and see what works for you.
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#18
RE: Advice needed before 30 days are up!
(02-28-2015, 09:38 AM)DeepBreathing Wrote: That's a very interesting study, Mich - thanks for posting the link. It might go some way to explaining the anecdotal evidence that people have lower AHI and/or lower pressures when using a nasal mask or pillows as against a full face mask. However on a quick reading it seemed that nobody in the various studies achieved the target AHI < 5, so I wonder how efficacious any of their therapy was.

However, I firmly believe that the choice of mask is a very individual thing and will depend on a whole range of factors including our face size and shape, whether you habitually breathe through your mouth (or if you can train yourself not to), the pressures involved and the percentage of central v obstructive apnea. In my case (a data point of one) I have tried both nasal masks and pillows and can't use them. The P10, so beloved of some on this board, is an absolute disaster for me. On the other hand a simple Quattro Air FFM works reasonably well despite the leaks and my AHI is seldom higher than 1 or 1.5.

You need to try it for your self and see what works for you.

Hi Deepbreathing,

I agree with you. I tried the Airfit P10 for her only one night (it was the 2nd mask provided for me as an alternative before getting the clinic to offer providing the other two others. I read so many reviews and it sounded like people loved it, I tried it one night with the Medium pillows (which is the largest size that comes in the for her package), and it was a disaster also for me. I will be trying that with the Large size pillows. Apparently whatever size fits your nostrils, the next one up is the appropriate size for you. Will report back. Also, the headband is comfortable but if it does not stay put... that is also a drawback, however, so many people praise it that I want to troubleshoot possible reasons for it not working for me.

Regarding the articles, you can go to http://www.pubmed.com and search under cpap and sleep apnea and find abstracts or even complete articles on the subject.

I feel so much better already I am determined to make it work optimally for me and thus my quest to identify the perfect mask for me.
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#19
RE: Advice needed before 30 days are up!
(02-28-2015, 10:32 AM)Mich Wrote:
(02-28-2015, 09:38 AM)DeepBreathing Wrote: That's a very interesting study, Mich - thanks for posting the link. It might go some way to explaining the anecdotal evidence that people have lower AHI and/or lower pressures when using a nasal mask or pillows as against a full face mask. However on a quick reading it seemed that nobody in the various studies achieved the target AHI < 5, so I wonder how efficacious any of their therapy was.

However, I firmly believe that the choice of mask is a very individual thing and will depend on a whole range of factors including our face size and shape, whether you habitually breathe through your mouth (or if you can train yourself not to), the pressures involved and the percentage of central v obstructive apnea. In my case (a data point of one) I have tried both nasal masks and pillows and can't use them. The P10, so beloved of some on this board, is an absolute disaster for me. On the other hand a simple Quattro Air FFM works reasonably well despite the leaks and my AHI is seldom higher than 1 or 1.5.

You need to try it for your self and see what works for you.

Hi Deepbreathing,

I agree with you. I tried the Airfit P10 for her only one night (it was the 2nd mask provided for me as an alternative before getting the clinic to offer providing the other two others. I read so many reviews and it sounded like people loved it, I tried it one night with the Medium pillows (which is the largest size that comes in the for her package), and it was a disaster also for me. I will be trying that with the Large size pillows. Apparently whatever size fits your nostrils, the next one up is the appropriate size for you. Will report back. Also, the headband is comfortable but if it does not stay put... that is also a drawback, however, so many people praise it that I want to troubleshoot possible reasons for it not working for me.

Regarding the articles, you can go to http://www.pubmed.com and search under cpap and sleep apnea and find abstracts or even complete articles on the subject.

I feel so much better already I am determined to make it work optimally for me and thus my quest to identify the perfect mask for me.

I just returned from my mask fitting and I have nasal pillows in the medium size. It did my heart good to read that the size should be one up because I left there conflicted that I should have gotten the small size- heaven help me if I ever have a *real* decision to make. But the DME did say to just keep at and not be too hard on myself - that seldom does anyone get it right right off the bat.

I also learned that I get new mask, hose and filters every three months. That was good news.

We'll see tonight now about how this new nasal pillow mask goes - I'm not optimistic - I found it very difficult to exhale out of my nose - at #4 pressure it was ok but at 9 it was YIKES - I'm not sure either that the mask is going to stay in place while sleeping. My AHI is consistently .03 or below. The highest it has been is .08. I hope I see the same results.
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#20
RE: Advice needed before 30 days are up!
Mich, Welcome to the Board,
I also use a P10 mask, not perfect, but better than most nasal pillow masks.
(My opinion)
As far as the headgear goes, I have found if I pull as much of my hair possible into a small ponytail in back, then place the back strap under it, the headgear will not move or ride up.
As far as the pillows go, you can use a small amount of nasal gel, and that helps with a better seal. The bottom line is this....what works for one will not work for another. It is such an individual choice. Go with what you feel most comfy with.
Bed
OpalRose
OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

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