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Am I jumping the gun?
#1
Am I jumping the gun?
I just joined the board yesterday and have been trying to soak up as much info as possible. I feel like the firehose is on full blast!

I've never had a sleep study done but have ordered a home sleep study from Lofta based upon my wife's urging and after running an app on my phone called SnoreLab. I've suspected apnea and listening to the snorelab recordings I'm 100% sure I have many episodes of apnea along with very loud snoring.

Not to make this post too long, I'll get to my question. If I have the opportunity to get a Dreamstation Auto, model DSX500T11 is it jumping the gun to buy it before I've even done the HST?

Thanks!
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#2
RE: Am I jumping the gun?
In your place I'd hold off, tonyt. This is largely because I think many people here would recommend that you buy a ResMed Airsense 10 Autoset machine in preference to a PR Dreamstation. It would also be good to know for usre what the breakdown is of your events (obstructive apnea, hypopnia, central apnea).

The PR algorithms are fairly conservative, so people often need a higher minimum pressure to control their apnea, and PR doesn't provide true pressure support, though they have something related called flex. Pressure support (called Expiratory Pressure Relief, or EPR, on this ResMed machine) can be valuable in providing comfort and addressing hypopneas and flow limitations.

Looking ahead, if you plan to acquire a machine on your own, several of the suppliers on the Supplier List linked above will work with you, especially if you have a sleep-study report to show them. With the sleep study in hand, you could also ask your doctor, nurse practitioner, or dentist for a prescription for a PAP machine. With the prescription, you can use any seller by uploading the prescription to their site.
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#3
RE: Am I jumping the gun?
Tony, that's entirely up to you.  If it were me, I'd wait until I had confirmed sleep apnea via a doctor's diagnosis.  Your issues could be due to sleep apnea, but could also be due to many other things.

But, if you've found a very good deal on the Dreamstation and you don't mind wasting the money, you can go ahead and buy it, of course.  I guess you could always attempt to sell or give it away to a local person if you find you don't have sleep apnea. 

If you do buy a used machine, make sure you check on the "machine hours" in the Provider Menu (not the blower hours)... that will tell you how many hours the machine has been used.  Machine Hours in the Provider Menu is like the odometer on a car: It records the total number of hours the machine has been used by all patients over the lifetime of the machine. That's why Machine Hours cannot be reset.  Blower Hours is the total number of hours a particular patient has used the machine. You want to reset the Blower Hours if/when the machine is sold to a new patient. Wiping the data before you start using the machine means that you're not combining your data with the previous patient's data.  If you need instructions on how to get into the Provider Mode (Clinician Setup) for the Dreamstation machines, go HERE.  If you'd like the Clinician Setup Manual, simply follow the directions to get it by email on THIS PAGE.

Nothing against the app you've used, but no smartphone app can diagnose sleep apnea, regardless of claims - at best they can offer indications that you may have sleep apnea.  That's not to say you don't have sleep apnea, however.  Personally, I'd wait until I get a doctor's diagnosis, but that's me.

In the end, do what you think is best, since you are the patient and only you know if you can afford a machine that you may not actually need.

EDIT:  I see that Dormeo has given you some great advice also.   Coffee

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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.


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#4
RE: Am I jumping the gun?
I would suggest at least learn about the differences between the two machines..... ResMed and the Phillips Dreamstation.

Then the second thing is the difference between CPAP, APAP, and all the other levels of treatment. CPAP is a limited option, which may or may not be good for you.

Next would be, is it data capable. A SD card to transfer data to OSCAR.

Then there are hours.  This machine you have a chance to buy, what are the hours on the machine.

Environmental concerns also play a role here.  If the previous user was a smoker and your not.

And the last, of course, is price.  If you can get it for $100 and it has low hours (less than a thousand), is an APAP, from a non-smoking environment , data capable, then maybe.  Ha ha, I said maybe because I don't like the Phillips machines. And you might not either.

There is a supplier on the Supplier List (Iirc Supplier #2) that sells 2nd hand machines with low hours and a warranty and you don't need a Rx.  

When I got my machine it took 9 months from talking to my doctor to getting my machine.  If I knew everything I know now, I should have just got my own machine.  But I didn't have any knowledge and might have made a wrong choice. 

It seems to me that Dreamstations sell at a lower price than ResMeds probably because they are less desired.
Sleep-well
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#5
RE: Am I jumping the gun?
Welcome to Apnea Board.

All good info and I agree with all of it. The DreamStation may sound like a good deal. That is until you might find out you need some other level of machine than this one. Or a lot of other things. I'm not saying the sleep study is wrong, but I'd wait on sinking money on the Respironics until those study results show. When you do the test, be sure to request your own hard copy for the detailed report. You might want to post it here in redacted form. We can help tell you what it has to say. And yes definitely consider a ResMed over Respironics. Yes they do respond differently and will offer different levels of treatment and comfort with the ResMed being the Mercedes and the Philips being the Chevy.

Coffee
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#6
RE: Am I jumping the gun?
I owned a dreamstation and never could get decent therapy from it. I had not owned it long enough to get another one (5 to 7 years). I bought a used one at Supplier #2 (supplier list at the top of site the shopping cart). Cost 800 but well worth it , bought a Resmed aircurve VAUTO and dropped my events to near 0. I wish I had known before I got my first one. Out $800 and years of using an inferior machine that did NOT help me.
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
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#7
RE: Am I jumping the gun?
Thanks all for the good and fast advice!

I will hold off until after I get the HST results and yes, I've requested the results be sent directly to me.

Tony
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#8
RE: Am I jumping the gun?
If you can stand another person piling on, I hate passing up what appears to be a decent bargain.  Trouble is, at least for the purpose you'll want the item, you're putting the cart before the horse.  I agree that, for now, patience and arming yourself with hard data is the way to go.  With a proper somnography in hand, you and your specialist caregiver, if you'll be dealing with one before long, are more likely to have a meaningful dialog and more agreement about where to go in your treatment.  You're much less likely to regret a hasty decision where you get to repent at your leisure.   Too-funny
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#9
RE: Am I jumping the gun?
Haha, no problem, the more the merrier!

Thanks
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#10
RE: Am I jumping the gun?
I wouldn’t be buying a medical device unless I understood the nature of my condition.
Different machines suit different types of OSA, and you’re not even sure if you have OSA at all.
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