[Equipment] To New Machine or Not to New Machine

[kacn6771]

Greetings fellow CPAPers.

Having issues in my late 40s with severe brain fog, my doctor sent me in for a sleep study. I was diagnosed last year with sleep apnea, an AHI of 49.

My insurance has a very high deductible so I ended up buying a used machine and older Res Med S8 Escape (Brick). II had played with the pressure and found I did best around an 11. I have used the machine religiously and have notice sleeping better and some relief of my brain fog. I should have spent more time on this board reading about the smart machines though.

I had surgery last month so my deductible is paid so I came back to this website reading up about the smart machines. I started watching craigslist again and I found a Philips 560 Auto Aflex with only 8.6 blower hours for only 100.00 and jumped on it.

I have used the 560 for only 2 nights, and am not sure if it is placebo or not but my brain feels significantly clearer. The machine is so much more comfortable than my old machine, I LOVE IT. I put the 2 nights of data in Sleepy head and the new nights my pressure going from 4 to 13.5, and my AHI was 2.9 the first night and 1.7 the second night. I wish I would have grabbed a smart machine in the first place.

Since my deductible is paid this year, I have been approved for a brand new machine, either a dream-station or an air-sense 10. Even with the deductible paid though and the insurance paying 80%, it is still a significant amount to pay.

My question is, will I get much benefit going from the 560 to either the dream-station or the air-sense 10? I have read that the dream-station is not fully compatible with sleepy head, so that might be one to avoid?

I love the 560 so much already over the escape that I would be good staying with this one. But would I love one of the new ones that much more than the 560?

Thanks in advance.. this site and all of the posters have been invaluable.

[TonyJ]

There is absolutely no reason to spend the money to go from the 560 to the Dream or the Airsense. The 560 is basically the same inside as the Dream just the exterior is different. Save your money.

[OpalRose]

Did you get a humidifier with heated hose with your machine? If not, you may want to add that.

If you like the 560, there is no reason to upgrade to the dreamstation. As I understand it, there is not much of a difference other than appearance.

But if your deductible is paid for this year and you are able to get a brand new machine paid by insurance, then go for it. You can keep the current one as a backup.

As far as a DreamStation or Airsense 10, either one is good. If you decide to get a new machine, it may be interesting to try the ResMed machine since you already have a PR machine.

[kacn6771]

Thanks you both for the super fast response, this site is awesome.

I did get both the heated hose and the humidifier with the 560 so I think I will stay with it. Even though my deductible is paid, getting a new machine I still have to pay 20%, and with the inflated DME prices the 20% is still pretty expensive.

You both gave me just the information I needed, and in less than an hour... wow!

[trish6hundred]

Hi kacn6771,
WELCOME! to the forum.!

Good luck to you as you continue your CPAP therapy.

[chill]

If you do decide to get a new machine and want a DreamStation, Amazon has good prices. I used an S7 this year for a month, it was a relief to get back to the DreamStation. Though I would rather have the S7 than nothing!

[mcsheltie]

No one has mentioned it yet, the DreamStation is compatible with SleepyHead.

[kacn6771]

I must have been reading older posts about Sleepyhead not being compatible with DreamStation, thanks for the comment!

[Mosquitobait]

Don't beat yourself up for getting the S8. You got something that WORKED for you right away for less money. You knew enough to adjust settings until you had a restful night. I had the opposite result- Respironics machine made me worse on Auto and I had to switch to straight mode until my replacement Resmed machine came in. That said, keep the machine as your backup.

There is no clear advantage of the Dreamstation over the 560 series. They use the same algorithm. However, the design may appeal to you - the humidifier is certainly easier to operate for someone who has dexterity issues. My handicapped brother can't fill his own humidifier at all in his 560 Bipap and he had no problem with an older Respironics unit. I think he would handle the Dreamstation humidifier just fine, but Medicare will only pay for a machine every 5 years. Another reason for getting the Dreamstation, if your insurance is paying for the whole thing, is that part availability will be longer as it just came out.

[Sleeprider]

There are good reasons for having a backup machine. I bought a System One auto BiPAP 760 on Craigslist, then got better insurance that covered a new machine. I chose to get a Resmed Aircurve 10 vAuto. Basically the same decision you are facing. Nothing wrong with keeping your PRS1 Auto for a backup, and getting the Airsense 10 Autoset. I think you will like the more aggressive auto algorithm and exhale relief which offers a lot more flexibility than the Respironics. Regardless, you end up with both, and won't ever worry about a malfunction that could be very inconvenient without a backup.