First night treatment

[psm4610]

Wanted to say a huge thanks to all of you who have taken time to give me advise.

I picked up my machine from the DME yesterday. I was ready to fight to get my machine of choice but was presently surprised when they came out to me with a ResMed Airsense 10 Autoset. They gave me an option of whatever mask I wanted so though I was previously leaning towards a ResMed F20 due to chronic sinus congestion I decided to give nasal pillows a try based on feedback I got here and went home with a ResMed P10.

I can say that I did not sleep very well last night and recall several sudden awakenings and had to take the mask off after a few hours. That said I managed to keep the mask on for 4.5 hours of sleep and see my AHI has gone from 17 to 4. Even with the fragmented sleep I definitely feel more alert and awake today albeit a bit more run down than usual.

This morning I had some throat horseness and dryness so tonight I will be increasing the humidity from 4 to 5 to see if that helps. I also have ordered a fleece hose cover as I woke up several times feeling like the air was too cold and the hose was freezing. I only have a standard hose and the DME has said if I need a heated one they can supply it and it will be covered by insurance.

Leak rate was around 18L/min. Waiting on SD cards right now to get sleepyhead up and running but therapy seems to be going well. I hope the rest of the acclimation is this easy and I can fine tune things to keep from waking up during the night but so far I feel like things are off to a great start.

Has anyone had any experience with the inline aromatherapy devices I saw pop up on Amazon? They look interesting and I was thinking they may help.

[HalfAsleep]

Call the DME ASAP to get your heated hose. It was supposed to come with the A10A, AFAIK.

Padding the hose has many other benefits besides keeping the air warm. It keeps the hose from rattling against the head of the bed or wall. It keeps it from sliding around on the bedcovers. It feels better against your skin than wire coils do. You can get all kinds of fun designs.

I wish I'd gotten a zippered hose cover. The non-zippered are a hassle.

[psm4610]

Call the DME ASAP to get your heated hose. It was supposed to come with the A10A, AFAIK.

Padding the hose has many other benefits besides keeping the air warm. It keeps the hose from rattling against the head of the bed or wall. It keeps it from sliding around on the bedcovers. It feels better against your skin than wire coils do. You can get all kinds of fun designs.

I wish I'd gotten a zippered hose cover. The non-zippered are a hassle.

I checked several online dealers as well as the ResMed site and all of them seem to indicate the non heated hose is standard, the ClimateLine hose is considered an optional upgrade (though most insurance will cover it). Same thing with SD cards, they used to be included but not anymore due to the cell modem.

Thankfully I ordered a zippered hose cover! Since I have a gooseneck lamp next to the bed I am using that for hose management to keep most of it off the bed or floor.

[paulag1955]

My DME (Apria) told me the non-heated hose was standard. They only supplied the heated hose to me because my doctor included it in my prescription. I did have to pay extra for it.

[Walla Walla]

The above is true about the hose though some dealers do throw in a heated hose in the deal.

[paulag1955]

My insurance covered 80% so it wasn't a huge deal.

[Apnea Infant]

Whats the point of giving you a humidifier without a heated hose? I guess Texas is pretty warm and there will not be much heat lost through an unheated hose but Washington gets down to some ridiculous minus zeros in winter so wouldn't a heated hose be required as standard with a humidifier?

When the temperatures went below zero here some weeks past, for the first time I had rain-out and this caused my P10 vents to block up with moisture. Had to wake up to dial down humidity.

[paulag1955]

If you're referring to my location, it's Washington State, not Washington, D.C. And I'm in western Washington, so it's a very temperate climate. Occasionally into the teens, but usually lows in the 40s during the winter.

[kiwii]

If you're going to get the heated hose, you may want to do it before the end of the year if you've already met your deductible.

The aromatherapy device looks interesting. I've also seen people recommend placing essential oil on a cotton ball near the intake filter.

[DeepBreathing]

The high average leak rate combined with dry throat suggests you might be exhaling through your mouth. This is a common side-effect of nasal masks and nasal pillows which is obviated by using a full face mask. Alternatively you need to learn to seal off your mouth using the tongue-suck method, chin straps, cervical collars or (heaven forfend) taping your lips. If you have a bed partner, ask them if there is a sound of air escaping from your mouth while you have the machine on. Once you get #SleepyHead running, you can also identify mouth leaks by the distinctive wave form.