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How important is having a CPAP professional ? Is it impossible to learn CPAP without
#1
How important is having a CPAP professional ? Is it impossible to learn CPAP without
Hello,
  
  Thank for reading my post.  I am very curious as to how important having a health professional involved in CPAP therapy is.  

   I have been online reading horrid stories of folks going without one.  But the best I figure it, that health professional is only
guessing the exact CPAP machine numbers a person needs, just like anyone will do going it alone.  The results tell you if you are
doing it right or wrong, which is what the professional will lean on as well.  

  So, if you know, is it harmful to go without a health professional ?  If so, what is the harm.  

AliceF
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#2
RE: How important is having a CPAP professional ? Is it impossible to learn CPAP without
Lot's of different ideas on that. I think if you haven't had a sleep test done it's probably a good idea to see a Doctor about getting one if you suspect the need. You also are going to need a prescription for insurance purposes.
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#3
RE: How important is having a CPAP professional ? Is it impossible to learn CPAP without
Alice, are you really still using a M Series CPAP? You're due for a new machine, and if you have good insurance coverage it should be no problem to get your prescription renewed and be dispensed an updated machine. Not everyone has good coverage, and the sleep medicine practice is extremely variable in quality, so I'm not hesitant to help people to help themselves to source appropriate equipment at a low cost, and avoid th use of specialists in favor of their primary care doctors. Let us know if you're ready to upgrade that 10 year old doorstop.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

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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: How important is having a CPAP professional ? Is it impossible to learn CPAP without
The biggest problem is that for many of us, the sleep doctor does no more than look at the AHI, ask how are you feeling and see you next year. A few GOOD doctors actually look at the DATA. In my case, I didn't even rate a doctor but got the Nurse Practitioner. Given that you are seeing a specialist, I don't know about you, but I pay double the co-pay whether I see a doc or a NP just for walking through a specialist' door, so no thank you. My primary has taken over my supply prescription updates, but is unwilling to do so for a new machine because he says its out of his area.

If you are feeling GOOD with your current cpap, then yes, if you get a machine with DATA you certainly could take things into your own hands. However, if you want insurance to pay for it, you are going to need to see the sleep doctor. And that doc is going to likely insist on another sleep study because....wait for it.... s/he has no data!! Some people on here have managed to avoid yet another sleep study by getting a data rich machine either used or from Amazon or other source, getting data for a month and THEN seeing the doc. That's what the guy to whom I sold my S9 Autoset did. He refused a sleep study (high deductible) explaining that he will do a sleep study during a year that he has to use up his deductible anyway. I'm sure by now a lot of docs have heard this and understand it. He got a new machine script and keeps the S9 for travel.
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#5
RE: How important is having a CPAP professional ? Is it impossible to learn CPAP without
(10-15-2018, 02:29 PM)Walla Walla Wrote: Lot's of different ideas on that. I think if you haven't had a sleep test done it's probably a good idea to see a Doctor about getting one if you suspect the need. You also are going to need a prescription for insurance purposes
 Thank you for your comment.
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#6
RE: How important is having a CPAP professional ? Is it impossible to learn CPAP without
You have to trust somebody to tell you where you are so that both of you can figure out where to go....from 'here'.   IOW, as ifs famously quoted from 'The Looking Glass':

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where–” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“–so long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

Where are you?  How do you know?  Once you know, you'll know in which direction to move if you'd rather be elsewhere.
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#7
RE: How important is having a CPAP professional ? Is it impossible to learn CPAP without
(10-15-2018, 03:05 PM)Sleeprider Wrote: Alice, are you really still using a M Series CPAP?  You're due for a new machine, and if you have good insurance coverage it should be no problem to get your prescription renewed and be dispensed an updated machine.  Not everyone has good coverage, and the sleep medicine practice is extremely variable in quality, so I'm not hesitant to help people to help themselves to source appropriate equipment at a low cost, and avoid th use of specialists in favor of their primary care doctors.  Let us know if you're ready to upgrade that 10 year old doorstop.

  I love my M Series CPAP machine.  It works really well for me.  Yes, I have excellent insurance coverage.   Yes my machine is 10 years but it is working great !!!!  
  I've had my M Series CPAP machine for about 4 weeks now.  Yes it is old, it is no longer being manufactured, but I love it.  It has C Flex, humidifier, smart card and I can easily adjust the air flow and humidity.  It will be a sad day when it conks out but when it does, this is when I will get an upgrade.   Yes, newer ones offer more but I am not ready for more.

  Yes I am doing this on my own and it is fun learning.  I love this forum so great with help and info but I would be doing this apnea thing on my own without this forum.

  I was just wondering if the horror stories I read online had any merit.  I don't have any underlining causes for apnea which is the main cause for worry on this online stories.

  Since you are addressing my old apnea machine, I will take that as this horror stories do not have any merit.

  Thank you for responding.
AliceF
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#8
RE: How important is having a CPAP professional ? Is it impossible to learn CPAP without
AliceF I've found it a help and hindrance to have a sleep doc.
A sleep study may determine more than one sleep irregularity. It may indicate restless leg syndrome for instance.

People here have helped me a lot. My sleep quality is much better after learning here. My sleep doc didn't care about sleep quality. I could have put my machine on in the basement and on a timer, and he wouldn't have known better with the machine he prescribed.
He wanted to see masks like the ones they used in their clinic. They weren't comfortable. But they lasted a long time.
DaveL
compliant for 35 years /// Still trying!

I'm just a cpap user like you. I don't give medical advice. Seek the advice of a physician before seeking treatment for medical conditions including sleep apnea. Sleep-well

http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php..._The_Guide

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#9
RE: How important is having a CPAP professional ? Is it impossible to learn CPAP without
(10-16-2018, 06:40 PM)AliceF Wrote:
(10-15-2018, 03:05 PM)Sleeprider Wrote: Alice, are you really still using a M Series CPAP?  You're due for a new machine, and if you have good insurance coverage it should be no problem to get your prescription renewed and be dispensed an updated machine.  Not everyone has good coverage, and the sleep medicine practice is extremely variable in quality, so I'm not hesitant to help people to help themselves to source appropriate equipment at a low cost, and avoid th use of specialists in favor of their primary care doctors.  Let us know if you're ready to upgrade that 10 year old doorstop.

  I love my M Series CPAP machine.  It works really well for me.  Yes, I have excellent insurance coverage.   Yes my machine is 10 years but it is working great !!!!  
  I've had my M Series CPAP machine for about 4 weeks now.  Yes it is old, it is no longer being manufactured, but I love it.  It has C Flex, humidifier, smart card and I can easily adjust the air flow and humidity.  It will be a sad day when it conks out but when it does, this is when I will get an upgrade.   Yes, newer ones offer more but I am not ready for more.

  Yes I am doing this on my own and it is fun learning.  I love this forum so great with help and info but I would be doing this apnea thing on my own without this forum.

  I was just wondering if the horror stories I read online had any merit.  I don't have any underlining causes for apnea which is the main cause for worry on this online stories.

  Since you are addressing my old apnea machine, I will take that as this horror stories do not have any merit.

  Thank you for responding.
AliceF

The M Series machine is very good, an I didn't retire mine until it had 20000 hours.  it was still working fine, and I used the Smartcard and Mako DT reader with Encore software to monitor and fine tune results.  it was a revelation when I updated to a PRS1 Auto CPAP and had access to Sleeyhead software, and later upgraded to BiPAP.  I made those changes without doctor involvement, but eventually asked my primary physicin to manage care so I could resume insurance coverage.

Your M series is a good machine, but I suggest you update and keep the old machine for backup.  It will eventually fail due to age,probably without warning.  I think you will enjoy more modern features and data access as much as I did. If you want the best, try to get the Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset. An amazing advancement over your current machine, and should be available simply by asking.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

____________________________________________
Download OSCAR Software
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing Therapy
Organize your OSCAR Charts
Attaching Files
Mask Primer
How To Deal With Equipment Supplier


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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#10
RE: How important is having a CPAP professional ? Is it impossible to learn CPAP without
The following opinion is my own based on what I have experienced/learned:

A doctor is required/needed to order a sleep study (PSG). This is most likely expected to be a "sleep specialist" or a pulmonary type of doctor. That doc will then be the one to decipher the PSG results. Then, based on those results, will follow-up with a titration test order. It may result in a near immediate script of an xPAP.

After those reports are created, you, as the patient, owe yourself to request a full printed copy of each of the sleep study/PSG and the titration reports. From there, you can use those printed reports to have any doctor you work with (that is willing to do it) create your xPAP script.

Assuming then you have copies of all these, PSG, titration, and script, you are now ready to either connect with a DME to provide the machine and supplies or to get them yourself via online or other means.
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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