My untreated AHI was around 25 and I was getting O2 numbers dropping into the mid to low 80's.
Now I feel a TON better and my treated AHI is 3-4 and my O2 stays in the 90's. I'm running <5.0 cm2H2O and it seems to be working really well for me.
The machine I have is a Phillips Respironics System One 560 (60-series) with a humidifier but I only need to run the humidifier at the lowest setting.
The issue I'm having, or will have is that I'm a pretty active person. I like to backpack/hike and go camping. I also like to sail and am planning some extended sailing vacations in the near future, with an eye to eventually living aboard my own sailboat.
So I have some really tight power requirements. The 60-series Respironics machine I have now is great in my home, but even without the humidifier this thing is way too power-hungry to ever work for me long-term with my active over-night activities. Sure I have a battery solution for it but that's very heavy and non-portable and not able to last for very long without power to charge it anyhow.
A sailboat is not a great place for power-hungry electronics much less something that draws multiple amps of power all night long.
So far my insurance has been great and covered everything with my current setup with only minimal co-payments ($50 with a quarterly & $50 co-pay for ongoing supplies) I can't complain. But if I want a very portable and low-power CPAP machine I'm going to be totally out of pocket. They won't pay anything for that unfortunately.
I"ve been looking around and there doesn't seem to be much out there I have found for super low-power CPAP machines. I don't think I will need a humidfier, which is the biggest power-hog of these machines, but I'll need something that can do 5.0 cm2H2O for multiple nights without recharging while not weighing much more than what my current unit weighs, including the battery. Something that could go for a week would be ideal, but something that would charge REALLY FAST when there was power would be OK too.
When a sailboat is running its diesel engine there is a bunch of power to burn from the alternator, more than the battery bank can take usually as it is charging back up -but that might only be for an hour or less a day, sometimes MUCH less depending on the boat configuration and the crew. When I'm backpacking I also don't want to have to sit around for half of the day at a power outlet while my CPAP battery charges.
Are there other people out there who have found any really nice, light, low-power demand machines that might fit for what I'm looking for? Am I asking for the impossible? I don't mind spending some money out of pocket, but I don't want to buy something that ends up not being enough of an improvement over what I have to warrant the cost.
Right now all I have is a 12v power adapter and a sealed 12AH gel powersport lead-acid battery with a fast charger. It's a pretty heavy system and only good for a night or so, and doesn't charge all that fast. I really need a better solution than this for the long run.