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...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
#31
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
(08-26-2021, 11:35 AM)SwissTruffle Wrote: Thanks!

In relation to the machines and masks, I am making notes of all the comments.
The process of getting my machine does not appear to be that transparent at the moment.
All I know is that a team from the hospital (I guess a third party of some kind) will contact me in the coming weeks to arrange a home visit and a set up.
My doctor didn't come across of this process providing me many - if any! - options; apart from the mask which I was told will be done via a fitting test.
I guess, at this very moment, my doctor treats this event as a 'test' to see whether I will respond favourably to this treatment in the next two/three months.
I assume, after this trial, I am better off organising a machine myself using the helpful advise and info provided by this group here?
Looks like I will have to fund all of this myself anyway...

Welcome to the forum.

Like you I don't live in the US. Canada for me...
When I took the recommendations given here and found a way to purchase the machine everyone recommended things started to improve for me.

I was diagnosed over 30 years ago. Same as you==43 for me.  My therapy didn't help me much until I learned to listen here, and now I feel a lot better.

I bought a ResMed S10 anto sense for her. I'm glad I did.

Dave
Toronto
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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#32
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
Dear Forum,

I am sooo grateful to have received so many kind and supportive advice, suggestions and recommendations. I am truly humbled...

Just received a phone call from a ResMed person who arranged an appointment with me for fitting of mask and collection of device for the first phase.

The first phase consists of 30 days "daily support" (if needed) after the device has been adjusted to me at my home setting.
The device by the way is a ResMed AirSense 10 [no further details provided (i.e. 'for her' or 'autoset', etc.).
I don't have a choice of device in this first phase - only choice of mask.

The second phase appears more or less the same with a reduced support service.

Following phase 1 and 2, I will revisit my doctor who will check the data which will be collected throughout the phases 1 and 2.

Please can you assist me in preparing for this initial home visit and set up exercise?
-What questions do I need to ask/raise?
-How can I determine whether a mask is good for me or not - given that I will only 10-15min or so to make a decision?
-When they turn on the machine and I have the mask on, what do I need to look out for, or 'feel'?

If I could get some pointers for this 'fitting' and 'set up' process, it would be very helpful.

Thanks in advance!
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#33
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
Hi Swiss,

I am not sure if you have spoken to your partner about it yet as you haven't mentioned it again. But I would like to give you my personal experience.

I am 34 yrs old and was diagnosed with apnea less than a month ago. I too got to a point where I questioned my mental health due to my ongoing fatigue and brain fog, trouble getting out of bed, etc. I was lucky in that I felt a difference the very first night of treatment. My wife was amazed. She couldn't believe that the machine had stopped my snoring completely, as she would constantly complain about it (as well as roommates and other family members if we slept in the same room). I started with a full face mask and then transitioned to a nasal pillow, as my mother in law had an extra one and let me use it. The first few nights with the pillows were hit and miss as I was getting some leaks through my mouth. I managed to control them with the tongue method (sticking it to the roof of your mouth). You can read about it on the "Mask Primer" of the wiki. You should probably read that anyways before your fitting. I tried posting the link but the board says I'm still a new member. You can find it in Gideon's signature.

Good luck with everything.

As for the questions, definitely try to get the "AutoSet" version of the Resmed 10 as it will adjust pressure up and down automatically depending on your needs instead of having one constant pressure.
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#34
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
(09-04-2021, 12:56 PM)SwissTruffle Wrote: The first phase consists of 30 days "daily support" (if needed) after the device has been adjusted to me at my home setting.
The device by the way is a ResMed AirSense 10 [no further details provided (i.e. 'for her' or 'autoset', etc.).
I don't have a choice of device in this first phase - only choice of mask.
Thanks in advance!

I understand. However there is a variant of the Autoset, which I believe is the Autoset Elite, which writes NO data at all to the SD Card. This means that you will not have any detailed data, OSCAR can do almost nothing for you, and you doctor will have the excuse of only dealing with AHI, which is far from the whole story. So I suggest you do all you can to get a machine that will send data to an SD card, both for the 30 day trial, and for a more permanent machine, despite what they have, or in fact haven't told you.
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#35
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
mjphyi
it is the ResMed AirSense 10 CPAP (that is the model name and what is on the front of the machine) that has NO detailed data and we do not want at all. The Elite is a (CPAP) model that has detailed data. While we prefer the AAutoSet we can work with the Elite with no problem.

SwissTruffle, read the Mask Primer, link in my signature. Especially the parts about types of masks and the fitting of masks.
My initial trial with any masks is without straps and holding the mask LIGHTLY on my face with my hand while under pressure and lying down. Your facial structure changes when you lie down, and gravity does its thing. Then I place the straps on and try to match the feel of the mask while holding the mask with my hand but with the straps. The tw most common mask problems in no particular order, The mask is too tight, or the mask is not a good fit for you. The ONLY way to know if a mask will work is to try it.
I like to try masks from smallest to biggest, so Pillow Pasks, then Nasal Masks, then finally full face masks.
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#36
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
(09-04-2021, 07:49 PM)Gideon Wrote: mjphyi
it is the ResMed AirSense 10 CPAP (that is the model name and what is on the front of the machine) that has NO detailed data and we do not want at all.  The Elite is a (CPAP) model that has detailed data.  While we prefer the AAutoSet we can work with the Elite with no problem

Thanks for the correction. Could you continue and advise Swiss Truffle on how to identify the Airsense 10 CPAP model, and on how to resist accepting one, and how much to resist, even in this "trial period". Trial period acceptances have a way of becoming permanent. Bear in mind that he is in Ireland and not dealing with the US DME/Medicare system.
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#37
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
Posters above me have all provided good input so here’s a little more perspective on surgery from someone who had it (Inspire implant and I’ve done a whole separate thread on that you can search).  Circa 2021 surgery is not a first line defense because it’s costly, painful, and not all that effective.  With many of the traditional tissue removal surgeries they can’t really evaluate how much benefit you might get out of it beforehand either.  In the US, I don’t believe any major insurance carrier will pay for surgery without at least trying CPAP first because of those factors.

FWIW the ENT surgeon who did my Inspire doesn’t even perform the old style surgeries anymore.
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#38
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
Does your doctor have some kind of online patient portal where you can send a message that includes these questions?  I find that almost all of our doctors do, and it's been a super helpful way to get questions answers after a visit. Some doctors have nurses and PAs in the office that will handle questions on follow up calls, too. I never realized any of this until my dad got injured and I got deeper into the US medical system.

I hope you find good answers. I feel like the world of sleep apnea often offers no concrete answers, just lots of opportunities for experimentation to figure out what works.

I will also say that getting my father's AHI down from 69 to an average of 25 has improved his health and functioning tremendously. He hasn't had to go to the hospital in two months and is so very much stronger than he was when he started treatment 2.5 months ago. We saw dramatic changes from the first night of treatment.

I also know someone who permanently lost the vision in half of one eye overnight because of undiagnosed apnea, so I take treatment seriously.
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