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+--- Thread: [CPAP] hi i am new here (/Thread-CPAP-hi-i-am-new-here)
hi i am new here - ProphetPX - 02-14-2019
oh shoot I posted this same thing on the off-topic board and I did not know I was not supposed to do that…. well here goes again:
hi, my name is Ryan and I am new here. I think I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea in 2005 in upstate New York (Saint Peter's hospital in Albany - great clinic btw) and i now live in northeast Kansas. I have slept so much better since I got my first CPAP (A Phillips Respironics something) machine in 2005!!! That one ended up BURNING OUT 12 years later because I was not wise enough to use only distilled water in the reservoir and so I had to learn that lesson the hard way. In that meantime the only way i could sleep while waiting for the new machine to arrive was if i sat up right on my couch in my living room. that was hell. but i was very scared how long i could live without my machine!!! i am so horribly dependent on it and that scares me to death if i ever lose power for too long!!!
My new machine (same brand, different model) I got 2 years ago and so far I am only using filtered water (but not yet distilled - I am going to be looking into that (getting distilled water delivery) though because I don't want to have the same problems as the last one, with the old motor seizing up on Error Code 160??).
Does anyone know what I can do with my old CPAP machine? does anyone refurbish them or repair them? or how could I dispose of it? thanks.
Also, I am totally new to the idea of using my own software (downloaded). Is it difficult to use? I just downloaded a bunch of them a few minutes ago from here.
Also is there a simpler way of cleaning the masks? right now I am just using Clorox wipes and sometimes I soak the mask (sans velcro), reservoir and hose apparatus in dish-soapy bleach water - is that bad?
Also my Velcro on my (BRAND NEW) mask …. is already wearing out and not sticking to the rest of the strap ….. how can I recondition the Velcro to make it stick better? my lint brush might not work? because there is no dust or hair on the strap …. it just seems the Velcro, as-is, is not truly effective? even if it all is brand new.
HOPING TO LEARN FROM EVERYONE and hoping to get some handy tips to!! Thanks in advance
I get all my parts from a distance supplier (wont say the name) which ships them to me, but I wish they would charge my insurance instead of only out of pocket..... I have not had a recent sleep study done - not since 2005, when I was first diagnosed. That changed my life forever.
RE: hi i am new here (repost) - ProphetPX - 02-14-2019
well I guess I cannot edit that again. bummer.
so …. part 2:
I guess I need to buy some form of Smart Card (for my old CPAP) and / or SD Card reader (for my new one)?
but what do I buy? I am very handy with fixing PC computers, and GNU/Linux as well as Windoze. No Mac access.
this forum code performs horrible on Microsoft Edge browser -- just saying. Probably not the board's fault and that browser sucks anyway.
now I forgot what else I wanted to say in my attempt to edit my original post this last time
I don't like the "only within 10 minutes" rule.
anyway, thanks in advance.
RE: hi i am new here (repost) - OpalRose - 02-14-2019
Hi ProphetPX,
I removed your duplicate post in the Off Topic Forum.
Welcome to Apnea Board!
RE: hi i am new here (repost) - ProphetPX - 02-14-2019
(02-14-2019, 08:13 PM)OpalRose Wrote: Hi ProphetPX,
I removed your duplicate post in the Off Topic Forum.
Welcome to Apnea Board!
hey, wait a minute! that post was no longer a duplicate since i reposted it in the right place and then i went back and edited the original to make it more of a general and much smaller post and you did not need to remove it
because i changed it all (the one in off-topic)
RE: hi i am new here - Sleeprider - 02-14-2019
(02-14-2019, 07:46 PM)ProphetPX Wrote: oh shoot I posted this same thing on the off-topic board and I did not know I was not supposed to do that…. well here goes again:
hi, my name is Ryan and I am new here. I think I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea in 2005 in upstate New York (Saint Peter's hospital in Albany - great clinic btw) and i now live in northeast Kansas. I have slept so much better since I got my first CPAP (A Phillips Respironics something) machine in 2005!!! That one ended up BURNING OUT 12 years later because I was not wise enough to use only distilled water in the reservoir and so I had to learn that lesson the hard way. In that meantime the only way i could sleep while waiting for the new machine to arrive was if i sat up right on my couch in my living room. that was hell. but i was very scared how long i could live without my machine!!! i am so horribly dependent on it and that scares me to death if i ever lose power for too long!!!
My new machine (same brand, different model) I got 2 years ago and so far I am only using filtered water (but not yet distilled - I am going to be looking into that (getting distilled water delivery) though because I don't want to have the same problems as the last one, with the old motor seizing up on Error Code 160??).
Does anyone know what I can do with my old CPAP machine? does anyone refurbish them or repair them? or how could I dispose of it? thanks.
Also, I am totally new to the idea of using my own software (downloaded). Is it difficult to use? I just downloaded a bunch of them a few minutes ago from here.
Also is there a simpler way of cleaning the masks? right now I am just using Clorox wipes and sometimes I soak the mask (sans velcro), reservoir and hose apparatus in dish-soapy bleach water - is that bad?
Also my Velcro on my (BRAND NEW) mask …. is already wearing out and not sticking to the rest of the strap ….. how can I recondition the Velcro to make it stick better? my lint brush might not work? because there is no dust or hair on the strap …. it just seems the Velcro, as-is, is not truly effective? even if it all is brand new.
HOPING TO LEARN FROM EVERYONE and hoping to get some handy tips to!! Thanks in advance
I get all my parts from a distance supplier (wont say the name) which ships them to me, but I wish they would charge my insurance instead of only out of pocket..... I have not had a recent sleep study done - not since 2005, when I was first diagnosed. That changed my life forever.
Ryan, your machine did not burn out due to using tap water. Clean drinkable tap water may leave deposits in your humidifier chamber, but it does not affect your flow generator (CPAP). You probably had the Respironics M-Series, and are now using a Dreamstation CPAP or Auto CPAP. You can use tap water, provided you rinse and refill every night, and periodically clean the humidifier reservoir with vinegar to dissolve any deposits and help disinfect. Humidifier chambers are intended to be replaced periodically, like your hose and mask. If you have insurance, the replacement may be 6-months, but if you self-pay, it may be considerably longer. As long as you don't allow water to spill back into the machine, tap water is fine, filtered water is fine, distilled water is fine.
Throw the old machine in the trash. You got 12 years out of a machine that is designed to get at least 5 years. With that much use, any repair would exceed the value of the machine. You can buy good used machines for well under $200 and even a new Philips or Resmed Auto CPAP is less than $600 from Supplier #33.
Do not use Clorox wipes or bleach on your masks or any part of your CPAP. Chlorine cleansers are far too harsh and can damage the plastics and silicone. Most of us wash mask parts using dawn detergent and warm water, some even use baby shampoo. If I feel anything needs disinfection, I use hydrogen peroxide from the drug store or Walmart. A quart costs less than $1.00, and hydrogen peroxide degrades to water.
If you are buying out of pocket, look for the best prices you can find. We have a supplier list on the forum, and you can also use Amazon and other seriously discounted sources. The fact you were diagnosed in 2005 (I was in 2008) does not necessarily mean you need another sleep study. Try to contact the clinic where that study was done, and ask them to send a copy of your records. They will probably be in archive if the clinic is still in business. Ask your primary doctor to manage your sleep apnea care, and he can write prescriptions for supplies that insurance will probably pay for without another study. If not, then he can refer you for a study.
The only software you need is #Sleepyhead.
RE: hi i am new here (repost) - KobeT - 02-14-2019
(02-14-2019, 08:01 PM)ProphetPX Wrote: well I guess I cannot edit that again. bummer.
so …. part 2:
I guess I need to buy some form of Smart Card (for my old CPAP) and / or SD Card reader (for my new one)?
but what do I buy? I am very handy with fixing PC computers, and GNU/Linux as well as Windoze. No Mac access.
this forum code performs horrible on Microsoft Edge browser -- just saying. Probably not the board's fault and that browser sucks anyway.
now I forgot what else I wanted to say in my attempt to edit my original post this last time
I don't like the "only within 10 minutes" rule.
anyway, thanks in advance.
What problems are you having with the Microsoft Edge browser? it Works fine for me.
RE: hi i am new here (repost) - OpalRose - 02-14-2019
(02-14-2019, 09:20 PM)ProphetPX Wrote:(02-14-2019, 08:13 PM)OpalRose Wrote: Hi ProphetPX,
I removed your duplicate post in the Off Topic Forum.
Welcome to Apnea Board!
hey, wait a minute! that post was no longer a duplicate since i reposted it in the right place and then i went back and edited the original to make it more of a general and much smaller post and you did not need to remove it
ProphetPX,
Your thread in the Off Topic Forum has been moved to the Main Forum as your are discussing SA and related issues. See the PM I sent you.
You can find your Thread here:
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-first-time-here-what-other-issues-associated-with-Sleep-Apnea