Need Help CPAP Fixed Pressure Recommendation

Bubbleshark on 18/06/2020 - 09:12
Last edited 02/07/2020 - 07:08

Hi,

I am on the market for a CPAP, I have done a trial for 2 months at the end of last year and my results warranted me a sleep study at the hospital. So I kinda used a machine before but now I need to purchase one.

My experience with CPAP sellers is close to what you'd find with shaddy car salesmen, so I won't be returning to the place I did the trial at (my fault for not knowing exactly what I was getting into, they really did gut my wallet). Most of the websites I find information on are actually commercial websites and I find difficult to get non biased data.

This week I finally had a sleep study done at the hospital and my result were apparently good. They could suggest me what type of mask to buy and told me to get a fixed pressure cpap, they told me an automatic one would be dearer and without much extra benefits.

I would take any advice you can bless me with, so far I read that resmed and philips have good reviews but then I need to check what type of machine to get.

Thanks for your help

————————————————————— EDIT ——————————————————————————————

Thank you everyone for your recommendations, in the end I will not get a fixed pressure machine as instructed by my doctor as APAP sounds more future proof if anything happens. I was tossing between the Resmed S10 and the Respironics Dreamstation and will get the Resmed 10 as it's appears to be more quiet and I found it a bit cheaper. I'd like to thank tiktok as I will purchase the machine on the website he/she recommended.

For reference if some other people are looking to compare price before buying:

On secondwindcpap.com
ResMed S10 AirSense AutoSet with EPR and Integrated Heated Humidifier - ClimatelineAir Tubing Included
Price: $559 USD + $95 USD delivery = $945 AUD, probably getting round up by paypal to about $1000
Warranty 2 years, if anything happens we have to send it to USA at our own charge and the company will send us another machine/repair on their charge

The cheapest I found in Australia was at thecpapclinic.com.au
RESMED AIRSENSE 10 AUTOSET WITH BUILT-IN WIRELESS (4G) CONNECTIVITY
Price: $1484 AUD
Warranty 2 years

The one in australia comes about $500 dearer but has 4G connectivity, the one in USA has a heated tubing.

Thank again everyone

Health & Beauty

Comments

  • funnysht on 18/06/2020 - 09:17

    You really need to speak to the respiratory CNC (clinical nurse specialist)who manages sleep machines in hospital for advice and recommendations. I tend to trust health care officers/nurses, they should be able to advise you where you can source one

    • Bubbleshark on 18/06/2020 - 09:36

      I talked to one at the hospital and she told me to get any fixed cpap, I supposed I should have pressed her for a model or a brand, it would at least point me in a direction

  • bong on 18/06/2020 - 10:07
    +1

    I can only suggest you visit Whirlpool AU as I've seen a dedicated thread on Sleep Apnea/CPAP discussion which should help you or steer you into the right direction.

    https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/thread/9rq4wrw3

  • tik tok on 18/06/2020 - 10:19
    +2

    I'd encourage an APAP machine instead. It is extremely rare for a CPAP to be effective. I am an APAP user and I will try to break it down.

    APAP/CPAP : The pressure you need for no events will vary through the night depending on the time, the position of your tongue and how you are sleeping. The benefits of an APAP will outweigh a CPAP any day. From my sleep study I was even encouraged to go for an APAP as with time and weight gain/loss the pressure needed will either go up or down. Any machine for APAP will do the job - I did my sleep study on a Respironics Dreamstation so went with that. But I have also heard resmeds are more quieter than the philips. I personally dont find dreamstation to be loud at all and I have fairly sensitive ears.

    Mask : This will depend on what type of a sleeper you are. Do you side sleep ? Do you wake up in the nights for a sip of water ? etc. I can't sleep unless I am on my side and cuddling. I usually wake up for water so the dreamwear nasal pillow cushions work the best for me. I also have a mental block to use full face masks - but other members of my family use them and its fine. I have an iso beard now and sometimes think the full face mask could of been better.

    USA/Aus : I found purchasing from the US was insanely cheaper. When I ordered, medical devices for personal use under $1k didn't attract any additional duty so I didn't have to pay anything on top of the cost of the machine. This may have changed. The only thing one should keep in mind is Australian devices will come with a local warranty. I think respironics itself comes with a 5 year warranty compared to the 1 or 2 years when purchased from the US.

    I found this forum : http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/ to be the most helpful. It has a fair few Aussies on board (including yours truly). It also has a list of US/AUS sellers. I'd ask any CPAP related questions there to get more concrete replies.

    • Bubbleshark on 18/06/2020 - 10:43

      Thank you so much for your input.

      As far as my experience goes, I did 2 months of trial on a Resmed 10 that was APAP, I had a high number of incidents and that warranted me a full sleep study at the hospital. I just got the results on tuesday and both the nurse and doctor told me that my needed pressure was quite low thus I only needed a fixed CPAP. Maybe the masks they used on me was better, though I tried one nasal, one cushion and even mouth+nose from philips and the 3 of them weren't really suitable (I took the reference of the mask used at the hospital).

      Ideally a APAP would be better as you mentioned but the price premium really makes me think twice. Do you have a preferred place to purchase your accessories or machine? Thanks to ozbargain I have a membership with MyUs that helps sending purchases from USA to Australia. Thanks again for your time

      • tik tok on 18/06/2020 - 11:22

        Weird. It was the other way around for me. Get a full sleep study at the hospital - find out if I indeed had sleep apnoea and then go from there with machines and trials and what not.

        What was your AHI ? If the number of incidents was high enough to warrant a full sleep study, I am doubtful of the low pressure recommended. Are you happy to share your recommended pressure ?
        The aim is to keep the AHI lower than 5. If you are bent on buying a fixed pressure machine - its really your call. I bought it from secondwindcpap. My family has also purchased from them in the past and they have been an excellent vendor. I looked up their site and the price difference between CPAP and APAP is negligible :
        New, Factory Sealed Respironics DreamStation Auto CPAP with Heated Humidifier - DSX500H11 - $599
        New Respironics DreamStation REMstar Plus CPAP with Heated Humidifier - DSX200H11 - $559

        I'd also recommend getting something with a humidifier as without it, over time you are bound to experience nose bleeds. A family member had to get the veins/blood vessels cauterised. I'd also recommend posting your questions on the forum I linked - much bigger and a better audience who are really helpful.

        • Bubbleshark on 18/06/2020 - 12:32

          The way I started was:
          - Going to my GP
          - Went to a sleep clinic to do a sleep study at home, results of 74 incidents per hour
          - Did a 2 months trial on a APAP, during the 2 months we tried different masks and pressures, the numbers were averaging in the 30's
          - At the end of the 2 months they referred me to the hospital to know why my numbers were so high (in January)
          - 6 months wait for an appointment
          - I had an appointment at the hospital to spend the night and had my results 2 days ago (in June), the results showed an average of 4 incidents per hour and an average pressure of 8

          During the appointment to talk about the results, both the doctor and nurse recommended me a fixed pressure and even mentioned that an APAP wouldn't do anything more than having a higher cost. On that point, I do think like you as so many factors can come at play and having an APAP should be the better choice … but my wallet would benefit from me spending less.

          As for the humidifier, I haven't used it in the 2 months I had the APAP but it was during summer in QLD, which is generally humid so thank you for the tip!

  • Bubbleshark on 18/06/2020 - 13:01

    So far the best value I found: DevilBiss Sleep Cube

    The rep told me it was harder to download the results (I think I will work that out or call the hospital first before buying it). The philips and resmed have a heated tube which helps in the humidifying but it's kinda same same … this one is $700 as I saw the Resmed airsense 10 at about $1000 as the Philips dreamstation + Humidifier at about $1100

  • Sunshines bright on 19/06/2020 - 12:11
    +1

    Auto is truly more convenient and long lasting due to daily changes. I usually go here https://www.1800cpap.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwoaz3BRDnARIsAF1RfLfg…

    then do a USD to AUD Conversion to determine the AU price then I look to see what is available locally. So far ended purchasing from 1800CPAP.

    Users of CPAP/APAP know what is best equipment wise compared to sleep doctors! Trust us.

    I believe most if not all the newer models are fairly silent so find one in your price range… Get the mask your most comfortable with to go with it, does not have to be from same manufacturer. Getting humidifier one is a good idea.

    Best of luck

    • Bubbleshark on 19/06/2020 - 12:46

      Thank you for the help!

      What machine do you currently use? After some research there are 2 that come up quite often: resmed 10 and philips respisonics, as they are pretty expensive I think I will go with the importation route

      • Sunshines bright on 19/06/2020 - 19:39

        worthwhile to go with 1800 if you get all items at the same time. Philips and Remed are both good just read the descriptions carefully and compare prices you will choose the best for you.

        My current one is Resmed AirSense 10 AutoSet For Her With HumidAir And ClimateLine. My 1st Auto CPAP I gave away but to be honest it was much better than my current machine it was a Philips Respironics. And I bet the DreamStation CPAP Auto Machine With Heated Humidifier would be just as good.

        With my current machine I do not worry about any of the statistics just that I get good sleep and am not waking my partner with snoring or other extraneous noises.

        I have used nasal pillows and cloth and full face masks. To avoid noises to me and partener I am now using a full face mask with a very unobtrusive headgear the Resmed Air touch.

        • Bubbleshark on 20/06/2020 - 17:42

          Thank you for the feedback, how did you go for switching mask? you went to a place to them for a certain period or did you buy one after reading reviews?

          • Sunshines bright on 21/06/2020 - 11:15

            @Bubbleshark: a Initially the idea of full face mask was very unappealing, so I purchased nasal pillow that was as unobtrusive and as small as possible, Then after a time I found my nose was uncomfortable and sometimes sore plus it leaked from time to time making a whizzi8ng sound, driving me crazy all night, so I went for a nasal cloth cover hoping it would be more gentle and not leak, but I toss and turn at night and so it would sometimes break free slightly and air would whizzz out again. Then finally years on I choose a full face mask. Masks seldom last more than a year many need qtrly replacement of parts or the whole thing so by the time you realize it is not the best for you it is time to get a new one anyway in my opinion. I think of what I want and then read descriptions to help me choose.

  • ellave on 22/06/2020 - 11:41

    Can second secondwindcpap used them a couple of times but that was before the Aussie tanked. There is a guy on the whirlpool thread that often has F&F discount codes for buying from Resmed direct which works out pretty good value for Aus. Look through the thread as someone mentioned & send him a PM

  • noodles711 on 23/06/2020 - 12:06
    Merged from CPAP Machine - Fixed Pressure - Looking for Recommendations

    Can anyone suggest a place to rent or buy (or rent-to-own) a fixed pressure CPAP machine in/around Brisbane? Prices seem to be all over the place, would appreciate any input if you are happy with the price/service at your CPAP shop.

    • qyudee on 23/06/2020 - 12:26
      +1

      Does this apply to you?
      https://www.qld.gov.au/health/services/specialists/queenslan…

      I used a Philips Dreamstation as a rental. I ended up purchasing a Philips Dreamstation Go. I used Philips Sleepeasy when I was renting, they also price match so when I bought my machine I purchased through them too, but I think they price matched easycpap.com.au.

      Most of them will price match.

      I'm pretty happy with Sleepeasy. I've not had to go back since returning my rental and purchasing my own machine.

      • Bubbleshark on 26/06/2020 - 17:25

        Thanks for the info! I am torn between buying it in Australia or importing it from USA, the price almost doubles here and although the warranty would be a security, I might just take the risk as a high end machine like the dreamstation or the Resmed 10 would probably function without much hassle … still weighting the pro and cons

        • LSGH on 25/08/2020 - 17:02

          hi, just wondering why you didnt include a mask with your purchase from secondwind as they do look cheaper as well? did you prefer to just buy it locally?

          • Bubbleshark on 25/08/2020 - 19:33

            @LSGH: I did a trial at a CPAP clinic in Brisbane, I should have checked the receipt but I had a lapse of judgment. They billed me for renting the machine and for the purchase of the mask + tube at their full RRP while it was on sale in store… Some other clinics make you rent the mask during the trial but I dealt with some less ethical company (They were recommended to me by a work colleague)

            • LSGH on 26/08/2020 - 15:34

              @Bubbleshark: oh i see, hard to imagine they will stay in business long if that is how they treat their customers…glad to see you were able to save money by ordering from the US.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join