I get my CPAP supplies through Sunbelt medical supplies. Every month or so I get a call from Sunbelt wanting me to order replacement parts. Here is their suggested schedule. Every month Mask cushions and/or nasal pillows CPAP machine filters Every 3 months Mask frame (not including the headgear) CPAP tubing Every 6 months Mask headgear Chin strap (if applicable) Humidifier water tub On my Medicare Advantage plan my copay on supplies is 20% it doesn't amount to much but I just hate paying for stuff I don't really need. The filters I understand. The mask cushions probably last 3 times as long as they suggest. The mask frame and CPAP tubing are plastic and I keep them clean, why should I need to replace them unless they break? The water tub once again is plastic and it gets washed out every night when I fill it, why should it ever need replacing? The folks at Sunbelt act like I am crazy when I tell lthem send me filters, I don't need all that other crap. Do any of you use a CPAP and do you follow the replacement schedule?
My stuff (filters included) lasts way longer than the recommended time. But I usually use distilled water. Not sure if that makes a difference for the filters or not. I just started using the CPAP this year and am still not very good at it
I use the nostril pillows only. No face piece. I change the pillows and filter once a month. I order one each of the pillow holders, headgear, and main hose one a year. I clean my stuff with anti bacterial soap once a week. I do not use moisture so I’m not really worried about bacteria or mold but keep an eye on it.
I started a little over a year ago. It took a while to get used to it and learn how to seat the mask but my scores have gone way up lately. My scores on the app were in the 70's for most of the year but so far in Dec I have scored 100,99,100 & 100. I assume you have the app that scores you from 1 to 100?
I have this one: With this mask: To me, the supplies last quite a bit longer than the replacement schedule. I stockpile them in my closet. If I haven't used it in a while, I'll get new supplies out of the box and connect them up. The new supplies are.. fresh. It is so hard for me to use my cpap regularly. I use it for a couple weeks and can actually tell a difference.. but I HATE wearing it. Had a panic attack the first time I tried to use it. I have the app, I average about 1.5 events/hr. When I did the take home sleep study thing, I think I had 29 events/hr. I haven't worn mine in about 5 days. I did find a way to use it more often, though. I'll be in bed almost asleep, I'll set my TV timer for 30 mins and my cell phone alarm for 40 minutes. I'll wake up just long enough to put the mask on and fall right back asleep. Other than that, I really can't put it on and fall asleep.
They are just milking the insurance. I will change the headgear when it stops working... which it hasn't, or if I change mask style. Mask frame if I change my mask style. So just once in 3 years. Cushions when they start leaking. About once every 6 months or so. Hose never.
I use the nose piece and head gear for about a year before I replace it. I have one where you use the distilled water but I quit using the water option a year or so ago. I love it and it takes me about 5 minutes to fall asleep, I sleep all night and do not get tired during the day. I get a solid 6 hours of sleep a night which works for me right now.
Yeah I still use ambien to knock me out but the CPAP allows me to sleep all night. The ambien only works a couple of hours so before I got the CPAP I was still waking up a a half dozen times a night. Now I sleep through.
I change out the filters pretty much on schedule, but my cushions, etc last longer and so I decline those when I have enough. American Home Patient is my supplier. I have a full face mask (deviated septum prevents adequate nasal breathing) and ever since I started using cotton mask liners, the cushions last longer and it's much less irritating to my face as well. I don't use water or the chamber. I love my CPAP and go to sleep quickly, but it does make it difficult to sleep if it's not available.
I don't use water or the heater unless I am sick. I replace the filters monthly, the tube and cushions yearly. I have replaced the headgear only once, and that is because I wanted to have a spare in case of breakage in the middle of the night. I'm pretty much useless the next day if I don't sleep with it.
The supplier recommends changing all of the different parts at a rate that equals what insurance will pay for. So clearly it’s a money thing not a health thing. I use distilled water. I change a couple of things no sooner than a year, sometimes even longer.
I was tested and was borderline for sleep apnea. At a level they don’t treat if there are no symptoms. But I was always tired and so I tried a machine. Made it worse. Constantly waking up. Uncomfortable wort the tubes etc. didn’t get better. I figured out that it was the beta blocker they had me in. They took me off the beta blocker and I was better. After 6 weeks, I quit the machine. I still wake up tired but I do wake up during the day. Meanwhile, the incessant calls from my “medical equipment supply” company were annoying and incessant. I felt the Same way others do here about the tubing.
Insurance covered everything for mine, including the supplies that the regurlarly mail out. Just go to the doctor and tell em that you want to get a sleep study done. I did the take home version. Used a small sensor for a night and then returned it. They said I had "events" averaging 29 times an hour. Some people love em, some people hate em. I really, really don't like wearing it, but it does help. I wore it last night and didn't wake up once. I think my GF likes it way more than I do.. No more snoring or tossing and turning. My last GF told me I sounded like I was dying in my sleep and she's the one who initially urged me to look into it. I would quit breathing for several seconds and then gasp for air. Over and over, apparently. If you wear it for a couple weeks, and if sleep apnea was really affecting your life, you will definitely see a difference. Better mood, less sleepy during the day, waking up feeling rested, better focus, etc. I'm in my late 30s and not obese or anything, so I was surprised that I needed one. I would recommend the sleep study if you, or your partner, think you might have sleep apnea.
Continuous air pressure device forcing air into your nose and mouth (usually - can be just nose sometimes) to keep you from stopping breathing. Sleep apnea is where you stop breathing while you sleep. It forces you out of REM sleep, not always fully awake. It causes all kinds of health issues later in life. With your CPAP you can use water to keep air moist so as to not dry out your mouth, nose and throat. You have a hose that will need cleaning. I wake up 40-60 times every hour so I am hoping I get some relief with the BiPAP. I wake up to full consciousness about 5 times every hour.
It's a device that blows air into your nose while you are sleeping. It stops snoring and will get you into REM sleep. It blows a constant stream of low pressure air through a tube into a mask on your face that typically covers just your nose although some models cover your mouth as well. You can exhale against the air pressure so that isn't a problem.
