[1947rider]

Does anyone out there have sleep apnea? I have just been diagnosed with it at age of 61. In a day or so I will have to go to the medical supply store and pick out the CPAP machine for this. I like to take long M/C trips, so that makes storage space a premium item. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good, reliable, compact unit that has the humidifier with heater? My supply place says the insurance company doesn't usually bicker much on the price, as the companies normally sell to them all for close to the same price. Any other "must haves" or "avoid at all costs"? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!!!

 

[brunobp]

I have had sleep apneia for about 16 years. You will notice a huge difference once you get your machine. It saved our marriage as my wife could not sleep if she was within 50' of me. My snoring was horrible.

The newer machines are much more compact. I take it with me on all trips overnight and just leave it in the carry tote that came with it.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

 

[tharris811]

Got my cpap about 3 months ago. Sleep has been bad so far. But i had surgury friday on my nose so i am suppose to breath better. Hopefully it will work out in the end. But don't give up. What i would give for about 8 hours sleep in 1 night.. But what i have heard from everyone they are great!!! They say you will feel a lot better in short time

 

[RogerC]

I was told by my cpap supplier, that the patient has no wiggle room in selecting different machines. One has to take whatever brand your doctor prescribes. There are some models on the market which are small with heated humidifiers but make alot of noise running at full pressure. I'm on my 2nd machine since last fall but it is no quieter than the first one. Hopefully, you will get one that meets your needs. BTW, the company which made the machine I have sells them for about half what the supplier gets. Then, there's the fiasco with "buy or rent" through Medicare.

 

[crabkiller]

1947 Rider

I have been on my machine for two years now. I take my machine everywhere with me, even on bike trips. I bought a 12 volt adaptor at Radio Shack that runs both of my machines. When I am out on a bike trip I keep a small lead acid battery in an igloo cooler. It will run the machine for almost three nights without charging. If you do a little home work you will find that you can get by with a pretty small battery that you can take with you that will run the machine for one night and the bike could charge it back up in a days ride.

I gave up on the humidifier after about six months. Too much work to keep it all clean. I run mine just fine without it. Cuts the size of the machine in half. Cuts the power consumtion of the machine by 75%.

Once you get the hang of the machine, you will wonder how you ever got along with out it. I sleep like a baby now. I keep a spare machine around the house just in case. My first machine died after about 18 months. I had two pretty rough days without it. I fixed that problem though with a spare machine. They are pretty cheap on the net if you look around.

 

[Bluesjammer]

Been on my cpap machine for over 5 years. They are right, it saved or improved our marriage. We both get good sleep now. The only trouble I had was finding a nose piece that I could be comfortable and sleep with it. There are many types, try several to be sure.

Steve

 

[trekbiker61]

Crabkiller, I'm interested in info on the battery you are using. I was caught in an ice storm while travelling a few weeks ago and the hotel lost power. I spent a miserable night trying to sleep sitting in a chair trying to breath. I am now wanting to get a battery and invertor to make sure this doesn't happen again. Thanks in advance.

 

[hunzee]

No problemo.

Check out http://www.cpap.com/?gclid=CJLI2bH885gCFSQhDQoddlcM0g
snd http://www.cpaptalk.com/CPAP-Sleep-Apnea-Forum.html?sid=45c0700e0dc734a9633fe02ad9f5a76c’ They have travel units.

Find the one you want and have your doctor write a prescription for it.

 

[Keghead]

I've been using a CPAP for about seven weeks. Based upon my research and experience, I recommend that you INSIST that the machine you receive have pressure relief capability so that the pressure reduces when you exhale... this makes a CPAP much more comfortable to use. Comfort helps ensure successful use and better sleep so do what you can to be comfortable... it'll make your success more likely.

 

[IDWingrider]

I just got my CPAP the other day, so am still getting used to it. It is a ResMed compact model that has a humidifier with heater and is very quiet. It must have built in pressure relief, as I have no problems exhaling. This big thing is wearing the face piece. They supplied the nasal pillows which seem to work OK, but the end of my nose gets irritated so I just may investigate using one of the regular masks. I just hate sleeping with the mask on, but my wife says I no longer snore and she doesn't wake up to me gagging for breath, so I guess it's working. I normally have several periods of waking up during the night, so I really don't know what a full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep is like.

I will begin trying to come up with a way to pack the machine with me on motorycycle trips without having to sacrifice room for my other stuff.

 

[Mr X]

I started using a CPAP in Nov and still have difficulty getting more than 5~6 hours steady sleep. I actually slept more restfully before getting this thing. The doc prescribed Ambien last week to aid with the sleep duration and it seems to be helping.

The machine is really quiet so I suspect my issue is the mask (tried the nasal fitting first but was getting nosebleeds from the pressure of it). The mask fits well until sideways pressure is applied to it during the night when I turn over and the noise of the air leak wakes me.

My machine is a ResMed EscapeII with heated humidifier. The carry case is small enough to fit in the bags or trunk so travel with it shouldn't be a problem. Just need to keep a supply of distilled water on hand.

 

[Ironmountain]

Sleep apnea advise!!!!

1947,

JUST IN CASE YOU HAVE A HARD TIME WITH THE CPAP MACHINE AS I DID DUE TO THE CONSTANT PRESSURE AND CONFINEMENT OF THE MASK, MY DOCTOR PUT ME ON A BIPAP MACHINE WEARING A REAL CONFORTABLE HARNESS AND NOSE PILLOWS MADE BY RESPERONICS. A BIPAP MACHINES APPLIES PRESSURE WHEN YOU ARE INHALING AND PRODUCES A LIGHTER BACK PRESSURE WHEN EXHALING. THIS MACHINE INCREASED MY COMFORT LEVEL 100%. THE NEXT TIME I SAW THE DOCTOR I TOLD HIM HE SHOULD RUN FOR PRESIDENT. BY THE WAY THE WIFE LOVES ME AGAIN.


GOOD LUCK:thumbup:
PGHP2P
PITTSBURGH, PA

 

[fmgsr]

BI-PAP the way to go. I sleep like a baby now. Before, I would sleep 45 minutes at a time. Sleepwalking and all, Falling asleep driving and riding the bike. C-Pap, I tried, couldn't stand the constant pressure, but the bi-pap is great, ASK YOUR DOCTOR

 

[Matt(BCNV)]

I have a quick question and NO OFFENCE, but are any of you gents of "Normal" build and frame? The reason I ask is, I was very overwieght and I could wake the dead with my snore. I lost a ton of weight.... no more snore... Just wondering..

Matt(BCNV)

 

[caipira]

I started using the Resmed Escape II about 2 weeks ago. It's a real small unit that runs on 12 volts DC or 110 volts AC. I use the humidifier which doubles the size, but with both in the travel bag with hose and mask it's about the same size as a laptop in the travel bag.

Mine has been working great and seems to be getting better as I learn more about it. Without the humidifier my mouth gets real dry which wakes me up. If you want to use the humidifier and camp you will need a battery and a TRUE sine wave inverter. If you are ok without the humidifier then you will be good to go with 12 volts only. The humidifier requires the 110VAC. Took a bit of research for me to get that sorted out. I'm big into camping and need the 12 volt capabilities not to mention living in Louisiana and power outages.

The clinician (spelling) at the sleep clinic I go to rides a Goldwing trike and also uses CPAP. He knew exactly what I needed and fixed me up.
I was having trouble with the mask leaking and discovered that I wasn't putting the seals back in the mask properly after daily cleaning. Fixed that and all is well.

It's basically a mechanical system. Look at it in a positive mechanical way and you'll figure it out. I also spent the first week playing with the humidfier. Changing settings and sleeping with and without the humidifier taught me a lot.

The only problem I have is going to bed early. I work a 7&7 schedule and work nights. Takes me a week to swap over and then it's time to start nights again.
Go to www.cpap.com and click on the forum. You'll learn a lot.
Hopefully your insurance will cover the machine you decide on.

 

[caipira]

6' 1" and about 235 lbs. Need to lose about 25 lbs but have snored since I weighed 200 lbs. I can rattle the windows and be heard through walls.
Sinus contributes some but the weight probably makes up the difference.

 

[Paul Woodford]

I have an older one with an external humidifier, but it all fits in a case I can strap to the rear seat. I ride solo so that's no problem.

I worked for the VA hospital a couple of years and talked to a lot of patients about their experiences with CPAP machines. Too many people refuse to adjust to the mask and simply give up on using their CPAP machines. All I can say is, make yourself sleep with it and get used to the mask. It really will change your life. And don't do surgery. You'll just damage your nasal passages or throat, and you'll be back in apnea-land within a year or so.

I'm considerably overweight and no doubt that contributes to my sleep apnea, but in fact I've had sleep apnea since I was in my young 30s, when I was thin. I was probably getting only two hours of sleep a night, but was young enough and strong enough to stay awake all day. But once I got into my early 50s I started nodding off at work and couldn't trust myself to drive or ride long distances. The CPAP has made all the difference.

 

[bjcarter2]

I am 6' and 200 lbs. I was diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

I use M-Series CPAP-w/CFLEX by Respironics. It has an integrated humidifier. It is super quiet and not very large. When packaged up to travel it measures 10"x8"x6" and weighs only a few pounds.

 

[Timmer]

I've been on a CPAP for over 3 years using a RESMED S-8 machine. Those 3 years really didn't provide relief until I recently changed from Nasal Pillows to a Full Face Mask. WOW what a difference. I now wake up fully rested and awake.

Re: which machine, I came to my appointment with the sleep doctor with the model that I wanted and he prescribed it.

I'm now going to purchase an Everest AEIOU which has a battery system that can be charged on the Wing so I can continue camping and still continue my therapy. While my RESMED unit can be battery powered, it specifies some heavy batteries that I'm not prepared to carry on the Wing or my F650GS.

 

[Redtrk]

I have it and was set up with a CPAP a couple years ago. The pressure was set to 17 which is pretty high. In the last 8 months i've lost 65 lbs and they lowered the pressure to 12 a few months ago. Now I don't use it at all. It seems the weight loss helped a lot.