Getting The CPAP Machine, What I Didn’t Do And What You Should Do

It was about two weeks after the third sleep study that I got setup with the DME provider (Apria) to get a CPAP, by this time I was ready because I was feeling the worst I’d felt in forever. As much trouble as I’d had with the sleep studies getting to that point, I was in good spirits because the last study had gone pretty good, and my friends who are diehard hoseheads kept telling me the CPAP was the ticket. I wasn’t even all that concerned about being able to sleep with it because the doctor had ordered 10mg of Ambien I could take nightly so going to sleep hopefully wouldn’t be a problem.

Before I get into what happened or better, what didn’t happen when I picked up the CPAP, let me just say, if you’re shy or we’ll call it “reserved” in anyway (even if you’re not), then take someone with you that knows something about CPAP’s. Better still, find someone that uses one and get them to go with you or if the DME is coming to you have them drop by. I say this because if you go into this cold, then you’re probably going to just trust the RT that’s setting you up because you’re a patient and they care right? Wrong, at least not all the time, I’m sure there are exceptions out there. The biggest mistake I know I made with the CPAP was not being more educated before I went to get it. Looking back, there’s a number of things I’d do differently.

In my case, I trusted the Respiratory Therapist, assuming he knew what he was doing and wasn’t just putting the hours in. Not that he did a bad job and I can only imagine how many times a day they do the same thing over and over but I got the distinct impression for him it was just a job and not what he became an RT for. Anyway, he did his script, went through the “How To” for a Resmed M Series DS100 CPAP Machine with Heated Humidifier, how it worked, how to clean it, etc. Then he gave me a Resmed Mirage Quattro Full Face Mask with Headgear. After putting it on and him performing a quick adjustment, he hooked it up, fiddled with it some more until it seemed not to leak, packed everything up and I was out the door on my way home. Anyone who’s been through this can probably point out where the failures started.

Hindsight being what it is, I failed with CPAP for numerous reasons but being ignorant about the whole thing to begin with was a large contributing factor. Since then I’ve done a lot of research and if I had to, or ever do, do it again I’d be pretty particular about the type of machine I wanted. Most are very loud, especially with humidifiers and like all things, the DME’s have their favorite/preferred suppliers they like to use. I don’t necessarily have a preferred machine, but doing this over again I would have researched the available machines BEFORE I went in, read the feedback on them from some place like CPAP.com or the Sleep Apnea Support Forum and tried to come up with a short list of what I thought might work best for me (I knew going in if it was a loud machine I’d have a problem yet I didn’t address that while I was there).

Next and even more important than the machine is being familiar with the types of masks out there. The mask will make or break your success with CPAP. Period! No two faces are the same and no one mask is going to work for everyone. The mask I got was one of the newest out there (still is I think), it’s also a very popular mask but I had continual problems with it leaking. The downside is, the DME my insurance uses is almost an hour and half away, so it’s not a simple thing of just running down there to get a new mask, I’m sure they would have tried to accommodate me. Thanks to CPAP.com and their return insurance I was able to try several masks without incurring the full expense but what I should have done was asked to try all the masks the DME had available while I was there instead of accepting the one I was given simply on faith.

I can’t fault the DME completely, sure they could treat their patients like patients and not like cattle but I can get past that. The real problem was me and my lack of knowledge of the subject. So, if you’ve been diagnosed and are about to get your machine, remember, the DME is acting on a prescription and their experience/preference in manufacturers but ultimately you’re the one who has to use the equipment you’re given, get educated and ask questions. Try all the masks even if you don’t think you’ll like one (full face, nasal mask and nasal pillow) at the very least you’ll have someone there to help you “Get It Right” and thus increase your chances of success dramatically.