A reference to APAP being bad for you

[Tigers Fan]

I can't find the thread in which someoen asserted that APAP is bad for you but I have come across a reference -

It's in "This Book Blows: A CPAP bedside companion" by Mike Moran (iUniverse; ISBN 0-595-37984-2) which is a sideways look and general mickey-take about everything CPAP.

On Page 87, Equipment Evaluation, aimed at CPAP sales people, he says' "In this course you will be provided all the reasons your patients should avoid OnLine DME's and how APAP equipment will degrade their therapy." He is being utterly sarcastic and not commenting on APAP therapy.

Tigers Fan

[James @ Intus]

I wonder which reasons he lists.

It's true that in some cases APAP makes no difference (and hence could be a waste of money) and in very rare cases (mainly in cases with respiratory ailments, COPD etc.) it may make it less likely to 'work' and that's why everyone needs a decent sleep study along with examination of their medical history and careful patient and equipment selection.

Buying something willy-nilly off the web is never a good idea, no matter whether it's a sofa, an iPod, CPAP machine, Russian Bride, home insurance or a holiday. The buyer and the seller need to feel confident they come up with the right solution to the buyer's needs.

An APAP does sometimes give people a possibly false sense of being taken care of so they then avoid follow-ups, don't stick to weight management programs or generally slack off in other areas of health. It takes a degree of determination and discipline to manage OSA, just one purchase or bit of kit won't tackle everything.

So, point partly taken, but saying APAP degrades someone's therapy as a blanket rule is of course way off the mark. A large number of members here are on APAP and love it almost every night.

[Tigers Fan]

A light mood

Yes, James, very wise!

The point is that the book is a sideways look and general mickey-take about all things CPAP. He was being facitious. In context it is funny.

I bought my APAP on-line, in a willy-nilly un-informed sort of way. It was the best tech spec machine I could find and would therefore give me the best therapy available. Experience of the machine has verified my reasoning.

I don't need or want a relationship with any vendor beyond knowing s/he gives good service including aftersales and sells at the best possible price. This does not prevent us being friends.

I take great note of your third paragraph! I am guilty of thinking that I could find an engineered solution to OSA. Never mind that the NHS reinforced my thinking by discharging me from the Resp Centre because I had bought my own APAP. B****r - so I'm still responsible for my own health!

I'm not sure I love my APAP every night - but I sleep with only it and care for it very lovingly. Mind, I hide it's light under a bushel as best I can - a soft specs case, anyway.

Tigers Fan

[James @ Intus]

In the end of the day you are a free man in a free country and you excersized your rights of freedom to purchase what you deem approrpiate for you. It sounds like you did enough homework for it to work anyway.

The book sounds like a decent read, I'll have a look on Amazon for it. Thanks for the tip.

[Tigers Fan]

Ahem!

Not a book I recommend. I laughed to fall off my perch for the first few pages but then it grew very wearing.

Mind you, a lot of Forum members would recognise aspects of themselves within its pages - I certainly did!

In fact, PM me an address and I'll mail you my copy. Not a book I'd read twice!

Tigers Fan

[wantsomeenergy]

Oh noooooo now Im worried ... I suppose i was in the Willy Nilly category too! Mine is borne out of exasperation with the NHS and I figured I would just do it all myself ...

How likely is APAP to work then? I had begun to belive that APAP was superior to CPAP - is this mistaken?

Thank you

WSE

[James @ Intus]

How likely it is to work ties in with the diagnosis. If you "just" have OSA, it's extremely likely to work. PAP in itself is clinically almost 100% guaranteed to work, whether the person gets on with it is a different story.

Most people get titrated on an APAP and then get a CPAP. I hear far more complaints from this category than those who went from a CPAP to an APAP.

[Sleep2Snore]

wantsomeenergy, if you suffer from OSA it will almost certainly work for you.

You just have to find out that it is OSA you suffer from, only tests will find this out. Though you can get a good idea by just watching someone sleep, but this is not a guarantee. Tests are the only sure way.

Finding the right mask, nasal pillows etc., is a bit of a trial and error I found, unless you find someone with a large stock of masks and time to let you try various masks.

Don't let it put you off, push to get tested and buy a machine of your own if you have to wait a long time for one. It is well worth the investment if you have to wait.

[mart9012]

hmm my ignorance is showing here.

I have an old Resmed S6 light machine that hums and whizzes its magic on my breathing through the night quite well. It isn't the height of technology I would imagine and I wonder if my feelings of wanting to upgrade to "better" newer tech is actually without any foundation in actual need. I have a lot of issues with mask leaks (despite my quattro mask) and probably this is more valid than my machine function.

How can I know if an APAP machine would be better for me than my current CPAP wheezer?

[Tigers Fan]

By definition

Hi mart9012

As far as I am concerned, APAP is better than CPAP by definition but James tells us that not all APAP machine have exhalation relief so we have to modify it thus -

APAP with exhalation relief is better than CPAP by definition. They are also more expensive and harder to come by from the NHS, unless you live in one of the few 'enlightened' post code areas.

Tigers Fan