Another newbie question

[vsheline]

As a side note: last night I must have pulled my mask off very soon after I fell asleep and only put it on again about an hour before I had to get up. My goodness, what difference! I was dragging all day long. I probably felt like this for years before I started my therapy. I probably didn't realize how nice it is to get a good nights sleep.

Hi Mike,

If you are pulling the mask off because you feel like you're not getting enough air, it will help to raise the minimum pressure. I suggest trying 8-12 rather than your pressent 5-12.

Are you looking at your data at least weekly?

What was the pressure when you pulled the mask off in the night? If it was low, raising minimum pressure is sure to help. If pressure was max'ed out at 12, increasing max pressure may help.

Take care,
--- Vaughn

[Mike in Toronto]

As a side note: last night I must have pulled my mask off very soon after I fell asleep and only put it on again about an hour before I had to get up. My goodness, what difference! I was dragging all day long. I probably felt like this for years before I started my therapy. I probably didn't realize how nice it is to get a good nights sleep.

Hi Mike,

If you are pulling the mask off because you feel like you're not getting enough air, it will help to raise the minimum pressure. I suggest trying 8-12 rather than your pressent 5-12.

Are you looking at your data at least weekly?

What was the pressure when you pulled the mask off in the night? If it was low, raising minimum pressure is sure to help. If pressure was max'ed out at 12, increasing max pressure may help.

Take care,
--- Vaughn

Thank you, that idea about pressure is interesting, especially since my pressure never seems to go below about 8. I'll check it out.

And yes I do check my data once a week but what should I be looking for?

Thanks

Mike

[vsheline]

And yes I do check my data once a week but what should I be looking for?

Hi Mike,

I suggest using ResScan 4.2 to look at the time plot of pressure so you can see in the Detailed Data what was the pressure when you pulled the mask off in the night.

Take care,
--- Vaughn

[Mike in Toronto]

And yes I do check my data once a week but what should I be looking for?

Hi Mike,

I suggest using ResScan 4.2 to look at the time plot of pressure so you can see in the Detailed Data what was the pressure when you pulled the mask off in the night.

Take care,
--- Vaughn

Thanks. That makes sense I'll take a look.

Any thing else I should look out for?

Mike in Tranna

[PaulaO2]

I look mostly at the flow rate, although I'm still not sure what I am looking at. I've seen enough of them now that I know what normal looks like, or at least normal for me.

I look at length of events, number of events, and what kinds of events. I also look at the leaks. If I had a long event, I check to see if a leak happened at the same time. Any large leak that has a reported event in it, that event is skewed. It could or could not have happened.

I also look at the pressure graph. How often did it hit max, if at all? Did a "clear airway" event happen at peak pressures?

Look at each graph then do research on what each one means. I will sometimes glance at the snore graph but not very often. Tidal volume I look at but, like flow rate, haven't a clue what it means really.

[laddie]

I've had mine less than two weeks, during which time I went to WI and took my humidifier and also use it here in the Houston humidity and wouldn't do without it. It's set on 80. Hope this helps.

[vsheline]

I look mostly at the flow rate, although I'm still not sure what I am looking at. I've seen enough of them now that I know what normal looks like, or at least normal for me.

I look at length of events, number of events, and what kinds of events. I also look at the leaks. If I had a long event, I check to see if a leak happened at the same time. Any large leak that has a reported event in it, that event is skewed. It could or could not have happened.

I also look at the pressure graph. How often did it hit max, if at all? Did a "clear airway" event happen at peak pressures?

Look at each graph then do research on what each one means. I will sometimes glance at the snore graph but not very often. Tidal volume I look at but, like flow rate, haven't a clue what it means really.

Hi PaulaO2,

That's a good list of things to look at.

On ResMed S9 machines, the Flow is the volume per unit time of airflow the machine calculates is flowing into and out of your airway. Inhale is shown as positive (up) and exhale is shown as negative (down). This is one of the two "high rate" waveforms with values calculated 25 times per second. The "high rate" pressure waveform (of pressure in the mask) is also calculated 25 times a second.

The regular rate pressure waveform and the other regular rate waveforms are recorded once or twice per second.

The Tidal Volume (reported in milliliters) is the calculated average volume of air entering or exiting the airway during one breath. It is an average over the most recent 5 or 6 breaths. The Tidal Volume includes both the air reaching the alvioli in the lungs and the air remaining in the airway (nose, throat, bronchial tubes), so if the Tidal Volume becomes very small (when breathing becomes too shallow) fresh air might not be reaching the alvioli in the lungs, where it is needed to reach the blood.

The Minute Volume is the average air volume per breath (Tidal Volume) times the number of breaths per minute, except reported in Liters instead of milliliters. If breathing is very shallow but rapid, the Minute Volume may look large enough to seem normal but very little of the Minute Volume may be actually reaching the alvioli where the air is needed.

Take care,
--- Vaughn