First night- now some questions??

[carolynn]

I had a good first night!! so glad I stayed strong-because of info here- and kept pushing for the AutoSet!! Thanks so much
my mask fit was good
AHI 0.8
so I guess that means things are working well. I liked the nasal pillows, but did have a little high pitched noises/whistling at the beginning, but it didn't keep me awake.

this morning I played with the machine in the Clinical set up mode and have a few Questions..
1) my range was set from 7-20, I changed it to 5-20, but 20 seems high to me and the range seems pretty big. Does that matter? When I was first perscribed a CPAP it was to be set at 7, but in the study, both 5 and 6 were showing 0 events so I thought the technition said he thought it was to be set lower.. I never saw the new perscription for the Auto from the dr. (who talked to the DME and wanted to know why I wanted the Auto in the first place- the DME fought for me!!), so did he maybe have to set it at 7-20?
2) should the EPR be set on?
3) What is smart start and what should that be set at?

Thanks! i am sure I will have more Questions, but these are my first....

[Shastzi]

Hi Carolynn,


The S9 autoset is notorius for the stupid little whistling noise.
I run a window A/C unit and de-humidifier in the same room and they drown it out quite well!
(any kind of white noise generator will do)

[Cobra4x4]

this morning I played with the machine in the Clinical set up mode and have a few Questions..
1) my range was set from 7-20, I changed it to 5-20, but 20 seems high to me and the range seems pretty big. Does that matter? When I was first perscribed a CPAP it was to be set at 7, but in the study, both 5 and 6 were showing 0 events so I thought the technition said he thought it was to be set lower.. I never saw the new perscription for the Auto from the dr. (who talked to the DME and wanted to know why I wanted the Auto in the first place- the DME fought for me!!), so did he maybe have to set it at 7-20?
2) should the EPR be set on?
3) What is smart start and what should that be set at?

Thanks! i am sure I will have more Questions, but these are my first....

1. A wide range is usually not recommended as the machine can't react fast enough to events. Its been suggested that the range be set no more than 2cm less and no more than 3cm above than your titrated pressure. I would suggest trying a range of 6cm to 10cm. Most people find if you go too low it feels like your suffocating due to lack of air flow.

2. EPR = exhale pressure relief , This makes it easier to exhale against the air pressure coming in through the mask. This lowers the air pressure while you exhale by the value your machine is set for ( 1=1cm 2=2cm & 3=3cm ).

3. Most of us have smart start turned off as we just use the on/off button.

Good luck and great on you for the good start to your therapy. There will be a few bumps ahead as your body goes through changes but its normal. If you have any concerns please feel free to ask.

[Shastzi]

In order to get the machine adjusted properly you'll need to use SleepyHead software with it to analyze the data it
collects each night. (Free!)
It's not hard to learn and gives you a valuable tool to help schedule the best therapy for YOU.

Lots of folks here to help you get that set up too.

Win-Win.

Cheers!

[carolynn]

I am planning to download SleepyHead software, but waiting for my son to help me.. I have a macBook Air which does not have a card reader. I was also waiting to get a couple of nights with the basics, but maybe this is needed sooner than later..
Do I read the card every day?
SO much to learn as a newbie!!!

but still thrilled I got the right machine

[zonk]

I had a good first night!! so glad I stayed strong-because of info here- and kept pushing for the AutoSet!! Thanks so much
my mask fit was good
AHI 0.8
so I guess that means things are working well.

Congrats. Good mask fit is essential for effective treatment

I would not change a thing right now ... if not broken, no fixing is required

Whats the pressure, leak shown on the sleep report
Pressure, leak, AHI, AI, CAI shown in advanced information menu

To access advanced Info menu, press and hold the Info and Setup buttons for three seconds and then set the period to one day

95% percentile pressure and leak shown on sleep report means pressure and leak was at and below that number for 95% of the time

This would give you an indication where pressure range ought to be providing leak well controlled (below 24 L/min)
Software can provide additional information and detailed data graphs

[carolynn]

Pressure- 8.2
Leak 7ml/min
AHI 0.9
AI 0.9
CAI 0.8

SO... what does all of this mean

[zonk]

Pressure- 8.2
Leak 7ml/min
AHI 0.9
AI 0.9
CAI 0.8

SO... what does all of this mean

It means pressure been at or below 8.2 for 95% of the time using the machine ... also mean minimum pressure at 7 doing a good job
The same apply to leak, been at and below 7L/min for 95% of the time using the machine ... also means leak well controlled = excellent results

If wanted you can drop the maximum pressure as the S9 unlikely to go there

[jgjones1972]

What Zonk said.

Great results. It would probably be best to wait till you see the pressure charts on Sleepy Head until lowering the max pressure setting - if you want to lower it at all. Many folks will look at the data every day until they see what's going on and get everything adjusted just right, then look at the data every few days. Make sure to download the data at least every 7 days though or you will lose the high detail data because the machine only leaves 7 days of that on the card.

If you aren't having any trouble without EPR, I wouldn't mess with it. If you feel like you are having a hard time breathing out against the pressure then EPR might help. Some claim it can raise AHI though.

Smart Start just makes the machine turn on automatically when you put on your mask and breath and shut off when you take the mask off. I've never found it useful because pressing a button isn't all that hard, but it's there if you think it might be handy.

[PaulaO2]

My advice is simple:

Leave it alone.

Elongated version:

View the data each day just to get a feel for what you can do with the software. Figure that beastie out first. It will also give you the chance to see your daily results and start noticing trends or averages or whatever.

If, on day 5 or so, you see you never go over a certain point, go ahead and lower that top number. Same with the bottom. If you see the only time you are at the lowest start is when you first lay down, you may want to consider raising it. But, really, only if you have trouble with it. (I couldn't breathe with a pressure that low! I mean, I know I would be getting enough air but I'm so used to my higher pressure!)

The goal is to observe the data and reach some tentative conclusions. Sometimes an APAP will "run off" and race to the max setting. My theory is they are like any computer: Sometimes you just need to do a hard boot. So by narrowing down that range a bit, you have better control over the thing.

It will take about 2-3 months for you to reach solid conclusions. By then, you'll know what is within your norm and what is not. And remember, an odd night here and there is normal for all of us. (Zonk and I fully believe it is alien abductions messing with the data. Their systems are not compatible with ours and it messes stuff up.)

Just like with any other health condition, there's going to be constant changes in us. Our blood pressure is never the same so why should our apnea events be? Some nights, I have more central than obstructive. Other nights, I have loooong hypopnea events. (aliens, really!)