Help and advice changing pressure setting
Hello,
I was diagnosed with "mild sleep apnea". My Sleep doctor has set the pressure setting to 7. I think the scale on this machine goes to 20.
I was prescribed a REMstar Pro C-Flex Auto IQ machine with nasal pillow after a sleep study. During the study I was able to wear a face mask for a full 4 hours and felt pretty comfortable.
I am assuming that for the study they use a setting in the middle of the scale to evaluate, but I'm not sure.
The Cpap supplier recommended a nasal pillow, so I gave it a try.
Having bad plant allergies and a stuffy nose I opted for the mask after trying the nasal pillow(large) for two nights without success. My problem is this: The mask seals well, but I don't feel like I'm getting enough air. When I breath I can feel the mask sucking in against my face. I haven't been able to wear it for more than an hour. I'd like to change the setting to a higher number and have seen the instructions to do that on this site,however I cannot find the clinicians manual for my particular unit so I'm not quite sure exactly where in the clinicians set-up menu to bump up the setting from 7 to a high number. Does anyone here have this machine and can help in changing the pressure setting? Any advice would be appreciated.
RE: Help and advice changing pressure setting
There's other things to check first.
No matter what mask, you are getting the same amount of air to your nose. What changes from mask to mask is our perception of how much air we are getting. For example, the feel of the mask moving may be making you think you are sucking in more than the machine is giving you. Some feel extremely claustrophobic with full face masks, others feel more that way with nasal pillows.
Do you have the ramp turned on? If so, how long does it last before it reaches full on?
Does your machine have any sort of "breathing relief" settings? Ah, yes, C-Flex. If changing the ramp settings do not work, try changing (if you can) the settings for the C-Flex options.
RE: Help and advice changing pressure setting
(04-07-2012, 12:22 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: There's other things to check first.
No matter what mask, you are getting the same amount of air to your nose. What changes from mask to mask is our perception of how much air we are getting. For example, the feel of the mask moving may be making you think you are sucking in more than the machine is giving you. Some feel extremely claustrophobic with full face masks, others feel more that way with nasal pillows.
Do you have the ramp turned on? If so, how long does it last before it reaches full on?
Does your machine have any sort of "breathing relief" settings? Ah, yes, C-Flex. If changing the ramp settings do not work, try changing (if you can) the settings for the C-Flex options.
Hi and thanks for your reply.
I feel like I have to strain slightly to breath with either appliance (mask or nasal pillow, set to 7. After awhile, I find myself have to deeply inhale over and over. I did change the C-flex settings from 3 to 1, but it didn't make much of a difference in perception. The ramp feature is off.
It is set to go full on after 45 minutes, but I don't use it.
I changed the pressure from 7 to 8.5 and it seems more comfortable to me, but that is sitting up in bed,awake.
Cabut
RE: Help and advice changing pressure setting
How long have you been using the machine?
RE: Help and advice changing pressure setting
(04-07-2012, 12:32 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: How long have you been using the machine? 2 days, but it is so uncomfortable breathing , I can't sleep and take it off after an hour. I guess this is common?
Cabut
RE: Help and advice changing pressure setting
(04-07-2012, 12:36 PM)Cabut Wrote: (04-07-2012, 12:32 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: How long have you been using the machine? 2 days, but it is so uncomfortable breathing , I can't sleep and take it off after an hour. I guess this is common?
Cabut as silly as it sounds, when you wake up and want to take it off, leave it on, roll over and go back to sleep. once i taught myself this i quit taking it off. you've only been at it 2 days and you'll have it on til death do you part so may as well make the best of it and get used to it.
First Diagnosed July 1990
MSgt (E-7) USAF (Medic)
Retired 1968-1990
RE: Help and advice changing pressure setting
(04-07-2012, 12:45 PM)greatunclebill Wrote: (04-07-2012, 12:36 PM)Cabut Wrote: (04-07-2012, 12:32 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: How long have you been using the machine? 2 days, but it is so uncomfortable breathing , I can't sleep and take it off after an hour. I guess this is common?
Cabut as silly as it sounds, when you wake up and want to take it off, leave it on, roll over and go back to sleep. once i taught myself this i quit taking it off. you've only been at it 2 days and you'll have it on til death do you part so may as well make the best of it and get used to it.
Uncle Bill,
I would rolls over and go back to sleep, but so far sleep with these things on, isn't happening, because I don't feel like I'm getting enough air.
Thanks,
Cabut
RE: Help and advice changing pressure setting
Ah, just two days.
Start wearing it at home when you are awake. Like when you watch television or reading. Just get used to it, the feel, the mask, the works.
Yes, this is all normal. I reckon nearly all of us experienced this at some point. I got so used to my pressure of 12 that I couldn't breathe during the ramp so I turned it off. It took a week or so to get used to all that air at once but now I love it.
And stop messing with the pressure! Put it back on 7 and leave it there. Get used to it first. The pressure is for treatment, not comfort. Many people experience central apnea events when the pressure is higher. For me, they started at 8 then raised it to 10 later, one my body got used to it. Years later, I now am on 12.
RE: Help and advice changing pressure setting
(04-07-2012, 12:56 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: Ah, just two days.
Start wearing it at home when you are awake. Like when you watch television or reading. Just get used to it, the feel, the mask, the works.
Yes, this is all normal. I reckon nearly all of us experienced this at some point. I got so used to my pressure of 12 that I couldn't breathe during the ramp so I turned it off. It took a week or so to get used to all that air at once but now I love it.
And stop messing with the pressure! Put it back on 7 and leave it there. Get used to it first. The pressure is for treatment, not comfort. Many people experience central apnea events when the pressure is higher. For me, they started at 8 then raised it to 10 later, one my body got used to it. Years later, I now am on 12.
I'll do that, thanks for the advice!
RE: Help and advice changing pressure setting
They don't just start with a pressure in the middle of the range for titration. They start low and increase the pressure until it stops the apneas. I would think your problem would be worse with the ramp on as the pressure is decreased in the beginning and gradually moves up to full pressure. You really shouldn't need ramp with a pressure of 7. Increasing your pressure after two days is irresponsible. If you are having that much of a problem call the doctor. Let me get this right- you're only wearing it an hour and 45 minutes of that is ramp?
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