New to board. Struggling on bipap

[DeadAndTired]

I am new to board and am really struggling on the high pressure of my bipap. I have gone from auto pap which I was happy on and was very used to but tired because lately APAP was not controlling apneas when on my back, to recently being given bipap St and I am really not getting on with it.

I am striggling with in and out breaths I am not in sinc for some reason. Been back and forth at least a dozen times to have settings adjusted by sleep tech but settings are still not right.
My set pressures are 8 15 BPM 10

On auto pap pressures varied hugely from 8 to 19

Any suggestions would be gratefully received on what I could try for myself on my new bipap?

[Gabby]

Welcome Deadand Tired. Sorry you are feeling so bad.. Your machine, mask and high pressure are all different to what I am used to so unable to offer advice.
It won't be long until the more skilled commenters will be along to advise and help you.
Hang in there because once everything is working in sync. you will start to feel great.
Good luck.

[DeadAndTired]

Thanks Gabby,appreciate your welcome.

[jaycee]

An ST with back up rate is usually used for someone having "central" apneas. Usually someone is put on that AFTER having another sleep study done.

Does it say anything else on the machine (so we know which model you have)?

Are the problems you are having with the pressure happening before you get to sleep or waking from sleep?

There are many subtle settings on a BIPAP ST that can alter the way both your spontaneous breaths are delivered as well as that back up breaths are delivered. Knowing when you are having problems will help figure out which of these settings might need to be altered.

[trish6hundred]

Hi DeadAndTired,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Hang in there for more suggestions to help you with your Bi-PAP machine.
Best of luck to you.

[DeadAndTired]

The machine is a phillips respironics System one bipap st. I struggle with both the in breath and out breath when going to sleep.

I wake up often during the night , feeling shattered and terrible, heart beating wildly. In the morning I feel terrible, with heart still pounding at a really fast rate.

I felt bad on auto pap but on bipap I feel much worst. I did not get these terrible feelings on auto pap. I have gone from the frying pan into the fire!

Is it normal to feel this way on bipap? Do others have such a struggle getting the settings right?

[robysue]

The machine is a phillips respironics System one bipap st. I struggle with both the in breath and out breath when going to sleep.

You should report this to your sleep doctor. For most people, the difference between IPAP and EPAP is usually enough to make breathing with a BiPAP feel more natural than a CPAP/APAP if they were struggling with a CPAP/APAP.

But were you happy with your old APAP with it's range of 8-19cm?

Regardless, you need to clarify why you were switched over to the BiPAP ST with a backup respiratory rate of 10 breaths per minute.

Also: What APAP were you using? A Resmed S9 or a PR System One?

Also: Do you know if the BiFlex is turned on on your PR System One BiPAP? It may be that you either don't like it (if it is turned on) or need it (if it is NOT turned on). When you are looking at the machine's LCD, what does the upper left corner say---when the machine is NOT turned on?

I wake up often during the night , feeling shattered and terrible, heart beating wildly. In the morning I feel terrible, with heart still pounding at a really fast rate.

I felt bad on auto pap but on bipap I feel much worst. I did not get these terrible feelings on auto pap. I have gone from the frying pan into the fire!

Again you need to report these things to the sleep doctor.

Is it normal to feel this way on bipap? Do others have such a struggle getting the settings right?

In my case, sleeping with the BiPAP was much more comfortable than sleeping with the S9 AutoSet I started out with. But even so, it took another 6-9 months of therapy before I was really beginning to sleep decently most nights with the BiPAP. And it took a lot of work with the PA to fine tune the settings.

[jaycee]

I concur. Report what is happening to your sleep doctor.

[DeadAndTired]

I Have been forwards and backwards without success.

[Bama Rambler]

Try commenting on/answering a few of RobySue's comments and questions and maybe someone will spot something and give you some advice as to what to look at.

Also, if you have any reports from your old machine, that might help.