Newbie needs help
Awhile ago I had a sleep study that showed some I had pretty bad sleep apnea, but I couldn't afford to do anything about it. I recently came across an almost new REMstar Auto M Series and I'm excited to use it. I cleaned the machine and mask really well, put water I the humidifier and strapped it on. Now I need help with the settings because I really don't understand how sleep apnea or c-pap machines work.
The air was going in my nose but every so often it seemed like the air would be cut of, not from the machine but in my face. Is that the basic issue of apnea? If so, is the solution to turn up the air flow? It was set at 4. Should I just turn up the air until it is a steady flow through my system?
Secondly, after a few minutes my nose started to hurt. I think it was drying out. I only had the humidifier set to 1, so I assume that turning it up will fix that problem. Is that correct?
I know these are basic questions but I couldn't find any other resource for information and without health insurance, I can't afford to visit the doctor.
05-25-2012, 11:26 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-25-2012, 11:27 AM by Rritch.)
RE: Newbie needs help
(05-25-2012, 10:54 AM)ntester Wrote: Awhile ago I had a sleep study that showed some I had pretty bad sleep apnea, but I couldn't afford to do anything about it. I recently came across an almost new REMstar Auto M Series and I'm excited to use it. I cleaned the machine and mask really well, put water I the humidifier and strapped it on. Now I need help with the settings because I really don't understand how sleep apnea or c-pap machines work.
The air was going in my nose but every so often it seemed like the air would be cut of, not from the machine but in my face. Is that the basic issue of apnea? If so, is the solution to turn up the air flow? It was set at 4. Should I just turn up the air until it is a steady flow through my system?
Secondly, after a few minutes my nose started to hurt. I think it was drying out. I only had the humidifier set to 1, so I assume that turning it up will fix that problem. Is that correct?
I know these are basic questions but I couldn't find any other resource for information and without health insurance, I can't afford to visit the doctor.
When you had the sleep study before did they do a Titration study to determine what pressure you needed, or do you at least know what your AHI and O2 levels were? 4 is a very low pressure and would make many people feel like they are suffocating. I think that the best advice is to consult a physician before trying to self treat. If that truly is not an option, I would get a copy of the clinician manual and look into setting it up in auto mode. That way at least you reduce the chances of having either too little or too much pressure. You could start with a fairly wide pressure range and then over time dial it in based on the data. Again, I have to stress though that it is best to consult a physician if at all possible.
RE: Newbie needs help
You should start by calling the place that did the sleep study and have them send you copies of the results. It's hard to figure out how to get where you want to go when you don't even know where you are.
RE: Newbie needs help
Thank you for the advice. I called the doctor who gave the original study. They said that it would around $2,000 for a new study, so that really isn't an option. They are going to send me the results from the previous study, hopefully I'll be able to understand and use them. I found the provider quick set up guide so I will try to set it to auto.When you said to use the data to dial in the appropriate pressure, what do you mean? I don't see anything on data gathering in the manual, though the machine does have some kind of smart card. What does that do?
RE: Newbie needs help
(05-25-2012, 03:00 PM)ntester Wrote: Thank you for the advice. I called the doctor who gave the original study. They said that it would around $2,000 for a new study, so that really isn't an option. They are going to send me the results from the previous study, hopefully I'll be able to understand and use them. I found the provider quick set up guide so I will try to set it to auto.When you said to use the data to dial in the appropriate pressure, what do you mean? I don't see anything on data gathering in the manual, though the machine does have some kind of smart card. What does that do?
You plug the data card into your computer and use software to read the data. I use SleepyHead (your friend, Mr. Google, can find it for you).
You probably want to start by purging the machine of the old owner's data. You can use the Clinician's manual to figure out how to do that. You also want to wipe out the previous owner's data from the card.* I have a different brand of machine, so I'm not sure how to do it on your machine. And I seem to remember something about older Resmed machines used a proprietary smart card that you needed their adapter for, but hopefully the card for your machine will just plug into your computer.
*Before wiping out the previous owner's data, install SleepyHead and get it to read the card. It will be someone else's data, but at least you can get the software working and start learning to interpret the graphs that the software will give you.
The cool thing about the data is that you can just plug the card into your computer every morning and see how you did the night before. I started back in early April and I'm still tweaking things trying to maximize the therapy. Plan on spending a long time learning and finagling.
Not having insurance sucks, but you can do a lot on your own.
RE: Newbie needs help
You can find information about SleepyHead here:
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-P...-and-Links
There's also several threads in this section (as in where you are right now) about the software and how to use it)
PaulaO
Take a deep breath and count to zen.
05-25-2012, 07:39 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-25-2012, 07:43 PM by zonk.)
RE: Newbie needs help
SleepyHead is no good for the M series just for the newer PR System One Pro and Auto. For the M series you need Respironcis Encore Pro and you should be able to see therapy statistics on the machine LCD screen.
Edit: May be Onkar another free source software might be compatible with the M series but have to check
RE: Newbie needs help
(05-25-2012, 03:00 PM)ntester Wrote: I found the provider quick set up guide so I will try to set it to auto.When you said to use the data to dial in the appropriate pressure, what do you mean?
You should see a doctor so he can prescribe the appropriate range of pressures for you. For example, suppose you had it set in auto mode to a pressure range between 4 and 12. The machine would automatically set the pressure somewhere between 4 and 12, based on the number of obstructive apneas it dectects you're having. The more apneas you have, the higher it'll set the pressure.
When you look at the data you see what pressure the machine selected for you and the number of apneas you experienced while sleeping. If, for example, it kept adjusting the pressure up towards the maximum of 12, and you still were experiencing too many obstructive apneas, you would increase the upper end of the pressure range.
Things can get complicated, though. Sometimes the CPAP machine can induce apneas and hypopneas, even though you're not experiencing any obstructive apneas. If this happens and you raise the pressure, you could induce even more apneas and hypopneas.
You really should be under the care of a doctor who can monitor your therapy and adjust the pressure for you. Especially at first as you try to learn this stuff.
Sleepster
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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