Philips Respironics System One REMstar SE Machine Help!

[Greggers In Toronto]

Hello everyone!

My main issue is how to get into "Setup Mode" so I can change my pressure. I'll get back to this in a moment, but if anyone knows the key combination could they please quickly post a reply for me?

CPAP has given me my quality of life back. The transformation has been incredible.

I have three very quick issues:

- When I start therapy at night (my pressure setting is currently 11) I feel the resistance. I prefer my mask VERY tight to my face, so there isn't much push and deflating. But it's there. After a few hours, I feel NO PRESSURE at all. My question is, have I adapted my breathe rhythm and the force of my inhale/exhale to the machine, and therefore don't notice the pressure? Or is my machine malfunctioning and not giving me enough pressure when I'm sleeping?


- My machine is making a hollow, almost ringing sound now. It's brand new (less than 2 weeks old) and was whisper quiet when I started. Is this a natural change? Or indicating a problem?


- I feel very empowered to monitor my own health. The Respirologist who got the sleep studies done is a VERY busy man (free healthcare in Canada means that specialists are almost always crazy-busy) and he's not really that helpful. I believe I am capable of managing my sleep issues just as effectively, bases on observation. The past two weeks since I've had the new machine (the loaner that I was given was a very sophisticated device that actually monitored my sleep patterns and came up with a recommendation, it even produced daily computer reports I accessed with SleepyHead software showing how, daily, my apnea was getting better and better) I feel the therapy is less effective now than before. The machine I mentioned is a "bare bones" CPAP machine with no diagnostic capabilities.

I want to manage the pressure myself and see if I can do any better. But I cannot figure out how to get into the settings menu.

Can anyone help me out?

So far, I've set the altitude to "3" (which means more pressure) and I've set the tubing to 22 (which hopefully has increased the pressure, but I'm not sure) and the results have been better. But I think I can do even BETTER by experimenting and being allowed to take control of this myself. I feel that incremental changes by .5 every couple of days, and monitoring how I feel, would do wonders.

Any help, advice, story-swapping or good old-fashioned banter is appreciated and will be reciprocated.

Much love, Gang. I am so happy I am feeling better.

Gregory Plytas
Toronto

[cbramsey]

Welcome to the forum!!! We are glad you joined us!!!

The machine you have is one of the PR System One series which means you can get a copy of the setup manual HERE.

You should be able to use SleepyHead software to monitor your data.

[trish6hundred]

Hi Greggers,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
It's great that you want to take charge of your therapy.
If you do change your pressure settings it is good to take a conservative approach as you suggest in your post.
Hang in there for more suggestions as to how to get into your settings and best of luck.

[Greggers In Toronto]

Hello, thanks to you both.

My machine is a Philips REMstar SE system one. It must be new, because I looked on the "Change your pressure" page as suggested and didn't see anything really near my model.

The display is weird, and probably inexpensive. It reminds me of a clock radio display. The colour of the backlight is bluish-white. It's got two arrow buttons plus symbols for all the functions, like ramp, C-Flex and so on.

If anyone can help me figure out how to access the setup menu I'd appreciate it.

Gregory

[zonk]

The SE model is a brick, basically just shows how many hours using the machine each night
No efficacy data to tell you and your doctor how the therapy is working
http://www.healthcare.philips.com/pwc_hc...IntEng.pdf

I did some google-ing and come out with couple of instructions
Don,t know how will work but try and let us know if either one works:

1- Put on the device (power key will ligth). Press both left arrow keys at once by 5 seconds: the message P-1 will appears. Then you will be able to walk along the full menu....To finish you must pres the power key (power ligth on) and the mesage P-0 indicates you are on the working situation.

2- - Press and hold the two left-most buttons and while still holding them, plug the AC cord into the back.
- Keep holding them until "P-1" appears (you're in programming mode when it does)
- Navigate using the right or left arrows, the icon that is lit up will show you where you are.
- Press the power button to enter the settings mode for whatever icon you're on.
(imagine the power button as an "enter" button)
- Use the right or left button to toggle up or down, press the power button to go back to "main" menu
- When you're done, keep pressing the right or left buttons until "P-0" appears
- Press power again and you're out of the settings mode...

[archangle]

Once you get used to the machine, many people don't feel the pressure. Feel the air stream blowing out the vent holes with your hand when you first put it on. When you feel like it's not blowing, feel the air stream to see it's blowing. You can also lift up the edge of the mask and feel the air gush out to convince yourself.

You got screwed with the Respironincs SE. Using a brick CPAP to treat a patient is like treating diabetes and only testing your blood sugar once a year or so. It's also dumb because you need another sleep test every so often if you have a brick. With a good CPAP, you collect data like a limited sleep test every night and don't need a new sleep test as often.

[Clay L]

System One machines seem to use the following:
Supply power to the device: First, plug the socket end of the AC power cord into the power supply. Then plug the pronged end of the AC power cord into an electrical outlet that is not controlled by a wall switch. Finally, plug the power supply cord's connector into the power inlet on the back of the device. Once the device is powered, the home screen appears (it is a large box on the screen with four little boxes you choose from by turning the control wheel). Turn the wheel to toggle between the 4 options and highlight "setup". Once setup is highlighted press and hold both the control wheel and ramp button on the device for at least 5 seconds. You will hear a double beep and the provider mode screen will appear. Also, you should remove the smart card prior to making adjustments, otherwise it will revert to the previous settings

[Ugly]

Hello everyone!

My main issue is how to get into "Setup Mode" so I can change my pressure. I'll get back to this in a moment, but if anyone knows the key combination could they please quickly post a reply for me?

I feel for you dude. I really feel for you They tried to saddle that clunker with me at first. As far as I know maybe they don't even make it anymore it was so horrible. I can't even find much from Philips about it. After a week or less of buttons that stick and menus that were hard to navigate I took it back. Oh I asked here about it - I discovered Apnea Board around the same time I got the damn thing. Part of my success in ditching it is that the buttons stuck and that made navigating the menus more difficult so I said "take it back" and they did. I hope you can do the same.

To everybody: this has a standard display with fixed characters on it, similar to a digital watch. It has several buttons - on mine, none of them worked well. It was quite clumsy. I returned it and got a ResMed S9 Escape. I learned that it too was a "brick" and had to argue for months with my DME until she got me an AutoSet. Part of my reasoning that she couldn't dispute: My pressure was variable based on testing with an in store unit. And that I declared she was dishonest and holding out on me by trying to dump me with the cheap model rather than one I needed.

She couldn't deny this and said that the "cheap" models (The REMstar SE and the S9 Escape) worked well for most of her patients/clients. I had her over a barrel. I had a prescription for an AutoSet, the Escape was not meeting my needs, she said I could get one if I had a prescription and I felt manipulated into getting an inferior machine.
I left her with no choice. I wish I could do that more often.

The bottom line, I wouldn't wish a REMstar SE to my worst enemy.

CPAP has given me my quality of life back. The transformation has been incredible.

Uh, yeah. And it can be more incredible if you get a machine that sane people use.

My question is, have I adapted my breathe rhythm and the force of my inhale/exhale to the machine, and therefore don't notice the pressure?

That is generally the idea. Especially if it's new.

Or is my machine malfunctioning and not giving me enough pressure when I'm sleeping?

However, we're talking the ultimate clunker, the REMstar SE. Please get rid of it if you can. One can never be sure if and how much that thing is malfunctioning. I'm lucky that mine malfunctioned enough that I could prove my point and get them to take it back.
No, I don't bad mouth all machines I disagree with; just that one.

- My machine is making a hollow, almost ringing sound now. It's brand new (less than 2 weeks old) and was whisper quiet when I started. Is this a natural change? Or indicating a problem?

May need water in the humidifier chamber. It goes quickly.

- I feel very empowered to monitor my own health.

Prove it. Get yourself a better machine. Please.
Let me tell you a little story of my life.
Once upon a time I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. In the late 1990s they didn't have the fancy stuff they do now. It was plain looking, it was noisy, and it worked. The user manual said you could adjust pressure using a screwdriver to adjust the screw behind a hidden panel. You needed a fairly expensive tool called a manometer to determine the pressure. But it served me for 14 years. No data output or anything. It just blew air.

I WOULD RATHER GO BACK TO THAT THAN GO BACK TO A REMSTAR SE

I want to manage the pressure myself and see if I can do any better. But I cannot figure out how to get into the settings menu.

Can anyone help me out?

I won't say you can't, but nobody had an answer in the less-than-one-week that I had it. You really will be better off with another machine. Even another Philips model If you must.

So far, I've set the altitude to "3" (which means more pressure) and I've set the tubing to 22 (which hopefully has increased the pressure, but I'm not sure) and the results have been better.

That refers to the width of the hose. 22mm is known in ResMed circles as "standard" while 17mm is the SlimLine. In order for it to be accurate you should have it set to the correct size.

But I think I can do even BETTER by experimenting and being allowed to take control of this myself. I feel that incremental changes by .5 every couple of days, and monitoring how I feel, would do wonders.

Don't expect a DME to freely offer you answers. When Apnea Board let the genie out of the bottle and I declared to my respiratory therapist that I couldn't wait for her and set the prescribed pressure myself, she seemed dumbfounded, and of course she couldn't claim the $40 for setting it herself. That was REALLY fun
Even without clinical menu access, ResScan enables you to change pressure from the program itself, but only on ResMed machines. The one you have won't work with it.

Gregory Plytas
Toronto

Best wishes.

Sean S.
Barrie

---

Welcome to the forum!!! We are glad you joined us!!!

The machine you have is one of the PR System One series which means you can get a copy of the setup manual

Um, that's not only a brick, but the cornerstone of all bricks.
It doesn't operate like other System One machines.

[Ugly]

System One machines seem to use the following:

home screen appears (it is a large box on the screen with four little boxes you choose from by turning the control wheel).

There isn't much of a "home" screen. Just a display field.
And there are no wheels, only buttons.
A very pathetic setup.

[Greggers In Toronto]

Zonk thanks for the info!

I tried it last night, but I don't think either one of them is the key-combo to get into the setup menu. I mean, out of everything I've read, these two procedures sound the most likely, but they both haven't worked.... So far.

I will bring my brick down to the kitchen table and take another crack at it after church today.

Thanks again.