+- Apnea Board Forum - CPAP | Sleep Apnea (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums)
+-- Forum: Public Area (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-Public-Area)
+--- Forum: Main Apnea Board Forum (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-Main-Apnea-Board-Forum)
+--- Thread: Hiya! Cricket, here! (/Thread-Hiya-Cricket-here)
Hiya! Cricket, here! - Cricket D - 03-10-2017
Hello, and
for the Forum! Grateful to be here. Total newb but well on my way. Spent one night in the sleep lab being stared at like a monkey at the zoo and another night for some "tit ration" study but I'm post-menopausal and never had kids so I don't think they extracted much. Anyway, I was asleep so I didn't care, actually felt great the next day and didn't need a nap so OOH RAH! Picked up my new toy, today. Did a lot of research and was glad my local supplier had my choices. Added too much water and watched in horror as it ran uphill into the hose. That was fun. Got that straightened out but didn't push the dammit reservoir all the way back in and kept getting an "Error, you're leaking, stupid" message. Party, party. I think it's all fixed, now. Good luck and g'night. 
RE: Hiya! Cricket, here! - C0mbe - 03-10-2017
Hey Cricket! Welcome to Apnea Board. This is a great spot to learn, optimize your therapy and participate in a very supportive community. You picked a great machine! The Autoset was my machine of choice before being moved to my vauto.
If you haven't had the opportunity to do so, you should download sleepyhead (link is in nav bar above), and you can start proactively monitoring and improving your therapy!
RE: Hiya! Cricket, here! - Effers - 03-10-2017
Welcome Cricket. The trials and tribulations of new users makes me smile. I am glad I am not the only that added to much water to the fish tank. I wish my wife snapped a picture of my face as I reacted in horror.
You have landed in a great place. Lots of great people with sound advice. Even better, they don't browbeat you if you ask a stupid question. Welcome to the party!
RE: Hiya! Cricket, here! - Melman - 03-10-2017
Welcome. Glad to hear you felt better after the first night. I see your machine is set in the CPAP mode. Your machine is capable of running in an auto mode to regulate pressure as needed. You should consideration. I started out in January with the same machine set as a CPAP at 10 and was getting unacceptable AHI numbers. With the learning and help from this forum, I was soon running in auto mode and comfort and AHI numbers improved significantly.
But before changing anything you should download and install SleepyHead software found here: https://OSCAR Official Download Page ----> CLICK HERE ./
and the clinicians manual for your machine found here: http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-pressure/change-cpap-pressure-settings-adjusting-your-machine-with-a-clinician-setup-manual The manuals are listed in section 3. you will need to get yours by email but it's very quick.
Then start using SleepyHead, make at least three more posts so you can post data, and then post your sleepyhead graphs. There are a lot of real experts on this forum who will then guide you on how to get the best therapy.
I'm sure you'll have questions. Just ask away.
You will also want to look at these:
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php?title=Beginner's_Guide_to_SleepyHea
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php?title=SleepyHead_Chart_Organization
RE: Hiya! Cricket, here! - Cricket D - 03-10-2017
Thanks so much for the warm welcome and friendly advice, all!
COmbe: Glad I picked the good one.
Thanks for the advice on Sleepyhead.Effers: No such thing as a stupid question.
Thanks for sharing "the horror... the horror." I'm sure liquid oxygen is a good thing but breathing it really didn't appeal to me, either.Melman:
If you can see my machine is set in CPAP mode I need to wear more to bed and also warn you about my husband. My equipment supplier (is that my DME?) taught me to use the clinical menu with me as we set my preferences. I suppose I should change my profile to reflect my 4-11 ramp? I set my exhaley thing to 3 until I'm asleep after I got home 'cause this mask is different than the sleep lab and a bit harder to push the air out. I'm sure I'll be fiddling with things as time goes on. Thanks for the manual links.ResScan or Sleepyhead or both, that is the question. I see in the forum that some have had conflicting data between the two. Hmm.
First night with my machine was interesting. I woke up this morning NOT wearing my mask. How I got it off in my sleep, I don't know. Had some leak issues but nothing major. Only 1 bar on my satellite link but it says it transmitted at 1:48 am (I didn't go to bed until 5am). MyAir says I wore it for 4 minutes. lolz! Will have to wait for the next transmittal to find out anything about my sleep, I guess. Best thing is, hubby said I didn't snore! Wheee! Party, party! My DME called today to see how I did and gave me encouragement which was nice.
I hope I posted my intro in the appropriate place 'cause I couldn't find an intro thread. THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR KINDNESS!
RE: Hiya! Cricket, here! - Melman - 03-10-2017
(03-10-2017, 02:23 PM)Cricket Wrote: Melman:Don't worry, I haven't made any visits. I thought your initial posting showed a constant pressure of 10 in your profile which indicates CPAP. Perhaps I misread it.
A pressure of 4-11 seems too low. Once you get some data posted the more expert forum members will be able to advise you. As for removing the mask without recalling it, I suspect many of us have had similar experiences. I still sometime wake up with the lower edge of my full face mask in my mouth.
It seems you have a better DME than most. I've dealt with two and they hardly told me anything. Not only do they never call to see how I'm doing but they usually don't return my calls.
RE: Hiya! Cricket, here! - Cricket D - 03-10-2017
Yeah, I was just joshin' ya, Melman. My profile did state "11" but since you called my attention to it, it's been revised. Thank you! You think 11 is low? I'm 57 with newly diagnosed moderate copd. I started my ramp at 4 because I hardly notice it and being a noob, I thought that was a good thing. My sleep lab raised my level about 5 times during the night and 11 is the number I reached that got things under control. If I can avoid going higher, I'd prefer it. It'll all come out in the wash once I start getting my data. I'm very proactive when it comes to my health and already downloaded ResScan and the Interpretation Guide. Time will tell.
Sorry about your DME. My doctor knows I'm a picky witch and sent my prescription to the right guy.
RE: Hiya! Cricket, here! - Melman - 03-10-2017
You say ramp but I'm assuming in the clinicians menu you set mode to "autoset" with a max pressure of 11 and a min pressure of 4. That means your machine will run at 4 and adjust to a higher pressure as needed but never above 11. It's my understanding that most users will feel starved for air at a minimum setting of 4. I'm not suggesting a higher max pressure of greater than 11, although if you set it higher the machine would not to the higher setting unless necessary. My settings are 8 and 14 but 90% of the time I am below 11. At 8 I don't really notice the pressure.
Once you post some data we will be able to provide some meaningful guidance.
RE: Hiya! Cricket, here! - Cricket D - 03-10-2017
Oh, golly no! That's not what I want at all! I wanted my ramp to begin at 4 and end up at 11 for the remainder of the night because 11 is the number I had been given by the sleep lab. Should I not sleep set at 11? Is ramping not possible with autoset on? I wanted the the ramp to begin after I had fallen asleep so I wouldn't notice it. I knew I could fall asleep easily set at 4. I thought I was getting a handle on this but... Okay, autoset will adjust the pressure as you need it, right? Ramping is simply a means to an end so it's one or the other, isn't it? Maybe I'm a lot more confused than I thought. Would whiskey help?
RE: Hiya! Cricket, here! - Sleeprider - 03-10-2017
Only good whiskey. Does that work on a low carb diet? I miss beer.