Husband starting PAP therapy, machine suggestions?

[D.H.]

I have a Phillips Respironics Dream Station Auto CPAP. It’s my fourth machine since 1999; the others were all “bricks.”

Advantages:
• Automatic means that it will raise the pressure as needed when is senses distress. I think I fell more refreshed than before.
• Good statistics are generated, so you can see how you slept, and make adjustments as needed. Also, stats are good for your doctor to see how you’re doing.
• Machine is very quiet.
• Heated hose is very good, never had rainout despite full setting on humidity.
• Automatic altitude adjustment (good for travel).
• Leak compensation.
• Auto/on and auto/off can be activated and deactivated separately.
• Puts out the prescribed pressure more precisely than my old machine (yes, I verified this).

Disadvantages:
• Machine is a bit larger than the major competing machine.
• Sometimes, there is a burning smell, especially after a potty break. I’m pretty sure it’s harmless.
• Frequently, the water does not last the whole night. I generally wake up at least once overnight, so I refill it at that time. This might not work for everybody.
• Some have complained about the brightness of the display when you turn it off and back on, such as for a potty break. I don’t find this a problem. In fact, I use the light to put my mask back on.
• Power cord had proprietary signal, so you cannot use a different cord, even if the voltage, wattage, amperage, and fitting are all identical. This means that if you need a replacement cord, and/or want to use a battery (such as for camping and electrical outages), you have to get an $80 proprietary device to generate this signal.

[magentapolkadots]

Check your SleepyHead version. It's possible since you have been using SleepyHead a long time that you don't have the latest version and the latest version is the ONLY version that will work with the DreamStation machines.

Latest version is 1.0.0 Beta 2
https://sleepyhead.jedimark.net/

You need to see what that AHI is made up of...if it is primarily clear airway events the answer isn't more pressure.

Yes, I definitely want to see what that AHI consists of. I am sure I do not have the most recent version of sleepyhead as I've never updated it. Do I need to do anything to safeguard my own data before I update? I will take a look at the link now. Thanks Pugsy

[LSAT]

I have a Phillips Respironics Dream Station Auto CPAP. It’s my fourth machine since 1999; the others were all “bricks.”

Advantages:
• Automatic means that it will raise the pressure as needed when is senses distress. I think I fell more refreshed than before.
• Good statistics are generated, so you can see how you slept, and make adjustments as needed. Also, stats are good for your doctor to see how you’re doing.
• Machine is very quiet.
• Heated hose is very good, never had rainout despite full setting on humidity.
• Automatic altitude adjustment (good for travel).
• Leak compensation.
• Auto/on and auto/off can be activated and deactivated separately.
• Puts out the prescribed pressure more precisely than my old machine (yes, I verified this).

Disadvantages:
• Machine is a bit larger than the major competing machine.
• Sometimes, there is a burning smell, especially after a potty break. I’m pretty sure it’s harmless.
• Frequently, the water does not last the whole night. I generally wake up at least once overnight, so I refill it at that time. This might not work for everybody.
• Some have complained about the brightness of the display when you turn it off and back on, such as for a potty break. I don’t find this a problem. In fact, I use the light to put my mask back on.
• Power cord had proprietary signal, so you cannot use a different cord, even if the voltage, wattage, amperage, and fitting are all identical. This means that if you need a replacement cord, and/or want to use a battery (such as for camping and electrical outages), you have to get an $80 proprietary device to generate this signal.

D.H. Take the time to READ posts before you answer. The poster ALREADY HAS a Dreamstation Auto.

[Pugsy]

It's recommended that you uninstall the older version...I didn't bother. and nothing bad happened.
But even if you do the uninstall of SH... all your old data (profiles,etc) are in the MyDocuments folder on your computer and any uninstall or manual removal of the SleepyHead program doesn't mess with that folder in MyDocuments.
The only way to remove that folder in MyDocuments is manual removal.

The new version will pull the old data from that folder into the new SH version and make it available to you.

Finally....if your machine was/is the PR S1 machine...pretty much all your data files are on the SD card unless you messed with the card and SH would just put it back.....Like if you went to a brand new computer with a brand new blank SH....you would still have the SD card contents available and no need to copy and move the old data folder.
Doesn't work with the S9 because of the way the S9 overwrites the data files on the SD card. S9 users are screwed in that regard..if we don't download once a week some data files are gone forever and we can't get them back.

[magentapolkadots]

IT worked!! I love you guys, if I could hug each one of you right now I would.

Now I need to look at the data, just so happy I had to say thank you first!

[magentapolkadots]

Most of the events were clear airway. Likely him waking up and tossing a bit as he adjusts to the mask, etc I hope?



I don't understand the double line for the leak rate (started half way through the night).

Thoughts? Should I put this in a new thread or leave it here?

[Pugsy]

Leave it here.

The double line for leak ..
The top line is total leaks which is what the machine reports.
The bottom line is a very close approximation to excess only leak. Long story as to why it's not exact that I don't have time to go into right now. It's close enough for government work though.
The bottom line is still there the first half of the night but on 0...so no real excess only leaks. That's why you don't see it...it was on 0.

Likely him waking up and tossing a bit as he adjusts to the mask, etc I hope?

That would be my first thought. It took me several weeks to not wake up repeatedly when I first started therapy...sometimes it was just a wake up to see if the mask was on.
I wouldn't worry about it right now...wait until he reports sleeping soundly for the most part and see how many CAs you see.
We could zoom in up close and try to spot for sure if he was awake or semi awake...but I wouldn't go to all that much work just for the first night unless you just have to try to decide.

If you want to dig deeper...forum members Jay Aitchsee and RobySue have a thread with some good examples of SWJ (sleep/wake/junk) but I don't have that thread handy.
I really need to save it for easy access but I keep forgetting.

Me personally...I wouldn't do the work for the first night when it is already known that he didn't sleep soundly...
Now if he told you "I slept like a rock"...yeah, maybe start doing the work.

[palerider]

I have a Phillips Respironics Dream Station Auto CPAP.

. Take the time to READ posts before you answer. The poster ALREADY HAS a Dreamstation Auto.

READing is no good if one, such as that, has no ability to THINK.

[Pugsy]

Should it be decided that maybe you do want to do the work and try to figure out if those CAs are real or not..
then maybe start a new thread devoted to his problem.
In the meantime I will see if I can find that thread I was talking about so you can get a rough idea what I am talking about.

[Pugsy]

Sleep/Wake/Junk thread and it has links to other discussions in this thread.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=114600&p=1110933#p1110933

[magentapolkadots]

Yes, too soon to over analyze. If he were here right now he'd probably tell me to relax and let the machine do its thing.

I will look at things again when I get back in town (glad I could at least take a peek before I left though).

Thank you for the link, will do some reading while I'm gone.