alarm

[K8McP]

My C-Pap made a screaming sound last night. It was very loud and very scary. It took me several minutes to figure out what was making the horrible noise next to my ear. And my room mate was freaking out thinking the house was on fire. Anyone out there who knows what this means? Is this common? Does it mean I wasn't breathing? I don't know if I should call my doctor or what! Any reassurance would be nice--I was unable to sleep the rest of the night

[robysue]

Before we can speculate on what you heard, we need to know the make and model of your CPAP machine.

[K8McP]

I have a REMstar Auto A-Flex. I use a mask which fits over just my nose. I do NOT use the humidifier.

[jencat824]

On the bottom of the machine you will find a model number. Then go to the User Control Panel at the upper left hand corner of this page & enter your info. That will help us to best help you. I can't tell which machine you have without a model #. Also post you mask name as well, for future help.

[Guest]

I have a REMstar Auto A-Flex. I use a mask which fits over just my nose. I do NOT use the humidifier.

did you look at the display to see what the message was

[K8McP]

OK--I have a DS 550 with a Comfortgel blue nasal mask.

I didn't see any message, but I didn't really realize what had happened until several minutes later (after I had turned the machine off).

[djhall]

It may have been this:

Mask alert - You can enable or disable the mask alert setting. If this feature is enabled, the mask alert will appear
on the display screen when a significant mask leak is detected, and an audible alert will sound. Alert present until
action is taken.

[K8McP]

It may have been this:

Mask alert - You can enable or disable the mask alert setting. If this feature is enabled, the mask alert will appear
on the display screen when a significant mask leak is detected, and an audible alert will sound. Alert present until
action is taken.

I was too shaken up to look at the display, as I was jarred awake with no warning. You could be right, but this was a very loud alarm--sounded like a smoke detector. I have had an annoying beeping sound when my mask has slipped, but never a "siren" which woke up the household. Plus, I am pretty sure my mask was on, because I ripped it off and hit the button on the machine, as I was getting up to see if the house was on fire!

[Guest]

I didn't see any message, but I didn't really realize what had happened until several minutes later (after I had turned the machine off).

when turning the machine off
your face is right in front of the display

[zoocrewphoto]

It may have been this:

Mask alert - You can enable or disable the mask alert setting. If this feature is enabled, the mask alert will appear
on the display screen when a significant mask leak is detected, and an audible alert will sound. Alert present until
action is taken.

I was too shaken up to look at the display, as I was jarred awake with no warning. You could be right, but this was a very loud alarm--sounded like a smoke detector. I have had an annoying beeping sound when my mask has slipped, but never a "siren" which woke up the household. Plus, I am pretty sure my mask was on, because I ripped it off and hit the button on the machine, as I was getting up to see if the house was on fire!

You can test this by causing a major leak on purpose and seeing if the alarm goes off. If that is, you should be able to disable the alarm if you want.

[zoocrewphoto]

I didn't see any message, but I didn't really realize what had happened until several minutes later (after I had turned the machine off).

when turning the machine off
your face is right in front of the display

Perhaps for you. I sleep facing away from my machine, and I can turn it off without rolling over. I just reach over and feel for the button.

The person you are responding to is new at cpap and was probably in deep sleep when the alarm went off. We don't always think well when startled awake. I know I have had times where my alarm goes off, and I am sitting there trying to figure out why it was set for that time. (What day is it? Saturday? Do I work today? Why is it going off at 6am? Where am I supposed to be going? Oh, yah, I better get up.)

Instead of being snarky, why not create a profile and actually participate?

[K8McP]

I tried checking what happens with an air leak and it is just a beeping sound. This was a HUGE siren! I have sinus disease and have been struggling to breathe even when awake, so this was a huge shock and I am a bit scared about what it meant!

[Guest]

This was a HUGE siren! I have sinus disease and have been struggling to breathe even when awake, so this was a huge shock and I am a bit scared about what it meant!

for some reason people never think to look at the display
like on a computer it is the interface to the user

now this is snarky..

Perhaps for you. I sleep facing away from my machine, and I can turn it off without rolling over. I just reach over and feel for the button.

btw- i was talking to the op who prob turns the machine off like the rest of us
with an index finger

but the point is to look at the display before turning the machine off
if you want to know what it is trying to tell you

[zoocrewphoto]

This was a HUGE siren! I have sinus disease and have been struggling to breathe even when awake, so this was a huge shock and I am a bit scared about what it meant!

for some reason people never think to look at the display
like on a computer it is the interface to the user

now this is snarky..

Perhaps for you. I sleep facing away from my machine, and I can turn it off without rolling over. I just reach over and feel for the button.

btw- i was talking to the op who prob turns the machine off like the rest of us
with an index finger

but the point is to look at the display before turning the machine off
if you want to know what it is trying to tell you

Get over yourself and join the forum. Are you trying to hide behind the anonymous guest? If you are proud of what you say, put your name on it, even if it is just a user name. You were rude and I called you on it. And yes, I use my index finger too, Without needing to see the screen. I'm sure lots of people can turn their machine off, in their sleep, without ever seeing the screen. If I am curious about something, I will look at the screen.

But as I mentioned before, when somebody is blasted awake during a deep sleep cycle, they are NOT going to be thinking straight. They are going to be stabbing at the machine, trying to get it quiet. Haven't you ever tried to turn off an alarm clock when it is really the phone ringing?

[K8McP]

I thank those who took my question seriously. The only reason I asked the question on this forum was because I thought it might be a sympathetic audience, as well as maybe more knowledgeable than people who have no idea what a CPap is or what it is for. I will probably not come here again for answers, as it doesn't seem to be about helping others.

I am fairly new to this and was hoping to find support, not childish comments from someone who obviously has no empathy and treats others as if they are stupid. I feel sorry for anyone who cannot understand that a time will come when you need the support of others. How you have treated others will come back to you then.