First Night with APAP

Let me start by saying that I don't plan to give up. I got the mask that I liked during the sleep study and I did not find myself uncomfortable-yet I kept waking up-a lot. I learned to appreciate the little "ramp" button and think I pushed it several times. During my sleep study the tech said that she had me "fixed" with a pressure of 9 and that when she went past that I started to snore a little. My setting range is 7-11 and when I hit the ramp button it goes to 5. Wonder if I am waking up when the pressure reaches the upper limits of that range? I wake a little uncomfortable, hit ramp button and go back to sleep. Until 5:30am when all of a sudden my nose got so stuffy I could not breath through it. I also have a sore spot on the inside of my nose-wondering if I should increase the humidity level (was on the recommended 2).

Any and all thoughts/advice welcome and appreciated.

Hi. try turning down the humidifier for 1-2 nights and see if it helps, if not then turn it up. And try to go straight to sleep without the ramp (as most of us do once used to the machine), because it brings your therapeutic level down each time you use it and your system never gets used to the prescribed one, which also may be part of the reason you wake up. Get your mask on and adjusted first, then hit the on button.. the initial little blast of air only takes seconds to get used to. I know that using the ramp now (after yrs of not doing so) would drive me crazy.

A setting of 2 for the humidifier is already pretty low. I would try increasing the humidity level in the air.
What mask are you using?
Machine?

Got the software so you can see the pressure changes and maybe associate the wake ups with the pressure?

You won't even be using that ramp feature next week. Hang in there.

Pugsy wrote:A setting of 2 for the humidifier is already pretty low. I would try increasing the humidity level in the air.
What mask are you using?
Machine?

I thought all of that would show up like it does for everyone else after I added it to my profile and selected the option that would allow that info to be shown...I forgot to hit the "submit" button

I have PR System One REMstar Auto CPAP with A-Flex, a Wisp mask with nasal pillow and the heated humidifier.

I disagree... I think the combo of pillows and high humidity can cause congestion.

Yep, it helps to click on the submit button.

Which model machine? 550 or 560 ? You have chosen the 550 but the humidifier chosen won't work with the 550 or 560.
Respironics didn't make it easy for us to figure out models.
Model number is on the bottom of the blower unit. A 3 digit number with maybe REF or DS in front or behind it. Tell us the model number and we will tell you exactly which choice to make for the profile equipment menu.
The 550 was discontinued for the 560 a couple of years ago but it wouldn't be impossible for someone to have one of those machines.

If your nose gets stopped up again with the Wisp...pull the mask away from the nose for a few seconds and see if the nose clears up pretty quickly. I had congestion when I tried the Wisp but it would clear up pretty quickly if I just pulled the mask away...the pressure of the mask on my nose caused the congestion. Probably not what is going on with you since your issues didn't develop until later in the night but thought I would mention it just in case maybe you were laying in a position that caused extra pressure on the nose from the mask which might temporarily close the nostrils a bit.

If you have 550 model machine...then just change the humidifier choice to PR System One Heated humidifier

If you have a 560 model machine then the correct equipment choice would be
Machine...PR System One 60 Series Auto CPAP machine
Humidifier...PR System One 60 Series heated tube humidifier with heated tube (even if you aren't using the optional heated hose at this time.

If you do have a 60 series machine then it's important to know that you have additional options available for customization of the humidity and air temp in the hose.

The Wisp is a nasal cushion mask and not a nasal pillow mask
and

reevesfarm wrote:if I should increase the humidity level (was on the recommended 2).

a setting of 2 is already pretty darn low. Can't go much lower without turning it off. A setting of 2 on the PR System One humidifier without the heated hose .....very little humidity is added at that setting.
Even at max setting of 5 the default humidification system (without the heated hose) the amount of moisture delivered is not horribly high. Now if it was in Classic Mode...different story.

If a setting of 4 or 5 was being used then yes, try lower but when low is already being used...try higher.

Humidity needs vary greatly among individuals. Some need more and some need less and the only way to find out is for a person to try various settings.

Also...if by chance a person is already using a heated hose on a 60 series machine then the number available is for temperature selection and not humidity. If a heated hose is used a person has to go into the clinical setup menu to change humidity levels.
Hence my trying to figure out exactly which machine is being used.
The heated hose has a black end where it attaches to the humidifier.

Pugsy wrote: If you have 550 model machine...then just change the humidifier choice to PR System One Heated humidifier

If you have a 560 model machine then the correct equipment choice would be
Machine...PR System One 60 Series Auto CPAP machine
Humidifier...PR System One 60 Series heated tube humidifier with heated tube (even if you aren't using the optional heated hose at this time.

If you do have a 60 series machine then it's important to know that you have additional options available for customization of the humidity and air temp in the hose.

It says 560P on the bottom- the top says exactly what I have in my profile...System One with A-Flex - so which is it and if they are the same why are there two options in the drop down menu?

All I know about the humidifier is that it is heated...

I will def. try upping the humidity tonight- I think the pain in my nose is a combo of irritation and dryness-will have to find some moisturizing saline. I have horrible allergies that often make it difficult to breath through my nose...meds make it possible. The full mask freaked me out...I have asthma and having something clamped over my nose and mouth make me a little panicky.

Seems that this will just be a matter of trial and error followed by some fine tuning. Is it weird that they can adjust my machine remotely?

reevesfarm wrote:It says 560P on the bottom- the top says exactly what I have in my profile...System One with A-Flex - so which is it and if they are the same why are there two options in the drop down menu?

They say the same thing on the top of the machine but they are different model numbers and the 560...that's the 60 series.
The 550 is the 50 series...one model older than 60 series.
The 60 series machines have a few different options available with the main option being the heated hose option.
If a heated hose is already attached (you can tell because it has a black end where it attaches to the humidifier) then that setting of 2 is for hose temperature and not humidity level.
This s why I try to figure out exactly what someone is using because if you have a heated hose changing that setting from 2 to whatever doesn't change the humidity..it changes the temperature of the air going to to the nose.
The heated hose is an option and you probably don't have one but you might...so I just wanted to cover all bases.

So these would be the correct choices in your equipment profile menu....you have to click the submit button again for them to stick.

PR System One 60 Series Auto CPAP
PR System One 60 Series Heated tube humidifier with heated tube (and choose this one even if you don't have a heated hose at the moment because this one is the only one that will work with the 560 machine)

the hose is brown...

Never seen a brown hose. Wonder where that came from. Normally the Respironics white performance hose is supplied with the System One machines that don't come with heated hose.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-hea ... e-kit.html

If your humidifier is already heated hose compatible it will have a lid that has a little plug in for electric and an 80 watt power brick instead of a 60 watt and the hose will be white with a black end on it. The black end has the electric plug in thingy for heating the coils in the heated hose.

You may not need or want a heated hose (if you don't have one now) but I just thought I would mention it because it opens up a lot more customization for both air temp and humidity delivered.
See what it says here
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-sys ... ifier.html

Just letting you know what your options are. That heated hose comes in real handy in the wintertime for preventing both ice cube nose and condensation in the hose and mask.

2nd night was better, bumped the humidity to 4 and only woke up a few times....and didn't use the ramp button and never got stuffy. Hope tonight will be even better

Glad to hear that increasing the humidity setting seemed to help.