How to change my pressure range

So I've been on a standard CPAP machine for about 5 years and I've found over the last couple years that I'm just not sleeping well with it. I decided to buy an auto machine. According to my doctor, my pressure should be set to 12. So when I purchased the new machine, she had the manufacturer/store set the pressure to 4-12. That makes me wonder though, if I should be at 12, shouldn't I have a max pressure over that just in case it is more severe during parts of the night? Shouldn't I want a margin of error set into my pressure just in case I need more than 12 at some point? Or is 12 fine for the max pressure?

The machine I bought is the DevilBiss Intellipap. When I go into the various menus I can change everything except my pressure range. It seems like it's locked and I'll be damned if I can figure out how to change it. The manual doesn't say how to change it either. Any ideas? At the very least I want to raise my minimum from 4 because I feel like I'm suffocating to death at such a low pressure. I just end up gasping for air while it ramps up and that makes it hard to fall asleep.

ps. I get virtually no support from my sleep doctor so I can't ask him anything. Getting a new doctor isn't an option either. Healthcare may be free in Canada, but it's lacking in many other ways.

Another question. My last machine didn't keep any stats whatsoever. According to my new machine, my AHI was 8.5. Is that a typical number for those of us with apnea, or do I want to get that lower? I know under 5 is normal, but will those of us with apnea get under 5 even with a machine? How do I get that number lower? I didn't have any leaks according to the machine. Will raising my max pressure and/or raising my minimum pressure help with that?

Hi, it's the lower setting that will respond to events overnight, and you should set your pressures accordingly, the low one at e.g. 10 and the high one at 14, and see how that works for a few days. The upper setting can be left more 'open' but the low one shouldn't be at e.g. 4 or 5 because it will take the machine too long to reach 8 or 12 or a higher number when an event occurs and it won't respond in time (plus no one can breathe at 4, which is just the machine's default low setting). And you definitely want your AHI to be 'officially' under 5, but ideally as low as possible, say 1 or 2.

Thanks Julie. I'm going to maybe try a range of 9 - 15. Is that a good range if my pressure should be set to 12, or should I go with a more narrow range, such as 9-12?

Set the machine at 9 - 15 and see what the maximum pressure your machine needs at night to treat a severe apnea. The top number is insignificant because the machine will on go as high as it needs to treat an apnea event... then it will ramp down to a lower pressure. The pressure to be concerned with is the lower number. If it is set too low, it will take time for the machine to ramp up to treat an apnea. While the machine is ramping up, you are experiencing an event. Plus, there is usually a delay in the machine's response, so you it's even longer that you will be experiencing an event.

Sheriff

Check here for your machine's clinical manual. http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-p ... tup-manual

shaner wrote:According to my doctor, my pressure should be set to 12. So when I purchased the new machine, she had the manufacturer/store set the pressure to 4-12.

This is just amazing! You would think one of the most basic things a "doctor" practicing in sleep therapy would know is that no one can be treated, or comfortable with a 4 cmH2O setting.

Sleeprider wrote: no one can be treated, or comfortable with a 4 cmH2O setting.

some people can, but it's pretty rare.

shaner wrote:Thanks Julie. I'm going to maybe try a range of 9 - 15. Is that a good range if my pressure should be set to 12, or should I go with a more narrow range, such as 9-12?

as Julie said, the lower number is more important than the upper, your idiot doctor should have prescribed something more like 11-20, because it's stupid to start at 4 if you need 12, but putting the high end at 20 won't make any difference *at all* if you only need 12, because the machine will never go up that far if you don't need it.

it's like having a car on the road. 4-12 would be like having it set to only go 10mph at first when you floor it, then it'll go a little faster, and a little faster, until you finally get up to 60, but it won't go any faster than 60, even if you need to go 65 to avoid getting passed by everybody or something.

whereas setting the pressure to 11-20 would be like having really good acceleration up to 55, then it'll get up to 60 in a couple seconds, at which point you ease off the gas... you COULD go up to 100, but you don't do that, because the speed limit is 60, and you feel like being law abiding today. the fact that your car will easily do 100 doens't matter, because you're not going to go that fast, same as setting the cpap to 20, doesn't matter, you're not going to need it to go that fast

if none of that makes any sense, it's because I just woke up *lol*

Makes perfect sense, thanks. I didn't know this stuff before as last night was my first night with an auto machine. I would have thought my doctor would know that though, but like I said, I get virtually no support from them. I've been on my own with this thing ever since I was diagnosed. Thank god for the internet

sadly, there's far too much fail in the delivery of sleep medicine.

it's some mix of "don't know" and "don't care" and "can't be bothered".

I suggest turning off the ramp. After my lung cancer surgery I felt as though I couldn't breath with the full face mash on. The Med company after talking to the sleep dr increased the pressure and told me to turn off the ramp. that did more than the pressure increase. good luck.