Newbie advice -Resmed AirSense10 autoset

Hello, I'm a newbie coming up for my 6th night on a 5 week rental trial of a Resmed AirSense10 autoset with a heated climateline hose and airfit P10 nasal pillows "for her".

I've been experiencing rainout and am wondering how to adjust the hose temperature. All I can see on the menu is humidity level (turned down by me to 4) and the only hose options are standard or slimline (set by provider to slimline). Tube feels very cold to me at all times. We're coming up to winter here and the bedroom is quite cool at night.

Also, I'm finding the number of hours connected does not correspond with the report. Last night I "hosed up" then did a meditation before falling asleep and when I woke the machine had registered about 1 hour less than my actual sleep time. Any clues why this might happen?

Have to admit I'm still in denial over diagnosis - sleep centre study in December was a bit of a disaster with staff stuffing up most of the equipment/readings. Makes me wonder if I was misdiagnosed and really need to be going through all this discomfort/expense. AHI result from study = 21.2 with lowest oximeter reading of 74 in REM and 84 NREM. I'm a 45yo female with a BMI just below 30 and have snored & suffered depression since teens. Teeth are slightly worn (reason for study) but hubby doesn't hear me grinding or gasping/stopping breathing.

Thanks in advance for any replies -it's great to have access to a wealth of knowlege, experience (and humour!) during this difficult adjustment period.

first thing you want to do is arrange your hose so that the hose runs downhill to the cpap machine. the water vapor that collects will run into the tank. that usually means the machine must be lower than your pillow.
I am unfamiliar with the machine you are using, but check the settings and instruction book to determine if the heated hose is actually in the on mode.
also, I would check if your humidity level of 4 isn't still too high - my machine has settings 1 thru 5, and 5 is the most moist. try bumping your humidity level down to 3 or even 2.

I think your machine counts only the hours you are asleep (when it thinks you are asleep).

Your oxygen level during untreated sleep could easily have been that low, and treatment for the apnea is essential. I am basing this on the (perhaps wrong) conclusion that your oxygen level is normal (95+) during wakefulness. Do you have any O2 deficiency during the day? supplemental oxygen is sometimes prescribed in addition to CPAP to cover this indirectly related illness.

good luck. if you do have a reading of AHI on the machine info panel, why not post this info as well.

GGF

the only hose options are standard or slimline (set by provider to slimline)

I have just begun to use the same unit. When I was doing my research, I got the impression that I needed to get this particular hose if I wanted the heated option: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... ve-10.html I don't believe the slimline hose has the ability to be heated. I think you actually need the hose referenced above and it needs to be set to standard.

Once you get the proper hose, you might want to try all settings in "auto" mode and see if this does any good with the moisture problem. I did this a few nights ago and it has made a huge difference in my getting enough humidity with no moisture accumulation even though my hose is not higher that the mask.

Yep, that's the hose I've got but menu wasn't displaying it as an option. Stupidly I was playing with the menu while I had the hose hung up to drain/dry, so of course it didn't appear Now I've plugged hose in it's displaying correctly and I've bumped up the temp a couple of degrees Celsius. Need to put my phone away and do my bedtime routine now and will see how it all goes for night #6

Welcome to the forum and to CPAP!

On your machine, try pressing in both the home button (picture of a house) and the big round knob at the same time, for 3-4 seconds. This puts you into the clinical menu, where you have access to more settings for both comfort and therapy.

Thanks for the tips. Last night I achieved 6.5 hours which is a new record for me , with an AHI of 0.1 (typical since I got the machine and another reason I'm wondering if I've been misdiagnosed). Pressure is on auto and seems to be registering an average of 7.7.

What I still don't understand is my missing hour from the night before. Last night it registered from when I switched on which was about 30 mins before I fell asleep, plus I was awake for abut an hour overnight. Those times were recorded so it can't be that it only records when I'm asleep.

I'm proud of the baby steps I'm making but I feel crap with the broken/shallow sleep I'm getting on machine - it all seems so counter-intuitive to attach something alien to your face so you can sleep better. Bedtime for me used to be my favorite time of day (me time) and now I struggle not to dread it.

Nedge wrote:Thanks for the tips. Last night I achieved 6.5 hours which is a new record for me , with an AHI of 0.1 (typical since I got the machine and another reason I'm wondering if I've been misdiagnosed). Pressure is on auto and seems to be registering an average of 7.7.

Many people with even severe OSA can consistently achieve treated AHIs in the 0.0-1.0 range.

What I still don't understand is my missing hour from the night before. Last night it registered from when I switched on which was about 30 mins before I fell asleep, plus I was awake for abut an hour overnight. Those times were recorded so it can't be that it only records when I'm asleep.

Without seeing the data in SleepyHead ourselves, members of the forum really can't help you on this one.

I'm proud of the baby steps I'm making but I feel crap with the broken/shallow sleep I'm getting on machine - it all seems so counter-intuitive to attach something alien to your face so you can sleep better.

Celebrating baby steps is a very important thing to do.

Some people take longer to learn how to sleep with this alien on the face all night long. Some unlucky people take a lot longer to get to where masking up feels "normal."

Bedtime for me used to be my favorite time of day (me time) and now I struggle not to dread it.

During my first year of PAPing, I came to loathe bedtime. Once I finally started reining in the insomnia monster that moved into my bedroom by Night 3, things started to get better. For me, the critical step forward was teaching my body how to fall asleep within 10 minutes of masking up. I have to be the correct degree of "sleepy" to accomplish that, but I now know what that correct degree of "sleepy" feels like.

Best of luck

Hopeful50 wrote:Welcome to the forum and to CPAP!

On your machine, try pressing in both the home button (picture of a house) and the big round knob at the same time, for 3-4 seconds. This puts you into the clinical menu, where you have access to more settings for both comfort and therapy.

I really appreciate this tip. While reading the instruction booklet for the AirSense 10, I noticed that the unit can be programmed to provide AHI values. I asked my DME about this and he said, "we don't activate that clinical feature." I called bull s_ _ _ t and told him the value is available on both My Air and Sleepy Head. What's the problem with letting me see it at bedside??? No answer of course. Probably a deal between ResMed and the DME to force the use of My Air.......

Comfortably Numb wrote:What's the problem with letting me see it at bedside??? No answer of course. Probably a deal between ResMed and the DME to force the use of My Air.......

I don't think it is so much a deal between the DME and ResMed as it is a power trip for the DME. They like to make out like this stuff is super duper important and borders on rocket science IQ needed to understand it and only they can understand it and us peons are too stupid. I hate being treated that way.
Had a "power trip" sort of discussion with a new employee at my DME just today.....all because I wanted a new mask that she didn't know about and I get a big lecture on how long it would take for me to get it from them because " first they have to be trained in fitting before they can fit me"...I about coughed up my lunch. This stuff isn't rocket science.
I just left and said "whatever....I will just buy it online". They keep calling me wanting me to buy stuff from them but when I want something they make excuses not to get it for me. One of these days someone is going to get an earful of stuff they weren't expecting.

You may need to go to the clinical setup menu and changed the "Essentials" setting option from "usage" to "Plus" to get the AHI and other data details available on the LCD screen.
It's all explained in this manual.
https://sleep.tnet.com/home/files/resme ... -guide.pdf

I have the same unit as you. I love my machine... finally. I had depression from the realization of having to use the machine at 28, and having to alter my life around the therapy. My sleep was crap, I felt like crap, and I didn't sleep that much. I hated going to work so tired to come home to "rest" for a few hours and then the loathing of trying to go to bed.

Even after seeing minor improvements after being a month in, I could barely make it through the day without experiencing some sort of grogginess. I felt weak, fatigued, and unmotivated. I had trouble doing anything fun, extra, or otherwise, and honestly, just living was exhausting; but I kept reading things on this forum. I trusted the advice that people gave me and I tried my hardest to stay positive. I have just about completed my 2nd month, and let me tell you, I feel like my old self again. I have turned a new leaf and have really focused on my health. I have lost 40 lbs in the last several months, and my BP has decreased significantly as well.

These folks have always provided me with great advice, and the best advice I have for you is to stick with therapy. You will notice small improvement with each passing week. Eventually, you will realize all the improvement you have made!

Get the sleepyhead software, record a few nights of sleep, and then post some of the graphs on here. Pugsy has a nice tutorial on how to use the software that helped me, and there are posts on here that explain how to post pictures of graphs as well. I have improved a lot because I have adjusted my therapy using the recommendations of others on here. I would consider this avenue after your 2nd week!

Happy sleeping!

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement - it's really good to feel you're not alone.

Unfortunately I don't think I should play around with Sleepyhead/SD card because it's not my machine (on loan from physio specialising in sleep therapy). I feel naughty tweaking the settings in the clinical menu as it is.

Re the humidity settings I was very pleased to find absolutely no moisture in hoses this morning - success!

Nedge wrote:Thanks for all the advice and encouragement - it's really good to feel you're not alone.

Unfortunately I don't think I should play around with Sleepyhead/SD card because it's not my machine (on loan from physio specialising in sleep therapy). I feel naughty tweaking the settings in the clinical menu as it is.

They will never know that you took the SD card out, put it in your computer, and read the data into SleepyHead.

The machine may be a loaner, but it is YOUR therapy and YOUR body. You have the right to know whether your therapy is effective without having to rely on the dang DME or anybody else to tell about your therapy.

Nedge wrote:
Have to admit I'm still in denial over diagnosis - sleep centre study in December was a bit of a disaster with staff stuffing up most of the equipment/readings. Makes me wonder if I was misdiagnosed and really need to be going through all this discomfort/expense. AHI result from study = 21.2 with lowest oximeter reading of 74 in REM and 84 NREM. I'm a 45yo female with a BMI just below 30 and have snored & suffered depression since teens. Teeth are slightly worn (reason for study) but hubby doesn't hear me grinding or gasping/stopping breathing.

Hi Nedge,

Denial is very common.

Many of us don't exhibit the classic "symptoms" of gasping for breath and frank apneas (stopping breathing). (I don't even snore)

So you are fortunate to have had an astute doctor or dentist who recommended a sleep study for you.

Speaking as one who was in denial as well, I really do want to reassure you that if you stick with putting the mask on every night, it does get easier. And you will eventually feel the benefits. Some of the issues you mention (depression, snoring, teeth grinding) will almost certainly improve because these are all symptoms of untreated OSA.

Good luck, and don't give up! Take control of your treatment, I check my data very often and make adjustments if necessary. If this was encouraged by the medical profession instead of being discouraged, many more would succeed at CPAP/APAP instead of the current rather sad state of affairs.

As far as why your time doesn't match up: Hubby and I have noticed this also, in the few weeks we've been doing this. My times are pretty consistent with how long I really used it. His are not--they're almost always short. We've finally decided that it doesn't count the time he's in apnea. My AHI is usually 0 or in the .1-.3 range, while he's much higher. (My treated numbers are a lot better than his, but my untreated numbers were half what his were, so that's not surprising.) One day when his time was 20 minutes shorter than mine, I calculated how long he would have been in apnea if each one was exactly 10 seconds (the threshold at which it's defined as apnea, if I understand correctly), and that number was almost exactly 20 minutes. Since then, my theory has seemed to match up pretty well with his numbers. It sounds like it might not explain your difference since you said your AHI was low, but I wanted to mention what I think I've figured out, at least on our end.

By the way, I'm with you on struggling. It has gotten a little easier over the last 6 weeks, but not much. I just keep reminding myself of the health benefits, and keep chugging on. I don't make it through every night--only 2 hours with the mask last night, and that was a stretch--but I try not to let one bad night keep me from trying again the next night, and celebrating the nights that I get through the entire thing!

I've also taken some time to analyze why it's so difficult for me. My husband took to it like a fish to water, but that hasn't been the case for me. I talked with my doctor about those issues yesterday and we came up with some possible solutions. Step one will be a different type of mask, if he/I can convince insurance that I need a new one before the 3-month point. (Hubby had me expecting only a 5-10 minute non-discussion based on his own check-up, but since I went in with questions and concerns the doctor was very willing to spend the necessary time with me!!) At any rate, it helps to know there may be ways to fix some of the things that bother me the most! You might want to start making some notes on what is and isn't going well, and analyzing what it is that bothers you the most, so you can discuss it with your doctor at your next appointment....

hedgie wrote:As far as why your time doesn't match up: Hubby and I have noticed this also, in the few weeks we've been doing this. My times are pretty consistent with how long I really used it. His are not--they're almost always short. We've finally decided that it doesn't count the time he's in apnea. My AHI is usually 0 or in the .1-.3 range, while he's much higher. (My treated numbers are a lot better than his, but my untreated numbers were half what his were, so that's not surprising.) One day when his time was 20 minutes shorter than mine, I calculated how long he would have been in apnea if each one was exactly 10 seconds (the threshold at which it's defined as apnea, if I understand correctly), and that number was almost exactly 20 minutes. Since then, my theory has seemed to match up pretty well with his numbers. It sounds like it might not explain your difference since you said your AHI was low, but I wanted to mention what I think I've figured out, at least on our end.

By the way, I'm with you on struggling. It has gotten a little easier over the last 6 weeks, but not much. I just keep reminding myself of the health benefits, and keep chugging on. I don't make it through every night--only 2 hours with the mask last night, and that was a stretch--but I try not to let one bad night keep me from trying again the next night, and celebrating the nights that I get through the entire thing!

I've also taken some time to analyze why it's so difficult for me. My husband took to it like a fish to water, but that hasn't been the case for me. I talked with my doctor about those issues yesterday and we came up with some possible solutions. Step one will be a different type of mask, if he/I can convince insurance that I need a new one before the 3-month point. (Hubby had me expecting only a 5-10 minute non-discussion based on his own check-up, but since I went in with questions and concerns the doctor was very willing to spend the necessary time with me!!) At any rate, it helps to know there may be ways to fix some of the things that bother me the most! You might want to start making some notes on what is and isn't going well, and analyzing what it is that bothers you the most, so you can discuss it with your doctor at your next appointment....

20 minutes would be 120 apneas at 10 seconds each. Sleeping 8 hours would be an AHI of 15