new respironics dreammachine

Hi all,
After 5 years on a respironics system one machine I just got my machine upgraded to a respironics dream machine. It has been a miserable experieince. My ahis went from 4s to 11s and stayed there for most of a week. It also fried my sinuses which burned and hurt. I raised the humidity to 5 but it hardly seemed to make a difference. Some water was used, but at 5 on my older machine I would have water dripping from my nasal pads. It is also much noisier than the older machine. When I got it my RT said it was supposedly quieter. He set it to use the same settings as my older machine. For me the new one is also badly designed--the buttons are on the side not the top so I can't reach over and just check them. I have to get out of bed and get down on the floor with the machine or lift it up to change anything. The humidity tray has no cover but has a rim around it which means it's hard to get all the water out when I'm cleaning it.
As this is a new machine I'm wondering if I just got a lemon or this is how to expect this one to behave. I'm not sure what to do. I'd just stick with the older one but it is getting a little beyond it's years as am I lol. Any suggestions? Anyone have a different experience with this machine. Any suggestions for a better one. I'm in Kaiser Permanente and this is probably my only choice but at the moment it is unusable. I do have a call into my RT but he's taking his time getting back to me. Thanks for any help.
Vajrabell

Sorry I don't know how to edit. It's a DreamStation not dream machine.

For the humidity setting are you using the adaptive mode or the fixed mode?
If using the adaptive mode try changing it to the fixed mode at the setting of 5 and see if that helps.
Are you using the heated hose or regular hose?

It shouldn't be noisier though...they are supposed to be more quiet.

I wonder what type of machine you have. My DreamStation BiPAP Auto has the on and ramp buttons on top. If you're talking about the control dial and screen, yes that's a bit of a pain as it is in front.

I have my humidity set to 5 and the water tank is nearly dry when I get up. I don't find it terribly noisy, but then I don't have anything to compare it to.

Hi,
I went from a System 1 to the Dream Station C-Pap in October. I found it much quieter than the System 1. I, because I set mine on my nightstand, really like the buttons on the side. I dislike the fact that with my humidifier set at 4 and my heated hose set there too, I have to add water or it runs itself dry in 4-5 hours. I was informed that it would stop the collection of water in my mask and nose. That I found true and like. I use an Air Fit P10 mask and really like it too. Nasal Pillows work for me. All that being said, last Friday I was switched to a Dream Station Bi-Pap/AVAPS machine. I am not sure yet how much I like it with the constant pressure changes. In all honesty, I have been on C-Pap therapy since 1990. I am just really grateful they no longer sound like hoover vacuums running in reverse all night. Both of my Dream Station machines are the quietest I have owned thus far. I believe one of the biggest benefits of Dream Station Therapy is the Dream Mapper app available through Google Play and the Apple Store. It allows me to see what my sleep looks like and also tracks compliance. It makes asking my RT questions easier too. She and I are seeing the data. It has created a greater understanding of my sleep issues possible.

Hope this might have been helpful or at least you feel a bit less alone in your journey.

_JT

My Dreamstation auto has buttons on top and dial in front. As far as humidity goes without heated hose and fixed is where you get lots of humidity. I have heated hose on level 1 or 2 with 5 as humidity and it's not very humid but I don't dry out to bad.

I, too, wondered about the unfriendly design of the Dream Station water reservoir. Have washed it each morning, warm water/mild dish soap, rinsed, shaken out as much water as possible, but today i just turned it upside down in the dish drainer to dry. Perfect result.

New to CPAP therapy and the forum. Your post caught my eye. So far, four nights on the machine, with nearly 6 hours last night, one B-R wakeup (at my worst, 7 times in one night, not realizing breath was stopping every 2 minutes). My primary put the puzzle pieces together and started me on this journey.

Something another writer mentioned...the possibility of insurance not covering if hours used didn't measure up. I had no idea. Was so overwhelmed when my equipment was delivered and I looked at the manuals. I didn't hook up and use for 9 days. Hopefully it counts toward the 75% if I get good sleep numbers.

Please excuse if there is anything here I should apologize for. Promise I -will- work on my forum skills. Be forewarned. I'll undoubtedly repeat things. My kids, now in their middle 50s, told me I had CRS (can't remember ....!). It's only gotten worse with age. :-}

Dreamstation water reservoir is dishwasher safe. I was told by RT to wash once a week.

SBarrett wrote:the possibility of insurance not covering if hours used didn't measure up. I had no idea. Was so overwhelmed when my equipment was delivered and I looked at the manuals. I didn't hook up and use for 9 days. Hopefully it counts toward the 75% if I get good sleep numbers.

If your children in are in their 50s then I assume you are of Medicare age...if so, Medicare requires that you use the machine 70% of 30 nights (those nights have to be consecutive) for at least 4 hours a night and you have 90 days from the time to receive the machine to satisfy those requirements plus you have to see the doctor face to face so he can say it is working...and that must be done prior to the 91st day after you got your machine.

Good numbers don't count...only hours of use but you have lots of time to satisfy those requirements.

If you don't have Medicare then call up your insurance and ask them specifically what usage compliance requirements they have...most insurance companies mimic Medicare but not all so call them up and ask them Don't rely on what a DME says because they can't possibly know the ins and outs for all the policies out there.

Oh...the CRS problem...you aren't alone...I have it also.

Vajrabell,

Some things you could check regarding noise are the silicone seals in the humidifier chamber. There is one small one inside, on the air inlet (take out the water reservoir to see the seal), and the large one on the inside of the lid. Press gently but firmly around the circumference of each of the seals to make sure they are seated properly.

Also, when you close the humidifier cover, make sure you click it into position. If it's left open a crack, the noise is loud. That could also impact the success (or not) of the humidification. And, are your hoses fully engaged with the machine and with your mask?

Get familiar with both the User Manuals (for main unit and for humidifier). There's a lot of detailed info there, even if it's a bit of a dense read.

I hope you can solve these initial problems. I have found my DreamStation to be very quiet (other than the night I didn't get the humidifier lid closed all the way, lol), and am happy with the humidification choices available.

Good luck,
Jean

I have a Dreamstation as well but the controls are on top. I actually dont like it as much as my old piece of crap machine (that had no data) only because I can hear myself breathe much more, it seems too humid despite me having humidity off and I seem to fight the pressure a little more

Thanks to everyone for the helpful responses. Clearly there are a variety of these Dreamstation machines and perhaps some better designed than others. I saw my RT and he swapped my machine with another identical Dreamstation in case there was a malfunction. It's still noisy. I will check the seals, but as it was noisy on both machines I expect that is just the machine. It is the only machine covered by my insurance (Kaiser medicare senior advantage), so I'm stuck with it unless I want to pay for one myself, which as you know is very expensive. He upped my pressure and that or the new machine seems to have helped my ahi numbers go down. I am now also using a heated hose which helps with the humidity. I do wonder what is going on that some people find this machine quieter than the system one. In my case it is significantly noisier. I would just go back to my old machine, but the discrepancy between the two machines makes me wonder if the numbers on the old machine were inaccurate. Thanks again for your help.
Vajrabell