REMstar M-series Auto w/C-flex...clinician settings...

OK, got my machine yesterday. I have the clinician manuals and watched the RT set everything. She was very cool about the fact that I know the settings can be changed, etc. The Dr. did NOT put a range on the Rx, just 10cm and the RT didn't know what to set the auto at so she just left it at 4-20cm. I slept with it 'as is' last night for only 3 hours. My husband is away and I'm alone with the baby, my anxiety got the best of me and I wasn't able to do all night. So I took today off from work and took a 4 hour nap this afternoon. Went to check the 'results' but I can't get into the clinician menu...I pushed the 2 arrow buttons simultaneously but nothing happened. The manual says 'As you apply power'...so I tried pushing the power button also. Nada. Is it possible that somehow the RT 'locked' it? Or am I just sleep deprived and stupid? LOL Help please!

Hi-

'As you apply power' means the machine should be unplugged. The buttons should be held down while you are plugging it back up, or applying power. Listen for 2 beeps. Not easy to do with only 2 hands.

BrensTiredMom wrote:The Dr. did NOT put a range on the Rx, just 10cm and the RT didn't know what to set the auto at so she just left it at 4-20cm. I slept with it 'as is' last night for only 3 hours.

Please, please check with one of the "heavies" on the board fast.

From what I have read (but don't really understand yet)

4->20 IS TOO WIDE A RANGE for an APAP.

Play it safe, set it at 10cm CPAP until you get better wisdom on a range.

For what it is worth and it may not apply to you, I was running 8->12 at the beginning and am now happily running at 9cm H20 on CPAP.

John M

If it were me (and I'm no doctor or anything in the health care field) and I'd been prescribed 10 cm H20 for straight cpap, but was using an autopap, I'd set the range for 8 - 15.

I'd set the C-flex at 3, or 2...whichever felt more comfortable to me. (Or 1, or turn it off...whatever.)

If I were using the "classic" REMstar Auto with C-flex (not an M series machine), I'd also look through the clinician setup menu on the machine to be sure that the menu item called "START" was set for 0:00...not for 2:00 or 3:00 or 4:00. It's VERY important with the non-M REMstar Auto that "START" be set for 0:00. With an M series REMstar Auto, that setting is called "Split Night" in the setup menu and should be set for 0:00.

Bamalady explained well what "while applying power" means. Just be sure to continue holding the two buttons down long enough...until after the two beeps. I always just counted out 8 slow seconds of holding from the time I plugged the machine in again at the back, even if I heard the beeps. Doesn't hurt to hold the two buttons down too long.

If a person does go into the setup menu on the machine, it's a good idea to just walk through the menu using the two arrow keys as if they were forward/back buttons on a web browser. Write down every setting, every word, every symbol you see in the menu -- without making any changes at all the first time through. That way, if you later change something and decide you don't like it as well, you have your notes of what the original settings were.

The humidifier and ramp buttons act as up/down buttons to change settings if you are in the setup menu. The on/off button exits from the menu. Any setting changes that you make while going through the setup menu are automatically saved when you exit.

You guys are great!! First, to clarify...I ended up with an 'M'...the DME either made an error or wasn't able to get the 'classic'...and I was not willing to send it back as I was desperate to start therapy. So I have an 'M' and I'm fine with that. I'm at work now but will try the 'while applying power' thing when I get home and hopefully that will be successful! And I *knew* the auto setting at 4-20 wasn't right, I'm sure I'd read it here...but at the time I didn't know what to tell her and figured I could adjust it at home. My Rx CPAP setting is 10cm also so I'll make the change to 8-15cm.

I was able to do a 4 hour nap yesterday and then 5 hours last night. It seemed I had a little more energy this morning but still a little too early to tell. I'd really like to know what my leak rate was and hopefully will be able to see the info this evening.

THANKS!!!!!

Have your doctor set your machine!

BrensTiredMom wrote:First, to clarify...I ended up with an 'M'...the DME either made an error or wasn't able to get the 'classic'...and I was not willing to send it back as I was desperate to start therapy. So I have an 'M' and I'm fine with that.

Cool. The buttons to adjust settings are different then, from what I wrote about the classic. A picture of the older non-M model REMstar Auto was showing in your equipment profile when I posted.

Bamalady got you good to go with the "apply power" question. And you have the Provider manual. Hope you get lots of good sleep and good data!

I fixed my profile!! LOL

And 'guest'...I'd have my Dr. do it but since I asked for the range to be on the Rx from the beginning and she still didn't do it I don't think she's going to be alot of help.

BrensTiredMom wrote:I fixed my profile!! LOL

And 'guest'...I'd have my Dr. do it but since I asked for the range to be on the Rx from the beginning and she still didn't do it I don't think she's going to be alot of help.

You don't "think" she would? I'd take my request in writing to my doctor vs. taking the advice of a bunch of people online who have no idea about who you are, your medical condition, blood pressure, background, etc. If modifying CPAP pressure settings, etc., were so "harmless," as usually discussed around here, CPAPs would be available at any Wal-mart without a Rx.

BrensTiredMom,

I have an M-series CPAP, not auto. If the plug is as big on the auto as it is on the plain cpap, you might have a hard time holding down the buttons and pulling that heavy thing out with one hand. I plug mine into a power strip, that way I can just turn the button to the power strip off, push down the two arrow buttons, and while holding down the buttons, flip the power strip button back on. Just thought I'd mention it in case you have trouble with that.

Wish you the best!

Pam

Anonymous wrote:

BrensTiredMom wrote:I fixed my profile!! LOL

And 'guest'...I'd have my Dr. do it but since I asked for the range to be on the Rx from the beginning and she still didn't do it I don't think she's going to be alot of help.

You don't "think" she would? I'd take my request in writing to my doctor vs. taking the advice of a bunch of people online who have no idea about who you are, your medical condition, blood pressure, background, etc. If modifying CPAP pressure settings, etc., were so "harmless," as usually discussed around here, CPAPs would be available at any Wal-mart without a Rx.

Give it some time and they will probably will be.....right next to the BP machines, the glucose testing supplies, and all that other stuff in the pharmacy areas that you can buy with or without a prescription.

If Peter Ferrell had his way, they'd be sold to everybody.....without prescriptions.

Den

Thanks for the tips! I was able to get into the clinician settings when I got home. Had no trouble. Changed my Auto to 8-15. My leak rate avg over 12 hours is 28.4. My AHI is at 2.2. So doesn't look too bad for a 'beginner'!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If modifying CPAP pressure settings, etc., were so "harmless," as usually discussed around here, CPAPs would be available at any Wal-mart without a Rx.

Give it some time and they will probably will be.....right next to the BP machines, the glucose testing supplies, and all that other stuff in the pharmacy areas that you can buy with or without a prescription.

The only problem with this is that then the insurance companies would have even more of an excuse not to cover them. Generally speaking, once something is available OTC, they take it off the covered items list. Perfect examples of this are Claritin and Prilosec. Most insurances don't cover these drugs anymore now that they're OTC. Not sure if they would do the same thing with DME, but I wouldn't be surprised.

darthlucy wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If modifying CPAP pressure settings, etc., were so "harmless," as usually discussed around here, CPAPs would be available at any Wal-mart without a Rx.

Give it some time and they will probably will be.....right next to the BP machines, the glucose testing supplies, and all that other stuff in the pharmacy areas that you can buy with or without a prescription.

The only problem with this is that then the insurance companies would have even more of an excuse not to cover them. Generally speaking, once something is available OTC, they take it off the covered items list. Perfect examples of this are Claritin and Prilosec. Most insurances don't cover these drugs anymore now that they're OTC. Not sure if they would do the same thing with DME, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Personally, I wouldn't see THAT as being a "problem" because then they'd have to drop the prices on them and they would be (very) affordable. If the CPAP machines became OTC, the insurance industry wouldn't be able to screw with whether they would cover us or not because we'd been diagnosed with OSA. Right now, if you don't already belong to a group health plan when you're diagnosed with OSA.....you're just about screwed trying to get insurance elsewhere (health and life).

Be careful what you wish for.

Den

Generally speaking, once something is available OTC, they take it off the covered items list.

This is not always true. Most insulin is available w/o a prescription, and it is covered by most insurance (if prescribed), glucometers and test strips are non-prescription and they are covered.