My pressure needs keep changing... HELP

They have me on CPAP, I don't know for sure but I think I need an APAP. Every 4 to 6 months I have a retitration study and my pressure has dropped. started at 15 now i'm at 9... The last prescribed setting. My weight fluctuates slightly, so does the qulity of my sleep... I'm definitely in better shape than I started. But I'm tired of constantly going to Retitrate Studies, it's not cheap, in my case why would they not prescribe an APAP? All comments are welcome... Thanks!

midnight_snorkeler wrote:They have me on CPAP, I don't know for sure but I think I need an APAP. Every 4 to 6 months I have a retitration study and my pressure has dropped. started at 15 now i'm at 9... The last prescribed setting. My weight fluctuates slightly, so does the qulity of my sleep... I'm definitely in better shape than I started. But I'm tired of constantly going to Retitrate Studies, it's not cheap, in my case why would they not prescribe an APAP? All comments are welcome... Thanks!

These are curious questions? What is the reason for every 4-6 months retitrations

Are these just recent or have they been doing these since 2006 when you joined?

With all these retritations I suggested you start taking control of your own therapy.
I would request a APAP with smart card fully data capable machine.
Request the Clinicians manual to change your pressures along with RX for the machine.

Apap would change pressures according to your breathing needs. Data capable one with software would allow you to track on your own sleep patterns and change your pressure.
With very wise suggestions from the mentors of CPAP on this forum.
Often times it just needs to be set within certain pressures ranges to do the job.

Good luck on better sleep quality

Moombeam

If you have a new titration every 4-6 months you could have probably paid for an APAP out of pocket already and then some. You should only need multiple sleep studies if you have more problems than simple obstructive sleep apnea. The machine that you have will give you no useful data, so you should probably get one that will let you know how you are doing. The M Series Auto with A-Flex will do that, as will the Pro, and you can get software to let you produce detailed nightly reports to tell you what is happening while you sleep. Other machines like the Elite will at least let you track your nightly averages. If it were me, I would ask my doc for a copy of my original prescription (they have to give it to you according to HIPPA rules) and order what I need online. You can order an APAP at cpap.com even if your RX says CPAP. Probably less expensive that multiple titrations. Good luck .

You can change pressure settings with cpap just as well as you can with apap. Apap is overrated in my view.

midnight_snorkeler wrote:They have me on CPAP, I don't know for sure but I think I need an APAP. Every 4 to 6 months I have a retitration study and my pressure has dropped. started at 15 now i'm at 9... The last prescribed setting. My weight fluctuates slightly, so does the qulity of my sleep... I'm definitely in better shape than I started. But I'm tired of constantly going to Retitrate Studies, it's not cheap, in my case why would they not prescribe an APAP? All comments are welcome... Thanks!

I asked my sleep doctor to change my prescription from a CPAP to an APAP and he did without blinking. Although you can change the pressure on a CPAP it does not change the pressure itself during the night to adjust to changing conditions and needs. I expect the cost of a sleep study might be 3 times the cost of a good quality, data reporting/recording APAP so it makes no sense to keep getting tested unless there are other serious issues that require your changes in pressure.

midnight_snorkeler wrote:They have me on CPAP, I don't know for sure but I think I need an APAP. Every 4 to 6 months I have a retitration study and my pressure has dropped. started at 15 now i'm at 9... The last prescribed setting. My weight fluctuates slightly, so does the qulity of my sleep... I'm definitely in better shape than I started. But I'm tired of constantly going to Retitrate Studies, it's not cheap, in my case why would they not prescribe an APAP? All comments are welcome... Thanks!

Do you have copies of your sleep studies/titrations?
WHY are your pressure needs changing?
How do you determine that the quality of your sleep fluctuates?

You probably could have paid for a data-capable CPAP or APAP and the software a long time ago.
Sounds like "somebody" is trying to bleed your finances dry. (hence the re-titrations)
Why would they want to give you an APAP if you're a repeat customer?
Do you have your prescription? (original or a copy)

In your profile, you show that you're using a nasal mask. That makes me suspect you may be leaking your therapy air out of your mouth at night. Ever wake up with a dry mouth? You need to make sure your mouth is sealed or else your therapy is marginal at best.


Den

Someone is getting PAID to redo your studies so often... could that possibly be why you "need" new ones each time?

Actually the reason my pressure has dropped is because i have lost alot of weight, but if i keep working out or if i stop and put on or lose a few pounds my pressure needs change.. What drives me nuts is that the sleep clinics all keep saying that i need only CPAP. so what sucks is everytime i lose some pounds, back to the clinic! I've tried messing with the settings myself, sleep good 1 or 2 nights then back to bad sleep, if i maintain my weight i'm fine, but i plan to keep losing weight and getting in better shape.. Do you need a prescription to get an apap?

midnight_snorkeler wrote:Actually the reason my pressure has dropped is because i have lost alot of weight, but if i keep working out or if i stop and put on or lose a few pounds my pressure needs change.. What drives me nuts is that the sleep clinics all keep saying that i need only CPAP. so what sucks is everytime i lose some pounds, back to the clinic! I've tried messing with the settings myself, sleep good 1 or 2 nights then back to bad sleep, if i maintain my weight i'm fine, but i plan to keep losing weight and getting in better shape.. Do you need a prescription to get an apap?

First of all, I noticed that you've been a member of this forum since July of 2006.
If you've been on your machine since then, and typically insurance providers won't pay for a new machine until about 5 years, you're probably looking at purchasing one out-of-pocket......which is not a bad idea because you can use your existing one for a backup.
If you have your prescription (and you should have it), you can purchase either a CPAP or APAP from places like CPAP.COM with a CPAP prescription.......because, both CPAP and APAP are essentially the same "animal".....and APAP is an auto-adjusting (or auto-titrating) CPAP (and the insurance code is the same for both).

APAPs can be run in CPAP mode.
All APAPs are data-capable. (as far as I know)

Do you "NEED" an APAP? Probably not......a data-capable CPAP with software will also tell you what you need to know.
With an APAP, software is also essential, in my opinion.


Den