1st week using my BIpap its a disaster (Newbie)

[deerhound]

bodyroc, if this machine is what you are supposed to have, and if it is going to be your permanent machine, make sure that it is an M series Pro. Then PM me(click the PM button just under the picture of a dog an the left) so that i can get your address, because I have a card reader for that machine that I really do not need anymore. If you want it I will send it to you. You can download EncoreBasic by finding Uncle Bob in this thread

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=50120&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... ob#p460263

and in his signature line there is a link to get that software. This software reads the data on your card and creates detailed reports that will let us see what may help you. Pugsy has a tutorial on getting data uploaded to this forum at this link
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=81072&p=737779#p737779.

Once you can download your data and post it there are people on this forum who can help you figure out solutions to the problems you are having. There are answers and there are very knowledgeable people on this forum. It will take some time and work, but you will be successful and start enjoying much better sleep.

Dale

[Pugsy]

The Remstar Pro M Series model 400 is not a BiPap machine. It's a straight CPAP fixed pressure machine and you are using the ramp feature which starts out at 10 cm and works its way up to the 20 cm pressure which is as high as this machine will go. It has the smart card, which is a little blue card about the size of a credit card, and has a little gold box on one end. It is a full data machine in that it gathers and reports what was available for data with the M Series. This model was discontinued late 2009 or early 2010 and replaced with the PR System One model line of machines.
The Pro M series CPAP machine comes with CFlex exhale relief.

So I am confused are you supposed to be using a BiPap and this machine is a loaner until you get your real machine or are you going to be stuck with this machine?

There is software that you can use with this model 400 machine but it requires a special card reader to connect it to the computer. That is what Deerhound is offering. I can get you the software easy enough. If this is just a temporary machine and you are waiting for your long term machine which hopefully is a real bipap because if you need 20 cm pressure you need a real bipap. BiPaps offer 2 separate pressures that are totally independent of each other and it makes for a much easier time breathing against the exhale pressure. IPAP is the inhale pressure and inhale is fairly easy to adjust to but EPAP which is the exhale pressure can be a real challenge to exhale against at the higher pressures. CFlex won't offer enough relief at 20 cm.
Typically if you need 20 cm pressure to hold your airway open then with a real BiPap your IPAP might be 20 and your EPAP might be 16..that 4 cm difference will make things a whole lot easier to exhale with. It also will help you maintain the mask seal better. Let's face it...keeping a mask sealed at 20 cm is going to be a challenge no matter which mask you use and the full face mask simply has more surface area to have to keep sealed.
Probably need to thing about adding a mask liner. Almost everyone I know who uses really high pressure say that mask liners really help.

So can you find out if this is a forever machine or just a temporary machine till insurance and DME issues get sorted out?

[DoriC]

http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/taming ... e-quattro/

This might help with getting your mask adjusted properly.

[bodyroc]

I want to thank everyone for their advice and knowledge. You all have been a great help to me and I am learning more and more everyday. I had no idea how much I needed to know. When they tested me and gave my equipment I thought that was it I just go home and put it on at night and get a good night sleep. I have not slept a full hour every night since I have been using it. I have learned to adjust my mask so no air gets out.

Now I have a really bad cough and I feel like I have the flu. Last night I stayed up all night drinking lemon tea with honey just to help stop the coughing, but as soon as I relaxed it started again. I said I'll just stay up and not sleep. I did some research and it said I should turn up my humidifier and it would help with the coughing. Around 7am I put on my mask and tried again. I did sleep for two hours then I was up again coughing. I was also sleeping in a sitting up position because every time I laid down I had problems. A friend who is a nurse told me to wear the mask several time a day so I can get used to it so I have been doing that. I have no problems when I'm woke.

With my air flow pressure being at 20 it is very hard I have the option to start at 10 and let it build up. I had to restart it several times at 10 just to get the few hours of sleep that I did get. So tonight I will sleep in a sitting position to see if it will get me more hours of sleep. If it helps I will have to just adjust to sleeping like that until I get my settings right. My sister had sleep apnea and she had surgery and she no longer uses a Cpap machine. She only used it for several weeks before she got the surgery so she is no help to me what soever and her air flow was a 6 not 20 like mines.

I am scared to sleep without the machine because of what the doctors told me. They said when I sleep on my back it is very dangerous and for me to never do it even with the machine because I still have apneas even with the air flow of 20 which is the max amount my machine has. So now I have been forcing myself to stay woke when I have problems.

[cflame1]

That's why at your pressure you really should have a bipap.

They said when I sleep on my back it is very dangerous and for me to never do it even with the machine because I still have apneas even with the air flow of 20 which is the max amount my machine has. So now I have been forcing myself to stay woke when I have problems.

Plus when you're sick you should be sleeping... that's the best thing to do in order to get well.

[bodyroc]

Trust me I am trying to sleep, off the machine I feel fine but with it is when I am using it I feel sick. It may be all the direct air I am getting and I just have to get use to it. I am not giving up some how with learning and adjusting I will overcome any and all problems I am having.

[deerhound]

With your positive attitude I'm sure you will get everything working right.

Dale

[DavidCarolina]

Just speculating.

You might do better on Apap, even if bipap is optimal?

You have to get off your back. Its a matter of retraining sleep position, but you might have to take a more drastic step to insure compliance such as strapping yourself in or wearing a backpack. I have a good Kelty that I use an inflated basketball in that works ok.

A GOOD pillow might help. I have one thats basically an elongated square that allows my full face to work and not get caught up in the pillow.

Going to sleep when youre really tired and in position should help ensure you stay there longer. For those with claustrophobia issues, this may be important. Also using a fan from wal mart and sleeping in a cold room can help. Its not always claustrophobia, sometimes its just breathing "warm air" that bothers people. Breathing cold air makes you feel more satisified.

Consider with your doc if losing the humidity might help.

[MidnightOwl]

Hi Bodyroc and welcome.

Congratulations on all you've accomplished. Getting the mask to stop leaking isn't easy and it's half the battle.

There have been a lot of terms thrown around in this thread. Do feel free to ask about any you have questions about. Or about anything else for that matter. There's a huge amount of info in the archives but you can save yourself time by asking about stuff too. This isn't the kind of forum that insists everyone look everything up from scratch.

My pressure is a lot lower than yours at 14 so I'm not sure how helpful my experience will be. But what helped me adjust to the feeling of the air was not trying to ignore it but trying to focus very hard on what it felt like. Almost like meditation. And trying to breathe slowly and evenly in and out.

Midnightowl

[Burkebang]

I suggest that you make a compromise until your BiPAP arrives. Go into the clinician menu as shown here:
http://www.apneaboard.com/manuals51/REM ... 0Guide.pdf

Set your CPAP pressure to 15, set C-Flex to 3. Set ramp start pressure to 8 and ramp time to longer than it normally takes you to go to sleep. Turn on "Show AHI/Leak", that will let you see your AHI in the morning, and give you an idea of how you're doing.

This will not treat you perfectly, but it will take care of most of your apneas and make the ones that happen much less severe. The important thing is that you'll most likely be able to get some sleep until you get your BiPAP.

You should also make sure you get a Auto Bilevel machine, like one of these:
https://www.cpap.com/cpap-machine/respi ... iflex.html
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/S9-VPA ... chine.html
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/devilb ... level.html

They will let you set a pressure range in stead of just a fixed pressure. The data those machines records will enable you to find out if you actually need a pressure as high as 20. We often see people that are over titrated in the sleep labs.

[archangle]

You might talk to your doctor to see about reducing the pressure to a level where you can sleep with and then increasing it gradually to get to the pressure you need to treat your apnea.

20 cmH2O pressure is a lot to "swallow" in one big gulp.

[jencat824]

The card in the machine is the size of a credit card. I will call the hospital and find out if this is the one I should have or not. Whats so upsetting about all this is they do not tell you much of nothing, it's up to you to find out and research whats going on with yourself and your equipment. I will keep using it until the one from my insurance company come. I still have to pick one out for them also.

Based on your determination that it has a 'credit card' size, you have the machine like my old dinosaur. I think you can get data (some of the others on this board can answer that), but you really need an up to date machine. And I don't think this is bilevel, since mine was a plain CPAP and was an M series. I am using just plain CPAP and my pressure is 19, but if your doc is willing to get you into a bi-pap, from what I've learned here, that is the way to go. Think about all your options (and they are endless) regarding facemask, chinstrap, nasal pillows vs nasal mask, etc. The people here will help you thru this. After 12 years I found out I mouth breathe. You are never too old to learn something new. We are all here for you on your journey to learn a new way to sleep, and a new way to feel healthier.
Good luck, we are here for you,
Jen