self adjust pressure

I have a resmed m series with smart card. Is there a way that I can read the info myself and see if the pressure setting I have is sufficient? And if it needs to be adjusted, how do I do that? I don't mean the beginning pressure for ramping purposes. I mean the peak pressure that you receive most of the night. thanks for any help and input.

Welcome, revlaura! You said that you have a "resmed m series". I assume you actually meant that you have a Respironics M Series. Which model -- the Plus or the Pro? What type of data you can read depends on which M Series model you have. Also, is it a straight CPAP machine or an Auto machine?

I don't use the same brand of machine so I can't answer your questions myself, but others will come along and assist you once you've given us more specific information about your machine.

~ DreamOn

It's a Respironics REMstar plus M series. It has a heated humidifier chamber that is detachable and a smart card in the back. I would love to know if there is a way to discern for myself if I need adjustment to the pressure as doctors and insurance companies have a wonderfully profitable price-fixing system going that even those of us with "good insurance" get stuck with their inflated prices. I bought my easylife mask off insurance for that very reason. I paid $89 for a s/m fit pack of the easy life mask with headgear online. To purchase a single mask w/ headgear through one of my insurance companies preferred providers would have cost me $179 - you know, new calendar year, new deductible. Anyway - still working on improving overall quality of sleep and appreciate any and all well-intended suggestions.

revlaura wrote:It's a Respironics REMstar plus M series. It has a heated humidifier chamber that is detachable and a smart card in the back. I would love to know if there is a way to discern for myself if I need adjustment to the pressure as doctors and insurance companies have a wonderfully profitable price-fixing system going that even those of us with "good insurance" get stuck with their inflated prices. I bought my easylife mask off insurance for that very reason. I paid $89 for a s/m fit pack of the easy life mask with headgear online. To purchase a single mask w/ headgear through one of my insurance companies preferred providers would have cost me $179 - you know, new calendar year, new deductible. Anyway - still working on improving overall quality of sleep and appreciate any and all well-intended suggestions.

Unfortunately, the "Plus" machine doesn't collect any information other than how many hours it's been used.
You would need to have at least the "Pro" model, which is fully data-capable.

How long have you had this machine? If it's been less than a month, you could TRY to twist the arm of your DME to get them to swap machines. They charged your insurance provider EXACTLY the same amount as they would have for a much more higher-end machine. The difference is that they made more profit by giving you the cheap one.


Den

Thanks Wulfman, you saved me the trouble of sending the card to the medical equipment people for a report to send to my doctor. I guess they weren't paying attention to what kind of a machine and card I had when we were talking on the phone because they acted as though the card could generate some report that would help the doctor interpret whether or not I am getting the optimal benefit and whether or not my pressure needed to be adjusted. So, how exactly am I supposed to find these things out? How do I know if the pressure is sufficient or needs increasing? What happens if I bump it up a notch or two and didn't really need it. Is it dangerous?

revlaura wrote:... you saved me the trouble of sending the card to the medical equipment people for a report to send to my doctor. I guess they weren't paying attention to what kind of a machine and card I had when we were talking on the phone because they acted as though the card could generate some report that would help the doctor interpret whether or not I am getting the optimal benefit and whether or not my pressure needed to be adjusted. ...

Not surprising. I suspect they deal with so many people that even though they SHOULD check their database to see what you have, most probably just assume it will provide the data. And you know what they as about ASS-U-ME.

revlaura wrote:... So, how exactly am I supposed to find these things out? How do I know if the pressure is sufficient or needs increasing? What happens if I bump it up a notch or two and didn't really need it. Is it dangerous?

Probably not. But some people are very sensitive to an increase in pressure. Some people can not then sleep well. Others actually experience central sleep apneas due to the increased pressure. But that is fairly uncommon. Most people can take the one or two cm H2O increase without any problem.

You can try it and see if it helps. Or you might just insist your DME provide you with a unit that can help measure your sleep therapy and help you, your doctor and them know what will work for you.

Good luck with this.

revlaura wrote:Thanks Wulfman, you saved me the trouble of sending the card to the medical equipment people for a report to send to my doctor. I guess they weren't paying attention to what kind of a machine and card I had when we were talking on the phone because they acted as though the card could generate some report that would help the doctor interpret whether or not I am getting the optimal benefit and whether or not my pressure needed to be adjusted. So, how exactly am I supposed to find these things out? How do I know if the pressure is sufficient or needs increasing? What happens if I bump it up a notch or two and didn't really need it. Is it dangerous?

You didn't say how long you've had the machine, but maybe you could use THAT for leverage......if they're supposed to send a report to the doctor on your progress......."If you want the card to give the reports to the doctor, give me the "Pro" model". (without the full-details data, the doctor won't know how your therapy is going......and neither will you)


Den

Are you sure it just monitors hours and sessions? I can read that on the led display of the actual machine, but I pulled the card out and it says encore pro smart card on it. It has a little gold thingy on it which I'm sure is the memory. Why would you need a card if it's only doing the same thing the machine is doing and not measuring other things?

revlaura wrote:Are you sure it just monitors hours and sessions? I can read that on the led display of the actual machine, but I pulled the card out and it says encore pro smart card on it. It has a little gold thingy on it which I'm sure is the memory. Why would you need a card if it's only doing the same thing the machine is doing and not measuring other things?

Positive. The "Plus" only records hours used......regardless of whether it has a card in it. There have been previous "Plus" models that had cards in them, so it's nothing new. That machine is not capable of recording anything else.


Den

well, I've had it for the 13 month rent-to-own agreement my insurance company made with the provider so it's mine. So how can I tell if the pressure is sufficient? I wasn't having actual apneas. Mine is for a high RAI due to very shallow breathing when I sleep. I also have PLMS (aka RLS) and insomnia - the sleep trifecta, if you will.

also I just remembered that my REMstar plus has C-flex. What is that? Does that have any bearing on the stuff the machine can monitor and what does c-flex do?

revlaura wrote:well, I've had it for the 13 month rent-to-own agreement my insurance company made with the provider so it's mine. So how can I tell if the pressure is sufficient? I wasn't having actual apneas. Mine is for a high RAI due to very shallow breathing when I sleep. I also have PLMS (aka RLS) and insomnia - the sleep trifecta, if you will.

The only way you'll know if the pressure is sufficient is by the way you feel during the day. Unfortunately, your machine won't help with determining that.

Is your PLMS being treated? Are you feeling more rested during the day?

revlaura wrote:also I just remembered that my REMstar plus has C-flex. What is that? Does that have any bearing on the stuff the machine can monitor and what does c-flex do?

C-Flex is a comfort feature. It reduces pressure at the beginning of exhalation and returns to therapeutic pressure just before inhalation, so it's making it easier to breathe out. It has no bearing on what the machine is capable of recording. Anything with "Plus" only records hours used.

My list of machines that record "full data" (AHI and leak info) and those that don't -- updated through Jan. 2010:
viewtopic.php?p=307168#p307168

DME might not understand what "Full data" is.
viewtopic.php?p=344265#p344265

I failed to respond to Dreamon earlier. Yes, my PLMS is being treated - clonazepam 2mg. before bed time. It works for the body and for helping the brain to shut down for the night as well (insomina runs in the family). I believe that much of this medicine with sleep disorders, mood disorders, etc. is trial and error. You try stuff, fiddle with dosages and combinations until you find what works. Then when it stops working, you start the fiddling and tweaking again. It's an ongoing process and for me is likely to be life long. But knowing and accepting this has helped me a great deal.