difficulty exhaling against pressure

My machine is currently set at a pressure of 8. I feel like I cannot exhale against this pressure. They gave me a heated hose to try tonite, to see if it makes exhaling feel easier. My question is : if my pressure is an 8, could I use a machine that has c-flex or EPR?
Also, does anyone use a Fisher & Paykel? I have not seen them listed by many (if any) on this site. Does anyone know anything about this machine? I feel like I have been put on a machine that is not part of the mainstream....can anyone comment on this...? Thanks!

If you register and list your exact equipment you'll probably get more helpful answers. There are many variables in every brand of machine and people who have yours will be the most knowledgable. Good Luck!

How do I post my equipment?

You have to register first. Then you can go to the User Control Panel near the top left of the Board Index page. Click on that and then click on Profile. You will see a area to click on called Edit Equipment.

choppy06 wrote:How do I post my equipment?

You will need to register here at the forum first to be able to access the area that allows for posting of your equipment. Then you can do this..wiki/index.php/Registering_Equipment_in_User_Profile

I saw your other post. You have the F & P Icon Premo??? I thought it had some sort of exhale relief.
Does it offer a ramp feature? You are right...it is not a commonly dispensed machine within the members here.

Welcome to the forum.

If you can't exhale against your pressure which is really quite low...perhaps talk to your DME about more exhale relief or using ramp for longer time at lower setting....or perhaps a different machine.
Some people do better on a different brand machine.

I have listed the equipment I have.....I hope someone has some answers regarding the c-flex and EPR......I know my machine does not have the capability. I will get a new machine if I have to........I am also curious why I don't see many Fisher & Paykel machines listed by others??? thanks!

http://www.fphcare.com/osa/cpap-solutio ... premo.html

The Premo doesn't have Sensawake which would lower the pressure when it senses you are awake and not increase it till it sensed that you went to sleep.
It does have a time ramp though which you could start out lower and let the machine gradually increase the pressure for a set period of time till you were hopefully asleep.

I have used both the Respironics brand (which has the various Flex exhale relief options) and the ResMed brand which has the EPR exhale relief. In terms of ease in exhale....EPR will give you the greater relief because it can be set for up to 3 cm of exhale relief. CFlex or AFlex is a bit different and the exhale relief is based on your own breathing and will not be perceived as dramatic as EPR might be.

thanks for the response. I have no idea what"ramp" is. I didn't know my machine had that. No one ever mentioned it to me, even when I went back in tonite to let them know I couldn't fall asleep with the pressure, they never mentioned "ramp".

How long have you been doing CPAP?

It often feels like you're breathing into a hurricane at first, but for most people, you will soon find you have to pull the mask off your face to convince yourself it's blowing air.

If you're a new user, you probably just need to grin and bear it for a week or two. Wearing the machine while you're awake reading or watching TV may help you adjust to it.

The F&P Icon should work just fine, but I think ResMed S9 and Philips Respironics System One machines have some advantages over F&P, especially terms of being able to monitor your therapy.

If you do want to change to another model of machine, be sure to check here first. There are some PRS1 and ResMed machines that I would NOT recommend, and some that are clearly superior.

Ramp is a function where the machine starts at a low pressure when you turn it on and then slowly increases to the "correct" pressure. I recommend you not use it unless you really can't make it work without it. You should adapt pretty quickly to the normal pressure and not need ramp.

I also recommend to try and adapt to not using EPR, Flex, or exhale relief. You should quickly get used to breathing without it, especially at a low pressure like 8.

Don't give up. If you absolutely can't make it work, even with using the machine while awake, try to get your doctor to turn the pressure down a bit for the first week or so.

Ramp is when the machine starts out at a very low pressure (4 cm is as low as it will go) and gradually increases the pressure to your prescribed setting. Looks like it only will last 20 minutes. Other brands allow for longer ramp time.
Give me a second and then go check your private message box....up by the User Account Control and I will send you a link for the provider manual for your machine.

I think it's fine to start out using the ramp. It's a comfort feature, so use it to be more comfortable. There are plenty of other things to worry about.

That said, please realize there are also downsides to ramp from a comfort perspective and that most long-term hoseheads don't use it. More is not necessarily better.

Many people find the default ramp starting pressure (4 cm) too low and increase it a little. (6 was the minimum I could tolerate.)

You also don't necessarily need a long ramp time. I always preferred the 5 minute ramp. The point is to do what's comfortable for you.

Eventually you might even want to turn it off completely. After a quick midnight bathroom break, I found going through ramp again (even a short 5 minute one) to be a big pain.

So now, I don't use ramp at all. In fact, I usually wait a while (several seconds) before taking my first breath to give my machine time to get up to a decent pressure.