Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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Starpilot
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Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

Post by Starpilot » Thu Jul 24, 2014 1:10 pm

FINALLY, 3 months after my doctor prescribed it, my DME has a bi-pap machine for me which I am off to pick up in just a couple minutes.

I'm super nervous about it working well and finally feeling better during the day. (Please please please work bi-pap)!

Is there anything that would be helpful to know before starting this new leg of the apnea journey?

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Mary Z
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Re: Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

Post by Mary Z » Thu Jul 24, 2014 1:17 pm

The only thing I would suggest is that if you have EPR (exhalation pressure relief- Respironics calls it biflex) and a ramp feature use them until you're more comfortable and able to sleep well with the machine. I found the transition to be smooth. Keep us posted.
Good luck.

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Re: Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

Post by squid13 » Thu Jul 24, 2014 1:37 pm

Get an Auto version that way you'll have Auto, Straight and Cpap.

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Starpilot
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Re: Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

Post by Starpilot » Fri Jul 25, 2014 11:22 am

Thanks guys. My first night was ok...I should have used the ramp, as suggested. It was hard to get comfortable falling asleep and I think I woke quite a bit in the night. I feel awful today. I'm hoping this is just a transition period and I'll start feeling better soon.

(Tho I must admit, I was sort of hoping for a magical transformation overnight into a bright eyed and bushy tailed individual).

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Re: Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

Post by palerider » Fri Jul 25, 2014 11:52 am

squid13 wrote:Get an Auto version that way you'll have Auto, Straight and Cpap.
with the vpap auto, you can set it to cpap, plain bi-level and auto bi-level mode, and if you set the ps=0, then it can pretend to be an autoset... four machines in one

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Re: Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

Post by Stevoreno_55 » Fri Jul 25, 2014 4:32 pm

Starpilot wrote:FINALLY, 3 months after my doctor prescribed it, my DME has a bi-pap machine for me which I am off to pick up in just a couple minutes.

I'm super nervous about it working well and finally feeling better during the day. (Please please please work bi-pap)!

Is there anything that would be helpful to know before starting this new leg of the apnea journey?
Why so long to get your machine? Insurance related? What are your pressures? I hope you were able to get an auto rather than a fixed machine.

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Starpilot
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Re: Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

Post by Starpilot » Fri Jul 25, 2014 6:06 pm

The length of time wasn't insurance related, it was DME being slow and useless related.

I do have the VPAP auto. It is set to automatically adjust. I will have to double check the pressures.

If I wake up exhausted tomorrow I will post graphs (which I will then ask for help with because I still haven't quite figured out how to read them).

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Re: Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

Post by Stevoreno_55 » Fri Jul 25, 2014 10:44 pm

Starpilot wrote:The length of time wasn't insurance related, it was DME being slow and useless related.

I do have the VPAP auto. It is set to automatically adjust. I will have to double check the pressures.

If I wake up exhausted tomorrow I will post graphs (which I will then ask for help with because I still haven't quite figured out how to read them).
So you have this machine? https://www.cpap.com/productpage/S9-VPA ... chine.html

The reason I ask is because the machine you have listed in your profile is a auto CPAP.

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Starpilot
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Re: Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

Post by Starpilot » Sat Jul 26, 2014 12:26 am

Updated it now I think. Night 2.

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Re: Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

Post by Starpilot » Mon Jul 28, 2014 12:46 pm

Well after four days I don't feel much different. I started taping again because I was being woken up by dry mouth.

The bi-pap machine is more comfortable though. I went ahead and put a 10 minute ramp on, and now find it very comfortable to breathe with and go to sleep with. I feel like the first half of the night I sleep pretty well (get very deep into dreaming), then I am woken up by either having to use the bathroom or else my husband coming to bed at 3 am.

I saw the sleep doctor today who said my charts look good -- I am having 2 or fewer events an hour. He also said that my pressure goes up pretty high in the night (the machine is just set to auto-adjust). This seems so weird to me, as before I had my first sleep study I thought the idea of me having sleep apnea was ridiculous.

Anyway, I'm supposed to give it a month and see how it goes. Then I will be back and if I am not doing better he may want me to try ritalin. Boo.

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Re: Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

Post by HealthyandHopeful » Mon Jul 28, 2014 2:42 pm

I don't know the difference between a bipap and apap machine (what I have) but I could relate when you said you thought the idea of you having sleep apnea was ridiculous. I thought having a sleep study was going to be a waste of my insurance's money. I was shocked to find I have sleep apnea. But I now have hope now of not feeling so tired during the day! I hope that becomes the case for each of us here!

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Re: Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

Post by palerider » Mon Jul 28, 2014 4:27 pm

HealthyandHopeful wrote:I don't know the difference between a bipap and apap machine (what I have)
a bilevel (bipap is a trademark of phillips respironics, vpap is the trademark for resmed for the same thing) machine is *sort of* like the EPR your machine has, on steroids... where you can set epr on your machine from 0-3, on my vpap, effectively, (though they call it different things) you can set it from 0-10.

there's more to it and all, but that's a very simple basic idea of what one is.

there's threads on here you can search for that go into the differences in great detail, if you're interested

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Re: Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

Post by HealthyandHopeful » Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:01 am

Wow, thanks. My mother-in-law was put on a bipap in the late stage of her life. She had advanced COPD and I understood it was to get the carbon monoxide out of her. I've seen on here people who don't seem to be that severe on the bipap. When my m-i-l was put on the machine that was the first time I had ever heard of it. Appreciate the explanation!

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Re: Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

Post by palerider » Wed Jul 30, 2014 9:55 am

HealthyandHopeful wrote:I understood it was to get the carbon monoxide out of her.
carbon DIoxide...

carbon MONoxide is what you get out of cars and poorly vented furnaces... and kills poeple dead.

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Re: Finally getting bi-pap -- anything I should know?

Post by HealthyandHopeful » Wed Jul 30, 2014 11:57 am

Oops!

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