Newbie with even newer machine--software recommendation?

Hello,

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea two years ago, and my adjustment has been rough going, not only because--well, it's a rough adjustment, but also because of a lack of information and support. My worst problem--which I hope has now been solved (I hope!)--was that in my first 15 months or so of CPAP treatment, I woke up constantly with a freezing nose. The company supporting me was out in California (we live in New York), and they gave me such helpful advice as "Try running a space heater in your bedroom, close to the machine." I.don't.think.so.

Fast forward a few months--after finally discovering that the CA vendor had given me used equipment with a broken heating component, my doctor's office has now gotten me a new, local CPAP company and a new machine with a heated hose that I used last night for the first time, and seems much better. However, I would really like to be able to view my statistics, such as how many apnea events I have, etc. What kind of software should I have with my new machine, and where can I get it? My CPAP vendor says they can't sell it to me, but I do see that many or most of you all have gotten it somehow.

I'm hoping that my machine profile will show when I post this. My brand-new machine is a ResMed S9 Autoset with Climate Control and a ClimateLine heated tube, with a Heated H51 humidifier which snaps together with the CPAP machine.

After solving this problem, I'll have one more question that is scaring/bugging me: my sleep study showed NO central apnea events. I do get a printout of the data from my data card at my doctor's office every six months, and that shows that since I've begun CPAP treatment, I have some central apnea, although almost no obstructive apnea now. My AHI index is 3.6, OA is .2, and CA is 2.3. It's the latter that concerns me. I asked my doctor, and he is not worried about it, but has a theory that CPAP does something with your carbon dioxide levels that confuses your autonomic system and therefore may "cause" some small degree of central apnea. But it still frightens me...any thoughts from you experts?

This is my first post! Any help you can give me is appreciated.

You can use SleepyHead software with your ResMed machine. I have links for it and for the User Guide in my signature line.

You can also try ResScan if you wish. You can find link for it in UncleBob's signature line.
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=38643

There is a video to help with ResScan.http://montfordhouse.com/cpap/resscan_tutorial/

Centrals...the machines can only measure one dimension and that is air flow. It is common to have "centrals" during sleep onset, sleep stage transition and even turning over and holding your breath when you turn over. In a sleep lab these would be considered normal occurrences and not the kind of centrals we worry about and the tech would discount them. The machine doesn't have this ability so it records what it senses based on air flow. So some of these centrals are normal and we don't worry about them unless we see them in large numbers every hour, all night long, every night. A Central index of 2 or 3 falls within what is normally acceptable and probably why your doctor is not concerned. They can and will vary because we don't sleep the same all the time. Some nights I have none and some nights I have 20 giving me Central index of 3 to 4 sometimes. Usually the high central nights are when I am more restless for some reason. Probably a lot of tossing and turning and if I wake often due to pain...likely some sleep onset centrals also.

Even if they were "true" centrals of the kind that would be scored in a sleep study it would take more than 2 per hour to get the doctors excited about it. 5 per hour and above...every night, every hour, all night long.

Thanks, Pugsy! Ok, a few dumb questions--first, does Sleepyhead run on a Mac? Also, how do I get the data from my CPAP machine to my laptop?

Sorry, I'm REALLY a newbie here. I think Uncle Bob's software only runs on Windows?

Jane

Ok--I have downloaded SleepyHead, and it does indeed run on my MacBook Pro laptop. But, I can't figure out how to download any data. I took the little card out of my CPAP machine, and tried sticking it into the little card reader on my laptop, but nothing is showing up in Finder (the directory on a Mac). Thus, no data is getting into the application. Any suggestions?

(I really do want to figure this out)!

I don't use a Mac so specifics I can't help with.

Can you find the drive that the SD card is in?
Did you read the User Guide with the special instructions for Mac users?
I assume you found the Mac version of SleepyHead?

Once you find the drive letter that the SD card is in...that is what you import from. Pictures are in the User Guide of what this should look like. Most common mistake is people go into the SD card and the first folder and try to import from there. That is one step too far.

So you have to click on import and then create a new location...navigate to the drive letter that the SD card is in and then choose that drive letter as the source of the import. Data should go to the software then.

If your computer can't find the drive letter where the SD card is inserted...I don't know what the problem is. Is there something special that is needed for the computer to see the drive that the SD card is in?

I did install the Mac version; it looks like the developers fully support Macs. Then I took my data card out of the CPAP machine, put it into the logical place on my laptop (a card reader) and found the "import data" section of Sleepyhead. My computer did finally "see" the card, and I selected it for import, but Sleepyhead is giving me this error message:

"The operation can't be completed because the original item for memory card can't be found."

Alas--I have no idea what this means.

I did notice at the CPAP store that they've discontinued the software that they used to sell (called Rescan, I think) for this brand of machine (Resmed?) and it may have needed a card reader (they used to sell one but they've discontinued that, too).

I wonder if this vendor doesn't want CPAP patients to be able to access their data?

ResMed stopped selling ResScan to patients in 2009 because they got all upset because patients could change their pressure by using the software and OMG we aren't supposed to be able to do that. Never mind that it is easier to just go to the clinical menu and change the pressure that way.
But yes, it was ResMed who has decided that we shouldn't have their software but it only slowed us down a bit. You can still get ResScan but it won't work in your Mac unless you set up a Windows environment for it.

You are sure you are only telling the import to look in the drive letter and you aren't telling it to look in the SD card?

There may be something else you can do to help. I have never used a Mac but there are several members here that do and perhaps they have an idea as to what may be missing.

jane1022 wrote:Ok--I have downloaded SleepyHead, and it does indeed run on my MacBook Pro laptop. But, I can't figure out how to download any data. I took the little card out of my CPAP machine, and tried sticking it into the little card reader on my laptop, but nothing is showing up in Finder (the directory on a Mac). Thus, no data is getting into the application. Any suggestions?

(I really do want to figure this out)!

First make sure your S9 has the sleep quality feature set to on. It's in the clinician's menu. There's a link around here somewhere. Sorry I don't have it but usually someone pops in with it.

Second, there are several SleepyHead users here who use Macs. Do a search for both those terms and you should find enough reading to keep you going for a few hours, and probably answer all your questions.

Sleep Quality is already on. If it wasn't there wouldn't be the AHI breakdown available on the LCD screen.

jane1022 wrote:My AHI index is 3.6, OA is .2, and CA is 2.3

Those statistics were from the printout that the doctor's office gave me and were from my OLD machine, not my new S9.

Where is the clinician's menu that has the "sleep quality" setting?

There is a feature on the display that gives me VERY limited information, such as how many hours I used the machine last night, but nothing at all about my apnea episodes, etc.

It seems like maybe I've switched to a machine that won't let me get data, or at least certainly not easily : (


Here's an easier question--how do I put a picture next to my name, like others have done?

One more question: by "SD" card, do you mean the card in my CPAP machine that my statistics are written on, and which I would normally have my vender use to print out my stats? (I have to mail it in to them)

jane1022 wrote:I did install the Mac version; it looks like the developers fully support Macs. Then I took my data card out of the CPAP machine, put it into the logical place on my laptop (a card reader) and found the "import data" section of Sleepyhead. My computer did finally "see" the card, and I selected it for import, but Sleepyhead is giving me this error message:

"The operation can't be completed because the original item for memory card can't be found."

Alas--I have no idea what this means.

1) Slide the little white tab on the sd card from "unlocked" to "locked" before you put it in your Mac.

2) The Mac will give the sd card a temporary name of "NO NAME." After you click Import in SleepyHead, select "New Location" from the window that pops up, and then select "NO NAME" Do NOT select the internal contents of NO NAME. Select NO NAME itself which is the equivalent of a Drive Letter if you were using a Windows PC.

3) Do NOT just pull the sd card out of your Mac. Instead, first go to the Finder and in the left hand column you will see a list of all drives mounted, one of which will be NO NAME. Click the little Eject symbol to the right of NO NAME and after it disappears from the left column in the Finder, then pull it out of your Mac.

4) Slide the little white tab on the side of the sd card back to "Unlocked" and put it back into your S9.

Done.

Do it all over again the next day.

Regards, Nate

Nate!!

You solved my problem! As soon as I figured out where that little tab was, and followed your instructions, data appeared instantly on my screen. Now all I have to do is (happily) read the user's guide to figure out exactly what I'm looking at (I already have a general idea,though).

THANKS to the generosity of all of you who pointed me, step by step, in the right direction.

(And I was also working on downloading Rescan onto an old Windows laptop around here, but it was so old that the C drive didn't have enough space to accommodate it!).

One last question--very tiny--how do I upload a picture, such as you all have done, near my name?

Jane

jane1022 wrote:how do I upload a picture, such as you all have done, near my name?

I use screen shots and here is how I do it.


Open the image to full size so it is easily read.
I use Vista snipping tool to create a screen shot and crop the image at the same time.
Prt/scr key will also take a screen shot if using XP. If laptop is used sometimes the Fn key has to be pushed at the same time as the prt/scr key
I think windows 7 Home Premium has the snipping tool, Basic may not.

Once the screen shot is created save it in jpg format.
Upload the image to a host site. I use Photobucket it is free, there are others.
Once the image is uploaded then copy the ENTIRE IMG address. Be sure to include the opening and closing IMG in brackets. Paste that copied address into a post here.
Use the preview button. If you can't see the image try again because if you can't see it we can't.

Thanks Bugsy--I'll try what you suggest using photo bucket, adapted as I can figure out for my Mac. In the meantime, I cropped the daylights out of a picture so that all you can really see is my eyes, nose and mouth. It's not a very good solution!