New machine not useable

[Scota4570]

I have been using cpap for 15 years. I have serious apnea and high BP. I use cpap every day for every minuet I sleep. I got so fed up with the original equipment provider. I gave up and paid out of pocket.

Recently, I though I shold try to use a new provider and save some money. To get set up with the new provider I was forced to do a new sleep study. I did it. The doctor wrote a prescription for a bipap machine. The pressures are not workable. I set it to cpap and adjusted the pressure, it it worked OK. They phoned the machine and set it back to useless . The machine is a ResMed aircurve 10 VAUTO. Expensive machine but useless to me. The mask jumps around on my face and distracts me to the point I can not sleep in bipap mode. It does not have autoset cpap, which I insist on. The mask provided obstruct the air flow to my nose. I went back to my old grungy mask and machine. I will return the new one tomorrow.

What is with these people? They refuse to listen to the patient. Their attitude would be like preaching to a childhood onset diabetic with an a1c of 6, how to manage their insulin. It is condescending and infuriating. Rant over. : ))

I want and auto set CPAP with a humidifier and heated hose. What should I ask for? I already have two Resprionics RemStar Auto Aflex machines. I want the heated breath hose. This time.

[SewTired]

Since I don't know why they recommended Bipap, I can't answer to that. What I can tell you is when you go back, if you agree to an alternative mask and machine, be sure to tell them that you did not authorize changes to be made over modem to your machine and will not tolerate it without being advised in advance. It's great that they can do that for people who want it, but to just do it randomly without notice to you is very concerning.

[zoocrewphoto]

You may need to contact your doctor. If the prescription says a bipap, they have to give you a bipap.

Usually, though, the fancier machines can be set more like the basic machines. What settings were working for you, and what settings did they change them to? Do you know why the doctor prescribe a bipap and different settings?

[Wulfman...]

Are you using software to monitor your therapy?
If not, get Sleepyhead and see what's happening during the night. See how your settings are working and maybe you can tweak them to get better therapy.
Tell them in no uncertain terms NOT to mess with YOUR settings.


Den

.

[Gasper62]

I've often wondered if fitting the modem area of a machine with a "foil hat" might not effectively block the transmission and reception of data/instructions. It might be a good defense against ham-fisted techs fu@kin% up people's treatments, if it would actually work like that.

[palerider]

I have been using cpap for 15 years. I have serious apnea and high BP. I use cpap every day for every minuet I sleep. I got so fed up with the original equipment provider. I gave up and paid out of pocket.

Recently, I though I shold try to use a new provider and save some money. To get set up with the new provider I was forced to do a new sleep study. I did it. The doctor wrote a prescription for a bipap machine. The pressures are not workable. I set it to cpap and adjusted the pressure, it it worked OK. They phoned the machine and set it back to useless . The machine is a ResMed aircurve 10 VAUTO. Expensive machine but useless to me. The mask jumps around on my face and distracts me to the point I can not sleep in bipap mode. It does not have autoset cpap, which I insist on. The mask provided obstruct the air flow to my nose. I went back to my old grungy mask and machine. I will return the new one tomorrow.

What is with these people? They refuse to listen to the patient. Their attitude would be like preaching to a childhood onset diabetic with an a1c of 6, how to manage their insulin. It is condescending and infuriating. Rant over. : ))

I want and auto set CPAP with a humidifier and heated hose. What should I ask for? I already have two Resprionics RemStar Auto Aflex machines. I want the heated breath hose. This time.

well, since this is all just a gripe session, there's not much to say, other than "the vauto can *EASILY* be programmed to act like an autoset. I've got one, I did it.

[Pugsy]

Like PR said.
You can easily make a couple little setting adjustments and make the bilevel auto work like a fixed auto.
Just like a regular apap machine. Super easy in auto bilevel mode.
Minimum EPAP needs to be what your minimum in an apap would be
Maximum IPAP would be what your apap was set to.
PS needs to be 0...this is what will make it a single pressure
It will then function just like an apap would with a minimum and maximum pressure range.

You will need to turn airplane mode on and leave it on...or else next time the DME checks how you are doing they will change it back. So at worst you would have to tell it "yes, I want to use airplane mode" at the nag screen every time you turn the machine on.
Takes a millisecond.

Or if you want to ever utilize the features that make bilevel so nice...tell us what settings they are wanting to shove down your throat that you don't like. There's probably a way to make them work better for you.
Less annoying and all that but you don't have to get a totally different machine to get single pressure auto adjusting like apaps do and what you were used to and liked.

[chunkyfrog]

Put a Faraday cage around it if they will not respond to your request to leave it the ____ alone.

[Scota4570]

Pugsey,

thank you! : ) It did not seem right that a top of the line $1700 machine could not be so set up. I was going to return it today, I'll try what you said.

I had set it to CPAP 12 pressure. That worked OK. The provider said it does not autoset, he is very uninformed. I want that feature. The factory literature also said it does not react to breathing patterns. We'll see. I'll also set it to airplane mode to block them for messing with it.

The doctor gave my wife the exact same settings. I'm thinking he uses a generic setting for everyone, at least initially. He certainly was not interested in my point of view. Isn't managed care great? !



Thanks again,

Scot

[Pugsy]

I have owned the S9 version of your machine. Those settings will work and I am pretty sure that you can do PS of 0 which essentially creates a single pressure that you want and in auto mode it will vary like any apap will vary the pressure.

Yes...sometimes managed care kinda sucks but at least you got a really good machine instead of some crap machine which is what happens to a lot of people getting "canned" care.

I can imagine that after 15 years of using a machine set a certain way it would be a bit disconcerting to try to adjust to a different way of doing something. We all get used to having things to behave a certain way and sometimes change, even if it is a good change, can be difficult when our bodies are so used to things being a certain way.
I happen to really like the bilevel way of doing things and it was an easy adjustment for me but I fully understand that not everyone can embrace change like I do. That's okay though.
Pretty much everything relating to anything about cpap comes with a big YMMV sticker.

Let me know if making those changes don't resolve your issues. The only drawback to using it this way is if you are used to having some sort of exhale relief being used on your old machine and with the bilevel machine the bilevel part is the exhale relief. So if you have a problem...tell us exactly what all your prior settings were on your old machine including exhale relief and we can probably match it on the AutoCurve.
Pretty simple really and no need to swap out machines and you never know...some day you might be in a position to need more pressure and this machine can go higher than a regular apap and be more comfortable doing it.

[Scota4570]

"The only drawback to using it this way is if you are used to having some sort of exhale relief being used on your old machine and with the bilevel machine the bilevel part is the exhale relief."

I prefer having no exhale relief. IT keeps my airway open better. I think my airway has adapted to years of positive pressure. I cannot sleep for more than a few minuets without the CPAP.

This machine has a heated hose. That is huge. I can not get the humidity high enough with my old machine without taking a bath while I sleep. I have sinus dryness and recurrent infections. Hopefully the new gear helps.

[Sleeprider]

I will simply confirm that what Pugsy suggested is true for the Aircurve 10 Vauto. In auto bilevel mode, you can set the minEPAP is equivalent to the Autoset minimum pressure, and maxIPAP is the same as the maximum pressure. The key is the machine allows you to set the pressure support (similar to EPR) to as low as zero. Without pressure support this device is an auto CPAP with no EPR.

[Janknitz]

It's easy enough to set it in airplane mode. It's a bit of a PITA because every time you turn it on or off it reminds you that it's in airplane mode and asks you if you want to turn it off. I ignore it when I use Autostart, but when I want to see the data at the end of my session I just say "no" to turning airplane mode off. It's mine, it's paid for, and I don't want anyone monkeying with it except me.