can I use hubby's machine to test myself for sleep apnea

[Guest]

do we know if NormagiJoy's spouse has completed compliance or if that is still an issue?

[Pugsy]

do we know if NormagiJoy's spouse has completed compliance or if that is still an issue?

If I remember correctly, compliance to make a DME or insurance company happy isn't a factor because they bought the machine from cpap.com.
DME and/or insurance not involved.

[rkl122]

......could I use his machine for a night or two and check sleepyhead reports for my results???

Would this work?

You probably realize this, but to come as close as possible to simulating a sleep study, you'd want to minimize the probability that the machine might actually provide treatment - i.e. you'd want the untreated AHI. The best way to do that is set it to CPAP mode and the lowest possible pressure. If that proves just plain uncomfortable for normal breathing, bump the pressure a tad, but keep it as low as you can. Once you're convinced you do have AHI>5, go back to APAP and set the pressures wide open for an auto titration.

-Ron

[D.H.]

Well, please don't tell, then I'll have the advantage of surprise if ever needed!

What models of mask are available to fit a cat's face?

[D.H.]

......could I use his machine for a night or two and check sleepyhead reports for my results???

Would this work?

You probably realize this, but to come as close as possible to simulating a sleep study, you'd want to minimize the probability that the machine might actually provide treatment - i.e. you'd want the untreated AHI. The best way to do that is set it to CPAP mode and the lowest possible pressure. If that proves just plain uncomfortable for normal breathing, bump the pressure a tad, but keep it as low as you can. Once you're convinced you do have AHI>5, go back to APAP and set the pressures wide open for an auto titration.

-Ron

Note that if the lowest pressure is sufficient to treat your Sleep Apnea, it would appear as if you did not have Sleep Apnea.

[Uncle_Bob]

In order to try out CPAP the OP could try an additional mask and a hose along with a two way splitter for the main hose from the partners CPAP machine.

[SewTired]

......could I use his machine for a night or two and check sleepyhead reports for my results???

Would this work?

You probably realize this, but to come as close as possible to simulating a sleep study, you'd want to minimize the probability that the machine might actually provide treatment - i.e. you'd want the untreated AHI. The best way to do that is set it to CPAP mode and the lowest possible pressure. If that proves just plain uncomfortable for normal breathing, bump the pressure a tad, but keep it as low as you can. Once you're convinced you do have AHI>5, go back to APAP and set the pressures wide open for an auto titration.

-Ron

You don't necessarily have to do this. If she sets the auto titration pressures wide open, it will show that treatment is necessary. After a few nights, she could focus in on her 95% to determine need. You don't HAVE to have an AHI>5. You could have an AHI<1 and still have RERAs>30. The machine only shows the AHI calculation. Only untreated RERAs will show in the data, but the increased pressure will be obvious. But, as Pugsy says, what will hubby do on those nights OP is using the machine? I have a backup machine I can use to experiment on family members when they are ready.

[Stormynights]

In order to try out CPAP the OP could try an additional mask and a hose along with a two way splitter for the main hose from the partners CPAP machine.

Can this really be done? I have no reason to need to know really but I am just curious. It might be handy if one machine stopped working and you didn't have a backup. I just don't think this would really work though.

[esel]

In order to try out CPAP the OP could try an additional mask and a hose along with a two way splitter for the main hose from the partners CPAP machine.

Can this really be done? I have no reason to need to know really but I am just curious. It might be handy if one machine stopped working and you didn't have a backup. I just don't think this would really work though.

nope

or only if you can breath in and out sinchronized

[palerider]

In order to try out CPAP the OP could try an additional mask and a hose along with a two way splitter for the main hose from the partners CPAP machine.

Can this really be done? I have no reason to need to know really but I am just curious. It might be handy if one machine stopped working and you didn't have a backup. I just don't think this would really work though.

no. there's a variety of reasons it would fail.

1) the machine varies it's flow to compensate for breathing.
2) the leak would be double, which would likely put it into large leak territory, certainly would on a resmed machine.
3) there'd be no way to log meaningful data.
4) given the above, if the two people were breathing in and out at the same time, they'd have double the flow, if they were in opposition, there would be little flow and the machine would think an apnea was happening.

it's a foolish idea, or a joke.

[NormagiJoy]

Thank you all for the responses. A lot of what you all said are part of my decision process. We do not have a second machine, it's on our *wish list*.(Unfortunately we live paycheck to paycheck, money is tight) But I am currently looking.

"best to do it on a weekend or a time when he isn't using it"
I was thinking the same thing, using it on nights he doesn't work the next day.

"he is using a full face mask... fit for you may be problematical"
another thing to consider

"You would need to track who used it when to separate the data"
you are right, we don't see this as a problem though, it's only for a weekend. Btw, I am female *smile*

"do we know if NormagiJoy's spouse has completed compliance or if that is still an issue?"

Pugsy is right, there is no insurance or DME. His compliance is for his CDL. There is no way I would interfere with that. He has another medical cert coming up in two weeks, 90 days proof of usage. So I would not even think about using his equipment until after this is done.

rkl122 Thank you for your post, this is an area where I am clueless and need the expertise of this group.

How do I set up the machine, what settings???

[Pugsy]

What mask interests you? Let's get you a mask....and I might have something you could work with.
Since you don't want to do anything for 2 weeks we can plan ahead.
Do you have any chronic nasal congestion issues that would dictate maybe a full face mask or if you normally can breathe through your nose just fine we can look at nasal masks of some sort?

Pressure settings...What I would do (and did with my family members who I screened) was use a modest range of pressures just to see if the machine wanted to do anything. Pretty much if the machine wants to go higher it is because it has a good reason. I wouldn't worry so much about using just the bare minimum pressure of 4 cm just to see if the machine flags any events. That 4 cm pressure can seem awfully suffocating for a lot of people and if you feel like you are suffocating you won't sleep and you gotta sleep to get a good idea what's going on.
My own sister couldn't handle anything below 6 cm. Said I was trying to kill her.

So play with the minimum setting and start the minimum as low as you are comfortable with and for the maximum use maybe 10 cm. See if it even wants to increase the pressure from the chosen minimum beyond the pressure probes. If you see much movement of the pressure line from the minimum or it maxes out the 10 cm...you pretty much have your answer no matter what the AHI might be.

[NormagiJoy]

***THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH***

chronic nasal congestion issues YES!!!

I would probably need a medium or large

tell me if this would work...

we have DreamMapper software, I use it along with Sleepyhead.

His machine has a mask fit feature, giving us the ability to check the seal of the mask.
(Usually DreamMapper shows it at 100%)

Would it be possible for me to do a *mask check* with his mask to check for fit???


.

[Pugsy]

Yes. You could at least try his mask to see if it will work for you. See if it is comfortable and you can use the check mask fit feature to see if you can at least get it sealed to start with.
If it is too big you can then look at something else.

[D.H.]

In order to try out CPAP the OP could try an additional mask and a hose along with a two way splitter for the main hose from the partners CPAP machine.

That would totally confound the data collection process!