pressure wake me

iclyne · Post by **iclyne** » Wed May 02, 2007 8:30 am

Hi all;
I am a first time user of an APAP machine having just been diagnosed a few weeks ago.

When I used the titration machine my RT gave me I was able to sleep 8 hours without waking up. Now that I have my own machine and mask, I've been waking up between 3-4 am because the pressure is too great. It annoys me so that I take off the mask and go back to sleep without it. I know the machine was set between 4-14 and I was diagnosed no grater than 10.

What's up with this? Any helpful hits would be appreciated.

Iris

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Wed May 02, 2007 9:27 am

Something doesn't "compute".....
Your profile says you're using the Remstar Plus.....that's not an Auto/APAP.

Your machine is obviously not configured correctly (as are many others who come here with problems). Your pressure range is set too wide-open to be effective and obviously it's disturbing your sleep.

In short, they set you up for failure because you can't use it the whole night.

Please update your profile with what equipment you're using. If you have an Auto, it should be recording nightly data.....which should be able to be interpreted by either your doctor (ultimately) or DME as to why you're having problems.

Best wishes,

Den

CollegeGirl · Post by **CollegeGirl** » Wed May 02, 2007 9:39 am

Den, sounds to me like he was titrated with an auto that was set from 4-14, and given a Plus to take home set to a pressure of 10. Iclyne, can you please let us know if this is right? Thanks.

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Wed May 02, 2007 9:41 am

CollegeGirl wrote:Den, sounds to me like he was titrated with an auto that was set from 4-14, and given a Plus to take home set to a pressure of 10. Iclyne, can you please let us know if this is right? Thanks.

And, that's why we need a bit more info.

Den

iclyne · Post by **iclyne** » Wed May 02, 2007 12:04 pm

I guess I don't really know the diff between a CPAP, APAP, etc. My profile is right, I have the REMstar Auto M Series with CFlex. There was a tag on it that said 4-14 when I got it, so I assumed that what it was set to. 4-14 is what the RT said to set it at, though I never reacherd 14 during the titration.

Appreciate your knowledge and expertise... I'm confused

Iris

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Wed May 02, 2007 12:26 pm

iclyne wrote:I guess I don't really know the diff between a CPAP, APAP, etc. My profile is right, I have the REMstar Auto M Series with CFlex. There was a tag on it that said 4-14 when I got it, so I assumed that what it was set to. 4-14 is what the RT said to set it at, though I never reacherd 14 during the titration.

Appreciate your knowledge and expertise... I'm confused

If you were titrated at 10cm, they should have set the pressure lower, sometimes they set it above that number in case they missed the titration. If the pressure is going well above 10cm up to the 14cm, then you should probably lower the Max setting down closer to 10cm. You should also obtain a copy of your sleep lab report and study the results, there may have been a legitimate reason they stopped your titration at 10cm, like CA's or MA's were seen going higher.

Note: Leaving the Minimum down to the lowest or 4cm, may be too low for you, you will probably find the air stuffy or overly humid, that is because at 4cm you are rebreathing too much of your own exhaled air and the pressure isn't high enough to flush out your exhaled air. If you are having difficulty falling asleep I would suggest increasing the Auto:Min pressure to 5cm or 6cm. Here is how you would do it:

1. Hold down the (<-) (->) buttons while plugging in the power on the back,
wait for 2 beeps or 5 seconds, release buttons.
2. Press the (+) key to enter Setup.

Navigation:
- (<-) / (->) buttons move to next field
- (-) / (+) keys decrement/increment field values.
============Available Values===============
Check the following field(s):

-Therapy Mode=Auto (CPAP/Auto)

-Auto:Max=10 (default=20.0cm)

-Auto:Min=6 (default=4.0cm)

-CFlex Setting=2 (options are off, 1, 2 or 3)

-AutoRamp Time=30 (options are 05 to 45 min)

-AutoRamp Pressure=6.0cm (4cm->AutoMin)

-Mask Alert Feature=ON (On/Off)

-Auto Off Feature=Off (On/off)

-Split Night Time = Off (off, 120, 180, 240)

-Show AHI/Leak Feature=ON (On/Off)

Press On/Off button to exit.

iclyne · Post by **iclyne** » Wed May 02, 2007 11:02 pm

Thank you soooo much. I could not for the life of me find these settings. I'm very excited to know I have some control over the machine and can't wait to try it tonight.

I'm a happy slumberer (I hope).

Thanks again,
Iris