Is it me or is my only benefit stop snoring?

[hotrod53]

Ya know, the Doctor told me that I would awake feeling like Superman, I would lose weight, and my whole life would change..... I don't get it.... I can honestly say that my only benefit is that I no longer snore! Of course this is a BIG THING for my wife, but as for me... I can't sleep without my machine, I have to take it everywhere, I wake up constantly dragging this hose around, and I'm still tired. Not to mention the every day cleaning ritual before bed and the ever present sexiness of sleeping with a guy on a respirator! Now my wife doesn't wear ear plugs because of the snoring, she wears them because of the RemMaster M.

[Country4ever]

Hi Hotrod,
What are your numbers? Do they look good?
I find it a little strange that your doc made it sound like you'd solve all your problems. It goes that way for some of us, but not others. Tell us your numbers first, and we'll go from there.
Also......do you have any other medical problems, or are on other meds?
I used to clean my stuff every night, until I asked people here how often they cleaned things, and tons of people don't clean that often, and they appeared not to get sick from it. So.....I have eased up on my cleaning ALOT, and haven't gotten sick yet. It can be a real pain to clean as often as the DME people say to clean. So I say ease up on that a little, to make your life just a little easier. And I try to detach my hose and let it air dry during some days, and I think that's an easy, good thing to do.

[GumbyCT]

Sounds like maybe your pressure isn't right or you are having leaks??

[hotrod53]

I'm not sure what you mean by numbers unless you mean a setting of 9. I am on Diovan HCL blood pressure meds and Allegra. I have been using my machine for a little over a year. I got it because I snored like a banche and my wife was about to kill me in my sleep!

I do wake sometimes and have to life my gell mask and let it reseat on my face to stop a leak, especially since I toss and turn. Sometimes I have racing stripes on my face until noon from that thing.

[Wulfman]

Got software?
Your profile says you have an Auto. How is your machine configured? (What pressure settings?)


Den

[hotrod53]

My setting is 9, I have no software or would even know what to do with it. My old machine had a card reader in it but when that machine crapped out, I got a referb unit that was exactly the same without the reader. Where would you pull data out of the machine if you had software?? I do know how to get into the machine and program it.

I do awake sometimes and don't even realize that it's blowing air which I think means that the pressure is good. I turn it right on without the ramp feature, mine doesn't auto-range like a friend on mines unit does.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): Ramp, auto

[Country4ever]

You could be leaking air badly, and if so, it wouldn't be doing much good for you. You could also still be having tons of apnea/hypopnea events. Have you ever taken the machine in for your doc to download the numbers?

[Wulfman]

My setting is 9, I have no software or would even know what to do with it. My old machine had a card reader in it but when that machine crapped out, I got a referb unit that was exactly the same without the reader. Where would you pull data out of the machine if you had software?? I do know how to get into the machine and program it.

I do awake sometimes and don't even realize that it's blowing air which I think means that the pressure is good. I turn it right on without the ramp feature, mine doesn't auto-range like a friend on mines unit does.

Exactly what is the wording on top of your machine?
Something doesn't add up here.
Either you've got the wrong machine in your profile or somebody pulled a "switcheroo" on you. If it's an Auto, it SHOULD have a card and slot for it to go in.

Den

[CentralScrutinizer]

Did your Dr also tell you that untreated sleep apnea increases your risks for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and probably a few other things that could shorten your life?

If your doctor wasn't joking when he said you'd fell like Superman... and didn't also didn't warn you about the things that could happen if you don't treat your sleep apnea, i would seriously consider finding a different Dr.


[quote="hotrod53"]Ya know, the Doctor told me that I would awake feeling like Superman, I would lose weight, and my whole life would change..... I don't get it.... I can honestly say that my only benefit is that I no longer snore! Of course this is a BIG THING for my wife, but as for me... I can't sleep without my machine, I have to take it everywhere, I wake up constantly dragging this hose around, and I'm still tired. Not to mention the every day cleaning ritual before bed and the ever present sexiness of sleeping with a guy on a respirator! Now my wife doesn't wear ear plugs because of the snoring, she wears them because of the RemMaster M.

[Snoredog]

I'm not sure what you mean by numbers unless you mean a setting of 9. I am on Diovan HCL blood pressure meds and Allegra. I have been using my machine for a little over a year. I got it because I snored like a banche and my wife was about to kill me in my sleep!

I do wake sometimes and have to life my gell mask and let it reseat on my face to stop a leak, especially since I toss and turn. Sometimes I have racing stripes on my face until noon from that thing.

Before we can help you, we need to know "which" machine you have, if you have a M series Auto as your profile shows it will give AHI and leak information from the LCD display even without a SmartCard.

However, before even you can observe that data it has to be enabled via programming. Programming the machine isn't that hard, all you do is:

1. Hold down both the left and right (<-) (->) buttons while simultaneously plugging the power supply into the back of the device. Once the device beeps twice, it is in the setup mode and you can release the buttons.

Navigation:
-Press the plus (+) key to enter setup OR left and right (<-) (->) buttons to enter Data Menu.
-Use the left and right (<-) (->) buttons to navigate to the next/previous screen.
-Use the (+) and (-) buttons to adjust settings or change values.
-When you have finished modifying the settings, press the On/Off button to exit setup mode and return to User mode.

Additional Settings Info/Descriptions:
Mask Alert: This alert will indicate when the device has detected a mask leak. You can enable or disable the alert (default=disabled).
Split Night Time: This setting indicates the amount of time spent in CPAP therapy before transitioning to Auto-CPAP therapy (default=Off, 120, 180, or 240 minutes).
Show AHI/Leak: You can select weather or not the Apnea/Hypopnea Index and System Leak averages display on the LCD data screens (default=disabled, enable this).
Patient Reminder: Using the EncorePro software, you can set a customized text message that will periodically display to the User. The Reminder screen lets you specifiy how often the reminder will appear (every 90 days, 180 days, etc.).

Settings:
Therapy Mode=AUTO (CPAP or AUTO)
CPAP Pressure=10.0 (Only appears if in CPAP mode)
Auto:Max=20 (default=20, Only appears in AUTO mode)
Auto:Min=4 (default=4, Only appears in AUTO mode, set to 6.5 or higher)
Flex Setting=2 (default=1, Off, 1, 2, or 3)
Ramp Time=30 (default=0:05-45 minutes)
Ramp Start Pressure=6.5 (default=4 to Auto:Min, only appears if Auto:Min >4 cm)
Mask Alert Feature=Off (default=off)
Auto Off Feature=Off (default=off, should be off doesn't work that well)
Show AHI/Leak Feature=ON (default=On, you want this on to get LCD data)
Patient Reminder=Off (Off, 90, 180, 270,365 days)

To view data:
1. Hold down both the left and right (<-) (->) buttons while simultaneously plugging the power supply into the back of the device. Once the device beeps twice, it is in the setup mode and you can release the buttons.

2. Press the left and right (<-) (->) buttons to navigate to the Therapy Usage screen to observe data, should give you AHI information for 7 and 30 days averages, should also display number of days used >4hrs per night, 90% pressure, leak etc.

To REST LCD Data to zero, while at the Therapy Usage screen hold down the minus (-) button for 5 seconds.

[Guest]

Ask your wife if you sleep with your mouth open (if you do, you won't know it on your own). If you do, like a lot of us, you would need a different kind of mask that also just covers your mouth and keeps the good blown in air from going straight out your mouth (which would certainly guarantee that you don't feel any better!).

[alnhwrd]

Also, as an addendum to the previous post, you cold try taping your mouth closed for a week and see if that helps you feel better. You could easily be leaking air out of your mouth and wouldn't even know it.

[alnhwrd]

"Sometimes I have racing stripes on my face until noon from that thing."


Also, go to http://www.padacheeks.com for a strap cover for your mask's headgear and you can get rid of the racing stripes!

[hotrod53]

I hope I'm not double posting, it didn;t seem to work the first time.

I goofed, it's a RemStar Plus M series with a heated humidifier.

As far as mouth breathing, I do not believe that to be the case. My Doctor did discuss other benefits, I guess I'm just disappointed thinking I would see some major improvements.

I have been using my machine for about a year, I don't plan to stop, my wife wouldn't have it! When I fall asleef without it on rare occasion, she gets a little testy. Do they make CPAPs to help women in menopause! Maybe blowing a little air in would help keeping the bad air from blowing out!

[NightHawkeye]

I goofed, it's a RemStar Plus M series with a heated humidifier.

The bad news, as you already know, is that it doesn't have a SmartCard. It also doesn't record data.

The question I have for you is:
Did your profile correctly reflect the type of machine you had when you started therapy? If so, and you paid for that machine, which was a much more advanced APAP machine, then a serious discussion with your DME is in order. They should have a record of what your former machine was. Since it had a SmartCard it was, without doubt, a more capable machine.

Considering your current problems, the easiest, fastest way to determine what improvements will work for you is to get a machine which records "useful data". My recommendations are the Remstar APAP or the Puritan Bennett 420E APAP. The 420E will be much cheaper than the Remstar if you have to buy it yourself, rather than insurance paying for it. In many ways the 420E is also a better machine than the Remstar, IMHO.

You really, really need to get a better machine and software to go with it. Take control of your own therapy, as others have suggested. It'll be worth it.

Regards,
Bill