Toughest Guy on CPAP

[uperrsc]

I am on a super basic machine, a Respironics Sleep Easy at a setting of 12. There is a similar model with CFlex which I think is probably better, but I got used to the one I"m on pretty quick and really don't think I'm going to bother changing it to one with Cflex. Any other folks on here who don't mind having to exhale against the force of the pump? It doesn't seem to bother me, but maybe my lungs are just super powerful or something.....

[DreamDiver]

I am on a super basic machine, a Respironics Sleep Easy at a setting of 12. There is a similar model with CFlex which I think is probably better, but I got used to the one I"m on pretty quick and really don't think I'm going to bother changing it to one with Cflex. Any other folks on here who don't mind having to exhale against the force of the pump? It doesn't seem to bother me, but maybe my lungs are just super powerful or something.....

uperrsc,
Welcome. Wow, that is a pretty basic machine. Is it quiet?

If you're going to get a new machine, consider get a data-capable auto - maybe even a Resmed. You may not need all the extras, but you'll be able to better keep track of your body's needs if you know exactly how you're doing. C-Flex is a waste of time - it actually hampers decent therapy in a lot of people. At a straight pressure of twelve, if you've been fine without it, you probably don't need it. Sounds like you're off to a good start.

[Wulfman]

I am on a super basic machine, a Respironics Sleep Easy at a setting of 12. There is a similar model with CFlex which I think is probably better, but I got used to the one I"m on pretty quick and really don't think I'm going to bother changing it to one with Cflex. Any other folks on here who don't mind having to exhale against the force of the pump? It doesn't seem to bother me, but maybe my lungs are just super powerful or something.....

uperrsc,
Welcome. Wow, that is a pretty basic machine. Is it quiet?

If you're going to get a new machine, consider get a data-capable auto - maybe even a Resmed. You may not need all the extras, but you'll be able to better keep track of your body's needs if you know exactly how you're doing. C-Flex is a waste of time - it actually hampers decent therapy in a lot of people. At a straight pressure of twelve, if you've been fine without it, you probably don't need it. Sounds like you're off to a good start.

WHOA, Nellie!!!

That is just NOT true. It's a "comfort" feature that helps people exhale against the air flow......by dropping the pressure slightly at the beginning of the exhale cycle, but keeping some pressure there to prevent apneas from occuring between the end of the exhale and the beginning of the inhale cycles. There may be (and are) people who do well without it or prefer to turn it off, but when pressures start to get much higher than 12 cm., it sure makes breathing much easier......without affecting therapy results.


Den

[DreamDiver]

WHOA, Nellie!!!

That is just NOT true. It's a "comfort" feature that helps people exhale against the air flow......by dropping the pressure slightly at the beginning of the exhale cycle, but keeping some pressure there to prevent apneas from occuring between the end of the exhale and the beginning of the inhale cycles. There may be (and are) people who do well without it or prefer to turn it off, but when pressures start to get much higher than 12 cm., it sure makes breathing much easier......without affecting therapy results.


Den

I hope we can agree to disagree. For those with higher pressures that don't merit a bipap, C-Flex might be useful. However, my AHI dropped significantly, my breathing stopped racing through the night, and my diaphragm pain went way when I turn the 'feature' off.

EDIT: It also resumes the prescribed inhale pressure slightly before the end of the exhale - that's what causes some people like me to inhale involuntarily early and deeply... all night long. I'm looking forward to trying out the Resmed equivalent. I'm curious if it would give similar results.

[Wulfman]

I hope we can agree to disagree.

OK. I just thought you were painting with too broad of a brush. I've read a few posts where some people felt like their breathing was somewhat out of sync with a setting of "3", but again, it's a comfort setting and people should try whichever setting feels/works best for them.

I've always used a setting of "2" (except for a few nights when I accidentally set it to "1"). I could probably do without it altogether at my pressure of 12, but it has always worked fine for me......so, I haven't felt the need to change.


Den

[PST]

I have occasionally wondered how much a person's weight affects his or her perception of the need for exhalation relief. Just to lay my cards on the table, I'm a big guy to start with, and I'm currently obese on top of that. For someone like me, it is inhaling that seems to take effort, while exhaling is mostly rebound. Filling my lungs means pushing my diaphragm toward my feet, lifting a mound of belly fat, while gravity helps me empty them. As a result, I really feel no need for EPR. It might all seem quite different, though, if I were skinny. Is this a suitable topic for a survey? I don't know how that's done, but I would bet that it would show that the big/heavy crowd has less use for C-flex/EPR than the small/light crowd, on average.

[DreamDiver]

I have occasionally wondered how much a person's weight affects his or her perception of the need for exhalation relief. Just to lay my cards on the table, I'm a big guy to start with, and I'm currently obese on top of that. For someone like me, it is inhaling that seems to take effort, while exhaling is mostly rebound. Filling my lungs means pushing my diaphragm toward my feet, lifting a mound of belly fat, while gravity helps me empty them. As a result, I really feel no need for EPR. It might all seem quite different, though, if I were skinny. Is this a suitable topic for a survey? I don't know how that's done, but I would bet that it would show that the big/heavy crowd has less use for C-flex/EPR than the small/light crowd, on average.

If I'm not mistaken, most people who start CPAP are medically classifiable as obese. I'm currently about 20 pounds overweight, down from around 70 when I started. I still have no use for it. For me it's more about the involuntary racing deep-breath response I have all night long and less about weight. I know it's just anecdotal, but if anything could worsen GERD when a body has this kind of response, surely it has to be C-Flex. I think it's a crummy algorithm.

Den - there I go again. I guess I'm a broad brush kind of guy.

[JohnBFisher]

... If I'm not mistaken, most people who start CPAP are medically classifiable as obese. ...

While weight can be a contributor, family history is more likely to determine the need for CPAP than anything else. I *know* I had sleep apnea as a teen. I was LESS than ideal weight. But my grandfather (my mother's father) had sleep apnea. And my mother has sleep apnea. Should I be surprised that I have sleep apnea? If my grandfather needed glasses and my mother needs glasses, why am I surprised that I need glasses. Same basic issue. There is a component of OSA that is due to genetics - not weight.

Weight gain does not help. BUT ... WHICH CAME FIRST????

[torontoCPAPguy]

I have occasionally wondered how much a person's weight affects his or her perception of the need for exhalation relief. Just to lay my cards on the table, I'm a big guy to start with, and I'm currently obese on top of that. For someone like me, it is inhaling that seems to take effort, while exhaling is mostly rebound. Filling my lungs means pushing my diaphragm toward my feet, lifting a mound of belly fat, while gravity helps me empty them. As a result, I really feel no need for EPR. It might all seem quite different, though, if I were skinny. Is this a suitable topic for a survey? I don't know how that's done, but I would bet that it would show that the big/heavy crowd has less use for C-flex/EPR than the small/light crowd, on average.

Here is a five foot ten 300 pound guy (I was down to 240); I am using the ResMed S8 Autoset II and I am so darned tickled with it that I was in tears when I got my first one. Yep. First one. Bought new from our sponsor here. I then bought a spare because it is so comfy that I don't want to ever have to use my ResMed Escape II again. What I have found is that, with a 19.5" neck it is very dependant on my sleep position as to what pressure I need to ensure solid inhalation... or air blown in. Exhaling is not a huge issue but I have weakened lungs due to almost a month on life support as a result of H1N1 and subsequent pneumonia last summer. So I have the unit set to run my prescribed pressure 9.8 cm. and up to 14 as I recall. And I have the EPR set for 2, which means that it drops the pressure by 2 cm when I exhale. When I change positions my blower pressure needs change and I can see this on the data output which I will take to my respirologist on Thursday. You should find EPR makes for a more comfy sleep regardless I think. I don't think that the issue is completely dependant on body weight or neck size but more on lung strength and capacity, etc. And the beauty of the Autoset is that it senses impending blockage/snore/etc. and adjusts pressure.

[DreamDiver]

Weight gain does not help. BUT ... WHICH CAME FIRST????

I was skinny as a child. Then about age seven I got really tired all the time and started gaining weight. I was always tired. Since then, I was always 'stocky' but not what anyone would call obese until just before I started CPAP. I know my dad had OSA, but was never treated. He was also never overweight. I never snored though. Dad could snore a truck off a four-lane. I think the OSA comes first.

[montana user]

I am 5'10 200lbs and I don't use C-flex or a ramp. My pressure is only 9 too, but I don't think I would still use it if I had a higher pressure.