Unofficial Bipap Users Thread

[Jaylee]

Jaylee you are a bad girl....you should know your settings. I have mine on my Medic Alert card. 25/8 or was that 8/25 I don't know.

I am adding it to my "To Do" list

[Cholo]

Thanks dreamdiver for that very helpful inputs.. you gave me a great idea on how to reduce redmarks on my face. I'll try to look for now a good cloth to trace out.

as for the mask.. I've already ask my relative in canada to buy me a ZZZ full face mask. I hope they could find one cheap like the prices at cpap.com.

the cotton chinstrap seems helpful for me since I'm a mouthbreather. I'll try to get one also.

as for now I have to stick with my mask and leave me no other option.. but still this bipap machine really help me a LOT!. I do not disturb now those people around the cinema when watching a movie..

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Can anyone suggest a good brand/model of pillows? I usually use 2 pillows but thinking of using only 1 instead.

[Cholo]

So you just recently changed from the nasal mask to the quattro and the quattro has worn out already? I wonder if your pressure is so high that it's causing the silicone to crease from being secured so tightly. Silicone is pretty durable though. I'd be amazed if it wore out in a month.

this is my first time to use a full face mask in my life.. I really don't have idea that sleeping would be like this one.

I'm a 3 month old, first time Bipap Machine user.

I think the pressure is too high.. I'm tryin to loosen up a little bit the strap when sleeping sometimes but It creates an annoying sound with the silicone is flapping (i dont know if that is the right term). It affects my sleep that I have to tighten it again so much. I notice now that the silicon around my face is wet. my face is sweating now for the past few days..

[Slinky]

Cholo, try running your fingertip along the seamline between the mask cushion and your facial skin. That will usually turn the edges of the cushion under and greatly reduce or eliminate leaks.

Turn your humidifier down, or off and let it run as a passover humidifier, when you are sweating.

[JohnBFisher]

Additionally, seating a mask can be a trick in itself. For instance, I find that I need to not just place the mask on my face, but place the nose part in place first, slide it upward into location, then drop the bottom part (of a full face mask) into place. This seems to help reduce the poor seal. But as Slinky notes, I also use my finger to adjust the seal.

Though my normal EEP (essentailly EPAP) is only 10, when I have a central apnea it REALLY ramps up... to 25. And I bet it would go much higher if it could.

So, you have my empathy. In fact that swing in the pressure is harder to get a solid seal than a consistent pressure. But neither is much fun. Best wishes.

[Cholo]

Thanks you so much guys. The finger method is helpful

[Jaylee]

Thanks you so much guys. The finger method is helpful

I do it too.

I never use my humidifier. Even with a hose cover I still get rain out.

[Cholo]

Hi guys,

sometimes when I wake up my chest hurts a little bit.. should I lower my EPAP? my current settings is 22. my sleep study says that my epap should be at 22.. before I got into this bipap machines a sleep doctor also saw my study results and she advices me also to lower it to 20. but still I did not change it since my first sleep doctor and my final study says its should be at 22..

I've been using my bipap since feb of this year...but I notice this problem about 3 weeks ago.

anyone can shed some light?

[Jaylee]

Jaylee you are a bad girl....you should know your settings. I have mine on my Medic Alert card. 25/8 or was that 8/25 I don't know.

Mine is 18/13. Glad to finally be out of the corner. It was getting crowded over there.

[jweeks]

Mine is 18/13. Glad to finally be out of the corner. It was getting crowded over there.

Jaylee,

If you feel good using your BiPAP, then it really doesn't matter too much what your numbers are. But in my case, I am a "numbers nerd". It took me a long time to stop looking at the numbers every day after I got things dialed in. I haven't even peeked at the display in over a month now.

-john-

[Jaylee]

Mine is 18/13. Glad to finally be out of the corner. It was getting crowded over there.

Jaylee,

If you feel good using your BiPAP, then it really doesn't matter too much what your numbers are. But in my case, I am a "numbers nerd". It took me a long time to stop looking at the numbers every day after I got things dialed in. I haven't even peeked at the display in over a month now.

-john-

Also my machine is not that fancy so I doubt I would ever be able to change my own numbers anyhow. But it is good to at least know what they are.

[jweeks]

Also my machine is not that fancy so I doubt I would ever be able to change my own numbers anyhow. But it is good to at least know what they are.

Jaylee,

If your profile is accurate, you actually do have a pretty fancy machine. The BiPAP Auto is a great box. It is fully data capable. You can see summary data from the display, and change all the settings once you know the magic key sequence to get into clinical mode. You can also get a card reader and software and plot all the details. I have 3000 hours on my BiPAP Auto, which is now my travel machine since I bought a Redmed S8 VPAP Auto for home use. The S8 is a little smoother for breathing, but the BiPAP Auto seems to work harder to keep me breathing when I have an event. I seem to do well with both machines, as long as I can resist the urge to futz with things.

-john-

[j711]

having small leak isses near my chin and sometimes my check i have to adjust mask and then it is okay for a while they are just little blips i call them farts lol any suggestions to keep it from leaking i saw the posts abt curling the seal but i guess i am dumb and dont get what they are talking about

[Jaylee]

Also my machine is not that fancy so I doubt I would ever be able to change my own numbers anyhow. But it is good to at least know what they are.

Jaylee,

If your profile is accurate, you actually do have a pretty fancy machine. The BiPAP Auto is a great box. It is fully data capable. You can see summary data from the display, and change all the settings once you know the magic key sequence to get into clinical mode. You can also get a card reader and software and plot all the details. I have 3000 hours on my BiPAP Auto, which is now my travel machine since I bought a Redmed S8 VPAP Auto for home use. The S8 is a little smoother for breathing, but the BiPAP Auto seems to work harder to keep me breathing when I have an event. I seem to do well with both machines, as long as I can resist the urge to futz with things.

-john-

Thanks John, it is good to know that my machine is a decent one. I had assumed that my insurance company would get me the cheapest one possible. I don't have a card reader for mine, that is on my wish list. I am still paying off my hospital bill. Once that is gone I want to get one.

[Jaylee]

Wait, now I will probably have to go back to the corner for not knowing enough about my machine. I am learning, though. BiPap machines aren't that interesting to me, admittedly.