Getting A BiPAP - Anything I should Know?

[OldLincoln]

Dang, it's good to see the cast here still does their homework! I am impressed with the information and certainly enough to make my decision. Hmmm, maybe I should do it like my lovely bride (yes the same one - 45 years in Sept) buys a dress and get both, try them and return the one I don't want. Actually the DME I work with goes out of their way and will likely let me try both. My bias is still with Respironics though so I'll try that first.

I had the hurried intake breath with my APAP A-Flex and changed the settings to delay it, plus I've gotten used to it all over time. If the Bi is like that it won't be a problem. I only look at my data every couple months now, the last time, yesterday, was 3 months. It's funny but my numbers haven't changed except the pressure has nudged it's way up a bit. My OI has been 1.1 and HI averaged 2.7 for 2 years now giving me 3.8 combined. I remember chasing the numbers but have done better just relaxing and leaving them alone. No bloating, or should say, no painful bloating. I still vent half a day but it's not bad. What has changed is my 90% pressure has gone up to 9.1 while avg to 7.1 for the last 6 months. Thus the titration on a Bi-Level that went very well.

Thanks all for the information. I will re-read through it all again before my appt Monday.

Rested Gal, you're still as sweet as ever! Thanks for being so faithful to the forum and it was good "seeing" you again.

[Judy in CA]

I'm so lost with all these abrivatons
I have a cpap
is there a place on here i can go see what Vpap Apap Bipap are and why people need those?
also, My dr told me to take a Acap home for 5 days to check my pressure etc.
so it was a auto pap...........it means it will go up to 20 pressure on its own if i sleep on my back. Other wise i only need a 12.
and yes to those following my struggle here........it's been almost a month and I'm still now waking up with good sleep
Just got a Mirage Liberty mask i thought i'd love but nasal pillows had to go all the way in my nose to keep the sound down but going to do a new thread. Just thought i'd chine in to see where to get some info and i did look over the new member site here.
thanks judy

[GumbyCT]

I'm so lost with all these abrivatons
I have a cpap
is there a place on here i can go see what Vpap Apap Bipap are and why people need those?
also, My dr told me to take a Acap home for 5 days to check my pressure etc.
so it was a auto pap...........it means it will go up to 20 pressure on its own if i sleep on my back. Other wise i only need a 12.
and yes to those following my struggle here........it's been almost a month and I'm still now waking up with good sleep
Just got a Mirage Liberty mask i thought i'd love but nasal pillows had to go all the way in my nose to keep the sound down but going to do a new thread. Just thought i'd chine in to see where to get some info and i did look over the new member site here.
thanks judy

Straight up top of every page, under the light bulb "CPAP Wiki".

[Judy in CA]

thanks so much gumby!!

[GumbyCT]

Resmed or Respironics you can't go wrong, well 'cept for software.

Well, and 'cept for Resmed doesn't work on 12 VDC is something I just learned. It needs 24 V, so keep that in mind if camping or power outages are something you are concerned about. And you need an undercover operative to buy their special overpriced DC cable.

Who'da thunk it? viewtopic/t64943/Another-Battery-Option.html

Choose carefully

[OldLincoln]

I put in my order for a PR System One REMstar BiPAP Auto with Bi-Flex #DS750S and integrated humidifier. Took the Rx to my SleepQuest DME and as it turns out this is what they normally dispense and it is the 2011 quiet/backlit version. Next they get Medicare and Insurance approval and hand it over as they have it in stock.

I will be trying the new software also. I hate to lose the 3 years of data but perhaps there is an import feature. Did I read it right that Encore Pro 2.x will read the older data cards? Funny, but after I wrote my database that copies over the Encore data and converts it to Access, I stopped development realizing I didn't need it. Now from the screen shots I saw of SleepyHead it looks like what I was going for, with stacked events and easy to follow detail. It will take a while to get back into the study part of the game but it'll all work out in the end - else it's not the end.

So, once again we're off on an adventure. On Sancho, another windmill to conquer! Thanks again all!

[Pugsy]

I hate to lose the 3 years of data but perhaps there is an import feature. Did I read it right that Encore Pro 2.x will read the older data cards?

Yes, EP 2.xx will work with the M series machines. I wasn't able to merge the new and old machine data though. When I forced it I lost all my old data from my M series. Best to have 2 separate users.. one for PR S1 and one for M series

[OldLincoln]

Ahh, great idea that two user thing. That's what I'll do to start. Looking at the Sleepyhead thing now and don't yet to see anything to get excited about.

[Pugsy]

Looking at the Sleepyhead thing now and don't yet to see anything to get excited about.

I like the zoom in feature on SleepyHead. We can't manipulate EP or EV that way.
So I play with all just for fun.

[rested gal]

You're getting a good machine, OldLincoln.

Good for you!

[OldLincoln]

I got it 3 days ago and so far hate it. Oh, the machine is great, terrific, wonderful piece of technology. In fact I'm amazed at the implementation of so many ideas expressed on this forum. No my problem goes back to a bad LES and over the top inflation of my digestive system. It is what I feared and why I insisted on an APAP as my last machine. At least half the time it pumps pressure that blows through the LES into my stomach. It's not the machine, it's my broken body.

I'll use it a few more days to see if it turns around but not likely. I have to give the DME and doc something to work with. I have two years left on my APAP before Medicare will replace it with a new APAP. With 3500 hours per year that will put it up to 17.5K hours. Do they really last that long? Will Medicare replace it early if it really does wear out?

[cflame1]

you got an auto... so what's it running?

time to maybe start tweaking?

[robysue]

OldLincoln,

What was the APAP range on your old M-series APAP? What was the 90% pressure setting running at long term? Did you use A-flex? If so, at what setting?

Are you using the System One BiPAP in Auto mode or straight BiPAP mode?

If you are using straight BiPAP, what are the EPAP and IPAP settings? And are you using Bi-Flex? If so, at what setting? If not, what's the Rise Time setting?

If you are using Auto BiPAP mode, what are the min EPAP and max IPAP settings? What's the PS setting? What have the 90% pressure levels been for the short time you've used the machine? And are you using Bi-Flex or Rise Time? And what's the setting?

And finally, you said in an earlier post that you had a decent bi-level titration. Do you know what the recommendation for pressures from that study were?

[OldLincoln]

APAP:
APAP range M series APAP = 6-16
6 month averages
A-flex = On 2
90% pressure = 9.1
Avg Pressure = 7.1
Avg AI = 1.1
Avg AHI = 3.8

Further: In the past I determined my LES threshold (pressure where noticeable leaking occurs) is 7.5. Six month avg of time under 8 = 70%. No unmanageable side effects.

System One:
Auto mode set at IPAP=16 EPAP=7 and PS 3-7
Bi-Flex = 2
Bi=Level Titration recommendations = same as above.
3 night 90% pressure = 11.8/9.0
Having trouble installing EP2 so no detailed data yet.

What I meant by "decent titration" was I slept well and no effects. I took a full dose of sleep meds (10mg Sonata) 30 min before lights out and latency was: Sleep onset=16 min; Rem=2.58. Rem duration 1:07 & Sleep efficiency = 75%.

I don't know enough about Bi-PAP (yet) to know what to adjust if I were to do so. I can access the clinician setup but need to understand the setting purposes before changing them. Also, I am in the 30 day window before I return to the DME with my card which they will read for insurance purposes.

My thinking is I cannot mess with settings until that card gets read or the insurance company could raise a fuss for self prescribing. Once the 30 days are up they won't see it again so it's fair game. I can live with this for 30 days which gives me time to figure out the software installation issues and learn more about Bi-Pap.

[cflame1]

Lincoln... try Sleepyhead if you can't get EP/EV to install. Instructions should be in one of the recent posts. I would guess (and I'm just guessing) that your EPAP isn't high enough. Then again it might be the PS. Wouldn't think that it would be the biflex.