Having troubles understanding machine readings.

[Diesel]

I am new to the board but have been on CPAP for about 1 year. I normally use an Activa Lt Nasal mask but have switched to a Quattro FFM, due to air escaping my mouth some nights and waking me up. Also I was starting to get sores under my nose from the seal...
With the FFM, my S9 show that my AHI is 1.4 but I have a red unhappy face for my mask seal on the machine.... However, I am sleeping thru the night and do not notice and leaking noises that wake me up...as I would sometimes get from the Nasal mask thru my mouth.
I have also notices that I am consistently using all the water in the Humidifier using the FFM. With the Nasal mask the water amount varied every day.
Should I worry about the Red Unhappy Face? Would a bad seal reflect inaccurate readings of the AHI? What about the excessive water usage?

Please reply with info... I do not know what to do...

Thanks,
Diesel

[Otter]

Should I worry about the Red Unhappy Face? Would a bad seal reflect inaccurate readings of the AHI? What about the excessive water usage?

Did you change the mask type setting when you switched masks? A full face mask has a higher intentional leak rate than a nasal mask, and that may be why the machine is showing major leaks you can't detect.

If not, worry never does any good, but work on that seal. At the very least, the red face is telling you that the unintentional leak rate is high enough to compromise the s9's ability to distinguish between central and obstructive apnea. The water usage would go along with the higher leak rate. More air through the machine = more water evaporated in the humidifier.

[Pugsy]

Should I worry about the Red Unhappy Face

Yes. Definitely. It needs to be really bad for Mr Unhappy face to show his face.

Would a bad seal reflect inaccurate readings of the AHI?

Yes. The machine may miss scoring events giving a false sense of an okay night.

What about the excessive water usage?

Probably a combination of FFM use and the extra leak. The machine will try to compensate for the leak with more pressure and more air going over the water will pick up more condensation.

How about posting one of your Mr Unhappy night's data? AHI breakdown and the graphs for that night.
Don't know how to post a report here?
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Open the image to full size so it is easily read.
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Use the preview button. If you can't see the image try again because if you can't see it we can't.

[Diesel]

Yes, I changed my mask setting to FFM.

Do I just keep clamping down to work on the seal?

Where do I find the following data to post?

(How about posting one of your Mr Unhappy night's data? AHI breakdown and the graphs for that night.)

Thanks for the replies so far...

[Pugsy]

So sorry I thought you had the software. Guess you don't. You need to get it.
Check Uncle_Bob's signature for software.
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=38643

Tutorial on how to use the software.
http://montfordhouse.com/cpap/resscan_tutorial/

[Diesel]

So sorry I thought you had the software. Guess you don't. You need to get it.
Check Uncle_Bob's signature for software.
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=38643

Tutorial on how to use the software.
http://montfordhouse.com/cpap/resscan_tutorial/

check your PM box

[Lizistired]

Might check your hose and humidifier seal for leaks too.

[Diesel]

So sorry I thought you had the software. Guess you don't. You need to get it.
Check Uncle_Bob's signature for software.
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=38643

Tutorial on how to use the software.
http://montfordhouse.com/cpap/resscan_tutorial/

check your PM box

My printer can read the card, but the software doesnt sense the card??? Any ideas?

[Otter]

Do I just keep clamping down to work on the seal?

Not indefinitely. If it's too tight, the inflatable cushion won't work properly.

With the s9's display in "home" mode (turn the dial until the top item on the menu at the left of the main screen is selected), hold down the dial for three seconds to turn on mask fit. This will bring the pressure up and display the green/red face so you can check or leaks. Lie down and use a mirror to look at the screen, as changing position can change the fit of your mask.

Try pulling the top or bottom straps a little tighter with your hands. That will tell you what tighten, and about how much.

A mask liner might help. I make them out of an old t-shirt.

For nose leaks, try putting moleskin where the mask rests on the bridge of your nose. What works for me is to use a piece large enough to cross the entire bridge and just make the turn to the plane of my face. I trim the corner to keep the moleskin off the soft area just below the eye.

The QFX is supposed to sit fairly low on the bridge of the nose. Many people let it ride too high at first because most masks are designed to ride higher.

[Pugsy]

My printer can read the card, but the software doesnt sense the card??? Any ideas?

When you installed the software did you let the card reader driver software install? That driver software is for the S8 Card reader. If you let it install it will try to find the wrong thing. If you did, then just uninstall the program and re-install and don't let the driver software install.

Or you can try SleepyHead but it is under some work right now and a bit buggy. Supposed to have a complete makeover in next couple of days.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/sleepyhead/files/

[archangle]

My printer can read the card, but the software doesnt sense the card??? Any ideas?

I think printer card readers often don't work for this software, but I could be confused.

See if there's an SD card slot on your PC. They're really common these days. If you don't have one on the PC, USB card readers that will handle SD cards are very common.

[Diesel]

[quote="Diesel"]Yes, I changed my mask setting to FFM.

Do I just keep clamping down to work on the seal?

quote]

I am going to trade this FFM in for a smaller mask...I have a Medium, and I read that if mask needed to be clamped down tight to try a smaller size...

I went back to my Activa last night for a good nights sleep...The mouth thing really isnt that bad, but the soreness under the nose is,,, I still need a FFM to fall back on so I will get a new one today and post tomorrow if it works any better...I have troubles sealing around the nose and cheek bones...

I was able to download the data off the card, but need to get hooked up with Photobucket i guess to post results...

Thanks for the info so far...