Concerned about my smart card

[Puffman]

You can check out my rig below, and I'm hoping some of you are familiar with it. I'm worried that my smart card is not recording data. It is seated correctly, and the on board display shows the icon for it. My machine tracks therapy hours, large leaks, AHI averages weekly and monthly etc. which I can select and view. I don't have the Encore software but I doubt my computer's ability to run it anyway, as well as my nerd skills to interpret it. My fear is that the smart card capacity always reads 100%. Shouldn't the card slowly fill up? I've only been using CPAP for two weeks but I have to bring the card to my sleep Dr. next month and I'm afraid it will be blank.

[Pugsy]

The amount of data that gets written to the SD card is really very small. It is going to take some time for the card to come off 100% available. I have a PR S1 Auto and since April I have accumulated 0.03 GB of data. Still shows some 99% available. Your card is fine. It will not be blank.

I think you have chosen the wrong machine in your profile. What you have chose the "Plus" doesn't offer AHI and leak like you are reporting. I suspect you will either have a PR System One Remstar Pro CPAP with C Flex or if it says AFlex..a machine like mine which is a PR System One Auto CPAP with AFlex.

Have you seen your software options? I explained them here with some examples.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64906&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... re+options
It really is not difficult to learn to use or understand. When you fill up to it, I would be glad to guide you through one of the softwares. SleepyHead is really quite easy with just a tiny bit of instruction.

Welcome to the forum. Lots of members use the PR S1 machine and would be very happy to help you understand what you are seeing.

[Puffman]

Thanks Pugsy. I am going to check my machine and update it if necessary.

[Puffman]

Thanks for the heads up. It seems I did indeed choose rashly at first. How embarrassing.

[Pugsy]

Thanks for the heads up. It seems I did indeed choose rashly at first. How embarrassing.

No problem, happens all the time here. Easy mistake to make. If you hadn't changed it you would likely get a ton of replies telling you to get a real data machine. They would see the Plus in your profile and maybe miss the part in your comments about the data you know you see.

So tell us about the data you do see. I know it is just the 7/30 averages so in your case 7/14. How is that AHI?
Any Large leaks mentioned? Useless feature that Large Leak thing but hey, better than nothing (but not by much).
The software reports tell the real story. After your head clears from all this new stuff being thrown at you, I imagine you will be curious and brave enough to tackle it. I am pretty good with software so I can help you figure out how to install and use it when you are ready.

Right now I just imagine your brain is on sensory overload with all this stuff. I know mine sure was when I first started the cpap road.

[Puffman]

Yes, I am very interested in this whole process and I can see how people get sucked into the data interpretation and close monitoring. I'm very pleased that my DME has supplied what seems to be a fairly up-to-date machine which offers data capabilities. I don't consider my insurance any great shakes, so I could have expected the bare basics.

My AHI is 4.7 for the 30 day average and 4.6 for the last two weeks. As I mentioned before, tonight will be the end of my 2nd week. So, I'm a raw newb. My compliance hours are 6:48 for the 30 day average and 7:06 for the 7 day. From what I gather, an AHI under 5 is acceptable. I'm hoping it goes lower as time goes on. I believe you are correct about the Large Leak function. According to the machine I have had none, but there have been times when the mask has slipped some and leaked. Perhaps that is a minor leak?

I did download the Sleepyhead software, and the interface does look user friendly. My computer is about 7 years old however, and does not have slots for smart cards. I may look into a card reader, but right now my wife is out of work and money is tight. I'd also like to experiment with different masks, but again finances are holding me back. The nasal pillows I have work pretty well, but I'd like to try something that is not actually inserted in the nostrils.

I am enthusiastic about my therapy, and I like to comb these forums for pertinent info. My experience thus far has been very positive. I no longer have to get up in the middle of the night to take a leak. I feel more alert and rested. I have no problems at all falling asleep. Staying asleep is a different story. I'm not a natural supine sleeper, and around 3 AM I usually wake up feeling the mask is too cumbersome and an overwhelming desire to flip over on my stomach. At this point I usually take off the mask and finish the last 3 hrs. of my sleep without therapy. I'm still compliant for insurance purposes, but I'm optimistic that with continued use I can make it a whole night. It is an adjustment. Normally, I go to sleep on my stomach and wake up on my back. Sleeping on my back causes the worst of my snoring and apnea episodes, so I found it troublesome that the sleep studies dictated this posture. Of course I was going to show severe OSA. However, I did not doubt the diagnosis would be positive. I have snored at paint peeling levels for my whole adult life. This has been true during fit times and fat. My wife tells me I still snore, but nowhere near the previous intensity and volume. I tried tightening the chin strap but found that uncomfortable. Might try the mouth taping I've read about. Don't want a full face mask because I like to read in bed, but I'm completely open to trying one. I think the variety of options and endless tweaking possibilities will eventually lead to an optimal therapy.

[Pugsy]

Any generic SD card reader adapter for USB port will work. Does not have to be a fancy expensive card reader.
$8 to $10 depending on where you find one. WalMart has some cheap ones.

I use the Swift FX also. In 2 1/2 years I pretty much have stuck with nasal pillow mask. I simply don't want to use anything else.

Your AHI is fine. It will likely come down with time on its own. No need to get in a big hurry. Now if your AHI was 15...then we talk a different story.

Yeah, the Large Leak is pretty much useless. It has to very large and prolonged to really get flagged. I have had some monstrous leaks show up on my software reports and no large leak flag. A couple of weeks ago I finally had one show up at about the same time machine ended up turning itself off. I think I removed my mask in my sleep and put it back on in my sleep. I don't remember it though.

If you wish to experiment with some masks there is a mask trial program that doesn't hurt the wallet so bad.
$14 and you try a mask for your choice for 1 week. The $14 pays for shipping to you and for you to send it back..$7 each way. http://www.cpaplibrary.com/mask-trials.html
Several forum members have used it. Nice way to try something new and not have to worry about spending $150 on something you end up hating.

Good luck. Sounds like you have a good positive attitude and are off to a good start. The hard part is over with.

[Puffman]

Thanks for the encouragement, and the info about the card readers and mask trial program are much appreciated. What a great program. One more quick question if I may?

What is periodic breathing and how does it differ from apneas and hypopneas? This is another readout option on my machine. It so far has shown 0%. Is this another useless reading like Large Leak?

[Pugsy]

Periodic Breathing is a type of breathing where the breaths wax and wane similar to Cheyenne Stokes Respiration.
Talked about here with some pictures way down at the bottom of the thread.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=68516&p=636947#p636947

PB would be important if your reports continually showed a large amount of time in it. A little PB will show up from time to time and is no big deal. I see it flagged every now and then but when I look closely at the breaths they might be similar to Cheyenne Stokes Respiration...they aren't the same thing. Obvious difference.

So PB is not a useless feature reporting but I find that the machines seem to call stuff PB when it probably is not.
Even if it was real...a little is nothing to worry about. People that have a lot of centrals might have a lot of PB..might need a different type of machine.

We would worry if you consistently showed a lot of time in PB and had clear airway events in large numbers on your report. You don't know about clear airway events (centrals) but those are a part of the AHI. Since you AHI is not bad at all now, I wouldn't think centrals would be something to worry about. We all can have a few occasionally.

So zero time in PB is a good thing. I sure took a long time to say that didn't I? Well that is what women do.
Talk.

[Puffman]

No. No. It's all useful to me.