Newbie here...I believe my pressure is set way too high

[magnolia85]

Hi everyone, Just got my machine on Monday. Its been a nightmare. I have been trying to use it but I feel the pressure is set way to high for me. Its set at 18. During my sleep study, I noticed the pressure was too high because it woke me out of my sleep. I told the tech this and she turned it down quite a bit but I guess she left it like this on my paperwork. I called the doctor's office on Tuesday and they told me that they cannot change and just to work with it for 2-4 weeks until my next appointment. Same thing with the home health nurse. I find myself having to constantly hit the ramp down button by the time it reaches 11. I cannot handle anything above that. I am starting to see why a lot people do not use their machines like they are supposed to. This has been aggravating to say the least.

[Pugsy]

Your machine offers no data beyond hours of use. Did you know that?
I would suggest reading this blog by one of our forum members and be sure to read all the way down to the bottom.
http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/

The PR System One Plus CPAP https://www.cpap.com/productpage/3077 offers nothing useful to you.
If you have the correct machine chosen in your profile you might want to get a different machine.
If your pressures are indeed 18....start shouting loudly that this pressures is too high to sleep with for you.
At pressure needs of 18 cm cpap there is another type of machine called bilevel that makes the higher pressures much, much easier to tolerate. If you are using the ramp fully till you get asleep...I don't know what to offer.
I can tell you how to lower the pressure yourself which is easy to do but it likely is not sufficient pressure to deal with your OSA.
You can read about it here http://www.apneaboard.com/pr-system-one ... structions and it is good to know how to get to the clinical setup anyway.
They will scream bloody murder if you change it yourself but up to you if you care at this point.

If you had a full data machine you could turn the pressure down and see if a more comfortable pressure was sufficient to keep the osa at bay.

[magnolia85]

Thank you for your reply Pugsy. I was wondering why my machine did not have any software like others have listed in their signatures. I will get with my home health nurse to try to come up with a solution for getting a new machine.

[jweeks]

Thank you for your reply Pugsy. I was wondering why my machine did not have any software like others have listed in their signatures. I will get with my home health nurse to try to come up with a solution for getting a new machine.

Hi,

To echo what Pugsy said, when you get above 15 for a pressure, you are generally in BiPAP territory. Breathing straight CPAP at 18 is difficult for anyone. Some clinics and insurance companies like to play a game where you have to fail on CPAP before they will try BiPAP. Complain loudly, and help them see that you are failing, and they will have to do something about it.

The other issue is that they gave you a machine that is basically a brick. It has no intelligence in it to record anything about your breathing. That means that nobody (you, the machine, or your doctor) has any clue about how you are doing. You need a machine that records breathing data. That way, you could look at your AHI number and know if your treatment is OK. If your AHI was low, then you might feel safe in trying to lower the pressure. If the AHI goes back up, then you know you went too low. Without data, you just don't know.

-john-

[magnolia85]

Thanks John for the advice. I will make sure to do that, Thanks!

[yulcdn]

Hi magnolia85
When I first signed on to this site, I thought that I listed my machine correctly. It was Pugsy who realized that I was listing the wrong machine. Make sure that what you listed is really correct. By any chance does you machine actually say System One Remstar Pro CFlex Plus auto IQ. That machine does provide all kinds of information. Read the top of the machine carefully..they all sound so similar that it is easy to make mistakes. I have no advice about the right kind of machine but you are certainly in good hands here as people will help you figure it out.
Good luck

[Xney]

That's a really high pressure for straight CPAP (though some people are okay with it). I would make them give you a BiPAP.

Also, if your machine has a ramp feature, it's a good way ease into the actual pressure so it's not so much to start with.

When they give you a BiPAP machine, make sure it's fully data capable - you won't regret it.

[magnolia85]

Update...

Well I had my follow up today. Every peice of advice I received from everyone here was right on. He looked at my card and told me my usage was horrible. He decided to lower my pressure to 16 for a month and see how I do on it. If I don't do well then I have to have another sleep study for the bipap (said he cannot just give me a bipap because insurance wont cover it.). When he said another sleep study I almost cried when he said that ..I hated all those straps and wires around me. Anyway, would this second sleep study be a titration (I have heard that mentioned a lot on this board)?

Mandatory positive...the little bit of time that I have used of my machine each night, I have stayed awake all day!! So I guess I shall do whatever it takes to fix this and not give up. Thanks again for the advice..

[Pugsy]

Anyway, would this second sleep study be a titration

Yes, it would be a titration using a bilevel pressure machine instead of straight fixed cpap pressures.

[Xney]

Sleep studies are no fun, but it's a step on getting something you'll like a lot more. Bi-level is a bit strange starting out but I think you'll find it much easier to use. Look forward to it!

[jen4700]

Hi - welcome to the club! You're definitely in the right place to get answers.

My concern, is why wait a month? Maybe it's an insurance thing, I don't know. But if it were me I'd call every week and complain! Maybe they'll move up your sleep study. A bipap machine is heaven compared to a cpap!!!

Hang in there!

[magnolia85]

Hi - welcome to the club! You're definitely in the right place to get answers.

My concern, is why wait a month? Maybe it's an insurance thing, I don't know. But if it were me I'd call every week and complain! Maybe they'll move up your sleep study. A bipap machine is heaven compared to a cpap!!!

Hang in there!

He was willing to go ahead and schedule me for another sleep study right then. I panicked and took the 2nd option, (try for another month at pressure 16). I hated the whole sleep study experience, I just could not get comfortable with those tight straps around me. So its my fault.

Elaborate on what makes the bipap like heaven compared to the cpap?

[zoocrewphoto]

Elaborate on what makes the bipap like heaven compared to the cpap?

I allows you to have one pressure for inhaling and a lower pressure for exhaling. It makes it a lot more comfortable to breath when your pressure level is higher.