Planning on using friend's machine, help?

[RyanMW]

My friend gave me his remstar pro 2 c-flex that he no longer uses. It's the type with the nasal pillows.
I've read the manual and set it up (although the hose attachment to the machine is a little finicky).
It has a humidifier but I think I'm going to start out without it for now.
I noticed that when I turn the machine on, the airflow is very strong and I feel like it would be hard for me to sleep with it. I used the "ramp" function to turn it down a bit but it still seems kind of strong. Is this normal and something I'll just get used to?

Is there anything else I should be aware of before trying it? I don't want to die .
The only thing that gave me concern from what I read in the manual was that re-breathing air when the machine was off could cause suffocation. Is this something that could actually happen if you're paying attention?

I've had two sleep studies and have an AHI of 5.7 with ~20 awakenings per hour. My ENT was hesitant to prescribe me a machine and I can't afford one out of pocket. I have medicaid. I know it may not be recommended to try someone else's machine, but I just want to feel better.

That said, I want to do it safely, so should this be okay? Thanks.

[Julie]

What has the pressure(s) been set at? If the low setting is higher than your prescribed pressure you could turn it down, but I worry that you seem confused by something... You said you borrowed the machine "the one that comes with nasal pillows", as if each type of machine comes with a specific kind of mask, but that's not at all the case. Each type of machine (Resmed, Respironics, Intellipap, each of many models) has nothing to do with what mask you wear, and you're free to try any one of hundreds of masks available. Please don't think because you have one machine that you're limited to one type of mask!

It's hard to comment on whether you'll 'die' (not possible actually) from a too-high pressure setting when you haven't told us what the machine's set at.

And the rebreathing thing is about not allowing bedding to cover the patch of tiny holes that allow CO2 to vent when the mask is on... as long as you're careful about that, you won't re-breathe CO2... but even if you inadvertently did so (lots of us do on occasion), you won't die or anything close to it, maybe just feel a little off for a short time.

[RyanMW]

What has the pressure(s) been set at? If the low setting is higher than your prescribed pressure you could turn it down, but I worry that you seem confused by something... You said you borrowed the machine "the one that comes with nasal pillows", as if each type of machine comes with a specific kind of mask, but that's not at all the case. Each type of machine (Resmed, Respironics, Intellipap, each of many models) has nothing to do with what mask you wear, and you're free to try any one of hundreds of masks available. Please don't think because you have one machine that you're limited to one type of mask!

It's hard to comment on whether you'll 'die' (not possible actually) from a too-high pressure setting when you haven't told us what the machine's set at.

Thanks, Julie. I actually do know very little, lol. What he gave me came with the nasal pillow mask, so that's the one I'll be using for now.
I'm actually not sure how to tell what the pressure is set at currently. I imagine it's probably in the manual?
I just used the manual to set up the machine, really..

[Julie]

You can download SleepyHead free from various places here and it will tell you what your pressures are... Btw, the hose is supposed to fit over the machine's inlet, not into it, so you may be missing a small rubbber connector piece. Look closely at the zoomed in pix of your machine on Cpap.com and see how the hose is fitted), but new hoses are very inexpensive and you can order one any time - just about any one will work with any machine and mask.

And anyone can be allergic to anything at any time, however one person's allergies will not be the same (cause or fix) as another's, so you really need to deal with your own and not expect another person's 'answer' to help (and it might even be detrimental to you).

[RyanMW]

You can download SleepyHead free from various places here and it will tell you what your pressures are... Btw, the hose is supposed to fit over the machine's inlet, not into it, so you may be missing a small rubbber connector piece. Look closely at the zoomed in pix of your machine on Cpap.com and see how the hose is fitted), but new hoses are very inexpensive and you can order one any time - just about any one will work with any machine and mask.

And anyone can be allergic to anything at any time, however one person's allergies will not be the same (cause or fix) as another's, so you really need to deal with your own and not expect another person's 'answer' to help (and it might even be detrimental to you).

I got the hose fitted, it turns out the machine needed to be hooked up to the humidifier. Everything seems to be working well now. Just need to find my appropriate pressures. Going to look at sleepyhead now. Thanks.

[grayghost4]

here is a video ... how to set pressure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsweQiqWAYk

[AV Junkie]

here is a video ... how to set pressure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsweQiqWAYk

Great video.... Ryan can use this to set it to auto and let the machine titrate for him. I did this with my 60 series system one and it works great... after a week of adjusting it sets the pressure (I had it on a 7 day trial) haven't slept this good in a long while! Good luck Ryan!!

[Wulfman...]

here is a video ... how to set pressure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsweQiqWAYk

Wrong machine. His is the Pro 2......about 7 - 10 years old.


Den

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[Wulfman...]

here is a video ... how to set pressure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsweQiqWAYk

Great video.... Ryan can use this to set it to auto and let the machine titrate for him. I did this with my 60 series system one and it works great... after a week of adjusting it sets the pressure (I had it on a 7 day trial) haven't slept this good in a long while! Good luck Ryan!!

His machine is NOT an Auto-capable.
His is a Legacy model.......about 7 - 10 years old.


Den

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[Wulfman...]

You can download SleepyHead free from various places here and it will tell you what your pressures are... Btw, the hose is supposed to fit over the machine's inlet, not into it, so you may be missing a small rubbber connector piece. Look closely at the zoomed in pix of your machine on Cpap.com and see how the hose is fitted), but new hoses are very inexpensive and you can order one any time - just about any one will work with any machine and mask.

And anyone can be allergic to anything at any time, however one person's allergies will not be the same (cause or fix) as another's, so you really need to deal with your own and not expect another person's 'answer' to help (and it might even be detrimental to you).

I got the hose fitted, it turns out the machine needed to be hooked up to the humidifier. Everything seems to be working well now. Just need to find my appropriate pressures. Going to look at sleepyhead now. Thanks.

Sleepyhead will not work with your machine data. You'll need a Infineer/Mako DT3500 smart card reader and Encore Pro or Encore Viewer to read your smart card data.

Den

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[Wulfman...]

Here's a link to the instructions to make changes in the machine settings.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=36318&p=313927


Den

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[Guest]

I got the hose fitted, it turns out the machine needed to be hooked up to the humidifier. Everything seems to be working well now. Just need to find my appropriate pressures. Going to look at sleepyhead now. Thanks.

Would be nice if you would update your earlier thread about this hose problem.

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