AHI 50, 15 yrs Apnea, a programmer wants to be able to work

[jaw]

Hi all,

In short: as a programmer with very low concentration level, I find doing programming with the mask on is EXCELLENT, but my doctors don't like that. What should I do ? Can I just delete some files in the SD card corresponding to the usages while being awake ?

Context

0) At least 15 years of Apnea
- always fatigue from 09:00 until 16:00, or from 20:00 till 24:00,
- sleepiness around lunch,
- very low concentration level to almost any task using a computer: many times decided to start doing programming, but end up reading news, checking Facebook or watching porn),

I am diagnosed in February with AHI = 50, started using a System One Remstar Pro with C-Flex+ since 29 March 2016

1) My doctors want to be able to easily read from the SDCard, and don't like the data to be disturbed by my being awake with the mask on

2) I am discovering my battle with this Apnea by making detailed daily note on

- How bad I feel during the working day
- How high is my headache when just waking up
- How heavy is my chest when just waking up
- How high is the AHI read from machine

After almost 3 weeks, I see some positive changes, but quite sometimes I still feel like shit. Note that I don't throw away the mask, no leakage, no mouth open.

3) Working (doing programming job) with the mask on gives me 2-3 hours of very good concentration, even in the evening after dinner. This is what I cannot do before using the machine.

Many thanks

[SGearhart]

Not knowing for sure, but you could try only inserting the SD card at night and removing it when you wake up. On the off chance that the machine might hold some data until it can preform a write, you could insert another card during the day then swap it out at night.

Good Luck.

[Julie]

Using the machine when awake is not going to work - it responds to 'asleep' breathing, which is very different, though I imagine you're getting some benefit. You should concentrate on optimizing your asleep therapy with C/Apap and if you have problems with it, let us know. Are you using Encore software? Results?

I would also think about getting a newer machine that allows you to use Sleepyhead and get more useful and 'easier' data.

[sc0ttt]

Well the sledgehammer approach would be to have a waking machine and a sleeping machine. The waking machine could pretty much be a cheap brick because you don't need any data off of it.

[jaw]

Not knowing for sure, but you could try only inserting the SD card at night and removing it when you wake up. On the off chance that the machine might hold some data until it can preform a write, you could insert another card during the day then swap it out at night.

Good Luck.

You are right, I think the System One Remstar Pro with C-Flex+ has some persisted storage that is there even when being turned off, at night when I turn it on again with the SD Card inserted, it will "tell" the SD Card all the unofficial thing I did during the day .

So probably using another SD Card for daily activity could be a solution.

-----------------------------------------------
THIS IS WHAT I TRIED, BUT I CANNOT CHEAT THIS CPAP MACHINE

During the day:
- Remove the SD Card
- Turn on the machine, use that while being awake
- Turn off the machine after working

At night:
- Insert the SD Card
- turn on the machine, now the machine will not see that I was using it in an unwanted way
- Turn off the machine in the morning, with the SD Card still in

[jaw]

Using the machine when awake is not going to work - it responds to 'asleep' breathing, which is very different, though I imagine you're getting some benefit. You should concentrate on optimizing your asleep therapy with C/Apap and if you have problems with it, let us know. Are you using Encore software? Results?

I would also think about getting a newer machine that allows you to use Sleepyhead and get more useful and 'easier' data.

I think it is encore, because:
- I see a file named encore.txt
- here is the content of the file last.txt P1555788060A5

I'll submit my Sleepyhead data later

[jaw]

Hi all,

In short: as a programmer with very low concentration level, I find doing programming with the mask on is EXCELLENT, but my doctors don't like that. What should I do ? Can I just delete some files in the SD card corresponding to the usages while being awake ?

Now I know that just deleting files is not good, it will cause damage to data, since one session's data is stored in several places, for example I see that the date of the last update to SD Card is written somewhere: I see this content in the file P-Series/P1555788060A5/properties.txt

SerialNumber=P1555788060A5
ModelNumber=461P
ProductType=0x34
DataFormat=UDF
DataFormatVersion=2
Family=0
FamilyVersion=4
SoftwareVersion=V3.06
FirstDate=1453291400
LastDate=1460909085 --> THIS IS 17 April 2016, THE LAST DAY THAT DATA IS WRITTEN TO THE SD CARD,
BasicKey=26cc010243c5
DetailsKey=7df90203f0c4
ErrorKey=000004006760
PatientFolderNum=0
PatientFileNum=304
EquipFileNum=0
TS=0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1
DS=0
ValidCheck=9456

[jaw]

I would also think about getting a newer machine that allows you to use Sleepyhead and get more useful and 'easier' data.

I have Sleepyhead result, which think is helpful to post here ?

[robysue]

jaw,

It looks like you are using a Philips Resprionics machine of some sort. (System One? DreamStation?) Those machines record *all* data except the detailed flow rate (wave flow) data internally as well as to the SD card. If the SD card is not in when the machine is running, all the data recorded during the sessions without the SD card will be written to the SD card.

I do not immediately recall how long the data is stored on board the machine, but it is for at least a month as I recall. Hence all the "wake" data for at least a month will be written to the SD card as soon as you put an SD card into the machine.

Each session creates multiple files in the p0 (or p1, p2, etc) subfolder that you can see under the folder with your machine's serial number as the name. Yes, you can manually delete some of those files, but deleting the wrong files that can badly mess up the Encore reports in some unexpected ways.

I think your best bet is to simply tell the doc that you want to continue using the PAP for your evening programming stints in addition to using the machine all night when you are sleeping. It does mean that the Encore summary data figures will be off. If they were willing to look at the detailed data, they'd be able to see whether the night time data appears to be working or not.

In SleepyHead, it's easy to turn off sessions that you know correspond to "wake" time. You could also offer to print SleepyHead summary reports based only on the sleep data.

[palerider]

Not knowing for sure, but you could try only inserting the SD card at night and removing it when you wake up. On the off chance that the machine might hold some data until it can preform a write, you could insert another card during the day then swap it out at night..

that won't work. the machine is manic about recording usage hours.

[palerider]

I would also think about getting a newer machine that allows you to use Sleepyhead and get more useful and 'easier' data.

his system one works fine with sleepyhead.

[palerider]

Hi all,

In short: as a programmer with very low concentration level, I find doing programming with the mask on is EXCELLENT, but my doctors don't like that. What should I do ? Can I just delete some files in the SD card corresponding to the usages while being awake ?

no, as you've found, you can't.

either buy yourself another machine for use while awake, or buy an oxygen concentrator and use that while awake... the cpap isn't doing anything to hold your air passages open when you're awake, but it may be helping you oxygenate, if you're not taking in o2 properly. (buy an oximeter to find out if you've got low awake oxygen levels.

[Julie]

Yup - when I saw (1st note) 'Remstar Pro with C-flex" I thought he had my old 'tank' that only uses Encore...

[cathyf]

Well, you know you could just tell the doc that you use the machine when you nap...

(I'm also a computer programmer. I worked out of my home for years, and during both pregnancies. At the end of my first, the OB told me that I should stay off my feet as much as possible. My husband carried a recliner upstairs to my office and set it in front of my computer. I joked to my coworkers that our job is basically indistinguishable from bedrest! But, anyway, it's a good idea to mask up if you think you are going to doze off, and you can just develop a compulsive fear of falling asleep at the keyboard that requires you to mask up while coding. )

[chunkyfrog]

Just ignore the doctor.
He might not be an idiot, but the jury is still out.