Bathroom Breaks

[fenemike]

If I wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, it seems that I have two choices.
1. Turn my Auto C-Pap off, but when I return, it begins at the ramp stage, and takes a while to return to the "Auto-set" it was at when I woke up.

2. Dis connect my mask, and leave the C-pap on, but when I return, it automatically increased the pressure...again taking a while for it to return to the Auto-set point it was previously at.

Is there a way I can simply "pause the machine" for the few minutes I will be gone? My machine is a ResMed S-8 Auto set.

[Julie]

With option #2 - do you have the ramp set ON? If so, turn it off, but if the same problem happens anyway, sorry don't know what to tell you.

[trytryagain]

I was going to ask the same thing. I was taking my mask off but like you say, machine starts back to ramp for 10 minutes. And its a pain to get all my hair back in and adjusted. When I dissconnect the hose and where the mask to bathroom, the hose is loud and disturbing to my husband. There should be a pause button that you could press and leave for a few-minutes and start back where you left off without so much fuss. Like a remote for the TV/DVR.

[Junebug999]

hmmmmmmmmmm good question. I do like the pause button idea......

There are probably some experienced hosers around here somewhere who will be along soon to give us good advice.

Great thread idea! Thank you.

[charliegreer]

Do you really need to use the ramp feature? Masks tend to leak more when you use the ramp feature.

Also, letting the machine run during your bb, or even using the "auto off feature, will make your leak rate appear higher than it is, essentially rendering that statistic useless. (I assume your doctor reads your card every now and then.)

[jdm2857]

I agree that you should try turning the ramp off. Many people find that once they have gotten used to the pressure, they no longer need the ramp. Then you can just stop the machine, disconnect the mask from the hose, and go about your business.

[Hawthorne]

I don't use ramp. When I get up for a bathroom break, I turn off the machine, disconnect the hose from the mask ( I have a "quick connect" on it - available at cpap.com). I go to the bathroom, come back and connect the hose again and the machine of course comes on (since it is set to "auto on") at my minimum pressure - no ramp.

[Slartybartfast]

Some of the new machines automatically detect when you're awake from your breathing characteristics and, if in auto mode, ramp down to minimum until you resume sleeping. F&P and ResMed have that feature, perhaps others. I'm not sure whether the S8 had that feature. If it does, then does it really matter whether you can pause the machine or not?

[M.D.Hosehead]

Try turning off the "auto-on." Turn it on manually when yo get back from BR.

I think I had the same problem before I did that.

[howkim]

I don't use the ramp, either. I'm also one who turns off the machine and disconnects the mask from the hose.

[Calist]

Your digestion system should be slowed to the point of near inactivity during sleep. You shouldn't have to use the restroom if you were on an optimal pressure.

[Sillyme]

When I get up for a bathroom break, I turn off the machine

Will the machine register this as some kind of event?

[cflame1]

Just as a turn off... you'll have more of an event registered if you leave the machine running and just either disconnect or take off your mask.

[Hawthorne]

All it shows (in the computer graph) is a long vertical straight line from my leak line after I remove the mask and before I get the machine turned off and a small gap in the leak line and also in the pressure line (when the machine was turned off). No events show in the computer graphs.

I can't turn the machine off first or it would just show the gap. I have to disconnect the hose and get up before I can turn the machine off because of shoulder problems. If I didn't disconnect the hose before I got up and go the machine off, there would probably be an event or 2 from the getting up motion.