New Pressure and CMS-50E

[lali0020]

Well my doc decided to up my pressure to 14 after my last sleep study. The study was done because I've had little to no improvement from when I began CPAP one year ago. During the study, the tech told me that my pressure would change constantly all night, one minute 11 was good and the next 14 was needed. I'm not sure what to think of this but my doc also thought it may be necessary to change me to an APAP. I really want to change machines because even though I do really like the current one I have, as it is quiet and humidity works well with heated tube, I can't get any information besides compliance time even if I get the extra software. How bad is it that after one year I had to go from 11 to 14?

Also just received the CMS-50E and was wondering how people suggest using it? Do you record and use the alarm? Is the alarm helpful or does it go off too much from anomalies? Thanks.

Greg

[roster]

How bad is it that after one year I had to go from 11 to 14?

Don't worry too much about those details at this point. Just get a data-capable machine with software and take charge of your therapy. It sounds like that is exactly what you intend to do.

With the right equipment and the help of members here you can do a lot to optimize your therapy that the sleep labs can't do. They usually only have one or two nights to get it right. You will have many nights to get it right in the comfort of your own bed.

[Sirca]

Hi Greg,

I have the same pulse-ox and have never used the alarm feature. What I do is tape it to my finger with blue painter's (masking) tape, putting one piece around the device to squeeze it down a bit on the finger. I put a second long piece of tape along the length of the device and my finger, so it extends from the top of my knuckle, over the device, and then back under the finger to the bottom of the knuckle. Then I (sometimes) put a third piece around the finger just behind the device to secure it all even more. This secures it nicely and I have no trouble sleeping with it.

The data is over-written every time you do a new recording session, so I download and print it after each session. It'd be nice if you could save it to a file instead of printing it (I suppose you could "print to file" if you knew how).

Since you haven't been doing well on your current pressure, it's a good thing that you were able to get a second sleep study (even if it indicates you need a higher pressure). I didn't like APAP mode since I'm sensitive to pressure changes during the night but that's just me. So I run my APAP in CPAP mode and am slowly going up in pressure to find the "sweet spot". If you run in APAP mode, you may find that having the lower pressure close to your therapeutic pressure works better than having a wide range. Work with your doctor, and hopefully you'll get a new and data-capable machine that you'll like at least as much as your old one, and finally get some good therapy.

[HoseCrusher]

Greg, The alarm is very loud. It can be useful, but my wife doesn't approve of me using it because it startles her.

In my case I have tried these settings:
SpO2 Hi - 99
SpO2 Lo - 85
PR Hi - 140
PR Lo - 30

You can get an idea of the alarm sound by putting the pulse sound on.

If the unit becomes dislodged during the night, it will sound off and wake you up along with anyone else in the area.

You may want to try just recording data for a couple of nights and see what you end up with.

[Jersey Girl]

I never use the alarm - why wake us all up? I do, however, let it record all night long and then download the data in the morning.

Best regards,

Jersey Girl