Feeling different yet? Thoughts?

[Rspike]

I am a 4 month CPAP user that struggled for the first few weeks.  I was waking up and removing the mask and was also turning off the machine in the middle of the night.

All of the "adjustment" problems have resolved and, for the past 8 to 10 weeks, I have been sleeping soundly thru the night and waking up with the mask on.  I actually find it soothing when I go to sleep and I'm not wrestling with the tubing any longer. 

So --- here is the question.   When will I begin to feel different?   I'm waking up feeling exactly the same with the CPAP having little effect.   How long is a reasonable amount of time to expect to wait before experiencing some type of change?

I'm not discouraged.  I'm just excited for something to "happen".

Any thoughts and comments are appreciated.

[cowlypso]

This depends on several factors.

First, how did you feel before you started CPAP? Were you dead tired exhausted falling asleep all the time, or did you go in because somebody made you even though you didn't feel like you had any symptoms? I have been on my CPAP for 1.5 weeks, and I felt a difference from day 1. But I was so tired that I was falling asleep at work, so I had a lot of room for improvement. I still have good days and not as good days, but then the power was out one night so I couldn't use it and I had a really lousy day. So I know it's making a difference. Maybe for you the difference has been subtle and gradual, so you haven't noticed it so much.

Second, how is your treatment going? Do you have a machine that gives you efficacy data? How has your AHI been? Leaks? Maybe you are doing better, but still having enough events that you still feel tired. You might need a pressure adjustment or to fix leaks before you get the full benefit of treatment.

Finally, if you are still very tired and your pressure has been adjusted so that you have a low AHI, there might be something else going on that is affecting your sleep besides OSA.

[Pugsy]

Your profile shows long ago discontinued machine. You are new to cpap and doubtful that you would have been given that machine. The names are a bit confusing. Look at my machine and see if it looks like mine which a Respironics PR System One Remstar machine. Remstar term used on all Respironics machines for long time.

Please confirm exactly which machine you are using. There is software available so that you can see how therapy is going and maybe offer insight into why you aren't seeing the improvements you want. Were you aware of this?

[Rspike]

Noted.

I think I've updated my Profile to the correct machine. I just checked, and it's a Respironics Remstar Pro C-Flex+.

I'm not certain about the Software, and things like AHI don't make sense to me. I think I need to read a little more about how that all works. I do have a copy of my sleep study, and it looks like I had 23 events/hour. They then provided me with CPAP with 7 cm of water and it went to 0.

I hope some of this makes sense and allows you to comment further.

[Hawthorne]

I still think you may have the wrong machine in your profile.

The "picture" you have, when clicked, leads to an old Classic Remstar Auto with C-Flex on the cpap.com site. You say you have a "Pro" with C-Flex+. I think it was just C-Flex - not C-Flex+ on those classic machines.

If you got it from a DME (Durable Medical Equipment Provider) I am sure it is not the machine you have pictured. Unfortunately, as Pugsy said, Respironics has used the Remstar name and the same model names for about 3 generations of machines. Very confusing!

To give us the right machine, look at the top of your machine and tell us what it says EXACTLY WORD FOR WORD on the machine around the LCD screen and on the humidifier.

[Lizistired]

Where you select the machine, please select TEXT. The pictures don't tell the model, just the brand without following the link.

[Wulfman...]

Where you select the machine, please select TEXT. The pictures don't tell the model, just the brand without following the link.

Oh yes they do!

If he hadn't had the items showing in pictures, nobody would probably have noticed that he did and STILL has the WRONG machine selected.

The "picture" shows a Respironics Auto with C-Flex. He needs to select (apparently) the Philips/Respironics System One Pro model.


Den

[Wulfman...]

Noted.

I think I've updated my Profile to the correct machine. I just checked, and it's a Respironics Remstar Pro C-Flex+.

I'm not certain about the Software, and things like AHI don't make sense to me. I think I need to read a little more about how that all works. I do have a copy of my sleep study, and it looks like I had 23 events/hour. They then provided me with CPAP with 7 cm of water and it went to 0.

I hope some of this makes sense and allows you to comment further.

You need to select the "Philips/Respironics System One Pro" from the drop-down menu. The picture of the machine in your profile is of the Auto with C-Flex.......a 5+ year-old machine.......and they didn't have "C-Flex + (Plus) back then.

You also need to make sure that you're not leaking air out your mouth when you sleep (you have a nasal mask listed in your profile).......otherwise it will be "NEVER" before you start feeling the benefits from this therapy.


Den

[Pugsy]

https://www.cpap.com/cpap-machine/respi ... -plus.html

Look at above machine link. This is the latest model series. On the drop down menu in the equipment tab these are listed as PR System One Remstar Pro cpap CFlex Plus.

The image choice you have made points to this machine.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/1607
and this one is Remstar Pro 2 Cflex
https://www.cpap.com/cpap-machine/respi ... cflex.html
While both of these machines do contain the terminology in names of the newest machines, they have no been dispensed for many years. These were even pre M series machines which came out in 2007. I have one of those.

The reason we want to clarify this is because these new PR System One machines use a little data card for software transfer. Also want to make sure that you do NOT have this machine because its SD card only holds how many hours it has been used. https://www.cpap.com/cpap-machine/respi ... cflex.html

Time for software options that I have handy to save typing. Read the tutorial please. Then things will make more sense.


The software is Windows based software so if you use Mac or other OS you will need a Windows environment to run the software.
EncoreViewer 2.0 is the patient version of the software, costs $99 less bulky than Encore Pro but doesn't offer waveform data which might interest you.
Encore Pro 2.4xx is the DME or office version of the software. Big, bulky and sometimes PITA to install but most people manage it quite well. Available by request. 32 bit and 64 bit versions available.

For a brief tutorial and look at the reports from EV check out member Janknitz excellent blog with pictures. Scroll almost to bottom of page to see it. It is a long page.
http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/

Onkor online analyzer was developed recently by another forum member and does a decent job but is visually different in report aspects.
http://www.onkor.net/

Finally another member has developed an open source software but it is very, very new and by his own admission, not even ready for beta testing but if you are geeky and want to try it it does a good job.
viewtopic/t64458/SleepyHead-for-Windows ... rsion.html

Should you wish software, send me a PM and I have some hints for using it. You can check out your options and see which suits you the best.

[tourguidewv]

Rspike, I have been using a BiPap machine for right at 2 months now. I sleep straight through the night now and wake up feeling rested; I also don't get that drowsy feeling in the afternoons now like I was before (especially when driving!).

What really made me realize what a difference the last 2 months has made was going 4 nights without my machine. I went camping over Memorial weekend (Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun nights) and wasn't able to use the BiPap because I didn't have access to electricity. When I started my workday on Tuesday, I felt lousy all day, especially in the afternoon while driving. Once again, I became so sleepy that I found myself nodding off and had to stop and get out of the car for a while - NOT a good feeling. It took 2 days of being back on the BiPap machine to start feeling "normal" again.

So, while you might not be feeling any overwhelming differences, I'd bet that you'd see the difference if you had to stop using the machine. I know I did.

Hope this helps.

[M.D.Hosehead]

Rspike, don't get discouraged by the replies; people want to help you. There is definitely a learning curve in getting things working right. continue to post your questions and answers. Eventually the members here will zero in on what you may need.

[archangle]

You may find you've got more energy if you make yourself get up and do things. It's easy to fall in the "always tired" pattern and still "mope around the house" even though you're actually in better shape.