New to CPAP ,could really use some help and advice

[nhoj32]

Hello everyone! my name is John and im from the Philippines ( please forgive me if my english is bad and inconsistent)
i really need and would greatly appreciate your advice and expertise on my situation

so 2 months ago i suddenly started waking up 5 hours into my sleep with heartburn and a racing heart with gasping for air
and i thought it would just be a one night thing. went to the doctor and got prescribed sleeping aids
it helped a little but i will still waking up after a few hours into my sleep with racing heart and gasping for air

i had all sorts of tests done to check for heart failure which all came normal except for a leaky valve which the doctor said was normal and everybody gets
also had an MRI on my head that just said something along the lines of "Normal Migraine" because i was also getting some headaches

im a fairly young 22 year old guy who is 5'7 170 lbs currently (used to be 190 and had hypertension/pre-hypertension before 140/90 blood pressure but has since gotten better)
im not aware of me ever snoring or breathing through my mouth i really just suddenly wake up few hours into my sleep with a racing heart and gasping for air

after checking and trying everything,i found out about sleep apnea and CPAP and it seemed worth it to try
but just when i was about to schedule for a sleep study the lockdown hit the city due to covid-19 and now there was no way to get even a home sleep study done
especially without a doctors prescription.

i kept searching for solutions until i stumbled upon a website that offered a 7 day trial program for a 2nd hand auto CPAP machine in which if you are not satisfied you get your money back except for the cost of the mask and hose which is brand new. they said that i would not have to play with any settings because the CPAP machine was automatic and that it would adjust to my breathing pattern and was perfectly safe.

just as i made the payment thru paypal and waited for the machine to be delivered, the next day they said that due to concern over the safety of covid 19 they are suspending the trial program and i either have two choices ,i can either have my money refunded or i purchase the 2nd hand machine from them with no more possibility of a refund since the purchase would be final, but because they were the only company in here offering a machine without a prescription or sleep test and i was so tired and desperate to find a solution for my sleep that i just bit the bullet and bought their 2nd hand machine which is a Phillips Resperonics System One Remstar auto A Flex with 1740 machine hours on it.

i bought it for 25k Php which is 490 in USD including the new mask and hose. they were also offering brand new machines and newer models but i could not afford them (between 70k and 80k php , 1300-1500 in USD) they offer installments with credit card but because of the covid-19 again it was currently suspended.

In hindsight i really should have done more research before i purchased it and not after the fact. i did more research and alot of my searches said how dangerous and unsanitary it was to use a 2nd hand used cpap machine that aside from covid19 i could get tubercolosis ,bronchitis ,pneumonia and all sorts of other respiratory diseases. some of my searches said that its actually relatively safe to buy and use a 2nd hand machine as long as you change the filter, humidifier chamber and new set of hose and mask. i have the new mask and hose covered but the 2nd hand unit came with its used humidifier chamber and filter so im not sure whether its enough to soak the water chamber and filter in soap and water or i should get a brand new filter and water chamber which i dont even know if they have any for this old model.

ive had the machine just sitting here for days and still not sure if i should give it a try or not risk it. the mask is another thing too ,
its a nasal mask that came with it with three sizes to select from. not sure if it will work effectively on me but since i dont breathe from my mouth when i sleep nor do i snore i figured it would be the best choice also because the full face mask has three separate sizes and because there is no way to fit them it would be expensive so i just had to go with the nasal mask with 3 sizes included.

the machine is a used Philipps Resperonics System One Remstar Auto A Flex ,company said that the machine they were delivering to me was not one of the trial machines it was just a used one and before delivering the machine to me that it was just sitting on the local warehouse stockroom for 3 months.

since i cant return the machine anymore should i just clean the humidifier chamber and filter and give it a go?
and are there any other risks in using CPAP besides contamination by previous user?
i was also wondering if i would be able to see and monitor my AHI on this old model? and would it be compatible with OSCAR? since it also has an SDCard

Thanks in advance! i would really appreciate any help and advice i can get and im really hopeful you guys would be able to help me with this one just as you were able to help so many other people in this forum too over the years.

[Sheriff Buford]

Welcome to the forum. Trust me, you'll not regret finding this forum. Yes.... by all means use the machine. You can clean the humidifier with soapy water and maybe soak it in a little water/vinegar solution. Many folks here have bought used machines without any worry. The mask you chose is good, but if you have trouble with it leaking, you may have to get different types of masks until you find one that is comfortable and doesn't leak. I went thru about a half a dozen masks until I stumbled onto mine. Nasal masks are good as long as you don't open your mouth at night.

Your problem is probably not the equipment you have now. It's the lack of a sleep study (and its documentation) and a doctor's prescription.

I have successfully directed two of my children on cpap therapy without any aid of a doctor or the prescription needed to get supplies. It is hard, even when I am around them to direct them. I got another daughter in Dallas that I couldn't help because I'm not there.

I'm not sure how the Philippines are or how the medical system works there, but here in the US, it appears the pandemic has peaked out and we are starting to re-open, I would suggest you go thru the normal routine of a sleep test... unless a seasoned cpap person from the Philippines who is familiar with health care system there can assist you.

Keep in touch...

Sheriff

[Pugsy]

Welcome to the forum.

Your machine is compatible with OSCAR. So you can see the data and monitor your results.

There's no need to worry about catching something from the machine. Wipe down the outside of the machine with an alcohol wipe.
The water chamber can be cleaned safely in hot soapy water. It's all you need to do to disinfect the equipment.
Filters are still available....Amazon or EBay are potential sources. The System One machine uses a foam black/gray filter and an optional disposable white fine filter....both still available. Generic aftermarket filters will work just fine. The black foam filter is washable...again hot soapy water is sufficient. If all you have is the black foam filter...just give it a good wash with hot soapy water, rinse in hot water and pat it dry. As far as temp...hand hot so you can handle it in the hot water is hot enough. No need to boil or anything like that.

In 11 years...I have bought many machines...all used. This is all I have ever done with my used machines. There's really nothing on the machines that offer pathogens any source of food for the bad guys to multiply and grow and infect a person.

[Julie]

And if it comes up, do NOT pay money for a machine (like So Clean) that uses ozone to supposedly sanitize, disinfect or clean your machine - those things are scams and ozone can harm you. Your machine should be fine and you cannot catch any of those diseases from it. If you download Oscar (see Sticky note instructions on main pg here) and follow instructions re how to set up the graphs and post results here, others will help you interpret and advise on what might need tweaking. I suggest you start off with a min. pressure of 6 (the default of 4 on machines is so hard to inhale at for most people) and a max of 20, which is standard.

[nhoj32]

Welcome to the forum. Trust me, you'll not regret finding this forum. Yes.... by all means use the machine. You can clean the humidifier with soapy water and maybe soak it in a little water/vinegar solution. Many folks here have bought used machines without any worry. The mask you chose is good, but if you have trouble with it leaking, you may have to get different types of masks until you find one that is comfortable and doesn't leak. I went thru about a half a dozen masks until I stumbled onto mine. Nasal masks are good as long as you don't open your mouth at night.

Your problem is probably not the equipment you have now. It's the lack of a sleep study (and its documentation) and a doctor's prescription.

I have successfully directed two of my children on cpap therapy without any aid of a doctor or the prescription needed to get supplies. It is hard, even when I am around them to direct them. I got another daughter in Dallas that I couldn't help because I'm not there.

I'm not sure how the Philippines are or how the medical system works there, but here in the US, it appears the pandemic has peaked out and we are starting to re-open, I would suggest you go thru the normal routine of a sleep test... unless a seasoned cpap person from the Philippines who is familiar with health care system there can assist you.

Keep in touch...

Sheriff

Welcome to the forum.

Your machine is compatible with OSCAR. So you can see the data and monitor your results.

There's no need to worry about catching something from the machine. Wipe down the outside of the machine with an alcohol wipe.
The water chamber can be cleaned safely in hot soapy water. It's all you need to do to disinfect the equipment.
Filters are still available....Amazon or EBay are potential sources. The System One machine uses a foam black/gray filter and an optional disposable white fine filter....both still available. Generic aftermarket filters will work just fine. The black foam filter is washable...again hot soapy water is sufficient. If all you have is the black foam filter...just give it a good wash with hot soapy water, rinse in hot water and pat it dry. As far as temp...hand hot so you can handle it in the hot water is hot enough. No need to boil or anything like that.

In 11 years...I have bought many machines...all used. This is all I have ever done with my used machines. There's really nothing on the machines that offer pathogens any source of food for the bad guys to multiply and grow and infect a person.

Thank you for the warm welcome and replies i really appreciate it, yes im really quite lucky that i stumbled upon this forum while searching online. also Thank you for reassuring me about the safety in using a 2nd hand machine . i will be cleaning the humidifier and filter with warm soapy water tonight and then i will be soaking it in water/vinegar solution overnight or a few hours, tomorrow i will muster up the courage and try to use the machine.

as for the situation here in philippines , to be honest its still pretty bad , both new cases and deaths are still on the rise but we recently started MECQ (modified enhanced quarantine) in which people are now gradually starting to go back to work and some malls reopening but the hospitals are still ground zero and no other services are allowed besides covid related emergencies. in the news one night there was a woman that just gave birth and had some i think it was called placenta still left and she was bleeding heavily but all the hospitals that they went thru that night refused them and one hospital even asked for an advanced payment which the couple could not afford and did not have so the woman who just gave birth died. thats kinda how it is right now in here but i will definitely keep my eye open for a sleep study if a hospital fully opens all of its services.

For the parts/replacements including any new masks/hose the only one that i can really trust or buy from is the company that i got my used machine from. no one else is selling locally and shipping items overseas has been halted.

when i asked the guy who is probably the owner of the company who sold me my machine about how i can see my AHI or any data to monitor progress,
the guy said they charge for data printout but because of lockdown its again suspended

i also asked him about the SDcard if i should format it first to remove the previous user data so it can record my own data or i can start using it already
the guy just replied "Research via internet"

the SDcard on the machine says 98% free so i dont know if its already been wiped or whatnot but machine hours still show 1740 hours
other than that he said that the warranty for the used machine is 6 months.

And if it comes up, do NOT pay money for a machine (like So Clean) that uses ozone to supposedly sanitize, disinfect or clean your machine - those things are scams and ozone can harm you. Your machine should be fine and you cannot catch any of those diseases from it. If you download Oscar (see Sticky note instructions on main pg here) and follow instructions re how to set up the graphs and post results here, others will help you interpret and advise on what might need tweaking. I suggest you start off with a min. pressure of 6 (the default of 4 on machines is so hard to inhale at for most people) and a max of 20, which is standard.

Thank you for the reply and reassurance. im not sure how they clean the machine but when i asked if they sterilize it they just said "yes" . i have already downloaded the OSCAR software but im not sure what to do with the sd card. do i have to format it first? or do i just unplug it from the machine and plug it in to my computer using an SDcard reader? and should i plug it into my computer after every night of use?

for the machine settings im still looking it up online on how to change the pressure for this model but once i do i will definitely set it up first with a minimum pressure of 6 and a max of 20 just like you have said.

[Miss Emerita]

You've gotten a lot of great advice and reassurance. One suggestion: try using the machine during the day, set up outside your bedroom, while you watch TV or read. This will help you start getting used to the feel of things -- much better than starting out by lying in the dark hoping you will fall asleep. Even after you start night-time use, you might keep up some daytime use as well, because it can speed up your adaptation.

[nhoj32]

You've gotten a lot of great advice and reassurance. One suggestion: try using the machine during the day, set up outside your bedroom, while you watch TV or read. This will help you start getting used to the feel of things -- much better than starting out by lying in the dark hoping you will fall asleep. Even after you start night-time use, you might keep up some daytime use as well, because it can speed up your adaptation.

Thank you for the reply and yes i am very grateful for all the advice and reassurance that i am getting from all of you. this forum is amazing and im really lucky to have found it really. also thanks for your suggestion, it definitely sounds better to get used to it first during waking hours than going at it at night suddenly because ive also read that usually the first night on CPAP can be rough

[Pugsy]

First thing to do....figure out exactly which system one model you have.
Look on the bottom of the blower for a sticker with the model number...it may begin with DS or REF and then followed by 3 digits.
It's those 3 digits that tells us exactly which model you have.
It's going to be either model 550 or 560
Then go here and request the provider clinical manual for your machine.

https://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap- ... tup-manual

If it says 550 then you need to request the manual for the
Respironics PR System One REMstar Auto with A-flex

and if it says 560 then you need to request the manual for the
Respironics PR System One 60 Series REMstar Auto with A-flex

It's important because there are some minor differences available between the 2 models.

Then you need to erase any prior user data from the machine and the SD card. There's a "reset data" available in the machine information section.
You don't want past user data to get mixed into your data.
There is no need to reformat the SD card. I have always just manually deleted any data files/folders from use SD cards. When you put the SD card back into the cpap machine it will essentially format the card for you so just let it.

In the manual are also some instructions for cleaning between patients for sleep lab use but most lay people won't have the cleaning products it mentions. I just use alcohol on all exterior surfaces that you can easily reach. There is no need to try to open up the machine.

OSCAR is fairly simple to use. Some hints can be found here
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... stallation
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... rpretation

and if you want to share a detailed report...some examples here
viewtopic/t158560/How-to-post-images-for-review.html

[nhoj32]

First thing to do....figure out exactly which system one model you have.
Look on the bottom of the blower for a sticker with the model number...it may begin with DS or REF and then followed by 3 digits.
It's those 3 digits that tells us exactly which model you have.
It's going to be either model 550 or 560
Then go here and request the provider clinical manual for your machine.

https://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap- ... tup-manual

If it says 550 then you need to request the manual for the
Respironics PR System One REMstar Auto with A-flex

and if it says 560 then you need to request the manual for the
Respironics PR System One 60 Series REMstar Auto with A-flex

It's important because there are some minor differences available between the 2 models.

Then you need to erase any prior user data from the machine and the SD card. There's a "reset data" available in the machine information section.
You don't want past user data to get mixed into your data.
There is no need to reformat the SD card. I have always just manually deleted any data files/folders from use SD cards. When you put the SD card back into the cpap machine it will essentially format the card for you so just let it.

In the manual are also some instructions for cleaning between patients for sleep lab use but most lay people won't have the cleaning products it mentions. I just use alcohol on all exterior surfaces that you can easily reach. There is no need to try to open up the machine.

OSCAR is fairly simple to use. Some hints can be found here
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... stallation
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... rpretation

and if you want to share a detailed report...some examples here
viewtopic/t158560/How-to-post-images-for-review.html

Thank you for the reply, i did what you said and took a look at the back and what i saw was REF 560P so i assumed it was the Respironics PR System One 60 Series REMstar Auto with A-flex and went ahead and emailed requesting for the manual.

for the SDCard i just went thru the info panel menu but i did not find a "reset data" option what i did find tho is "Status" option which displayed:
SDCard: Unlocked
Free Space:98%
Back
the only option in status was "back"

EDIT: I found the reset data, held both the ramp button and knob down together at the same time for a few second til i heard a beep. it went into data activity dont remove card and it now shows:
Therapy hours
Back
1 day: 0.00
7 day : 0.00
30 day: 0.00
Back

Days >4
Back
1 day: 0
7 day: 0
30 day: 0
Back

Large leak
AHI
Periodic breathing
90% pressure
all the same just 0 on all the days



ive already wiped down the external surfaces with rubbing alcohol but im not sure about this part:
https://imgur.com/btPqu3C

also thanks for the OSCAR links i will definitely check them out

[Julie]

Most of us just wipe the machine if it looks dusty, but otherwise don't do anything to it... there's no need and no alcohol is needed. You can just wipe the hose attachment if you like, if it looks dirty (highly unlikely though), but otherwise do nothing. Do look for pink slime (bits, not lots) in the humidifier tank and clean with vinegary water and e.g. Q-tips, but otherwise nothing special needs doing either. And there's usually no need to dump left-over water out every day.

Everything else according to manufacturer's info - maybe use baby wipes on the mask cushion every few days and then just a little Dawn in water weekly, or even less so depending on how it looks (or how you feel). The hoses never need anything done. For decades. Ever (unless you see something inside that you wouldn't want to deal with of course). The mask frame ... just wipe when you feel like it. The head straps you can wash on occasion, but be careful because some will get looser and over time you may need to either tighten them (by sewing, adding Velcro, etc.) or just getting new ones. Of course do change filters depending on how they look, whether instructions say †o do it 'when', etc. etc.

[nhoj32]

Most of us just wipe the machine if it looks dusty, but otherwise don't do anything to it... there's no need and no alcohol is needed. You can just wipe the hose attachment if you like, if it looks dirty (highly unlikely though), but otherwise do nothing. Do look for pink slime (bits, not lots) in the humidifier tank and clean with vinegary water and e.g. Q-tips, but otherwise nothing special needs doing either. And there's usually no need to dump left-over water out every day.

Everything else according to manufacturer's info - maybe use baby wipes on the mask cushion every few days and then just a little Dawn in water weekly, or even less so depending on how it looks (or how you feel). The hoses never need anything done. For decades. Ever (unless you see something inside that you wouldn't want to deal with of course). The mask frame ... just wipe when you feel like it. The head straps you can wash on occasion, but be careful because some will get looser and over time you may need to either tighten them (by sewing, adding Velcro, etc.) or just getting new ones. Of course do change filters depending on how they look, whether instructions say †o do it 'when', etc. etc.

Thanks for the reply and advice for the routine clean up of the mask including the hose attachment and how often i should empty the humidifier chamber.

I will definitely give the humidifier chamber a thorough clean up tomorrow for sure and use q-tips for the hard to reach areas.

[nhoj32]

hey guys, i hope everyone is doing well

so i ended up ordering a new filter and water chamber in the end and i waited for it to be shipped thats why it took so long.

i finally tried using the machine last night, i will attach the reports below

the first one is a 2 hour nap and the 2nd one is a full night sleep.

please let me know what you can make of it

i have not gone through a sleep study yet so i do not know how mild or severe my sleep apnea is

im hoping for the meantime the cpap machine can tell

[Miss Emerita]

Congratulations on your first night with CPAP! How did you sleep -- solidly, lots of wake-ups, or ...? Your numbers are good, and I believe you can improve them. First step: please reset your minimum to 6. If that goes well, continue to raise it gradually. What you're aiming for is a minimum that will head off most obstructive events before they have a chance to occur. At any point if you experience discomfort with a new minimum setting, back off by .5 and wait a week or two before retrying an increase.

The Oscar read-outs can't tell you what results a sleep study would have shown, because Oscar will always be showing you your treated results, rather than your untreated results. But if you can get your AHI generally below 2 -- or better still, below 1 -- the big question will be whether you start feeling better during the day than you did before CPAP. That would be indirect evidence -- though not conclusive -- that your sleep had been disrupted by sleep apnea.

[zonker]

can someone explain to me why the chart for june 14 shows 0 ahi but also shows many events?

[khauser]

can someone explain to me why the chart for june 14 shows 0 ahi but also shows many events?

There are two charts for June 14th (so two separate sessions). The first has the 0 AHI but is a less than 2 hour session with only flow limitations shown.

The second is an over 8 hours session, AHI 2.29.

Poster has selected one and then the other ... you can see that at the bottom of the statistics on the left.