Switched from CPAP to Auto CPAP - question

[rested gal]

it sounds like you have a good plan of action. Let us know how it goes.

I agree. Joy's a smart lady, has a helpful DME, and...we'll all hope...a doctor who will be receptive to Joy's input at their March meeting.

I currently have my APAP set at 11-20 and will leave it here for 11 days total; then I'm changing the setting to 4-20 for the last 11 days before my appointment (per RG's urging). I'll get a printout to take to him. He can look at the difference between the two settings.

Actually, I think my "urging" was to use the two settings ranges (switching between them) during the final five days before the appointment with the doctor. I'd leave the machine using 11 - 20 until the last THREE nights before the appointment. Switch it to 4 - 20 for those last nights.

The machine will record "Detailed data" only for so many days, or perhaps it's so many "sessions." Anyway a week's worth of the most recent detailed data is about as much as you'll see in a Full Details download of the Smart Card. Older "Detailed data" is overwritten with new. The Compliance data keeps accumulating for months and months, as far as I know.

Anyway, my urging to do the two pressure range tests during the final five days before taking printouts to the doctor is so that "Daily details" data for both ranges will definitely appear on the report.

Perhaps take along some simple pressure/AHI notes on an Index card (pun intended! groannnn... )

A note like this might make it easier for the doctor. He may not be accustomed to looking at "Daily Details" pages.

Sun @ 11 - 20 -----AHI 1.3
Mon @ 11 - 20 ----AHI 2.0
Tue @ 4 - 20 -----AHI 9.5
Wed @ 4 - 20 ----AHI 8.3
Thur @ 4 - 20 ----AHI 10.2

Doing the final 11 days at 4 - 20 is not going to give you ANY "Daily Details" showing what 11 - 20 did. You'll need to do the comparative range changes in the final week, preferably the final five or six nights to be absolutely sure both ranges' full details will show up.

And pray that the occasional M series two-days-drop-of-data glitch doesn't hit during those particular five days!
Encore Pro Question
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Remstar Pro Help
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Encore Viewer Help (correction)
viewtopic.php?t=34890

In fact, with that occasional glitch in mind, I'm revising my "last 5 nights" suggestion. Make thatthe last SIX nights.

I'd be sure to use three nights at one range and three nights at the other range during the last six nights before the appointment date.

[danw61]

if JoyD has the software, could she not get a printout after running at 11 - 20 cm and then another printout after some number of days at 4 - 20cm. I like RestedGal's suggestion of condensing the pertinent data onto an index card or two.

[rested gal]

if JoyD has the software, could she not get a printout after running at 11 - 20 cm and then another printout after some number of days at 4 - 20cm. I like RestedGal's suggestion of condensing the pertinent data onto an index card or two.

Yes, she could. That's a good idea, Dan, and it's what I'd do. Joy's a proactive lady, but after the scare with the DME not finding any data on her card, I wouldn't blame her for possibly being reluctant to start doing her own downloads for the first time ever, until after her DME tries it again.

But..thinking out loud here...

Joy, you might want to bite the bullet and do at least one Encore Viewer download as soon as you can, as Dan suggests. I'd do that just to be sure the Smart Card really does work. It would be a shame to go through all these nights before the doctor's appointment, only to find out that the card or the card module in the machine was faulty and was still not recording any data.

Encore Viewer absolutely won't erase anything on the Smart Card. Respironics created Encore Viewer for patients to use if they want to buy it and the necessary card reader, and download their own Smart Card.

Respironics' development of Encore Viewer for patients addressed these things:

1. has no "Create prescription" feature.
That's a feature that is in the Encore Pro program DMEs use -- allows changing the mode of operation and setting pressure via the Smart Card.

2. downloading with Encore Viewer will not erase any data from the card.
Encore Pro, on the other hand, automatically erases the card with each download unless a setting is changed. I doubt if many DMEs even know there's a setting that could be changed in Encore Pro which will leave data on the card when an Encore Pro download is done.

[CollegeGirl]

Wow, it SCARES me they only give you 90 days to show CPAP is benefitting you. If I'd had to meet those requirements, I doubt I would have gotten to keep my machine. It took me FOREVER to see any results thanks to the complete incompetence of my doc & DME.

[crossfit]

Basically, you need to stop doing whatever erased your card. Thats the only issue here. She needs the data to prove compliance with medical. Without data, no printout.

So that should be easy now with the M series auto. Its the same machine I have. YOu get a copy of the software and adjust your settings as you wish based on the data. A week before your appointment with the DM or Doc, reset back to prescribed settings and viola.

What I wonder is just how your resetting your lcd screen back to zero each night? I don't know how to do that and it doesn't effect my pressure settings anyway. It does sound like you need the software badly in order to really moniter your treatment without messing up data.

[JoyD.]

by rested gal on Fri Feb 27, 2009 7:34 pm

danw61 wrote:
if JoyD has the software, could she not get a printout after running at 11 - 20 cm and then another printout after some number of days at 4 - 20cm. I like RestedGal's suggestion of condensing the pertinent data onto an index card or two.


Yes, she could. That's a good idea, Dan, and it's what I'd do. Joy's a proactive lady, but after the scare with the DME not finding any data on her card, I wouldn't blame her for possibly being reluctant to start doing her own downloads for the first time ever, until after her DME tries it again.

But..thinking out loud here...

Joy, you might want to bite the bullet and do at least one Encore Viewer download as soon as you can, as Dan suggests. I'd do that just to be sure the Smart Card really does work. It would be a shame to go through all these nights before the doctor's appointment, only to find out that the card or the card module in the machine was faulty and was still not recording any data.

____________
Yes, RG, I was thinking today that I need to try to install the Encore Viewer software on my old PC (my current is a Mac) to be SURE that the card and card module are functional. That's on my agenda for tomorrow! If that doesn't work, I'll take it in to the DME Monday to check to see that the data is on the card (I actually drove by today with my machine, but she had gone for the week!)

Rested Gal, I understand your clarification of the final six days (3 on each settings). Thanks for making that clear.

Dan, I had planned to do printouts for myself once my reader arrives so that I'll have everything on paper. Does anyone know how long daily data remains on the EncoreViewer software? I have been writing down my data from the LED each day. Of course, since the episode of the "corrupted card", I'm only writing down accumulated data since getting the Auto. If I can get my software installed tomorrow on my old PC with Windows Me, and get the card downloaded . . . I'll catch up on all daily data. I'll type it all up in concise form to take to my appointment.

Joy

Thanks all. Will keep you all in the loop on how this turns out.

Joy

[jnk]

I hope you stick around long-term here, JoyD!

(BTW, I lived for a while in the Richmond/Winchester/Lexington area, and still have family there.)