Setting CPAP pressure youself?

[DoriC]

Here we go again! What will our new friend think of all this carrying on?

[Rebecca R]

It's not illegal for you to change pressure on your machine, but it is illegal for a DME to change your pressure w/o an order/prescription from your doctor. (Or so I've read.) I've changed my own pressure ... and used different machines ... more times than I can count, and so far the CPAP police have not come to arrest me, nor have I died. I believe it's legal for me to do whatever I like in the privacy of my own bedroom as long as it's with consenting adults or machines.

Glad to see the cpap police haven't taken you away twokatmew!

I don't know what the laws are in the US, but Trudeau, one of Canada's former Prime Ministers said " “The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation.”

Marcus: My doctor told me to change my own setting. He didn't give me a prescription either.

R

[marcuss]

Marcus: My doctor told me to change my own setting. He didn't give me a prescription either.

R

Yeah, and look what happened to your face as a result, Rebecca.

[roster]

Marcus: My doctor told me to change my own setting. He didn't give me a prescription either.

R

Yeah, and look what happened to your face as a result, Rebecca.

Good one, Cuss.

But do you think a dozen doctors and a dozen sleep labs could fit me with a sleep mask and properly prescribe my pressure?

[rosiefrosie]

This has been an entertaining thread.

[DoriC]

Rooster, how about the new Full Life that comes in 3 different sizes? Now see what you've done when I'm trying to be the "motherly" type around here!

[marcuss]

But do you think a dozen doctors and a dozen sleep labs could fit me with a sleep mask and properly prescribe my pressure?

I designed this portable 12-volt, battery-operated CPAP/Tactical Vest for those "nights on the town" (in rough neighborhoods) when you get a little too tipsy and just want to go into a corner and take a restful nap, but don't want your AHI to go too high - I can retrofit a version for you Rooster, only $3500 ($1500 if I leave off the night vision, Kevlar body armor and hidden 9 mm defense system) Let me know, I have a limited supply--
-

[LaurieJ31981]

I just recently seen my Dr, and she asked if I knew how to adjust the pressure. I told her yes and she was not surprised... She also advised that before she actually seen the complete results she set my script for a pressure of 10... then after talking with me, she said I could adjust it myself between 8-10... I have my ups and downs even within that range but find 9.6 to be the better setting...

You have a right to make sure your treatment is working for you... That doesn't mean to bump the pressure up or down in large increments but a little but is not going to hurt.

[Muse-Inc]

Has anyone here lost weight and needed a change of CPAP pressure as a result?

Lost 53#, pressure was lowered and because my face is much slimmer I had to give up my beloved OptiLife pillow mask and go to the Hybrid because I cannot keep a good seal at the back of my throat and was losing air through my lips.

...If so, could you post the amount of weight you lost, and, after your sleep study, what the "new" pressure setting was at?

It's individual Marcuss according to your particular anatomy. My doctor expects that I will not have apnea when I lose all my excess wt...I've got lots more to lose. This might not be your situation. I may not have any more changes in pressure as I lose wt...it all depends on what pressure it takes to stent open my airways if they still excessively narrow or collapse. While I had no apneas during my sleep study, I had them using the APAP so is my apnea improving? Yes, but now I have both apneas and hypopneas.

...really need to know if it's worth it to go the the trouble and expense of a new sleep study.

My sleep doc loaned me an APAP and a recording oximeter to gather data. It was over the July 4th holiday so I had a a good number of nights of data. The APAP was run wide open (4-20 cmH20) so my real pressure during those nights was identified. I never reached the pressure set on my CPAP, so my CPAP was set to a lower pressure.

[Rebecca R]

Yeah, and look what happened to your face as a result, Rebecca.

Hey, that photo was taken on a good day, and it features my best side. I think CPAPers are on average better looking and more creative and intelligent. We can always fall back on the excuse of being sleep deprived on our bad days.

If you really want a fright, look up dalemeyer His avatar has a photo of him wearing his mask and cpap.

Ask Rooster to show you the mask he has to use for all his eyes and noses and mouths

r

[marcuss]

Hey, that photo was taken on a good day, and it features my best side. I think CPAPers are on average better looking and more creative and intelligent. We can always fall back on the excuse of being sleep deprived on our bad days.

I would agree, Rebecca. My wife says we CPAPers just think we're more intelligent because we have big heads due to all that extra air pressure expanding our craniums.

[DoriC]

Marcuss, I'm glad we're all getting to know each other. I think you're a funny guy and will fit right in here. But getting back to the subject of your thread, have you made any decisions about your cpap therapy and do you have any more questions? I think we'd be interested to know and to help any way we can. Keep us posted. Dori

[katcw]

Seems like most of us who have a sleep study are asked to sleep on our backs. Not natural for me. In that position, I was titrated at 16/10.

After a few weeks of having my mask blown off when the machine ramped up to full force, I realized that sleeping on my side might make a difference in the setting. So I set my machine on auto bipap, and low and behold, I'm averaging 10.5/8. So that tells me that for the way I sleep I do not need such a high setting. Now the mask stays in place!

So it's not always best to set the machine higher. It's a matter of finding out what works best for you.

And yes, when the software arrives I will get more details on this....

[twokatmew]

Sometimes it goes the other way, too. I was titrated at 7cm and have been gradually increasing my pressure with some improvement, but not what I'd hoped. I didn't raise the pressure beyond 10cm, because I couldn't believe my titration could be that far off, and I was concerned about causing central apneas. Well I finally got my hands on an AutoSet II, and I've slept three nights with it. Settings are 7-15cm. 95% pressure has been 11-11.8cm, and max pressure has been 12-12.2cm. Each night my AHI has been less than 9 with an AI of less than 1. I'm hoping my numbers will improve, but they're much better than what I was getting at 10cm CPAP. Most importantly I'm starting to feel better. It'll be interesting to see what my doc has to say when I see him for my first follow-up on 8/27.

[roster]

Sometimes it goes the other way, too. I was titrated at 7cm and have been gradually increasing my pressure with some improvement, but not what I'd hoped. I didn't raise the pressure beyond 10cm, because I couldn't believe my titration could be that far off, and I was concerned about causing central apneas. Well I finally got my hands on an AutoSet II, and I've slept three nights with it. Settings are 7-15cm. 95% pressure has been 11-11.8cm, and max pressure has been 12-12.2cm. Each night my AHI has been less than 9 with an AI of less than 1. I'm hoping my numbers will improve, but they're much better than what I was getting at 10cm CPAP. Most importantly I'm starting to feel better. It'll be interesting to see what my doc has to say when I see him for my first follow-up on 8/27.

If those were my numbers (knowing I have no problems with central apnea), I would bump the minimum to 10 cm and see if the HI would be blown way down. Of course daily monitoring should continue when making changes.