BIPAP AUTO-SV SETTINGS HELP

[Patrick A]

At 1745 hrs. this afternoon I got my return phone call from the RT at the sleep center. He and I talked for a long time. He explained all of what the other RT that was at my sleep study did on Monday night. He and his supervisor went over my sleep study.
He explained the what the lady that I talked to earlier to today was mistaken. Also she gave me the wrong information and he wished that she wouldn't talk to people because she was always giving the wrong information. The RT said that the machine they started with was the Bipap/ST system by Respironics. He said that the doctor preferred that machine. He said that if there were any central apneas the doctor gave orders to switch to the Bipap SV. Being as there were none he was going to write the prescription for the Bipap S/T machine. I asked about get another M-Series, like I use now, he said that the doctor preferred this machine. He also stated that even thought the machine I have is a good machine they felt the Bipap S/T was better for me. What do I know. Anyway here is the kicker he said that if the doctor had the paperwork and the prescrition into the DME by 1500 hrs. tomorrow i would have the machine as early as Friday at 1200 hrs and that DME would deliver it and a new mask for me to my house.
So I am truly glad that I finally talked to the RT and he cleared up a few things. Also that he cleared up the fears I had about my having Central Apneas. He also said that because of the medication I am on for my heart was one of the reasons that the doctor requested this titration and noted he felt that I might be suffering central Apneas. I guess that this doctor is very precise about his patients care.

[dsm]

At 1745 hrs. this afternoon I got my return phone call from the RT at the sleep center. He and I talked for a long time. He explained all of what the other RT that was at my sleep study did on Monday night. He and his supervisor went over my sleep study.
He explained the what the lady that I talked to earlier to today was mistaken. Also she gave me the wrong information and he wished that she wouldn't talk to people because she was always giving the wrong information. The RT said that the machine they started with was the Bipap/ST system by Respironics. He said that the doctor preferred that machine. He said that if there were any central apneas the doctor gave orders to switch to the Bipap SV. Being as there were none he was going to write the prescription for the Bipap S/T machine. I asked about get another M-Series, like I use now, he said that the doctor preferred this machine. He also stated that even thought the machine I have is a good machine they felt the Bipap S/T was better for me. What do I know. Anyway here is the kicker he said that if the doctor had the paperwork and the prescrition into the DME by 1500 hrs. tomorrow i would have the machine as early as Friday at 1200 hrs and that DME would deliver it and a new mask for me to my house.
So I am truly glad that I finally talked to the RT and he cleared up a few things. Also that he cleared up the fears I had about my having Central Apneas. He also said that because of the medication I am on for my heart was one of the reasons that the doctor requested this titration and noted he felt that I might be suffering central Apneas. I guess that this doctor is very precise about his patients care.

The Bipap S/T is a top-of-the-line model & has excellent technology inside it. I rank it as one of the higher quality manufactured machines.

You have done well.

Good luck

DSM

[JohnBFisher]

... So I am truly glad that I finally talked to the RT and he cleared up a few things. Also that he cleared up the fears I had about my having Central Apneas. He also said that because of the medication I am on for my heart was one of the reasons that the doctor requested this titration and noted he felt that I might be suffering central Apneas. I guess that this doctor is very precise about his patients care. ...

Glad you called back to check on this. It's also VERY good to hear that your doctor is so proactive about your therapy. He recognized that if you were taking medicine for issues with your heart he should check to see if you have problems with central apneas. Unlike other doctors who think their "clinical judgement" replaces clear data, your doctor prefers to have the data to help make the decision. And it sounds as if you don't face issues with Central Apneas or Periodic Breathing! It's great to get some good news like that. And as DSM notes, the BiPAP S/T has a very good reputation.

And talk about a responsive DME. Sounds as if they try to meet the needs of their patients / customers. Hope things continue to go smoothly for you.

[CROWPAT]

Pat is still here reading and learning. One week of two week sleep maintenance form completed. Just ordered the oximeter.
Merry Christmas to each of you.

[dsm]

Pat is still here reading and learning. One week of two week sleep maintenance form completed. Just ordered the oximeter.
Merry Christmas to each of you.

You too Pat
Were all watchin.
I have my fingers crossed

Cheers

DSM

[-SWS]

Good to hear from you, Pat. Glad to hear you're working on the sleep diary... Merry Christmas too!

Happy holidays to all following this thread as well!

[Muffy]

Pat is still here reading and learning. One week of two week sleep maintenance form completed. Just ordered the oximeter.
Merry Christmas to each of you.

Make sure there's a corresponding and accurate food log as well, with careful notation of the nighttime meals. My hypothesis is that's what's creating or contributing to most if not all of the problems.

MC back.

Muffy

[CROWPAT]

Muffy, the days are all the same unless the weather is bad. Up 0730-0800. Small breakfast, pills, and exercise. Small lunch. Medicine at 5 and dinner at 6. Sleep at 1030 or so. Nothing to eat after dinner. Stopped all chocolate. Machine settings unchanged. Feeling unchanged.

[Kiralynx]

Muffy, the days are all the same unless the weather is bad. Up 0730-0800. Small breakfast, pills, and exercise. Small lunch. Medicine at 5 and dinner at 6. Sleep at 1030 or so. Nothing to eat after dinner. Stopped all chocolate. Machine settings unchanged. Feeling unchanged.

Pat,

A food log, like a sleep log, needs to be much more detailed. (Trust me on this one: I work with people who have IBD and IBS.)

"Small breakfast" could mean "a fried, boiled, poached, or scrambled egg, a slice of butter toast, 4 ounces orange juice, and six cups of coffee." Depending on how the egg is prepared, each one could be a different breakfast.

Or it could mean "one-half cup Rice Krispies, one-half cup skim milk, one teaspoon sugar, 4 ounces white grape juice, and six glasses of water."

How your system reacts to each of the mentioned breakfasts can be very, very, very different.

Same thing with lunch. Do you have the exact same thing for lunch every day?

Ditto dinner. Don't know about you, but I'd get real bored eating exactly the same thing every evening for dinner.

Tiny things can make a mega-difference.

F'rinstance, last night, my husband and I went out to dinner. I don't tolerate any sugar, starch, soy (whole raft of "don't tolerates."). Well, my "plain steak" came out coated in melted margarine and Worcestershire, neither of which I tolerate. I sent it back -- but if I'd been stupid enough to eat it, I'd've been running to the loo all night. That'd screw up my sleep fer shure.

You've given up chocolate -- tough to do! -- but I can tell you that a lousy ten grams (one smallish square) of the stuff is enough to keep me awake all night with gut issues.

It'll really help if you record everything you eat -- even if it's a dratted nuisance to do so!

[CROWPAT]

Breakfast is an English muffin with margarine. Lunch is a peanut butter and honey sandwich. Dinner varies from steak to fried fish, but always with a small salad. Some chips in the late afternoon. Nothing after dinner but a little diet coke (caffeine free).

[Kiralynx]

Breakfast is an English muffin with margarine. Lunch is a peanut butter and honey sandwich. Dinner varies from steak to fried fish, but always with a small salad. Some chips in the late afternoon. Nothing after dinner but a little diet coke (caffeine free).

OK, so you're saying that you always -- without fail, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year -- have an English muffin with margarine for breakfast. Is it a plain English muffin? A cinnamon raisin English muffin? A whole wheat English muffin? Do you have anything with that English muffin? Juice, coffee, tea, milk? Heck, what kind of margarine do you use?

Lunch is always -- without fail, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year -- a peanut butter and honey sandwich? What kind of bread do you use? Do you put margarine on one or both slices before adding the peanut butter and the honey? How much of each do you use? What do you have to drink with it? Do you have potato chips or corn chips or pork rinds, or some crispy vegetables to eat along with your sandwich?

Dinner. Always -- without fail, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year -- has a small salad. Define "small salad." What goes into that salad? I can think of half a dozen variations of "small salad," depending on kind of lettuce, tomatoes, yes or no, cucumbers, olives, cheeses, croutons or sunflower seeds, mushrooms, etc. etc. What kind -- and brand of dressing, if you don't make it yourself -- do you use? On what days do you have steak? Chicken? Fish? Ever have hamburgers or hotdogs? How is each prepared?

How much diet caffeine-free cola do you drink in the evening? Do you ever drink it during the day?

Seriously -- this may seem to be unreasonably detailed, and maybe a bit pushy and intrusive. But all these things can make a difference in the way you function during the day, and sleep at night.

[CROWPAT]

Cinnamon and raisin muffins happen to be correct. Country Crock margarine.
Peanut butter and honey is correct - on whole wheat.
Dinner of course varies, but the salads are almost always iceberg lettuce, grated cheese, ham bits, and ranch dressing with a little cottage cheese on the side. Vegetables are pretty limited to peas, beans, or corn.
About 3 diet cokes in the winter and more in the summer or after excercise. Switched to all bottled water for a while, but it did not make any difference in how I felt during the day.
Note that until a week agao I very rarely had any breakfast or lunch.
Yes, you are a bit intrusive and bold, but if that is what it takes so solve all of this so be it - I'm game.

[Patrick A]

Cinnamon and raisin muffins happen to be correct. Country Crock margarine.
Peanut butter and honey is correct - on whole wheat.
Dinner of course varies, but the salads are almost always iceberg lettuce, grated cheese, ham bits, and ranch dressing with a little cottage cheese on the side. Vegetables are pretty limited to peas, beans, or corn.
About 3 diet cokes in the winter and more in the summer or after excercise. Switched to all bottled water for a while, but it did not make any difference in how I felt during the day.
Note that until a week agao I very rarely had any breakfast or lunch.
Yes, you are a bit intrusive and bold, but if that is what it takes so solve all of this so be it - I'm game.

That sounds almost like my Breakfast 2 eggs Scrambled with cheese. 4 Pre-Cooked Sausage no bread. 3 or 4 24oz. cups of Leaded Coffee Black. For lunch useually a Sandwich Turkey Pastrami or Turkey Ham or Roast Beef lunchmeatwith a slice of cheese, a piece of fruit. 3 or 4 24oz. containers of Iced Coffee Black. for dinner Usually 3 Chicken tights Boneless/Skinless a serving of vegtables a small dinner Salad. Once in awhile a cup of Ice Cream. Usually no desert. 1 or 2 24oz. cups of black coffee. My after dinner snack a bag of mirowave popcorn another pot of coffee.

[CROWPAT]

Patrick, I think you are messing with me. What I wrote above is actually what I eat. Broke the rules today with two fabulous chocolate chip cookies.

[dsm]

Patrick, I think you are messing with me. What I wrote above is actually what I eat. Broke the rules today with two fabulous chocolate chip cookies.

Pat

What you are taking in sure looks ok. What amount of exercise are you managing ? - is it predictable (similar daily routine ) ?

Cheers

DSM

(have to confess that I like a hot lunch & after cycling to work & back home I sometimes tell myself I earned one. Doesn't help
me take the weight down, but am managing to keep it steady - lower weight really does ease the effort of cpap therapy for
those of us who let it creep up - pressure on the stomach at night is a biiiig problem if our girth is too large - D )