Bipap machine making me inhale too quickly??

[melissa1974]

This may be an odd question, but for the past couple of nights, as I am trying to fall asleep, I feel like my machine is "rushing" me to take my next breath. I am trying to relax and take nice, slow, deep breaths, and while I am still exhaling, I feel the pressure for my next inhalation begin. So, I feel like I need to hurry up and inhale and breath more quickly. It's not uncomfortable exactly, but I feel like it is making me take more shallow breaths than I would like to. After a few of them in a row, I find myself wanting to take a very deep breath. When I do take a really deep breath, I am able to and I can feel the machine seem to "wait" for me to exhale, but I have to conciously work against the machine to do it. Then, it goes back to the faster rhythm. Does any of this make sense? My pressures are fairly high at 17 IPAP and 12 EPAP.

I am wondering if perhaps this feeling of taking more shallow breaths is contributing to my higher AHI numbers, since hypopneas are from shallow breathing. Last night, my leak rate was great (0.04L/s) and my AI was terrific (1.1) but my AHI was still 7.8.

I am being switched to auto in the next couple of days, so this may not be a factor when that happens, or maybe it still will. I am not sure.

I appreciate any input. Thanks.

[Wulfman]

Melissa,

Do you have the "Provider" manual for your machine? If you don't, PM me and I'll see that you get one. It'll help you better understand how your machine and the settings work.
I'd also recommend that you go through ALL of the settings (provider and user) in your machine and write them down on paper for any future reference.

Depending on which mode it's set to, there are some settings involving "Rise Time" and "Inspiratory Time Control"......which, if not set according to your breathing rate can make you feel like your breathing is "off". On the other hand, those settings can try to force your breathing effort if the machine feels there is one lacking on your part.


Den

[melissa1974]

Den-
I do have the provider manual, thanks to another wonderful forum member who provided it to me via a PM. I can see in the manual where and how to access the Rise Time info via the clinical menu, however, I am not clear on what those numbers mean or how to interpret that info. What setting should I change it to in order to see if it would help? Are you able to explain a little bit more? Thanks so much!

[OCSleeper]

I''m not as familiar with the RESMED line, however I know yours is an advanced unit. It WILL breathe for you depending on the settings. Rise time and triggers are two settings you may want to focus on. I used this same machine in a sleep lab last month and the tech forgot to turn off the back-up rate. I kept fighting with the machine to breathe until it was turned off. That's my 2cents.

[Wulfman]

Den-
I do have the provider manual, thanks to another wonderful forum member who provided it to me via a PM. I can see in the manual where and how to access the Rise Time info via the clinical menu, however, I am not clear on what those numbers mean or how to interpret that info. What setting should I change it to in order to see if it would help? Are you able to explain a little bit more? Thanks so much!

Since they're going to be switching you to Auto mode soon, it wouldn't be appropriate to be changing settings at this point. You should mention to them what you're experiencing and see if they can get your settings right. Switching to Auto mode might take care of some of that, too.


Den

[rested gal]

Unless Melinda's machine has the word "T" (as in S/T) at the end of its name, I don't think there is a back-up rate setting in it.

OCSleeper is exactly right that triggers and rise time are settings to look at and possibly adjust, yes. There wouldn't be a timed BPM (breaths per minute) setting, however, to turn off.

The VPAP auto 25 should be set to follow the lead of the user (follow when the user inhales/exhales.) A machine like Melinda's, that doesn't have a timed setting should not "breathe" for her. It should be her spontaneous breathing that triggers the changes back and forth between IPAP and EPAP. If one of those feels like it's happening prematurely with a non-"timed" machine, the settings probably should be adjusted.

Melinda, you mentioned:

"I am trying to relax and take nice, slow, deep breaths"

Relaxing is fine, but you might want to stop deliberately taking "nice, slow, deep breaths." Just breathe normally. Don't try to make your breathing be extra slow, and especially not extra deep. Try not to think about how you are breathing, and don't try to change how you breathe. I know that's kind of like saying, "Hey, don't think of a pink elephant!" LOL!!

[melissa1974]

Thanks for all of the info. I will try to breathe "normally" (although now I am sure I will lay there and think about pink elephants ) and see if the switch to Auto helps in a couple of days.