Helping a friend

[Bennnyp]

I have a S9 vpap auto that i don't use any more. A friend wants to try it. What would you reccomend to set it at. It looks like i can do straight
cpap, bipap, and bipap auto. I was thinking straight cpap with a setting of 10. Any help would be greatful.

[Julie]

What has your friend been diagnosed (professionally) with? And did he get a script for a specific pressure? Are you playing doctor?

Just because someone's tired is not a reason to assume a) that he has apnea, or b) that he needs a machine.

[cathyf]

I would set it at AUTO, reasonably wide open, and then look at the data after friend uses it. If it never budges off the minimum pressure, and there are no events, it's probably pretty reasonable to assume that your friend doesn't have apnea. But if you set it in straight-pressure mode, then you will never know if the machine is preventing the events or if your friend just doesn't have them.

What makes you think your friend needs therapy? Sleep study? Someone who has been in the room listening to his/her breathing while asleep thinks that he/she stops breathing?

[Bennnyp]

Yes I am playing doctor. I suggested that he could try it for a week and see. At this point he doesn't want to do a sleep study.

[Julie]

What are his symptoms? Has he taken the Epworth Sleepiness test? And what if his problems are due to some other serious problem unrelated at all to OSA or even a respiratory thing... he's prolonging diagnosis by not being seen to and you're 'helping' that along.

[Bennnyp]

people have seen him stop breathing on fishing trips. Should i help him or make him go to the doctor?

[tan]

Yes I am playing doctor. I suggested that he could try it for a week and see. At this point he doesn't want to do a sleep study.

If I were to try a VPAP (very generous of you, by the way), it would be with IPAPmax==25 EPAPmin=4, PS==2 and see what SleepyHead charts show. But you better make him see a sleep doctor.

[Woody]

Or take a movie of him sleeping so he can see himself stop breathing. I recorded myself with
just a tape recorder and after playing it back called for an appointment with a sleep Dr. the next
day.

[palerider]

Yes I am playing doctor. I suggested that he could try it for a week and see. At this point he doesn't want to do a sleep study.

If I were to try a VPAP (very generous of you, by the way), it would be with IPAPmax==25 EPAPmin=4, PS==2 and see what SleepyHead charts show. But you better make him see a sleep doctor.

that's a good plan for the first night.