Greetings Heavy Breathers...

I just discovered this site and thought I'd say "Hello!"

Last summer I was getting as few as one or two hours of sleep each night and was desperate to have a sleep study. I finally got my CPAP machine in September. It's a ResMed S9 Elite with EPR and an H5i humidifier. I started out using an AirFit F10 full face mask, and then tried out nasal pads and also a nose mask. I recently switched back to the full face mask.

I was getting five to six hours of sleep a night. For months I complained about having difficulty exhaling... only to be told, "No one has ever complained about that." This past month I figured out how to get into the CPAP setup file, discovered that the EPR was not turned on. Once I turned on the EPR and Ramp-up features, everything has been smooth sailing: I now exhale just as if there were no longer a big stream of air being forced into me. I'm presently getting seven to eight hours of sleep... and feel like a real human being. Since I have those kinks worked out, I should probably go back and re-evaluate the nasal pads and nose mask.

Bottom line: I am in a MUCH better place thanks to CPAP therapy. At the very least, I am in a much nicer and friendlier mood than I was last summer!

Glad to hear you were able to find solutions to your problems and welcome to the forum.

Who was it who said "No one has ever complained about that" I'm thinking doctor or DME?

It's funny that some one would tell you that when EPR was designed for that very issue you were asking about. Makes me sad knowing that you asked for relief from a problem that is so common that a solution to help has been designed in to most CPAP machines and no one was able to help point you in the right direction.

As to whether you change back to a nose only mask I'd leave that up to you. At least now you have a baseline now you can fall back on if the nasal masks don't work as well for you. I found with my sinus issues that I need a full face mask my self but that's not true for everyone.

I wish you continued luck with your treatment and once again welcome to the group. It was a great help when I was first starting out. Lots of people chimed in to offer advice and listen to my issues and there is a good wealth of information here. Lots of lessons learned by trial and error that can be found and life experiences that are shared.

That's a great success story, maskraider. Congrats

I'm not a big fan of EPR but for some folks it seems to be the best thing about CPAP. In my case, just about when I doze off, the EPR drops out and subsequently interrupts my transition into sleep... but that's just me. I think I've used it three times. To repeat again, all you EPR users out there, enjoy it and prosper.

Perhaps I have not looked in the right place, but for months I've been searching for technical information about my ResMed machine. The "owner's manual" barely describes how to turn it on and turn it off. Nothing even describes EPR or what it does. Is there some sort of conspiracy between manufacturers and doctors to keep patients ignorant?

Is there some available online information which might be helpful?

grayghost4 wrote:https://sleep.tnet.com/reference/docs

I just emailed a request for the manual to apneaboard. Thank you very much.

maskraider wrote:Perhaps I have not looked in the right place, but for months I've been searching for technical information about my ResMed machine. The "owner's manual" barely describes how to turn it on and turn it off. Nothing even describes EPR or what it does. Is there some sort of conspiracy between manufacturers and doctors to keep patients ignorant?

Is there some available online information which might be helpful?

since I prefer teaching a man how to build a fire...

did you try something like this:

https://www.google.com/search?client=ub ... 8&oe=utf-8

Love hearing success stories in the face of medical incompetence. I was told last week that "everyone HATES BiPap and you DON'T want one of those". Since my treatment on my APAP at wide open settings appears to be working, I didn't argue the point. If I feel I need a Bipap, I will simply change doctors.

Sir NoddinOff wrote:That's a great success story, maskraider. Congrats

I'm not a big fan of EPR but for some folks it seems to be the best thing about CPAP. In my case, just about when I doze off, the EPR drops out and subsequently interrupts my transition into sleep... but that's just me. I think I've used it three times. To repeat again, all you EPR users out there, enjoy it and prosper.

Sir NoddingOff, I think you are speaking of ramping. EPR (Expiratory Pressure Relief) stays the same all night. It lowers the pressure when you breathe out so that you are not blowing out against as much pressure.

Mudrock63 wrote:Love hearing success stories in the face of medical incompetence. I was told last week that "everyone HATES BiPap and you DON'T want one of those".

well, you KNOW that's bullshit

a more accurate statement from that person would probably be "I don't understand bipap so I'm going to scare you away from it".

SewTired wrote: Sir NoddingOff, I think you are speaking of ramping. EPR (Expiratory Pressure Relief) stays the same all night. It lowers the pressure when you breathe out so that you are not blowing out against as much pressure.

Correct. Sorry for the misinformation.