Starting BiPAP treatment

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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Coatimundi
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Re: Starting BiPAP treatment

Post by Coatimundi » Thu May 12, 2022 4:05 am

Something is happening that's concerning me.

First of all, Oscar is not an option for me. My machine is not supported.

My recent daily SmartCode reports have all been looking like this. Note that my max pressure is 15 and minimum is 11.

https://imgur.com/a/E5crp8W

In the past, the 90 and 95 percentile numbers would be maybe 13 or so.

This is the guidance the app gives regarding the percentile numbers. See the part I emphasized.

https://imgur.com/a/a5pCS8L

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Pugsy
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Re: Starting BiPAP treatment

Post by Pugsy » Thu May 12, 2022 7:10 am

When is the last time you had your machine unplugged from the electric source and then plugged it back in?
I would try that first and see what happens. Sometimes the forced reboot will clear out any cobwebs and machine will go back to reporting as normal.

Otherwise...something is weird. Shouldn't be having a 90/95 % pressure that is higher than the max....assuming the max hasn't changed.

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babydinosnoreless
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Re: Starting BiPAP treatment

Post by babydinosnoreless » Thu May 12, 2022 9:37 am

Coatimundi wrote:
Sun Apr 04, 2021 12:36 am
zonker wrote:
Sat Apr 03, 2021 10:50 pm
Coatimundi wrote:
Sat Apr 03, 2021 10:25 pm
I appreciate the warm welcome and will continue to post questions in this thread. I have added my equipment info.
Image
Coatimundi wrote:
Sat Apr 03, 2021 10:25 pm
I did fairly well last night - maybe four hours total - with stomach sleeping using a small moldable bean-bag style pillow on top of a thicker neck pillow. Then I put my face in the crease created by these. I think at some point I moved my head to the side of the pillow, then used my arm as support. It's hard for me to go totally without a pillow unless I move in that position unconsciously during the night.
it's good that you're getting used to it. baby steps, and all that.

we each sleep differently, of course. i have a tiny buckwheat "pillow" that i use now and then. not really a pillow; my wife made it for me as a warming pad for sore back. stick it in the microwave and apply. i have tried using it as a pillow, but it's not really doing the job.
Right! What helped a lot yesterday was that I spent time with the mask on while sitting at my computer. I usually work from home. I got somewhat poor sleep the night before that and had that terrible, groggy feeling in my head so I had the mask on and also ran the BiPAP machine while awake to try to get more air into my system. I think it was helpful in getting me to feel better. Though there is of course no substitute for sleep!

I know that people sit with the mask during waking hours in order to get used to it but not am not sure if running the machine too is healthy or not.
I ran my machine while getting used to it. I also occasionally run it during the day if my allergies/asthma are bad. It seems to help.

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Coatimundi
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Re: Starting BiPAP treatment

Post by Coatimundi » Thu May 12, 2022 3:44 pm

Pugsy wrote:
Thu May 12, 2022 7:10 am
When is the last time you had your machine unplugged from the electric source and then plugged it back in?
I would try that first and see what happens. Sometimes the forced reboot will clear out any cobwebs and machine will go back to reporting as normal.

Otherwise...something is weird. Shouldn't be having a 90/95 % pressure that is higher than the max....assuming the max hasn't changed.
I just checked and I actually had the max pressure at 15.5. So the reading is a bit under. I am still worried about it being near the max based on the guidance from the machine.

I often shut off the CPAP by removing the plug in the rear. I did that again today for a bit.

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Coatimundi
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Re: Starting BiPAP treatment

Post by Coatimundi » Thu May 12, 2022 3:47 pm

babydinosnoreless wrote:
Thu May 12, 2022 9:37 am
Coatimundi wrote:
Sun Apr 04, 2021 12:36 am
zonker wrote:
Sat Apr 03, 2021 10:50 pm
Coatimundi wrote:
Sat Apr 03, 2021 10:25 pm
I appreciate the warm welcome and will continue to post questions in this thread. I have added my equipment info.
Image
Coatimundi wrote:
Sat Apr 03, 2021 10:25 pm
I did fairly well last night - maybe four hours total - with stomach sleeping using a small moldable bean-bag style pillow on top of a thicker neck pillow. Then I put my face in the crease created by these. I think at some point I moved my head to the side of the pillow, then used my arm as support. It's hard for me to go totally without a pillow unless I move in that position unconsciously during the night.
it's good that you're getting used to it. baby steps, and all that.

we each sleep differently, of course. i have a tiny buckwheat "pillow" that i use now and then. not really a pillow; my wife made it for me as a warming pad for sore back. stick it in the microwave and apply. i have tried using it as a pillow, but it's not really doing the job.
Right! What helped a lot yesterday was that I spent time with the mask on while sitting at my computer. I usually work from home. I got somewhat poor sleep the night before that and had that terrible, groggy feeling in my head so I had the mask on and also ran the BiPAP machine while awake to try to get more air into my system. I think it was helpful in getting me to feel better. Though there is of course no substitute for sleep!

I know that people sit with the mask during waking hours in order to get used to it but not am not sure if running the machine too is healthy or not.
I ran my machine while getting used to it. I also occasionally run it during the day if my allergies/asthma are bad. It seems to help.
I agree. One time I was congested around bedtime and wondered if the bipap could be used. The air current powered through the congestion in my sinuses very well within a few minutes, getting me to swallow it down and then keep my sinuses clear enough for me to sleep. Come to think of it, maybe I should spend more time awake on the machine for the general benefits.

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Pugsy
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Re: Starting BiPAP treatment

Post by Pugsy » Thu May 12, 2022 4:03 pm

Well the 90/95% numbers just mean you were at or below that number for 90/95% of the night.
We don't know exactly how long you were at the 15.2 pressure or how much of the night you were at maybe 11 or 12 or whatever. This is where it would be nice if we could see the actual pressure graphs.
You do understand that these numbers aren't necessarily where you spend the bulk of the night.

The maximum is 20...so while you are nearing it...you do have a ways to go.
To get a bilevel machine that will go over 20 you will need a doctor to change the prescription and the doctor may have additional requirements to justify a change.

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Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/
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If you want to try the Eclipse mask and want a special promo code to get a little off the price...send me a private message.

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babydinosnoreless
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Re: Starting BiPAP treatment

Post by babydinosnoreless » Fri May 13, 2022 8:59 am

Coatimundi wrote:
Thu May 12, 2022 3:47 pm
I agree. One time I was congested around bedtime and wondered if the bipap could be used. The air current powered through the congestion in my sinuses very well within a few minutes, getting me to swallow it down and then keep my sinuses clear enough for me to sleep. Come to think of it, maybe I should spend more time awake on the machine for the general benefits.
I don't know if its bad for the machine so I don't do it often but it is helpful when I feel like I'm struggling to breath due to air quality or illness. The bad thing is your then confined to the length of the tube and I usually am not good at staying confined for very long when I'm awake. :lol:

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Coatimundi
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Re: Starting BiPAP treatment

Post by Coatimundi » Mon May 16, 2022 11:33 am

Kept other settings the same (humidity at a setting of 6, max at 15.5) but set my minimum pressure to 10.5 (down from 11). Here are recent readings.

https://imgur.com/a/3xoia6c

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Coatimundi
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Re: Starting BiPAP treatment

Post by Coatimundi » Sat Mar 18, 2023 10:00 am

Been feeling kind of tired and hypoxic lately despite good AHI. Followed Nick (from YouTube) and decided to turn up my pressure a lot. Trying minimum 13.5 and maximum 18. Feeling better in the morning.

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Coatimundi
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Re: Starting BiPAP treatment

Post by Coatimundi » Tue Mar 21, 2023 5:21 am

Now at 13.5 / 19. I think the pressure support is still just 5. I had less waking inertia (where you just want to lay in bed after waking up) than I have had in a long time.

90 and 95 percent pressures are at 18.7 so it's like my brain is still saying "Ok great, now even more air plz".

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Coatimundi
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Re: Starting BiPAP treatment

Post by Coatimundi » Fri Nov 10, 2023 1:02 am

New pressure at 18 / 18.5.

Notice this black powdery residue near the humidifier and also where the humidified exits the machine. It has go to be that foam stuff like with the Philips machines.

I have ordered a thin screwdriver set to get at the screws and disassemble the machine so I can pull the foam out. I'll report how the machine works and how I am feeling.

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Coatimundi
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Re: Starting BiPAP treatment

Post by Coatimundi » Fri Nov 10, 2023 1:15 am

What an absolute nightmare to disassemble this and get the foam out. There are multiple very deeply positioned torx screws rooted almost all the way through the machine and this YouTuber ended up sawing the thing in half right through the plastic to get at the inside.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a6RpeVfls4

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SleepGeek
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Re: Starting BiPAP treatment

Post by SleepGeek » Fri Nov 10, 2023 12:13 pm

Coatimundi wrote:
Fri Nov 10, 2023 1:15 am
What an absolute nightmare to disassemble this and get the foam out. There are multiple very deeply positioned torx screws rooted almost all the way through the machine and this YouTuber ended up sawing the thing in half right through the plastic to get at the inside.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a6RpeVfls4
I have a sneaking suspicion that whoever created that video is a member of this forum. If so raise your hand.
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Coatimundi
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Re: Starting BiPAP treatment

Post by Coatimundi » Sat Nov 11, 2023 12:46 am

Success!

I ordered a screwdriver bit set with a large number of Torx and other bits. Fortunately, it also came with a screw handle that had a thin, extendable, telescope-style shaft activated by a spring, so I had a long enough handle on it to get into where the four screws were.

These were T15 style screws, by the way, on my DV57UK model - different than the T10 screws I found mentioned in the manual of the DV63 model.

After getting the screws off, the unit came apart easily. The various foam components were just able to be pulled right out. What was tougher were the foam components around the blower housing. There was one piece anchored underneath the blower itself where I had to poke and cut at it to then remove it. Then I had to make sure the mini-hose connection from the blower was back where it needed to be (it has a thick lip that extends out once it is back in the hole connecting it to the rest of the unit).

The blower itself has a piece anchoring it into the unit as well.

Then I put everything back together, re-tightened the screws, and re-started the unit. Everything worked normally. The sound was very slightly different but nothing major. I then enjoyed a full six hours of sleep with the machine - no waking up after 3 or 4 hours, practically zero feeling of congestion, no real waking latency. AHI is up just a bit to about 2 whereas before it was zero. This is only the first night so we will see how it goes moving forward.

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Coatimundi
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Re: Starting BiPAP treatment

Post by Coatimundi » Mon Dec 04, 2023 11:04 pm

I switched to a Breas Vivo 3. It seems to not be a well-known machine at all because it is a full hospital ventilator with numerous different modes. I completed only about four hours of sleep so far but I am feeling a lot better. I still need to master the different menus, etc.