Equipment recieved: First BiPAP tonight

It's weird but last night I was actually looking forward to masking up & the pressure. It meant I would be able to sleeeeep and after awhile the inhale/exhale of the BiPAP becomes oddly comforting, a relaxing rhythm almost.

I feel that way too! It's great that you have such positive feelings so early on. Good to read that you figured out the Quattro!

I've never used a PR System One machine, but my understanding is that the AHI reported on the machine's LCD is the average over 7 (less if the machine is new) and 30 days. If you were indeed looking at AHI and it said 22.6, that does seem very odd, especially given that your sleep study AHI was less than that.

If your leak rate (System Leak) is too high, then your AHI may be incorrectly reported. It's difficult to tell about leaks with your machine, as the System Leak only reports percentage of time spent with large leaks, as 7- and 30-day averages. It could be that the first night's leaks were so large that it adversely affected reporting. Do you recall what the System Leak was? When you get the software, you should be able to get a MUCH better sense of what's actually happening on a nightly basis.

The are a lot of different opinions about cleaning, how often to change the water in the humidifier, etc. You can try searching the forum for information about that, as there have been quite a few threads regarding those subjects, or perhaps others will share their practices here. I was very diligent about cleaning hose and humidifier weekly for a while, but I became quite lax as time went on. I add water to the humidifier daily and change it out about once a week. I haven't washed a hose in months. I do wash my mask/nasal pillows daily in original Palmolive (green). I think just using the wipes is fine. I don't wash the rest of my mask, but I would if I had a cold or something. It'd be a good idea to check the vents to make sure they're clear. I've never had any problems at all following these practices. I distill my own water, and my humidifier chamber always looks clean. As for filters, that depends on your room air and filter type I guess. I used my ResMed S8 machine for 7 months. I checked the air filter every month or so and never needed to change it.

It sounds like you're doing well. May you have even better nights ahead! And may your daughter sleep through the night! I hope you're able to get a little extra sleep this weekend if you need it.

It's so great that your therapy is going well! Very impressive! I can't offer any help with your question about the humidifier on your bipap, but I'd like to address your issues about cleaning your equipment. Some people clean everything, every piece of equipment, every day. They dump the water out of the humidifier, clean the humidifier, and refill with fresh distilled water. Others barely clean any of their equipment, have left hoses unwashed for years, top off the humidifier, and rarely clean the masks. Most of us are somewhere between these extremes, so find the cleaning regime that produces the best results and fits your schedule. I find, for instance, that my mask seals better if I don't clean it every day, and the only times my humidifier has been emptied is when I travel. Do what works best for you!

Hi there!
(edit: Oh, I think I now remember it didnt have an auto off, just an auto on. )
I had the system one auto with a-flex for a month. I rinsed my humidfier out every night when I brushed my teeth.
I have nose pillows, and I wash those every night at the same time, and I wash my longer hose once a week.. But, sometimes
I have not washed anything, I was so tired. Some people dont do much maintence, and they are fine, but I cant be one of them
because my immune system isnt the greatest..
My machine had two filters, one white one which was more disposable, and one grey one made of foam. I would gently wash the foam
one once a week, and dry it and put it back. YOu can even rinse the delicate white disposbale ones too, but they will give you filters
as you need them.. but do rinse that foam one out once a week, your air will be pristine.

On that machine for the read out, it only give weekly averages, so that is a very odd number you got..

If you find it hard to read the numbers at night, put a little flash light on the table next to it, so you dont have to turn on a light if youre
curious about it..

My auto had a lovely rhythem too, I guess the bipap is as pleasant.. Im so glad you look forward to it!

I dont know if you have someone to call about the high number you ended up with, but I would be curious about that..

Im going to probably be test driving a respironics bipap too, but before I buy a vpap, I think Im going to get an oximeter to make sure THAT is
not a problem.

Okay, good luck with the little tykes feedings!

elena

Good Day!

My AHI is steadily going down on the readout. From 22 to 17 and now 16. I think part of the problem is my SD card is bad. Under info I keep getting a SD Card Error notice. I called the DME and they are going to send a new one. Also, maybe it calculates it based on the multi day average in some wierd way and that is why it is going down over time. Annoying I am getting the run around on the prescription.The Sleep center said the DME would provide me a copy, and I got a message from the DME saying the sleep center needs to do it. I'll call again on Monday. My large leak rate is only 1% and that's probably when I disconnect the hose from the mask maybe?

I'll play cleaning by ear. At least once a week for the the hose, nightly for the mask with the CPAP wipes. I don't know if I wante to got o the trouble of taking it apart. Humidifer cleaned out every couple days. Filter once a week.

Last night wasn't so good a night. I couldn't seem to get to sleep and kept waking up. Very some reason I was very aware of the bi-level pressure and got fixated on it. Of course it didn't help that Phaedra (my daughter) got us up 3 times... once hungry, once threw up a little, and once peed through her diaper somehow. The joys of parenting! I also had some wine... possibly a bit too much... shortly before bed and that may have had something to do with bein unable to go to sleep.

Forgive me hoseheads for I have sinned. I woke up at 6:30 to change the baby and when I went back to bed I didn't mask back up and fell asleep for two hours. I could tell the difference when I got up.

Have a good day!

Mask2sleep wrote:Good Day!

My AHI is steadily going down on the readout. From 22 to 17 and now 16. I think part of the problem is my SD card is bad. Under info I keep getting a SD Card Error notice. I called the DME and they are going to send a new one. Also, maybe it calculates it based on the multi day average in some wierd way and that is why it is going down over time. Annoying I am getting the run around on the prescription.The Sleep center said the DME would provide me a copy, and I got a message from the DME saying the sleep center needs to do it. I'll call again on Monday. My large leak rate is only 1% and that's probably when I disconnect the hose from the mask maybe?

I'll play cleaning by ear. At least once a week for the the hose, nightly for the mask with the CPAP wipes. I don't know if I wante to got o the trouble of taking it apart. Humidifer cleaned out every couple days. Filter once a week.

Last night wasn't so good a night. I couldn't seem to get to sleep and kept waking up. Very some reason I was very aware of the bi-level pressure and got fixated on it. Of course it didn't help that Phaedra (my daughter) got us up 3 times... once hungry, once threw up a little, and once peed through her diaper somehow. The joys of parenting! I also had some wine... possibly a bit too much... shortly before bed and that may have had something to do with bein unable to go to sleep.

Forgive me hoseheads for I have sinned. I woke up at 6:30 to change the baby and when I went back to bed I didn't mask back up and fell asleep for two hours. I could tell the difference when I got up.

Have a good day!

Hi there,
sounds like you have the cleaning all figured out.. and maybe your sd card is bad, or you just need a week for an average yet.. dont know..
Well no wonder you had a rough nite, three wake up calls from the little one.. love her name! This is really a double whammy for you, the
new machine, mask, and new baby! However, YOU would be much worse off, if you didnt have your machine..
You know, I got mesmorized by my apap once, maybe you did that!
Oh, dear you fell back asleep without it.. I know, I do that all the time, its a no no, but sometimes, I just want SOME REST..
I had a 0.3 ahi last night, logged 7.8 hours, leaks not bad, wake up exhausted, just wiped out.. doesnt seem to matter whether my ahi is good or
not, feel the same, but I KNOW if you get your ahi down with no leaks, youre gonna feel like a million bucks! OH thats whent the baby sleeps thru the
night! So, you have a some still sleepless nights ahead of you! hang in there!