Noob Needs Help with Data

I received a message from a new member and I am in Palm Springs presently for New Year celebration (nice!) with our big family. At this point I do not have time to reply. Could you please help this member? I will give him the link to this post and leave it up to him whether he remains confidential just reading this thread or decides to join in.

Partial message: "it is a respironics bipap pro. it is still set for the last person who had it and that is how i found this site. i was looking for a way to try to change the settings on it myself. i think they are too high. then again they might not be but my problem is that it HURTS! the air is cold and within a few seconds it is burning my nasal passages. my uncle had an older one as well but this one had a water resevoir. it was the same way. it was supposed to heat the water but by the time it ran through the tube it was just the same temp as it started. im not sure if thats just how it is and its something that i need to just put up with for a while and get used to it but i have really tried and i just find myself unknowingly pulling it off my face in the middle of the night. it seems like you have made quite a few posts on here and might now about your own condition fairly well. i would like to know how i can monitor my own condition and try to find a way to live with the terrible thing i have.. how do you monitor how many episodes you have? if i was to go out and buy a new machine suited for my sensitivity is there one that you think i could stand to use every night? i would like to try to set it myself and find the setting that works the best for me but i really dont have very much knowledge of any of this.. i suppose i am starting to realize that this is a problem that i am going to live with forever and im tired of being tired. it really seems like the problems that i am having night after night are only getting worse and one night i might just not wake up .. if you have any tips on how i can learn more or what machine to try and use please let me know..

thanks in advance,"

Thanks everyone and Happy New Year!

Partial message: "it is a respironics bipap pro. it is still set for the last person who had it and that is how i found this site. i was looking for a way to try to change the settings on it myself. i think they are too high. then again they might not be but my problem is that it HURTS!

You need to figure out whether the machine is an older Respironics M-Series machine or a newer (Philips) Respironics System One machine. If it is a System One, you need to figure out if it is a Series 50 or a Series 60 machine.

To help you with that, read my Newbie Guide to Respironics machines

Once you know what machine you have, you can request a copy of the clinical menu from http://www.apneaboard.com. You'll need to register as a forum member over there before they'll send you the clinical menu.

the air is cold and within a few seconds it is burning my nasal passages. my uncle had an older one as well but this one had a water resevoir. it was the same way. it was supposed to heat the water but by the time it ran through the tube it was just the same temp as it started. im not sure if thats just how it is and its something that i need to just put up with for a while and get used to it

Sounds like you need to get a humidifier that is compatible with the machine you are using. Which humidifier depends on which Respironics bipap pro you've got.

It also sounds like you would benefit from a heated hose. If the machine you are using is a Series 60 System One BiPAP, there is an optional heated hose that can be bought. It also requires buying an adjustment kit for the heated humidifier. If the machine is an older model, then you still might want to look into standalone heated hoses. There are a lot of people here who use the Aussie Heated hose. And our host sells the Hybernite Rainout Control System that can be used with any PAP machine.

i would like to know how i can monitor my own condition and try to find a way to live with the terrible thing i have.. how do you monitor how many episodes you have?

Which piece of software you need to look at the data the machine records depends on which Respironics bipap pro you are using. If you are using a System One BiPAP Pro, then SleepyHead will work. If you are using an older M-Series or an even older Legacy machine, you'll need to get Encore in order to look at the data. We can help you get whichever software you need for your machine.

if i was to go out and buy a new machine suited for my sensitivity is there one that you think i could stand to use every night? i would like to try to set it myself and find the setting that works the best for me but i really dont have very much knowledge of any of this..

An Auto CPAP (APAP) or an Auto BiPAP would be the natural choice. An APAP would be the cheaper way to go. As for brands and models: If you are currently using a System One BiPAP Pro with a humidifier, you'll want to get the PR System One Auto CPAP in order to make sure that the current humidifier will work with your machine. If you don't have a humidifier or if you're using one of the older M-Series or Legacy BiPAP Pros, you should probably be looking at either a PR System One Series 60 Auto CPAP with the heated hose OR a Resmed S9 AutoSet with the optional ClimateLine hose. (Do NOT get the similarly named Resmed S9 Escape Auto.)

i suppose i am starting to realize that this is a problem that i am going to live with forever and im tired of being tired. it really seems like the problems that i am having night after night are only getting worse and one night i might just not wake up .. if you have any tips on how i can learn more or what machine to try and use please let me know..

There is a steep learning curve to learning how to sleep with a six foot hose attached to your nose. Lots of people go through some real trials and tribulations in the early days of trying to make this crazy therapy work. But with some patience and perseverance, you can get used to it. And once you start sleeping soundly with a well-titrated PAP machine, your body can start healing. And then you start to feel better in the daytime. In other words, it's a process, not a "miracle cure" for most of us.

There are some posters here who did indeed self titrate to find the correct pressure settings on their machine. If you just can't do this under the care of a sleep doc, don't give up. If you post questions with the appropriate data from the machine, there's a lot that the more experienced members of the forum can suggest for figuring out what might be a good pressure setting for you to use.

You can learn a lot about OSA and how PAP works to treat OSA by reading all the information available on this site. Start with the stickies at the top of the forum and read through the Wiki as well.

Good luck!

thanks people for the replys! i defiantly learned a little more than i knew yesterday but still have a ton of questions. i guess the most important thing i learned is that my machine has something called flex? and i guess that lets me breathe in and out like normal.. it starts the pressure as i breathe in and slows it as i breathe out.. im sure you all knew this already but i think my main problem was that i thought i was supposed to relax my muscles and just let the air flow straight through my nose and i guess out my mouth? either way.. with the high pressure flowing through my sinuses non stop i could only put up with it for 1-2 minutes maybe 5 if i really tried.. i spose i learned thats not the way im supposed to use my machine. i have a older machine.. not sure the exact model but i did figure out the correct buttons to hold when i turn it on to be able to get to setup mode. it says the year 2002 in setup mode so i know its fairly old for a machine. there is a slot on the side where a credit card type thing with a small computer chip goes in and that is what records the data.. i do not have this card nor know how i could get it on my computer if i did..

i guess my question would be if i am having 100+ different kind of apneas or obstructions or events per hour and i am a very deep and LOUD sleeper what kind of pressure should i use? i tested it while i was awake just to see what is comfortable for the first few nights and i have the main pressure set to 8 out of 20 and the pressure when i exhale set to 4 out of 20. it says in order to use cpap therapy that both those numbers should be the same?

do you guys think i should set both the same? the 8 and 4 seem like they could be low only because im pretty sure my problem is very bad.. at least thats what everyone is telling me and i think i am starting to see for myself even though im asleep when it happens.. i stayed the night at my moms for christmas and she said she just listened to me breathe the whole time. i would completely stop for about 30 seconds then i would snarl and choke and inhale for about 10 then i would immediately stop for about 30 seconds then i would kind wake myself up and within a minute i was doing it all over again.

im pretty set on using this machine or getting one that i can use.. i do plan on buying one of the new 60 series with the heated hose and things especially so i can monitor it and actually see for myself what is going on each night and what works best for me.. i especially like the sound of the features that talk about it auto setting itself to give a little burst if it feels a blockage and a vibration monitor so it doesn't think misinterpret snores. and also the flex being alot better.. as well as quietness.. my machine is pretty loud..

anyways like i said thanks a million for the posts so far.. i have a ways to come but i am going to continue to try to learn and make the most of what i have right now.

N.Thomas3732,

Good to hear you are starting to work down a path to success.

A new machine is a great idea. I prefer the ResMed Autoset S9 with heated hose, but Respironics also makes good machines.

Check out the auto machines at our forum's sponsor's site - https://www.cpap.com/cpap-machines/apap-machine.php

Do let the good forum members guide you at every step - selecting a machine, selecting a supplier and comparing prices(!).

May 2014 be a watershed year for your health!