Wide open pressure on apap, challenges

My pressure settings are wide open, and SH lists my 30 day minimum as 4 (duh), average as 5.59 and max as 12.3 with a 90% at 7.90, I believe 4 as a low end is fine. However, is there any reason to drop the upper limits to, say, 13? Or does it even matter? I could post pics of the overview graph if it would help, or just a screenshot of the stats if I can get onto photobucket (it's been years, not sure what email or password I might have associated with it anymore) and stop being so techie challenged.

Also...I've got some issues with the whole situation. Not that it doesn't work, things seem to be going pretty well, all said. However...my DME treated me badly enough by phone that I screamed at her and hung up. Then *I* apologized the next week (Why? Not my fault she doesn't listen)...I can't get a hold of anyone in my company's safety department to check into changing to a new DME (this one is the one our company provides us with), PLUS, the only doctor name I could find associated with my prescription was on the online sleep study page on my patient account. I called to find out about getting my prescription faxed to me so I can hit a local CPAP supply store and get a FFM before my sinuses close off (sick, allergies, whatever)...the number provided is DISCONNECTED. Okay, it's only been a month and a half since the study, where did this guy go?? and I'm left hanging in the wind even though my CDL DEPENDS ON COMPLIANCE. I NEED to be able to buy supplies. Masks that fit, hoses and filters and stuff, oh my! Has anyone else gone through this kind of crap?? I've gone onto amazon and bought the items I know I need to replace on a relatively quick schedule (filters, pillows, even another headgear and hose), but I'm afraid that if I get so much as a sinus blockage without having a backup FFM, there goes my compliance, CDL and job. As icing on the cake, I'm only home on weekends, and have no PCP. Yay, me.

1) any doctor can write you a prescription for a mask. (or, indeed anything cpappy related)

2) you can buy masks on ebay, and probably other places (I haven't dug around amazon too much) without a rx, by buying the parts you need. ie, there'll be one auction for headgear, one for the frame, one for the cushion, etc. it's perfectly legal to buy the parts, or even the mask minus headgear, and then buy the headgear.

needs must, etc.

I guess when I freak about the FFM thing, it's because I won't buy one without trying it on first. Wouldn't that require going to a physical location or having a DME I get along with, and proving (I assume with an RX) that I am SUPPOSED to have this equipment, therefore, I'm not some schmuck straight off the street trying to do whatever evil deed they think street schmucks are doing with xPAP equipment?

When I was using an AutoSet I had my high end Ipap set at 20. The machine is only going to go as high as it needs to go, it may never get to 20 but it doesn't hurt to leave it there.

Check your mailbox, I just sent you a PM.

Jen

I also see a lot of people discussing titration...from what I gather, it's part of a sleep study given prior to diagnosing positively and sending out the flying monkeys with the xpap machines...far as I know, I didn't get one (titration, not flying monkey delivered cpap). Mine was a basic at home (company paid) sleep study, using that stupid hand gear, and the position/ snore detector sensor. Turned it in the next morning and didn't hear anything til I had the appt with the DME for fitting and info session.
Am I missing out on something important?

Tatooed Lady wrote:Am I missing out on something important?

Not as long as you are doing well and not having huge significant problems. Titration sleep studies don't always get it right even when done in a sleep lab. Mine didn't.
I ended up doing my own thing with a machine very similar to yours 5 years ago and didn't have any issues because the pressure advise from my titration study was way off.
Some insurance companies prefer to do it the way you had it done and save the formal in lab titration studies for the problem cases. Plain jane vanilla OSA with no other complicating factors is fairly easy to manage just like what you are doing.

Thanks, all, for clearing a few things up for me. The more I think about my experiences after reading what others go through on here, the more I see glaring holes in the customer service portion of this industry. I'm calling safety today to try and clear up a few things. If I get no satisfaction that way, maybe I can call the evil DME and find out who the doc is that handed over the prescription that the one woman swears I'm bound to obey to the digit. I'd like to bump the bottom pressure up a tad, see if that gets rid of the slightly stuffy feeling I get, I can't imagine that something so simple would void my compliance.
Anyhow. Yay.

Tatooed Lady wrote: the more I see glaring holes in the customer service portion of this industry.

this may possibly be the first time that "customer service" was ever used in conjunciton with references to the whole sleep industry.