APAP or Auto-trial

CzechCzar wrote:What does that scale measure? There were a couple scales with my new machine.

Would somebody be able to confirm that I should gradually increase the maximum pressure from my prescription of 6? From reading online, the machine should only go up as high as it needs to. If I set the maximum to 20, it will only go up that high if it needs to, correct?

In other words, am I losing out on potentially useful data by limiting my maximum pressure in this early stage?

just a 'how high have I turned it up to".... unfortunately, it does not go to 11

yes, the machine will only go up as high as it finds it needs to in order to overcome snores, flow limitations, obstructive apneas and hypopneas (the latter two it increases pressure afterwards, because it can't do anything while they're happening, it simply can't generate enough pressure)

in general, the only time you have to worry about limiting the upper pressure is if you start having air swallowing (aerophagia) or other discomfort caused by too high pressure.

the lower number is the one that's more important for good results, if it's too low, you'll have events until the pressure gets up to where it needs to be, then the machine will start trying to lower the pressure back to your minimum set point, because that's where you told it to start.... so it's best to have the minimum pressure set close to where most of the events get treated... you'll figure that out over time by looking at the data .

Well guys, I've gotta say that APAP took a bit of getting used to but is working well so far.

I tried setting the limits from 0 - 20, and for whatever reason I kept waking up at 4:30, feeling somehow well rested but just not enough. That somehow describes my condition even though it's a contradiction.

So, I set the minimum back 6 6, which was my CPAP prescription. That way, I'll get the pressure I was used to and sleeping well on as a minimum, and more if I need it. I can gradually dial down the minimum over a period of weeks.

Props to my cpap supplier... giving me an APAP-capable machine for cpap therapy was very nice of them.

The ramp time of 45 minutes, starting at 4 cmH2O really stands out to me. Ramp is mostly a comfort feature, and it might be keeping you from receiving theraputic pressure early in the night. Would you consider turning off ramp or reducing to 5 minutes? Just see how it goes.

That is a really good idea that I hadn't thought of! The ramp doesn't really matter to me - it was just recommended by my doctor for comfort. I will try turning it off tonight!