CPAPtalk.com

Burkebang wrote:

palerider wrote:
the machine is set to a fairly tight range, but, you might notice the pressure summary line:

minimum: 8.22 median: 13.62 95%: 14.42 max: 15.18

The pressure summary line is not interesting, the detailed pressure graph is. I have been doing this for a while and I do know something about it. I stand by what I say. When a person has 13,6 min pressure, a flat pressuregraph, no snoring and almost no events, the min pressure is unnessecarily high..

so, if I get what you're saying....

someone whose pressure doesn't max out and jump all over the place... has too much pressure.
someone whose machine is preventing almost all events, ... has too much pressure.
someone who's machine is keeping the snoring pretty much non-existent... has too much pressure.

I'd say that, going by what we're generally trying to achieve here, that's actually

someone who's machine is adjusted just about right

now, if the OP wants to listen to your crackpot theories, and wants to have MORE events, and MORE disturbed sleep, then, sure, lower the pressure till he's gasping and choking and having a higher ahi.

now, if the person didn't have ANY events, and their pressure NEVER went above minimum, (which, though you don't care about it, this person's pressure does) then sure, I'd say try lowering it a bit and see, IF the current pressure is bothering them.

but, I'd say, again, you're full of fertilizer.... however, people are free to follow your tragically stupid advice if they want, I wish them well.

palerider wrote:

Burkebang wrote:

palerider wrote:
the machine is set to a fairly tight range, but, you might notice the pressure summary line:

minimum: 8.22 median: 13.62 95%: 14.42 max: 15.18

The pressure summary line is not interesting, the detailed pressure graph is. I have been doing this for a while and I do know something about it. I stand by what I say. When a person has 13,6 min pressure, a flat pressuregraph, no snoring and almost no events, the min pressure is unnessecarily high..

so, if I get what you're saying....

someone whose pressure doesn't max out and jump all over the place... has too much pressure.
someone whose machine is preventing almost all events, ... has too much pressure.
someone who's machine is keeping the snoring pretty much non-existent... has too much pressure.

I'd say that, going by what we're generally trying to achieve here, that's actually

someone who's machine is adjusted just about right

now, if the OP wants to listen to your crackpot theories, and wants to have MORE events, and MORE disturbed sleep, then, sure, lower the pressure till he's gasping and choking and having a higher ahi.

now, if the person didn't have ANY events, and their pressure NEVER went above minimum, (which, though you don't care about it, this person's pressure does) then sure, I'd say try lowering it a bit and see, IF the current pressure is bothering them.

but, I'd say, again, you're full of fertilizer.... however, people are free to follow your tragically stupid advice if they want, I wish them well.

The goal of the therapy is to reduce the AHI to normal, that means below 5 using as little intervention - pressure as possible. The goal is to sleep well and most people, specially newbees sleeps much better with low pressures. This increases compliancy and makes people stick to their therapy. People like you cause MANY people to unnessecarily up their pressures and drop their therapy and that costs lifes.

I guess if you take sleep mediction, you take the whole bottle also?

Why buy an expensive APAP, if you are not going to trust the algorithm and USE it as a APAP? Check my signature for the sample Sleepyhead report. It shows a pressure graph that shows my APAP working as an APAP SHOULD be working. What would be your response to my pressure grapf? Up the min pressure to 13,6?

People like you is what drove me away from this forum, I see that things have not improved around here...

Burkebang wrote: The goal of the therapy is to reduce the AHI to normal, that means below 5 using as little intervention - pressure as possible.

most people with any experience here would disagree with your idea that 5 is a good ahi to have... you do know that means, that, on average, you're getting roused every 12 minutes? but... you don't care about others, that's pretty clear.

Burkebang wrote: the goal is to sleep well and most people, specially newbees sleeps much better with low pressures.

and the OP, who's therapy you want to screw up, is far from a newbie, so your blathering is irrelevant.

Burkebang wrote:I guess if you take sleep mediction, you take the whole bottle also?

there's a term professionals have for this kind of bullshit "question", but I prefer to just call it 'bullshit'.

Burkebang wrote: Why buy an expensive APAP, if you are not going to trust the algorithm and USE it as a APAP? Check my signature for the sample Sleepyhead report. It shows a pressure graph that shows my APAP working as an APAP SHOULD be working. What would be your response to my pressure grapf? Up the min pressure to 13,6?

well, I'd turn the minimum up above 4, which is what you've got it set at, since you're having more events, and flow limitations than you need to, every time it tries to get back down to 4. if you actually KNEW anything, you'd know that the prevailing wisdom is that 4cm min pressure is stupid.

and, no, dipshit, I wouldn't suggest setting it at 13.6, since your pressure didn't get that high.

btw, since you're incapable of actually READING things, like numbers, and comprehending them, I'll 'splain something to you. I'll try to use small words, and type slow so you can follow along.

the OP's minimum base pressure is 11.6, except when he inhales, at which point it goes up to 13.6, this is because he's using EPR, which your machine doesn't have... which a limited bi-level feature. his machine, using that auto feature you soooo want to see doing more, took his ipap up to 15.18, so at some point, he DID need more pressure, and it gave it to him. you also might notice, if your head wasn't firmly buried in that stinky place, that the screenshot is zoomed in so you're not even seeing the whole pressure trace... you're just making asinine ASSumptions.

but, I don't expect you to be able to understand these complicated things.

Burkebang wrote: People like you is what drove me away from this forum, I see that things have not improved around here...

obviously, they were clear thinking, intelligent people. perhaps they'll get out their pitchforks and drive you and your bad, ignorant ideas back out again.

cheers!

Oh man... I will not even quote all that foul language...

I guess people will just have to make up their own mind about which one of us is intelligent and which one is full of... Because one of us is definatly a complete moron

Burkebang wrote:The goal of the therapy is to reduce the AHI to normal, that means below 5

Not acceptable for me!

If my AHI hits 3.5 or higher, my energy level the next day is poor.

AHI of 1.0 or less is my target and that gives this old man unbelievable (My friends tell me) energy for any age.

But I do believe the OP should experiment with lowering his minimum pressure a bit.

ChicagoGramps

It is kind of funny to me considering I came here because I was pretty much convinced that my machine is not delivering enough pressure to be told to lower it. In the past I did have the lower end of the pressure at 12.0 - I had raised it before because of the feeling like I wasn't getting enough air.

Just as a test, if I purposefully stop breathing with the mask on, shouldn't I be able to feel it try to increase pressure in order to force me to breathe?

I appreciate the suggestions, and it is re-assuring that my numbers look good, but I still can't shake the feeling that there is something not quite right. Manometer test for me, although I know that the machine is capable of blowing more air (see my comments about the mask fit test) so I am not certain if this will work or not. Can't hurt anything by trying.

Chris

Your machine will not force you to breath. It supports your breathing with pressure when you breath.

rcs914 wrote:It is kind of funny to me considering I came here because I was pretty much convinced that my machine is not delivering enough pressure to be told to lower it. In the past I did have the lower end of the pressure at 12.0 - I had raised it before because of the feeling like I wasn't getting enough air.

Just as a test, if I purposefully stop breathing with the mask on, shouldn't I be able to feel it try to increase pressure in order to force me to breathe?

I appreciate the suggestions, and it is re-assuring that my numbers look good, but I still can't shake the feeling that there is something not quite right. Manometer test for me, although I know that the machine is capable of blowing more air (see my comments about the mask fit test) so I am not certain if this will work or not. Can't hurt anything by trying.

Chris

This is the 3rd day you have been concerned about this. Why haven't you just jumped into your can and driven to ANY DME that provides CPAP equipment and asked them to check your machine. That way you will know whether it is you or your machine. (My $$ is on you)

rcs914 wrote:Just as a test, if I purposefully stop breathing with the mask on, shouldn't I be able to feel it try to increase pressure in order to force me to breathe?

No, As OkyDoky said, unless you have a ventilating machine, it does not force you to breathe. In fact, many users become so accustomed to the pressure, they wonder if the machine is on, especially after waking in the night.
I'm with LSAT, just do it. If you do it at home, don't forget the video .
My money is on Chris, along with LSAT. Any takers?

rcs914 wrote: Just as a test, if I purposefully stop breathing with the mask on, shouldn't I be able to feel it try to increase pressure in order to force me to breathe?

as others have noted, your machine will *not* increase the pressure during an apnea, your machine does not attempt to breath for you. others will, such as the VPAP ST, VPAP Adapt, and VPAP ST-A.

what will happen is that if you hold your breath for about 6 seconds, you might feel the very faint rapid fluctuation of the pressure as the machine uses forced pressure oscillations (FOT) to attempt to see if your airway is open, then it will flag an apnea.

additionally, since you're using EPR, which is lowering your pressure by 2cm when you're not inhaling, after holding your breath for 15 seconds, EPR will timeout and raise your pressure by 2cm, and wait for your next breath to begin before it starts working again. you *might* feel that slight pressure change. similar to the description of EPR on the s8 series below.

EPR Timeout
If a patient's exhalation period exceeds 15 seconds, EPR immediately suspends. The treatment pressure reverts to set CPAP and remains suspended until the next inhalation phase is detected. EPR helps patients experience the highest level of comfort and benefit from their therapy. EPR is available on our S8 Elite™ and S8 AutoSet Vantage™ flow generators.

palerider wrote:

rcs914 wrote: Just as a test, if I purposefully stop breathing with the mask on, shouldn't I be able to feel it try to increase pressure in order to force me to breathe?

as others have noted, your machine will *not* increase the pressure during an apnea, your machine does not attempt to breath for you. others will, such as the VPAP ST, VPAP Adapt, and VPAP ST-A.

what will happen is that if you hold your breath for about 6 seconds, you might feel the very faint rapid fluctuation of the pressure as the machine uses forced pressure oscillations (FOT) to attempt to see if your airway is open, then it will flag an apnea.

additionally, since you're using EPR, which is lowering your pressure by 2cm when you're not inhaling, after holding your breath for 15 seconds, EPR will timeout and raise your pressure by 2cm, and wait for your next breath to begin before it starts working again. you *might* feel that slight pressure change. similar to the description of EPR on the s8 series below.

EPR Timeout
If a patient's exhalation period exceeds 15 seconds, EPR immediately suspends. The treatment pressure reverts to set CPAP and remains suspended until the next inhalation phase is detected. EPR helps patients experience the highest level of comfort and benefit from their therapy. EPR is available on our S8 Elite™ and S8 AutoSet Vantage™ flow generators.

Good to know, thank you. And to others - I have a one year old, and PLENTY of other stuff on my plate on a daily basis. I'm guessing that there likely is a DME around where I live, but I haven't looked it up yet, or called them to ask them if they would do a pressure test. I'm not going to just walk in

I appreciate the assistance.

Well golly, hasn't this thread been a hotbed of activity and taunts? And I had NOTHING to do with it!! FWIW, I have found PRs grasp on the subject of technology as a tool to be pretty spot on...so I clear him from being a moron, idiot or other in this case. In another setting, maybe...but gizmos and gadgets are his life.

Tatooed Lady wrote:Well golly, hasn't this thread been a hotbed of activity and taunts? And I had NOTHING to do with it!! FWIW, I have found PRs grasp on the subject of technology as a tool to be pretty spot on...so I clear him from being a moron, idiot or other in this case. In another setting, maybe...but gizmos and gadgets are his life.

I'll paypal you the 20 bucks for the kind words right now *giggle*

palerider wrote:

Tatooed Lady wrote:Well golly, hasn't this thread been a hotbed of activity and taunts? And I had NOTHING to do with it!! FWIW, I have found PRs grasp on the subject of technology as a tool to be pretty spot on...so I clear him from being a moron, idiot or other in this case. In another setting, maybe...but gizmos and gadgets are his life.

I'll paypal you the 20 bucks for the kind words right now *giggle*

Lol...redirect it to ghost...and make it $40 and I'll make up....er....throw in....other nice stuff.

Well golly, hasn't this thread been a hotbed of activity and taunts? And I had NOTHING to do with it!! FWIW, I have found PRs grasp on the subject of technology as a tool to be pretty spot on...so I clear him from being a moron, idiot or other in this case. In another setting, maybe...but gizmos and gadgets are his life.

Have to agree! I learned more about right, and stupid in this exchange than I have for a long time! One day, I may understand half what was written. Like I have said before, "I don't do tech".