My Periodic Soapbox Speech About Ramp

Hey guys/gals....
Did you even bother to read what I wrote and even gave you a picture of what it says in the manual?
At least in terms of the newer Respironics System One machines....it will treat events during the ramp time frame.
See my previous post on the page preceding this page.

Now the ResMed machines...I don't remember for sure. If I happen to spot documentation I will share it.

Pugsy wrote:Now the ResMed machines...

Q. How does the Ramp feature work?

A. The ramp feature on your device is designed to make the beginning of therapy more comfortable. Ramp time is the period during which the therapy pressure increases from a low start pressure to the prescribed treatment pressure. Ramp time can be set between 5 and 45 minutes, or can be switched off. Note: In an auto-adjusting device like the AirSense™ 10 AutoSet or AirCurve™ 10 VAuto, end-of-ramp time is when the auto-adjusting algorithm commences monitoring and responding to your individual breathing patterns.

Thanks Morbius.
I was thinking that I had read that about the ResMed machines.

I also have the Clinical Manual.

Shall I post the link?

Morbius wrote:Shall I post the link?

I have the manuals...but thank you.
Maybe someone else wants one.
Hidden in here they might get past the big R police. At least for a little while.

Pugsy wrote:

Morbius wrote:Shall I post the link?

I have the manuals...but thank you.
Maybe someone else wants one.
Hidden in here they might get past the big R police. At least for a little while.

Yeah, looks they were here already.

I feel honored that someone is sitting there watching all my posts!

Mayhaps I shall post something worth looking at.

Like an image of Blac Chyna.

How do we know if it was the Resmed police? Mmmm?

Sheriff

I cast my vote for No Ramp!

You know I didn't use the ramp at all when I first started this therapy and I was starting out with 8 cm initially and then went to 10 cm minimum. What I did was make a little game of how long it took for me to come to the point that exhaling against those pressures weren't really noticeable.
I didn't use Flex either. My very first machine was one of the first M series APAPs and it had CFlex instead of AFlex. I tried the CFlex and couldn't tell it did a thing so elected not to use it. A few months later I got a chance to get another M Series APAP but it had AFlex which I found that I really liked.

But I can understand why some people like to start out lower and gradually work up to what they might need.
Heck, the reason I am using the machine I am using now is because I can start at 6.6 cm pressure which is nothing at all to exhale against and I don't even notice I am on the machine and then I let the machine increase as it sees fit and since I am asleep when that happens I don't care what it does.
Let's face it...6.6 cm is a lot more comfortable than 10 cm. Not that 10 cm was horrible or anything like that because I managed it quite easily.

I am of the opinion that anything that makes a person more comfortable is fair game to do or try because when we are more comfortable then we are likely to fall asleep easier, faster and stay asleep better.
As long as what we do doesn't have a huge negative impact on the therapy itself...hey, go for it.
And sometimes we have to choose the lesser of 2 evils...maybe having a minor negative impact (short term if the machine won't respond while in ramp) to therapy vs maybe not being able to go to sleep at all or having a really prolonged sleep latency which hurts overall sleep quality.

MarylandCPAPer wrote:Not true. I read manuals and do research.Actual reported experiences (mostly by others) sometimes differ from the manuals. This is particularly true on the machine and mask I am using. I trust people's actual experiences more than manuals that may or may not be up-to-date.

evidence in your posts paints a different picture.

My husband is another person who is "always right". Sometimes he is.
He realizes that when I abruptly concede, I will return with PROOF of my contention.
That is so much fun!

Sheriff Buford wrote:How do we know if it was the Resmed police? Mmmm?

You mean it could have been Respironics!?

Sanctuary!!

I need sanctuary!!

Started a similar thread back last january... viewtopic.php?f=1&t=103502&p=973349&hilit=ramp#p973349

One of the smartest moves I ever made was getting rid of the ramp feature. I want my air, and I want it now!

I shortened my ramp to five minutes within the first week.
Now I have none at all. Auto start turns it on for me right away.
ResMed calls this feature "smart start".

I'm not opposed to use of ramp. I'm opposed to MISuse of the feature, or blanket use without regard to individual needs. A person who falls asleep quickly with no trouble dealing with the air pressure has no need for, and may be adversely affected by, a long ramp with non-therapeutic treatment. Those who actually are kept awake by the sensations of the air at higher pressure are the ideal candidates to benefit from the ramp feature. I do have concern that the new user may have difficulty discerning exactly where their problem lies. It's easy to think the blowing air causes the feeling of suffocation when it could be too low of a pressure causing the suffocating feeling. But I get particularly concerned when someone posts they wake up several times a night and my first thought is that I sure hope they're not hitting the ramp every time they wake up. Any comfort feature is a blessing when used appropriately. I certainly am not saying it has no purpose or those who use it need to "man up". Just because my initial pressure doesn't bother me doesn't mean it everyone has the same experience. By all means, use it if it serves you well. My concern is for people who have my early experience of declining rapidly when starting treatment and struggling primarily due to the overuse of ramp. Looks like maybe someday my rant will become obsolete. Guess for future rants I'll have to add "unless you have XYZ machine".