CPAPtalk.com

SerryJW wrote:ZooCrew & Pugsy...I am so confused because all my settings were set for AUTO...NO ONE explained how to change anything...Welcome to Kaiser!
I had a RESMED AIRSENSE 10 and Nasal Pillow mask...sorry, doing this from memory. HOW do I know if I also need the oxygen concentrate...that I have had since March w/o the cpap...that I got last week.

A lot of doctors just assume a wide open auto range, which is pretty much useless for everybody. Now, they may have planned to review it and narrow it down. They also assume that people are too stupid to adjust their own settings, so they don't tell us anything. That is why we joined this forum, learned for ourselves, and improved our health on our own.

Do you have a machine now? I got the impression you turned it in and did not get a new one.

The only way to know if you still need the oxygen with cpap is to use an oximeter while using cpap and see if your oxygen drops. But you really need to get a cpap machine again if you haven't already. You will need to make sure it is an auto machine with full data (leak, ahi breakdown). Then we can help yo make adjustments to dial it in correctly for you.

ZooCrew....Thanks for your help...I don't know what I will do.
Namaste,
Serry

SerryJW wrote:Palerider...a vocabulary lesson,please...according to Accuweather...it is 26% humidity and it was 94 degrees today ( 6pm now). During the night it has 1-3% chance of precipitation. Do I need the humidifier on during the night? What setting?

I see that question has already been answered better than I could have.

Trying to make this simple. Get a copy of your sleep study. It will give you the details because 81 to 84 oxygen events doesn't mean anything. It could be the number of apnea events or oxygen saturation. If the DME didn't give you an oxygen tank, I'm kinda guessing you don't need oxygen.

The hot power supply could be normal, I know some laptop power supplies can get pretty hot.

Can't help you with the humidifier. I am a fortunate to have never used one.

Personally I think you may have the wrong mask. You may need to try a few more and maybe pillows won't work for you.

I used to know where to get a clinician manual for Resmed machines. Hopefully some here has a link. You also need to get software so you can check out you data, let others here see what is going on, and get better advice.

A lot of this has to do with taking ownership of your apnea therapy and it is no different than whatever hobby or pastime you have that you have spent time digging into the details.

Good luck with getting a new machine and mask and hopefully coming to the realization that you will eventually have to do this.

John

I got the impression from your very first post that you returned your equipment to your provider...did you do that?
Or were you thinking of doing that and decided not to and you do have your equipment in your possession right now?

The AirSense provider/clinical manual can be found here
https://sleep.tnet.com/home/files/resme ... -guide.pdf

Serry , I too live in Denver. Using a Resmed S10 Climateline hose and Auto humidity, I average a tank of water a night. I'm filling the tank to the max line every night. If you're running out in a couple of hours, you need to go back to the Clinic and show them what's going on. You might have a lemon, or there could be other issues they can help you with

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

She did say that she returned it. You can get the help you need here. People here use this stuff every single night and practical experience that doctors just don't have. With Kaiser, I think they take care of everything so there's no Durable Medical Equipment provider to deal with.

The cpap doesn't use more current that a 100 watt light bulb so I doubt that the electricity is a problem.

You may have had a defective machine. It's not common, but it can happen. Contact Kaiser and get yourself a different machine. I believe that they always give an airsense 10, so that's good.

On the airsense 10, the humidifier is built in, but you don't have to use it at all. As Pugsy said, you can turn off the humidifier and heated hose (if any). You can still get a small amount of humidification by putting water in the tank and not turning out the humidifier. Or, you can leave the water out and have no added humidification.

And, finally, NO - headaches from using cpap are NOT normal or common. A big improvement in sleep is why we all use this thing.

Contact Kaiser and arrange to pick up a new machine. If they did a sleep study, get a copy of the results. If they did a home sleep study ask for the results of that. Then come back here and get some real help with getting started.

There may have been NOTHING wrong with the machine running out of water if you were mouth breathing and using a nasal mask. All the humidity in the tank may have been desperately trying to keep up with the air leaking out your mouth--a losing battle. In addition, all the oxygen coming in from your concentrator might have been drying things out, too. Were you using a water bubbler on your O2 concentrator?

They did show you how to connect your O2 prongs to the CPAP mask, right? Or were you trying to wear the prongs directly in your nose while wearing a CPAP mask???

You should NOT discontinue the oxygen unless your doctor tells you to. So ask if you're not sure.

Did you have home testing and home titration, or were you actually in a sleep lab overnight? Kaiser really needs to get someone like you in for an overnight stay so that they can work with you on the many aspects of using CPAP, or at least something called a "pap nap" where they bring you in even during the day to sleep an hour or so with the machine and mask so they can teach you how to use it well. You are a complex patient, not their usual OSA patient. Sometimes you have to push to get more help than Kaiser prefers to give people.

Call the Kaiser sleep people and tell them you want more help to try to use a CPAP again. It's in Kaiser's best interests to help you learn to use the CPAP so you don't cost them even more when you have a stroke or heart attack because of untreated apnea.

Another possibility is that there was a problem with the humidifier temperature. If it got too hot the water wouldn't last as long and if you were new to using the machine you might not have noticed the higher humidity since you would have assumed whatever it did was correct. A couple of degrees would make a difference.

Either way it sounds like an equipment problem, not your wiring. The brick does get warm but it shouldn't be hot.

Serry, are you looking for options other than a CPAP? I had an appointment with my ENT a few days ago and we talked about other options cause the CPAP wasn't going well and I felt awful. I'm hanging in there, and have switched masks. What he said is that an oral appliance will help, but only for mild apnea and it can be tricky to test how well it's working (unless your insurance will cover another sleep study). And it can cause jaw pain. Sounds like it wouldn't be an option for you. The other things: surgery (he said usually doesn't work) and sleeping elevated. He does a lot of surgeries and said that that is how they keep airways open during surgery -- by elevation of the head. Not saying that would cure you, but might help you have fewer apneas.

And I don't know about the laws where you live, but most places have laws that protect tenants from dangerous housing. Please take control of your situation. Demand repairs, and if they don't happen, take legal action. I know from experience that fires happen from bad wiring. I was lucky when the smoke started because I was at home and awake, and able to save my cat and house! The fire department came over and located the problem and confiscated my electrical unit (whatever that thing is called on the outside of your house) until I got it fixed. This was back in 2003, but I learned my lesson about electrical. My house passed inspection and everything, but you never really know with old houses. Not trying to scare you, but please, get it checked out. And get another machine. There are several different causes for headaches during CPAP. Your doctor can help you!