Thankful New User

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and thank you all for all the information and guidance. I have been reading this forum for a little over a month and I have found a lot of good information and advice.

Background
This year has been a rough one for me with my health. Prior to this year I considered myself reasonably healthy even though I have rheumatoid arthritis. My RA is not that bad - I was diagnosed early due to my mother having an extreme case so it is controlled with medication. This year I was diagnosed with type II diabetes, high blood pressure and anemia. I was extremely weak, exhausted and my hair was thinning. I had a thyroid test and that was borderline, nothing that caused how I was feeling. After several tests, the cause of the anemia was found (nothing major) and I take iron to resolve that issue. I feel very fortunate it was nothing major. I still felt bad but considered myself lucky.

Apnea Diagnosis
So after all that, I went for a physical (which I thought was silly after all the tests and such that I had been through). At the end my doctor asked how I had been sleeping. I told him I still felt like I could sleep for a week. I thought I was sleeping through the night but still woke up feeling like I didn't get enough sleep. I work silly hours so I commented that that was probably the problem. He asked me if I snored. I told him my father had commented that I did. My parents both see the same doctor and he knew they were both CPAP users. He told me I really should see a pulmonologist.

I saw the pulmonologist and he ordered a home sleep study. He said the insurance would want that first. So I took the equipment home and I had an uncomfortable night. I returned everything the next morning and I received a call the following day to schedule an overnight. I tried to make it a week later because I was busy and they "strongly encouraged" me to make it that week.

When I went in and they were hooking me up to the gazillion wires, they said I had 26 incidents but what was concerning them was my oxygen was getting down to 62%. That night I didn't realize how bad that was. I actually thought it was because I didn't feel like I slept with the home study and I didn't think I would sleep there with all the wires. My sister-in-law is a nurse and when I told her what they said, she was stunned and has been on me ever since. The technician had me try several masks. The first two were nose masks. I told him I thought he was trying to kill me. Apparently I am a nose and a mouth breather.

After the technician left the room, I looked down at the wires, up at the camera, and thought about how hot the room was. I need a cold room to sleep. I thought no way this is going to work. The next thing I know I am hearing the technician saying good morning through the intercom. I said, "what?" and he started laughing. I never felt like I went to sleep but I felt fantastic.

DME
Next stop the DME. First, after the night at the sleep clinic, I found this forum and started investigating everything. I knew what kind of machine I wanted and mask. I went in ready to fight for what I wanted. Well, she walked in with a Dreamstation Pro and two types of masks. The mask I had during the study and the Amara View. I never did ask what the first mask was. I was shocked! I was ready to fight and she came in with exactly what I was thinking. I was so shocked, I didn't ask why I wasn't offered to the Auto. The morning I woke up at the sleep clinic I had the awful lines. I was unhappy about that. Luckily the Amara View does not leave me with the lines. After my parents saw it, they want to try that mask.

Home
I have used the machine every night since I received it. It has been a little over a month. My AHI started at 6.9 the first night and has gone down to less than one. The average for the month is .6. I even had one night that was 0. I fully intend to use the Sleepyhead software but decided not to start messing with the card until I get it back from the DME for the first month. I had to send it to the DME so they could download the data. They download it and send it to the pulmonogist. I asked why they didn't get it "over the air" instead of needing the card and they said it's what they have set up with the doctor. I'm not sure I understand that reasoning but didn't push it.

I will be using the sleepyhead software so I can see the details. I like knowing all the information.

I have purchased a new pillow, one of the ones with the buckwheat hulls. I was skeptical but it is working for me. I also purchased one of the stands for the hose. It has helped because I am a side sleeper and I tend to switch sides during the night so the hose was getting in the way.

Today I feel really good. My AHI last night was .9, a little higher that it has been. They were all hypopneas. The DreamMapper software has reported my mask fit at 100% since day one. I don't know if that is correct or not. If I have, what I think are leaks, I am able to fix them pretty quick. I wonder why I feel so good today if the AHI was a little higher than it has been. I know I need to look at sleepyhead.

Thank you for all the useful information. It has helped to make this a positive experience for me.

Sounds like you are off to a great start.
Just wanted to welcome you to the forum.

Using the SleepyHead software won't do anything to the SD card data contents. So when you are ready to do that you can rest assured that the software won't harm the card. There's nothing in SH that messes with the SD card at all. You can't accidentally delete anything from within SH.
The warning about locking the SD card prior to inserting it into your computer...mainly for ResMed S9 users.
Your Respironics machine won't care so it's not a critical issue.

welcome tami3614!

you said- "I wonder why I feel so good today if the AHI was a little higher than it has been."

and you just uttered one of the mysteries of the ages. it's something that the more experienced users say here all the time. they say that it's most important how you feel; how good your sleep was. it's even more important than chasing that perfect ahi of 0!

it's odd, but you can, indeed, have restful sleep with 0.9 ahi.

whatever it is you are doing right, just keep doing it!

Welcome to the forum Tami!

Pugsy wrote: The warning about locking the SD card prior to inserting it into your computer...mainly for ResMed S9 users.
Your Respironics machine won't care so it's not a critical issue.

What about air sense 10 machines do I need to lock my card every time?

Tformhals wrote:Welcome to the forum Tami!

Pugsy wrote: The warning about locking the SD card prior to inserting it into your computer...mainly for ResMed S9 users.
Your Respironics machine won't care so it's not a critical issue.

What about air sense 10 machines do I need to lock my card every time?

There is a little slider switch near the the upper left corner of the SD card. If it is in the UP location the card is UNLOCKED. If it is in the DOWN position, the card is LOCKED. You need to lock the SD card before putting it into your computer because your computer's operating system and the Resmed AirSense won't like the fact that there are files on the card that it did not write. So the CPAP/APAP will insist on wiping the card clean and you'll lose the data---NOT because SleepyHead wrote anything, but rather because your computer's operating system did. You need to remember to UNLOCK the card before putting it back in your PAP machine.

The following image shows an SD card with the switch in the UNLOCKED position.

Tformhals wrote:What about air sense 10 machines do I need to lock my card every time?

It's probably a good idea to always lock the card but it's not the end of the world if you forget. I forget 3/4 of the time because for years I used Win 7 which didn't add that file to my ResMed S9 SD card.
Here's the problem...Windows 8.xxx and higher ...along with some Macs will add a little text file to the SD card when you put it in the computer to use the software.
Some machines don't like that little file being on the SD card and will give you an "invalid card" message and prompt you to erase the card. The ResMed S9 machines are the only machines that care about that file being on your SD card.
From what I have read here...the AirSense/AirCurve 10 machines from ResMed don't care if that little text file is on the SD card.

Now even for the S9 users who forget to lock the card and get that message...the file can be manually removed fairly easily...I have become quite good at it. since about the time I remember that I should have locked the card is just right after I have inserted the card into the slot. Remember...even if some of the detailed data were erased...you already have it on the computer in the software reports and the machine does store summary data and will put that data right back on the SD card after it gets erased.

But to answer your question...the AirSense machines don't care about that little added file and won't reject the SD card just because of that file being on the SD card.

Anyone with a S9 who has Windows.. if you need the code to manually remove that pesky file from the SD card.
I have no idea how one could do it on a Mac.

rmdir "System Volume Information" /s /q
at the contents of the SD card window hold down the shift key and right click mouse...and choose Open command window and paste the above in the black window.

Pugsy wrote:

Tformhals wrote:What about air sense 10 machines do I need to lock my card every time?

It's probably a good idea to always lock the card but it's not the end of the world if you forget. I forget 3/4 of the time because for years I used Win 7 which didn't add that file to my ResMed S9 SD card.
Here's the problem...Windows 8.xxx and higher ...along with some Macs will add a little text file to the SD card when you put it in the computer to use the software.

A small correction: All Macs will write a few hidden files to an unlocked SD card.

Some machines don't like that little file being on the SD card and will give you an "invalid card" message and prompt you to erase the card. The ResMed S9 machines are the only machines that care about that file being on your SD card.
From what I have read here...the AirSense/AirCurve 10 machines from ResMed don't care if that little text file is on the SD card.

Thanks for saying this. It's good to know that ResMed has fixed the problem of the machine rejecting an SD card with those files added by the operating system.

Anyone with a S9 who has Windows.. if you need the code to manually remove that pesky file from the SD card.
I have no idea how one could do it on a Mac.

Locking the card should be enough on any Mac.

Respironics machines don't care what files are on the SD card. I once used my PR S1 with all sorts of added files to the SD card including a couple of pictures..it accepted the card without squawking at all and worked fine.

I am 99.9999% sure that what I say about the AirSense/AirCurve machines no longer caring what's on the SD card is true.
Give me a little bit to go find my reference point to confirm. I have been known to "dream" crap up.

I have the AirCurve 10 machine, and it doesn't care about the extra file. I forgot to put my card in the lock position a few times, and had no problems with it. I now use a flash air card in my machine so I don't need to remove the card to check my data.

Okie bipap wrote:I have the AirCurve 10 machine, and it doesn't care about the extra file.

Thanks for the reassurance that I wasn't dreaming. I don't have time to go back through all the past posts to find others who have mentioned it.

Okie bipap wrote:I have the AirCurve 10 machine, and it doesn't care about the extra file. I forgot to put my card in the lock position a few times, and had no problems with it. I now use a flash air card in my machine so I don't need to remove the card to check my data.

Can you explain how this works? I would love to not have to remove my sd card. What size card do I need?

Tformhals wrote: Can you explain how this works? I would love to not have to remove my sd card. What size card do I need?

It's not so much the size of the card as it is the type of SD card.
At this link look at the bottom of the page where it says "transfer data from cpap machine"
https://sleep.tnet.com/equipment

Tformhals wrote:Welcome to the forum Tami!

Pugsy wrote: The warning about locking the SD card prior to inserting it into your computer...mainly for ResMed S9 users.
Your Respironics machine won't care so it's not a critical issue.

What about air sense 10 machines do I need to lock my card every time?

no, you don't, the air10 machines don't care, only the resmed s9 series.

robysue wrote:Locking the card should be enough on any Mac.

as long as your sd card reader supports the lock slider. most do, some don't.

Pugsy wrote:I am 99.9999% sure that what I say about the AirSense/AirCurve machines no longer caring what's on the SD card is true.
Give me a little bit to go find my reference point to confirm. I have been known to "dream" crap up.

you are correct, they don't care..