Machine problems

At the risk of being chastised for posting a topic that may have been brought up before, I have a question...

I had a ResMed S6 Elite for almost two years. My pressure was set at 12.5. It worked great once I waded through and found a mask I could tolerate.

Last week, I noticed some time during the night, the pressure would drop off to almost nothing. The machine was running, the led's showed pressure in the 12-14 range, but I wasn't getting any air. I took all the hoses off, cleaned everything and tried it again the next night. When I first started the machine, good pressure. I fell asleep, then again, sometime in the night...nothing.

I contacted my Dr. He set me up with a new machine. A Remstar Pro 2 with C-Flex. First night great! (Really love that c-flex) Second night, pressure dropped off in the night. Third night pressure dropped off again.

Did I just get lucky and get a new machine with the same symptoms as my old machine, or am I doing something wrong here? Has anyone else experienced this problem?

Thanks...

Off the top of my head, I can think of two things:

1) Try a new hose. It's possible your old one has developed a weakness that makes it very easy to kink and choke off all of the air. This isn't from experience, but I have seen garden hoses which have been around so long, they've lost some rigidity, and a relatively minor amount of twisting or bending causes them to double over and cut off the flow.

2) Are you SURE the new one is the same? My Remstar Pro-2 feels the same way, sometimes, but I think it's just a different feel as I get used to it. I have noticed that on my side it feels like the pressure is lower, but when using a nasal mask, if I open my mouth, I get the same level of air hissing out through my teeth, so clearly it's just my perception of the pressure and not the actual pressure which has dropped.

Liam, not to pressure you or anything.

Our bodies are not designed to measure airway pressure. If you wake again thinking the pressure has dropped break the seal of your mask or pillows with your finger and see if air does not blast out. I bet it will.

If you wake feeling that you are not getting enough air, you most likely are not getting enough air. You may need more pressure to control your airway. Getting a prescription for 2 cm more of pressure will likely do the trick.

I think Liam is right, no way both machines are bad.