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Re: Feeling worse on cpap.
Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 5:33 pm
by the baker
Thanks everyone
Re: Feeling worse on cpap.
Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 5:55 pm
by zonker
the baker wrote: ↑Mon Mar 04, 2019 3:09 pm
So went to the doctors office so the nurse can change the pressure on the machine, turns out they are changing it from a cpap with a set pressure of 10 to an auto cpap with a range of 8-15,
The nurse said my average nightly ahi is 1.8 and I never had a night greater than 3. Which is good since my test showed an AHI of 11
And that I'm doing good and hopefully the change will make me feel better
Still trying to get sleepy head working on my computer
Last night was the first night with 6 straight hours of sleep, and my AHI was 1.2 I do not feel any better but I don't feel as bad as I have since starting
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excellent! good to know you are on the right path. don't be too concerned if you don't feel wonderful all at once. took me months before i noticed a change. but there will be a change, believe me.
good work!!
Re: Feeling worse on cpap.
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 5:48 am
by the baker
so last night was the first night with the new settings on the machine. Auto cpap with a 8-15 range.
Worse night ever first hour of sleep i had 3 events that actually woke me gasping for breath ( never happened before) an hour and a half in i checked my numbers and I was at an AHI of 6.1 ( the night before it was 1.5 and it's never been over 3) after the fourth wake with gasping for air i couldn't get my self to relax ( the gasping freaked me out) and go to sleep so I just ditched the machine....
My question is this normal... I've never woke gasping for air ever It really scared me....is this normal as my body gets used to the auto cpap as opposed to the regular cpap.
can the nurse change the machine back to my previous settings without the doctor he is away??? Or am I stuck..until he gets back
I never want to experience that sensation of not being able to breath again
Re: Feeling worse on cpap.
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 6:13 am
by Pugsy
Can the nurse do something while the doctor is away? Don't know....ask her.
But there's nothing stopping you from changing it..... if you just would. It's not difficult at all.
Re: Feeling worse on cpap.
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 6:25 am
by the baker
Pugsy wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 6:13 am
Can the nurse do something while the doctor is away? Don't know....ask her.
But there's nothing stopping you from changing it..... if you just would. It's not difficult at all.
I got hold of the clinicians manual, there are so many settings i don't know what my previous settings were beyond a set pressure of 10.
I've got 3 hours till the nurse is in I'll just have to wait and see...
I texted a friend who also uses a cpap. He warned me that if the machine belongs to the insurance company changing anything may make them take the machine back of the doctor could refuse to see you and that violates the trail agreement and they can stop paying rental on the machine
Re: Feeling worse on cpap.
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 6:50 am
by Pugsy
the baker wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 6:25 am
I texted a friend who also uses a cpap. He warned me that if the machine belongs to the insurance company changing anything may make them take the machine back of the doctor could refuse to see you and that violates the trail agreement and they can stop paying rental on the machine
That's a myth told by DMEs to scare people into not messing with settings.
Insurance companies don't monitor settings....all they care about is that you use the machine the minimum number of hours each night so you prove to them they aren't wasting their money paying for something you don't use.
Insurance companies don't even monitor results or AHI or leaks or anything other than hours of use and it's the DME who send that stuff to the insurance company.
Re: Feeling worse on cpap.
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 7:11 am
by the baker
Pugsy wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 6:50 am
the baker wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 6:25 am
I texted a friend who also uses a cpap. He warned me that if the machine belongs to the insurance company changing anything may make them take the machine back of the doctor could refuse to see you and that violates the trail agreement and they can stop paying rental on the machine
That's a myth told by DMEs to scare people into not messing with settings.
Insurance companies don't monitor settings....all they care about is that you use the machine the minimum number of hours each night so you prove to them they aren't wasting their money paying for something you don't use.
Insurance companies don't even monitor results or AHI or leaks or anything other than hours of use and it's the DME who send that stuff to the insurance company.
I've read that in numerous articles, the only glitch is the part of the trail agreement that states i must see the prescribing doctor 30-45 days after I begin using the machine if he gets upset at me changing the settings and refuses to keep seeing me I can lose the machine..hmmmmm
If I do it and the doctor takes offense I'll just tell him I did what I had to do..you were away and no one else could help.. And in reality all I did was put his previous prescription back in the machine...if that doesn't work hell I took a shot..
Re: Feeling worse on cpap.
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 12:52 pm
by Thumper68
At my first follow up, I had upped my min pressure from 5 to 10. Doc noticed that, so I showed him my sleepyhead charts and why I changed it myself. He didn't care. Just said to come back in a year. Very unlikely that I will go back. I can get all of the help I need here for free!
Re: Feeling worse on cpap.
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 3:52 pm
by palerider
the baker wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 6:25 am
Pugsy wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 6:13 am
Can the nurse do something while the doctor is away? Don't know....ask her.
But there's nothing stopping you from changing it..... if you just would. It's not difficult at all.
I got hold of the clinicians manual, there are so many settings i don't know what my previous settings were beyond a set pressure of 10.
I've got 3 hours till the nurse is in I'll just have to wait and see...
I texted a friend who also uses a cpap. He warned me that if the machine belongs to the insurance company changing anything may make them take the machine back of the doctor could refuse to see you and that violates the trail agreement and they can stop paying rental on the machine
your friend was told a lie. Insurance companies don't care *at all* about anything other than how many hours each night you're using the machine, they don't care, *AT ALL* if it's working for you, or not.
I'd change your minimum pressure to 10, and max pressure to 20. 8 is probably too low for you, and that's why you had trouble at first.
Re: Feeling worse on cpap.
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 3:53 pm
by palerider
the baker wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 7:11 am
If I do it and the doctor takes offense I'll just tell him I did what I had to do..you were away and no one else could help.. And in reality all I did was put his previous prescription back in the machine...if that doesn't work hell I took a shot..
If your doctor takes offense that you acted as an empowered patient, then that is a bad doctor, and you just find another one that says "yup, patient doing well, using machine", and that'll make the insurance company happy.. the "using the machine" part.
Re: Feeling worse on cpap.
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 3:55 pm
by palerider
Thumper68 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 12:52 pm
I can get all of the help I need here for free!
Oh, you haven't gotten your first bill? I'll alert the billing department.
Re: Feeling worse on cpap.
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 5:01 pm
by zonker
palerider wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 3:55 pm
Thumper68 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 12:52 pm
I can get all of the help I need here for free!
Oh, you haven't gotten your first bill? I'll alert the billing department.
i keep sending them and they keep coming back unopened.
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Re: Feeling worse on cpap.
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 5:29 pm
by the baker
palerider wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 3:52 pm
the baker wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 6:25 am
wrote:
I'd change your minimum pressure to 10, and max pressure to 20. 8 is probably too low for you, and that's why you had trouble at first.
That sounds like a good idea
The doctors office was supposed to get back to me about what to do...they never did. So I changed back to my original settings ( straight 10 ) since the last few days on them weren't to bad..if I have any problems and I go back to auto cpap I'll try your suggestions makes more sense
Re: Feeling worse on cpap.
Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2019 7:07 am
by the baker
Thanks for all the help.. I'm having more issues I don't understand
It's been a little over 2 weeks on the machine. The first 10 days my average AHI was 1.8 but I started to feel worse, so my doctor decided to change me from straight cpap with a 10 pressure to an auto cpap with a range 8\15
first night was horrible woke up 3 times gasping for air which never happened before... And my AHI was 6.1 for just 2 hours ( stopped using the machine after the 3 time gasping)
the office said they would let the coverage doctor know and get back to me
But they never did so I changed the machine back to original settings...figuring I'd go back to how I was before the switch,But last night I had numerous events and some woke me up and had 5 hours with an AHI 7.1
Why did I have such a big spike in AHI when I'd never been above 3... I thought going back to my old settings I would go back to my old results
Did the switching back and forth maybe throw me all off kilter and I'll eventually settle back to how I was doing before????
Thank you so much....
Re: Feeling worse on cpap.
Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2019 7:10 am
by zoocrewphoto
The lower starting pressure of the range is what caused the higher ahi when you tried that.
As for the continued higher ahi, I am betting that another change in the settings happened that you weren't aware of, such as epr. So, the settings may not be identical to what you had before.