CPAPtalk.com

We all adjust our settings routinely, ignoring MD's and techs who say they are 'locked'. That's nonsense.

Pugsy, thanks for explaining how to interpret the large leak data for this machine. I hope I remember if it comes up again!

MMcG, I can’t fathom why the tech said not to use flex long term. That’s just bizarre. But if it was uncomfortable for you, skip it. (Though you might want to try it again some time, just to check.)

Julie wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 21, 2021 3:14 pm

We all adjust our settings routinely, ignoring MD's and techs who say they are 'locked'. That's nonsense.

I'll read my contract before I do anything.

Miss Emerita wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 21, 2021 4:51 pm

Pugsy, thanks for explaining how to interpret the large leak data for this machine. I hope I remember if it comes up again!

MMcG, I can’t fathom why the tech said not to use flex long term. That’s just bizarre. But if it was uncomfortable for you, skip it. (Though you might want to try it again some time, just to check.)

My recollection is that he felt that it was getting close to being a ventilator rather than creating an "environment". When I tried it, I was still waking up frequently, even more so then. But I might give it a try again. Thanks.

MMcG wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 22, 2021 4:50 am

My recollection is that he felt that it was getting close to being a ventilator rather than creating an "environment".

Hopefully that's not what was said, because that's just nonsense words.

Miss Emerita wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 21, 2021 4:51 pm

Pugsy, thanks for explaining how to interpret the large leak data for this machine. I hope I remember if it comes up again!

MMcG, I can’t fathom why the tech said not to use flex long term. That’s just bizarre. But if it was uncomfortable for you, skip it. (Though you might want to try it again some time, just to check.)

I think the reason I used it initially was that I found exhaling against pressure (even the minimum of 4) uncomfortable. So I was having difficulty falling asleep. Then I found the cycling noise of the machine while on Smartflex a bit distracting too. Regardless, I no longer have problems falling asleep. Now the problem is staying asleep.

So maybe it WOULD be worthwhile to try flex again. Just a thought.

Miss Emerita wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 23, 2021 5:47 pm

So maybe it WOULD be worthwhile to try flex again. Just a thought.

I thought it was waking me up. But recent OSCAR data suggests that it is probably due to unresolved hypopneas combined with the machine response. I tend to have a cluster of exhale puffing and/or hypopneas (some of them lengthy) in the five minutes prior to waking. I also always write down my recollections in the morning and I can see a pattern of waking while having disturbed dreams. So it looks like these episodes are happening mostly during the latter stages of sleep cycles while in REM sleep. I can't see how smart flex could resolve this. My own thoughts are leaning towards perhaps needing to increase both my minimum and maximum pressures, to give the machine a bit more of a "head start" on my "episodes" when precursors to apneas/hypopneas, such as snoring and exhale puffing, start.

hypopneas = baby apneas
Increasing minimum pressure can help reduce their frequency.

If you can exhale easily with the raised minimum pressure, then you don't need to use SmartFlex. It is a comfort feature meant to help people exhale against minimum pressure level they find too high.

Exhale puffing (chipmunk cheeks) can be dealt via mouth taping.

If you're not hitting your maximum pressure, then there isn't a point raising it.
Don't reduce it from the default max either, unless you have a specific reason, such as aerophagia.

You may be experiencing transition events -- events that occur with the transition from waking to sleep or sleep to waking. Different neurochemical systems are involved in breathing in those two states, and sometimes the hand-off from the one to the other other involves breathing patterns that are classified as CAs or Hs. This is not uncommon, and it isn't anything to worry about. When you see events clustered at the start or end of a sleep period, you should probably discount them.

palerider wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 21, 2021 12:58 pm

MMcG wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 21, 2021 12:26 pm

palerider wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 21, 2021 12:13 pm

MMcG wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 21, 2021 11:34 am

I rent my machine which includes a technician who adjusts my settings. I can't adjust the settings.

You could if you wanted to.

MMcG wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 21, 2021 11:34 am

He lowered the max, because I suspected that when it hit high levels, albeit infrequently, it was waking me.

Your suspicion was probably wrong.

How can I adjust the settings? These options are locked on the machine interface. And even if there is a technical work around, I would probably be in breach of contract if using external software to get around this. Just wondering?

Settings are in a hidden menu, they're not really "locked". By restricting the machine's ability to respond to breathing needs, you (or your tech) are potentially preventing it from keeping your airway open.

Thanks. I figured it out!

Didn't want to start a new thread as I know now that it's discouraged by the forum moderators. So I hope someone sees this. Things have improved hugely since my original post, but I still tend to wake every couple of hours, and sometimes more frequently later in the night. Here is a screen shot from a typical night. You can see that my events are mostly hypopneas and I understand that Devilbiss/Intellipap machines tend to over-report these. But I am concerned about flow limitations, which I believe are waking me, perhaps even more frequently than I recall. And because I get a lot of them, I suspect that they are lowering my O2 saturation somewhat - I still wake up occasionally with a dull headache. I have a review scheduled with my doctor/consultant next week and I am going to ask her opinion. My own inclination is that I need to increase my minimum pressure to at least 7, maybe 8 and increase the max to maybe 11-12. Would be helpful to get some guidance here first. I don't understand what the index for FL's in the table means either. Is it events per hour? Thanks in advance, Michael.