New to using Cpap (a bit lost...)

Hello, I am so glad to have found this community. My name is Leonie. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea in December and still no idea when my machine will be available. My primary care doctor said it could be months. Today I received a machine she was able to secure for me to use temporarily (used and refurbished).

The problem is I don't have the guidance I normally would have from the medical supply company as far as training and information. I think I figured out which model it is but not 100% sure so I'd like some help with that to begin. I did find some instructional videos on YouTube as long as it's the correct device It says ResMed on the front and the model number on the back is 37028. On the bottom it says Air10. The mask packet says Phillips Wisp.

I also don't know if I should put in an SD card and use the app for the device, since no one is actually tracking my activity for now. I'd like to collect the information regardless but not sure how to do that on my own.

My doctor already put in the settings from the sleep study Rx but can't really hold my hand through the set up and use process as he is very busy and doesn't usually handle this part.

I would appreciate any and all help you can provide!
Leonie

LeonieX wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 24, 2022 3:39 pm

I would appreciate any and all help you can provide!
Leonie

welcome to the zoo!

luckily for you, you've gotten ahold of an resmed airsense 10 auto cpap. this is a good machine, even used.

what you need to do is, yes, get that sd card and start collecting data. there is a free program called oscar. it's what we use here in the forum to help people with their cpap journey.

you can download oscar here-
https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/

you'll also want to read about oscar here-

https://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=158560

don't worry about interpreting your oscar data. once you upload charts here, folks will comment.

do you happen to know your pressure settings on your machine?

one final thing, please. keep yourquestionss in this one thread for now so that we can keep track of your progress.

good luck!

Thanks so much zonker! I do feel very lucky to have this machine and a doctor that cares so much.
I will set up Oscar asap.
I just got back from buying an SD card and distilled water.
I washed everything per the instructions I found.
I'm gonna give it a try tonight.
If the settings are visible to me on the device I will look for them.
My doctor had a colleague who is a sleep doctor help him with the set up so I will trust it was done per the Rx.
I would like to educate myself about this though and understand the settings so I can advocate for myself if something feels off.

LeonieX wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:43 pm

I would like to educate myself about this though and understand the settings so I can advocate for myself if something feels off.

you are going to fit right in here as that's what we do!

to see your pressure settings, hit the big button. after the screen illuminates, press the home button and the big button together and hold until the screen changes. when you see "settings" press the big button. scroll down with that button to find your min and max settings.

to get the CLINICIANS manual, go here-

https://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap- ... tup-manual

this will get you started.

and i have a feeling you're going to grasp this whole apnea journey thing pretty quick.

Ok settings are:

Therapy
Max pressure 15.0
Min Pressure 5.0
Mask nasal

Comfort
Ramp Time Off
EPR On
EPR Type Full Time
EPR Level 3
Humidity Level 5

Accessories
Tube Slimline
AB Filter No

Options
Essentials Plus
SmartStart On

Thank you stevenal!

Welcome!

I am also new; started about a month ago. The folk here helped me through my initial stages. In fact, I found this group much more helpful than even the trained professionals in my sleep lab.

Hang in there!

Hello and welcome! Did you try using the machine last night? If you did, how did it go?

One thing you can do to help yourself ease into the new experience is to set up your machine outside your bedroom and use it for a while during the day or evening while you do something mildly diverting, like watching TV or reading. This helps your brain calm down about the new experience, which in turn can help you sleep with the machine at night.

For Oscar, you need an SD card in the slot, a laptop or desktop computer, and a way for the computer to read the SD card. If it has an SD slot, great; if it doesn't you can get a cheap SD card reader to plug into a USB port on your computer. Photo stores have them, as well as computer-type stores.

LeonieX wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 24, 2022 8:27 pm

Max pressure 15.0
Min Pressure 5.0

This is probably a good place to start. Many times, CPAP therapy can be improved with optimization of the original settings. OSCAR and this forum will be your friends.

Please stick to this one thread as you progress. It makes it easier for helping members to see your history/what's been tried/what didn't work.

Welcome!

BuckarooBanzai wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 25, 2022 11:07 am

Welcome!

I am also new; started about a month ago. The folk here helped me through my initial stages. In fact, I found this group much more helpful than even the trained professionals in my sleep lab.

Hang in there!

Thanks for the welcome! I feel like I'm in the right place.
Lots to learn about cpap, Oscar, and how to navigate this forum on my tiny phone screen.
Maybe when I am a bit less sleep deprived it will come easier...

Miss Emerita wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 25, 2022 12:00 pm

Hello and welcome! Did you try using the machine last night? If you did, how did it go?

One thing you can do to help yourself ease into the new experience is to set up your machine outside your bedroom and use it for a while during the day or evening while you do something mildly diverting, like watching TV or reading. This helps your brain calm down about the new experience, which in turn can help you sleep with the machine at night.

For Oscar, you need an SD card in the slot, a laptop or desktop computer, and a way for the computer to read the SD card. If it has an SD slot, great; if it doesn't you can get a cheap SD card reader to plug into a USB port on your computer. Photo stores have them, as well as computer-type stores.

Thanks for the welcome!
I did use it last night and it wasn't as bad as I expected
I definitely need to adjust the headgear as it began to slip, and figure out some hair management tips, that was really annoying...

I had read about testing it out during the day like you suggest, but I'm the "jump in with both feet" kind of person I also don't have much downtime unfortunately.

I did download Oscar but have not finished my profile. I'm pretty busy with work until Thursday so then I'll try to catch up on reading and learning some more, getting data to the PC and make sure that works, etc.

Knowing I can come here for advice and support makes a world of difference!

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 25, 2022 12:30 pm

LeonieX wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 24, 2022 8:27 pm

Max pressure 15.0
Min Pressure 5.0

This is probably a good place to start. Many times, CPAP therapy can be improved with optimization of the original settings. OSCAR and this forum will be your friends.

Please stick to this one thread as you progress. It makes it easier for helping members to see your history/what's been tried/what didn't work.

Welcome!

Thanks for the welcome!
I am lucky to have an easygoing doctor who supports me in figuring out what works. He doesn't know a whole lot about the settings so we're both winging it.

I'm not clear how it will work once I get my insurance provided machine through the durable medical equipment company. I know they monitor compliance but haven't had a chance to talk to anybody more in detail about what that means. They've had my script since mid-December and I have not heard from them, they don't answer the phone or reply to my emails. I know there is a big backlog and they have some staffing issues AND they generally tend to suck per the reviews.

I'm glad to have a chance to figure some things out with this temporary machine before I have to deal with them.

LeonieX wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 25, 2022 3:19 pm

I know they monitor compliance but haven't had a chance to talk to anybody more in detail about what that means.

--------------->

at least 4 hours each night for 70% of the nights

The machine has a modem that transfers usage data to your DME. The DME submits compliance information to your insurance company.

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 25, 2022 5:35 pm

LeonieX wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 25, 2022 3:19 pm

I know they monitor compliance but haven't had a chance to talk to anybody more in detail about what that means.

--------------->

at least 4 hours each night for 70% of the nights

The machine has a modem that transfers usage data to your DME. The DME submits compliance information to your insurance company.

I see... does the DME monitor the settings and if you make adjustments or is that the doctors domain?